She fell asleep not long after getting in the car, which wasn’t the best idea because I was still slightly buzzed and, as usual, geographically challenged. There wasn’t much traffic, and I assumed every car I saw was a cop.

We got into the house without incident, and I put Mallory into bed. I could only imagine what the morning would bring.

We both slept much later than usual, and I awoke first. I got up, turned on her coffee maker and got some water, and headed back to bed. She stirred when I lay back down. Her eyes opened, and for a moment and she just stared at the ceiling.

“How are you feeling?” I asked tentatively.

“I’m really, really thirsty. My head is pounding and I’m sore everywhere,” Mallory replied, assessing the situation.

I gave her a drink of water, and she lay back down, only to resume staring at the ceiling for a bit.

“Why don’t I have any underwear on?” she asked, getting up and heading for the bathroom.

“Because I put you in bed,” I answered.

“Gosh, I hate that,” she replied, going toward the bathroom.

I kind of laughed as Mallory disappeared through the doorway, thinking to myself, “You didn’t mind going without panties last night.”

I just lay in bed waiting for her to return. I heard the toilet flush and then the water in the sink. She came sauntering back to bed, with her adorable, messed-up hair, looking a bit confused.

“Honey,” she said, “Just what exactly did happen last night?” she asked, getting back into bed.

“You mean you don’t remember?” I answered, a bit surprised.

“I remember going to dance with Dean,” she said, thinking. “After that, things are a little bit fuzzy.”

“Do you recall a couple of very hot text messages?” I asked probing.

“Oh Gosh, no! I didn’t!” Mallory said aghast. “I thought I dreamt that!”

“Nope, that was quite real,” I said, suppressing a grin.

“Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, covering was face. “Was it awful?”

“Awful?” I said. “It was anything but awful.”

“Do you remember sitting at the table and talking?” I asked.

“Kind of,” she said, a little foggy. “I remember you rubbing my leg at some point.”

“I wasn’t the only one rubbing your leg,” I replied.

“Holy Crap!” she said, shocked. “At the table?” she asked, horrified. “Could anyone see anything?!”

“No, no,” I assured her. “No one could see a thing. I made certain of that.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, like an interrogation.

“Oh yes, I’m sure,” I promised. “From above the table, I’m sure it looked like 3 people having appetizers and drinks. Below the table, well, that’s something different,” I admitted.  “Besides, there weren’t many people there, and I kept looking around to see if anybody was paying attention.”

“Good Grief,” she replied. “What was going on under the table?”

“Oh, a variety of activities,” I answered vaguely.

“Oh my gosh!” Mallory exclaimed. “Such as what? Do I really want to know?”

“Well, your little kitten received some long-overdue attention,” I admitted once again.

“At the table?” Mallory stammered.

“Oh, you didn’t seem to mind. Honestly, Sweetheart, you were enjoying the attention.”

“Oh, geez, I can’t believe it!” Mallory exclaimed. “Did somebody drug me or something?”

“No, nobody drugged you, Sweetheart,” I assured her. “You were just, well, how can I put it, comfortable. Certainly acting of your own accord.”

“It was the damn Long Island Iced Teas!” she shot back. “My gosh, what did Dean say? I can’t imagine what he was thinking.”

“Well, Dean didn’t say too much, relative to what was going on under the table. His hands were occupied,” I confessed. “As far as what he was thinking? What he said was, and I quote, 'It was the best experience of my life,' end quote. I’d have to say that he was more than glad he came,” I conveyed. “Truthfully, he wasn’t pushy or anything. He was actually very considerate and restrained. He was concerned with following the rules. I have to give the guy credit.”

“Oh, really?” she answered, seemingly surprised. Mallory remained quiet for a minute, I guess, collecting her thoughts, and then she asked,

“How are you doing with what happened?” she asked, almost as if she’d be sorry she had.

“Well, I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes,” I began. “You were absolutely magnificent, sensual, unimaginably sexy, stunningly beautiful, irresistibly charming, adorable, and hotter than I’ve ever experienced. I mean, with all that going on, there’s no room for jealousy. You certainly enjoyed Dean, but you didn’t at my expense. Do you know what I mean? You didn’t ignore me or exclude me. You were perfect, just perfect. And truthfully, I’ve never felt closer or felt more intense love for you than I do today.”

“Really?” She said in stunned disbelief. “You really mean that? Because that doesn’t sound like you at all. This is like something that happened to someone else. I can’t even wrap my head around this. I feel like I'm in shock and really, really nauseous.

"I feel kind of the same way. I’m completely and utterly conflicted. Maybe later I’ll feel different, but right now all I can think of is how beautiful you were and how much you enjoyed yourself. I’m glad I was a part of that. Seeing that part of you wake up was an extraordinary and very unexpected pleasure.”

“Wow, that’s not at all what I expected to hear,” she answered, “I don’t think I’d feel the same way if the circumstance was reversed.”

“Well, 10 years ago, I probably wouldn’t have felt the same way. Ten years ago, this whole thing would have been preposterous to even consider,” I stated honestly. “One thing this entire adventure has done is provide an opportunity for us to talk about this in complete honesty and truth. You initially came to me, and telling me about what you were going through was really brave. Did it bother me? Yes, of course it did, but I had to admire the courage it took to come forward with your feelings. You had no idea what the outcome might be,” I said. 

I thought for a moment before continuing. “But you took a chance on our relationship being able to handle that and continue. I suppose, essentially, I did the same thing. I mirrored the faith and trust that you demonstrated, and we, as a couple, had an incredible adventure.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” she answered.

“You remember when I told you that all I want is for you to be happy, with me or without me, I just want you to be happy,” I said.

“Yes, Honey, I remember that,” she replied.

“Well, this put that to the test,” I said, kind of shaking my head. “That’s unconditional love. Giving the person you love the room to experience their life without judging them. Basically, that’s what happened. And with that, I’m going to get you some coffee,” I announced, getting out of bed.

I went to the kitchen and was thinking about how you were going to have to rationalize your experience, when really, I should have been the one having the issues. I thought maybe it might help if I just simplified the whole event. I wanted to explain my feelings further, but I wasn’t sure how to do that yet. Most of all, I didn’t want you to feel guilty or anything else. So, I gathered up some coffee and some aspirin and went back to the bedroom.

“I had sex with another man,” Mallory voiced as if it were a revelation.

“Yep, and that’s all you did," I answered. “Nothing more than that.”

“I had sex with a virtual stranger,” Mallory said in disbelief, almost to herself.

“Yep, you sure did,” I replied. "But it wasn't based on an emotional connection. And I was there, and you were incredible and beautiful. We were just having sex, nothing more. Just having adult fun consensually within the confines of our relationship, nothing more than that,” I answered. “If I had to describe it, I’d say we both may have discovered something about ourselves that we didn’t know existed. End of story.”

Mallory looked at me with a perplexed expression. "It doesn't feel like the End of the Story."

“You know why I’m as settled with this as I am? Because you never kissed him. You had numerous opportunities, but you never kissed him. That may sound trivial in light of everything else that took place, but for me, well, that’s a huge thing. At least in my mind, kissing means emotional connection, and that didn’t happen. Beyond that, curiosity sex or recreational sex is just simply that.”

“I never kissed him?” she asked.

“Nope, not even once. I don’t think it ever crossed your mind," I answered. “Boy, things are really fuzzy for you, aren’t they?”

“Well, I keep having little flashes of things. It's like trying to remember a dream. But, right now, it’s just bits and pieces, after a certain point. But what you just told me makes me feel a bit better, I guess," she replied. “I wasn’t slutty or stupid or anything, was I?”

“Oh, so that’s what’s bothering you.”, I said, making the connection. “No, you most certainly were not. You weren’t sloppy drunk, or throwing yourself at anyone, nothing even remotely close to that," I said, trying to reassure her. “Listen to me, this is serious. Just because you took a big leap out of your box last night, it doesn’t change who you are. It only adds to it."

"You’re still a fantastic mom, a great wife, a deeply caring, sensitive, compassionate person with a huge heart. None of that has changed. Nothing happened that wasn’t elective. Nothing happened publicly that would have embarrassed you. No one besides us had the slightest inclination of what was going on. You were just very relaxed and very affectionate, not like one of those drunken, speech-slurring twenty-somethings in a downtown bar. This actually was kind of loosely arranged, so it’s not like you got drunk and started coming on to some random person.”  I said to a still unassured Mallory.

Mallory just sat there, looking distraught, and I continued to reassure her.

“Just like the rules state, you decided what transpired and what didn’t,” I assured her. “You weren’t talked into anything, and nothing happened that you weren’t in favor of. I was there to make certain that didn’t happen.” I added. “I’m totally surprised that I’m not fuzzy on stuff, but I guess that I was so preoccupied with being a watchdog that my recollection is a bit sharper.”

“You were looking out for me?” she innocently asked.

“I most certainly did. That's part of my job,” I replied honestly. “ I just wanted you to enjoy yourself, but on your terms. It’s been a long time since you enjoyed yourself like that. I’m hoping, for my own selfish reasons, that something inside you woke up or at least got nudged. ”

“Something got nudged, alright. Poked, prodded, rubbed, and everything else. I’m really, really sore,” she answered, trying to reposition herself.

“I do not doubt that,” I said, rubbing her shoulder. “Look, you were playful and flirty and super seductive. It was magnificent. You were just unbelievably hot, Honey. A side of you no one has ever seen, as far as I know.”

“I still can’t believe you feel that way,” she said again. “But it’s nice to hear you say it.”

“And I’m still trying to get used to that myself,” I admitted. "Right now, it seems very surreal."

“I probably just looked fat,” she said.

“Geez…I was waiting for that,” I said, trying not to grin. “ You know, a lot of things were said, things like: 'My gosh, she’s beautiful,' or 'That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,' or 'This was the best experience of my life.' But I can guarantee you, no one said anything about fat. I have a feeling Dean, like myself, has a great appreciation for curves. Especially yours. Honestly, you were completely adorable.”

She answered by making an expression of disagreement.

“Some facts are just difficult to accept,” I said, teasing and patting her sweet Apple Butt. “I’m going to get up and make some eggs over-medium and toast and stuff. You’ll need to eat before you can take those aspirin. So, take a shower, and by the time you’re done, breakfast will be ready.”