And so began a normal day, full of normal goings-on, followed by a string of other days, much the same as the one before. Things seemed to have become a little more inwardly settled. Mallory was measurably more comfortable, and I was very relieved to see that.

I suppose “The Event” wasn’t the most predominant thing on her mind. In fact, it hadn’t even been mentioned in more than a couple of weeks. I assumed that she hadn’t had contact with Dean since “The Event,” because his name hadn’t been mentioned either. Things regarding that had gone silent, until one Saturday afternoon in mid-June.

“Honey?” Mallory said, coming into the garage and standing on the steps, and sounding a bit apprehensive.

I looked up from the bench and turned to face her. “What’s up, Lady?” I answered.

“I got a text from Dean. It’s a dinner invitation,” she said.

“Uh, you’re not thinking of going out to dinner with him, are you?” I said, knowing this was a clear violation of the rules.

“No, no,” she answered quickly. “It’s an invitation for both of us.”

“Oh, really?” I replied, a bit surprised and a bit relieved. “What are you going to say?”

“I didn’t answer. I thought I’d see what you thought first,” Mallory replied.

I thought for a moment and wondered why we were both treating this suspiciously, like some sort of bad news.

“Ok, sure,” I said. “As long as you’re good with it, it’s fine with me,” I said.

“Well, there’s some stuff I want to say to him, and I’d rather say it to his face,” she answered.

“That sounds serious,” I commented. “What are you going to say?”

“I just want to set things straight,” Mallory stated, sounding as if she’d given this some thought. “I don’t want him having any funny ideas or anything.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” I agreed. “And when is this supposed to happen?”

“He says Friday night,” she responded.

“If it’s okay with you, then it’s okay with me,” I said. “Where are we going?”

“He told me to choose,” she replied.

“Make it expensive,” I suggested.

“I’ll pick someplace nice.”

“Fancy?” I said, playfully.

“Maybe fancy,” she answered.

“Okay, maybe fancy,” I repeated, chuckling.

“You don’t feel weird about it, do you?” she asked tentatively.

Uh, no,” I replied, thinking about it. “I don’t,” I then asked. “Do you?”

“A little,” she answered, honestly.

“Scene of the crime stuff?” I asked.

“Maybe, I don’t know,” she answered. “I’ve never revisited a situation like this. I’ve never been in a situation like this. I guess it sort of is like returning to the scene of the crime.”

I kind of laughed and said, “Well, you just let me know what you decide.”

“I will, Honey,” she replied, sounding a bit distracted, looking at her phone. and returning into the house.

About 30 minutes later, Mallory returned, opening the garage door and standing at the top of the steps, like she was preparing to deliver a decree. I kind of smiled because she always looks so cute perched up there when you’re going to make an announcement.

“So, we’re going to dinner downtown on Friday night,” she announced in a very cute, matter-of-fact way.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“It’s no big deal,” I said, trying to calm her a bit. “Just think of it like you’re running into an old boyfriend or something,”

“That’s not helping,” she said, squeezing my hand. But I do appreciate the effort.

“It’s the best I’ve got,” I replied, opening the door to the restaurant.

We were led over to a somewhat secluded table where Dean, the culprit, sat looking nervous.

“Okay, well, thanks for coming, uh, I had a really hard time figuring out how to begin to say what I want to say,” Dean began. “I mean, by saying, 'I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve asked you here tonight,' is a little bit like a 1960s mystery movie.”

We both laughed a bit, which I suppose greatly eased the obvious, awkward tension of the moment.

“I guess the only way to say it is to just get started and speak. So,” Dean continued, “First, I wanted to hear from both of you, in person, that you’re both alright. That nothing has changed between you guys.”

“No. Nothing has changed,” Mallory offered. “We’re both fine, honestly, we may even be a little better.”

The relief on Dean's face was almost shocking. It was clear that he’d been thinking and was genuinely concerned. He looked as though a huge burden had been lifted off him.

“Wow, am I ever glad to hear that!” Dean said. “I mean, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, a lot of thinking, and, well, Mallory, I’m so sorry for the way I behaved at the office. Not just because of the way things turned out, my prior behavior was reprehensible, and I guess that’s what was responsible for starting this whole thing...not that that’s bad, I mean, my behavior was bad, but what happened was unbelievably fantastic, and…”

“Dean?” I interrupted. “You’re kind of fumbling here, just say what you want to say.”

“Geez, sorry. I’ve thought so much about what I wanted to say, and I’m not doing a very good job. I probably should have rehearsed more, but I got tired of looking at myself in the mirror,” Dean replied. “Look, I think you guys are a great couple, and I didn’t want to be responsible for any problems. I guess that’s the shortest way to say it. I just didn’t want anything bad to be the result of something that was, well, unbelievably great.”

“Yeah, it was unbelievably great, and I think we have our hostess here to thank for that,” I agreed, and Mallory turned as red as a stoplight, trying desperately to suppress the tiniest bit of a smile. “And that being said, is that why you invited us here?” I asked, thinking it couldn’t have been as simple a thing as that.

“Yes and no,” Dean answered. “Mostly, yes. Let me explain. My wife left me under very similar circumstances. Some guy came on to her at work, and instead of talking to me about it, she just yielded to this guy's advances. She had an affair and ended up leaving me for him.”

“That’s awful, Dean,” Mallory said understandingly. “And you ended up hurt, confused, and abandoned, and thought the same behavior might work for you,”  Mallory concluded. “That’s like the old, ’Two wrongs don’t make a right’. You didn’t really expect that to work, did you?”

“I didn’t know what I thought. I was devastated, paralyzed, and never saw it coming. So we split up. She went with whatever guy it was, I never actually knew who he was, and, of course, that didn’t work out,” Dean said. “I was so mad I just wanted to get back at somebody, and that was a stupid way to react.”

“Not your best decision-making,” Mallory answered.

“Things could’ve worked out very differently, very differently,” I added.

“Oh, I’m well aware of that and grateful in a way that I can’t even begin to express,” Dean exalted. “The absolute worst possible beginning had the best possible end,” Dean said. “And I just wanted to thank you both in person. I don’t even know if those are the right words. I don’t know what the right words are. I can tell you that it sure did give me an incredible confidence boost. I haven’t felt this good in a very long time.”

“Really?” Mallory said, kind of surprised. “You seemed pretty self-assured when you were groping me at the office,” she added with an unmistakable note of sarcasm.

“Yes, forcing yourself on someone isn’t really attracting anything. That was just over-compensation, and for that I’m truly sorry. I’d like to say that it could’ve been anybody, but the truth is, well, I found you to be irresistible and sexy, and I just couldn’t help myself,” Dean said sincerely.  “I was feeling this pressure to attract a woman to myself, I suppose, just to prove that I still could. But that still doesn’t in any way excuse my behavior. That's simply an explanation.”

Mallory deeply blushed and said, “If we’re being totally honest, this whole thing has boosted my confidence too,” she admitted. “And I’m not referring to the being accosted at work part. But, beyond that, and that’s a big “But,”  however, what transpired has opened up an aspect of our relationship that I didn’t know, rather, we didn’t know was a possibility. We’re not that kind of couple, even with what happened, we’re still not that kind of couple. That was always the furthest thing from my mind.”

“I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted this,” I added. “And I’m still unclear a to what 'this' is.”

“Does 'this' have to be anything?” Mallory proposed. “Does it have to be defined?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t,” I said. “It’s just something that happened. If I had to define it, I’d call it an unforeseen event.’

“You don’t have to call it anything, Honey,” Mallory replied. “But if you did, you might call it being privileged,” she said.

“Okay,” I said, thinking about it. “Privileged is a pretty good way to put it. I’m okay with that.”

“Well, call it what you will, I think it was incredible,” Dean replied. “I’ve never, never, done anything like that,” he added, looking around as if he’d be overheard.

“Neither have we,” I replied. “It's not even something we ever considered, talked about, or wanted, nothing of the sort. It was a last-resort idea.”

“Yep, it was,” Mallory chimed in. “And when Rick suggested it, I thought he’d lost his mind. It actually hurt my feelings that he’d suggest such a thing. Sharing me with someone else? I was shocked, mortified, pissed off. That was my initial reaction,” she added. “Then, when I calmed down, I realized that it was a suggestion made of desperation. And just like he kept saying, if we wanted to stay together, it was the only alternative he could live with, and he wasn’t even sure about that. So we, as a couple, took a chance, an enormous chance. And the only reason he did is because he trusts me and loves me unconditionally.”

“Oh hell, now I feel even worse,” Dean admitted remorsefully.  “I never meant to put you through anything like that.”

At that point, the waitress came over to the table and took our dinner orders. When she left, Mallory responded to Dean.

“Well, what did you think happened? We didn’t just casually say, “Hey, let’s invite Dean into our bedroom,” she said in a hushed tone. “That whole thing, what you did, and those conversations that followed, they were traumatic. I’m not going to minimize that so you’ll feel better.”

“I wouldn’t expect or ask you to,” Dean agreed.

“And if it wasn’t for the fact that,”  Mallory said, trailing off, not finishing her thought.

“What?” Dean asked. “The fact that what?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “Nothing, never mind.”

Dean looked a little puzzled. “I’m glad you two decided to come to dinner because I really just wanted to make sure that everything was settled.”

“Well, for the most part it is,” I said honestly.

“What does that mean?” Dean asked quizzically.

“Well, I’m not sure how Mallory feels,” I said matter-of-factly.

She began to turn red again, so I continued speaking.

“With Mallory, well, oftentimes you have to read between the lines. She’s not going to come right out and say, “Oh my gosh, that was the best thing ever,” or something like that. She’s very private and sometimes keeps things like that to herself,” I said. “So, you’re left to interpret the trail of clues she leaves and try and connect the dots. It’s a very inexact science. Sometimes it’s not what she says, it’s what she doesn’t say.”

“Like what?” Dean asked.

“Well, she never said she hated it,” I said.

“Oh, I see,” Dean replied. “Well, not hating it is a good thing.”

“And she did spend more time than usual getting ready to come here,” I divulged.

“No kidding?” Dean answered, looking over at Mallory, smiling, causing her to turn that delightful, familiar shade of red.

“Oh yeah. She changed her outfit 2 or 3 times, looked into the full-length mirror and everything,” I said.

“Oh my gosh!” Mallory said in a hushed voice. “You two need to stop it.”

“I don’t think she’s come to terms with her newly discovered, uh, interest,” I said. “She’s still a little uncomfortable with being a secret seductress. She doesn’t like to acknowledge that she’s tremendously attractive and very, very sexy.”

“She doesn’t!?” Dean said in disbelief.

“Nope,” I admitted. “Makes me nuts. Sometimes, people keep the best parts of themselves for themselves. For whatever reason, they keep those things hidden away, all locked up. I think she has a sensuality that kind of radiates from her, you know? It just makes you want to grab her and squeeze her.”

“Do I ever!” Dean concurred with enthusiasm.

“Good Grief! Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Mallory protested. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Well, please, please, join in. I’m sure we’d love to hear what you have to say,” Dean encouraged.

“I’m dying to hear what she thinks,” I chimed in, looking at Dean.

“I’m only going to say this once," she began, leaning over the table so she could speak a lower tone of voice. Mallory looked around at the smattering of other patrons, I guess trying to see if anyone was eavesdropping. Dean and I mimicked her attempt at surveillance, having no idea what we were doing. Then she began telling what were moments ago, secrets.

“I had fun. There, I can admit it. It was exciting. Aside from the obvious, it wasn’t anything like I thought it might be. You were both kind, gentle, and patient. For the most part, you both let me set the pace. I didn’t feel pushed or pressured. It was definitely the craziest, most ‘unlike me’ thing I’ve ever done,” Mallory said, sounding like she was unburdening herself.

She took a deep breath and continued, “I’m still having a little bit of a hard time accepting that it was me, and that I really did go through with it. I’m kind of conflicted in that, I can’t say that a part of me doesn’t regret what happened. But I also can’t truthfully say, after agonizing deliberation, that I wouldn’t like for it to happen again, sometime, maybe,” she added, pausing for a moment. “It made me feel like I have this dual life, this secret life. I can’t honestly say that that’s not exciting. I am having a hard time separating the ‘event’ from my real life. I’m a mom first. At my age, I’ve been a mom for most of my life, and what happened just doesn’t fit into that picture. I understand that I’m entitled to a private life of my own, to do with what I want, but I’m having trouble separating the two.”

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, it doesn’t in any way change who you are or who you’ve been,” I said. “You did something once. That doesn’t change who you are,” I said, struggling to make a point. “Look, I used to have three or four huge fish tanks, that didn’t make me a marine biologist, I just had fish tanks.”

“I know what you’re saying, Honey,” Mallory replied. “I just have to come to terms with this on my own.”

“Sometimes, having a master's in psychology isn’t the best thing,” Dean said. “I was never very good at analyzing myself,” Dean took a deep breath and continued, “I know you have to rationalize this for yourself, and I’m not trying to minimize what you may or may not be feeling, but it only happened once. You didn’t try and deceive anyone about anything, which is extremely commendable. And the fact that we can all sit here and talk about this like mature adults makes me feel like no harm was done.”

“Rick is a jealous person,” Mallory said. “And his reaction to this is very uncharacteristic. It’s like he’s repressing something. I keep waiting for him to have an issue with what happened, so that’s a concern for me.”

“My biggest concern was like everybody else’s: The aftermath," I spoke up, chiming in. "I can only speak for myself. I don’t have a master's or a PhD. All I can say, emphatically, is that I’m okay with what happened,” I said as convincingly as I could. “Seeing her as excited as she was, and enjoying yourself as much as you appeared to be, was thrilling for me,” I said, addressing Mallory. “I didn’t consider it an infidelity because we were both there together and obviously in consent,” I summarized. “And the way I feel is, in part,  to Dean’s credit. That's tough for me to admit. He was just like you said, Honey, respectful, patient, and gentle. If it was going to happen, that was the best way for it to happen.“

The waitress came over to the table and brought dinner, which, at that moment, no one seemed very interested in eating.

“Okay, so if everyone is confessing, I can say that I was caught between being anxious, terrified, and overwhelmingly curious,” Dean divulged. “It goes without saying that I have an attraction for Mallory, who wouldn’t?”

“She doesn’t see herself that way. Not even remotely,” I interjected.

“Be that as it may, my undeniable attraction to her isn’t a love kind of thing, it’s more like a…,” Dean trailed off, searching for the right adjective.

“Like an infatuation. Like a crush,” Mallory said, completing his sentence.

“Yeah! That’s exactly it!” Dean concurred. “I’ve been trying to put it into perspective for weeks, but that’s exactly right. As far as romantic feelings? I don't feel that, nor am I anywhere near ready for anything like that,” Dean said. “My ex-wife still torments me, especially since my parents died. I wouldn’t introduce anyone into that situation. So what happened was perfect for me. I didn’t think I could attract anyone as beautiful and sexy as she is. So that has been an enormous kick in the self-esteem.”

“Aww, that’s kind of sweet, in a warped, psychotic kind of way,” Mallory said, making everyone laugh. “I admit, I do have an undeniable physical attraction to you, but it doesn’t go beyond that,” she added. “I’m still having a little trouble coming to grips with the fact that it did happen, that I elected for it to happen, that Rick supported me in it happening, and that I…” Mallory paused, taking a deep breath before adding, “That I enjoyed it as much as I did,” and she immediately turned bright red.

“Okay, I get it,” Dean agreed, laughing. “But I guess what I’m saying is that what happened was perfect. Certainly perfect for my circumstance. No commitment, no strings, no dating, no guesswork.”

“I’m just happy to hear about the ‘no strings’ aspect,” I said, just happy to hear that come out of Dean's mouth. “I wouldn’t want any romantic feelings to develop.”

“Oh no, not on my side of it,” Dean quickly replied. “I’m not wanting romantic ties to anyone right now. I’m still dealing with the repercussions of a divorce and my parents' death.”

“When did your parent pass, Dean?” Mallory asked.

“About 8 months ago and within like 6 weeks of each other,” Dean replied.

“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry,” Mallory said empathetically. “I know how hard that is.”

“Since this seems to be an evening of telling the truth, so, I’ll tell you two something. I’m adopted; my parents were killed in an automobile accident shortly after I was born,” Dean said. “I had no biological aunts, uncles, grandparents, no siblings, nothing. I was orphaned and adopted at 8 weeks old. My adopted parents were well off. Dad was concerned with business, and Mom with personal appearances, no real time for kids in that mix. I don’t know why they adopted me in the first place, probably for appearances. I was looked after by a governess and sent away to private schools. I was messed up by the time I was 11 or 12.  That’s why I got my degree and decided to work with displaced kids. I didn’t want another kid to experience what I had. Money doesn’t necessarily make for good parents, it just makes kids easier to ignore,” Dean concluded.

“That’s awful,” Mallory said, touching Dean's arm. “We both know that kids get abandoned in all kinds of households.”

“Yep, they do. I know that I did,” Dean replied. “So, I disavowed my trust fund, went to school, got my degree, and went to work, like a regular person. Even as an adult, I didn’t see my parents much. Hell, my Dad never once attended a graduation of mine. He was always working, or at least that was the story. After a while, I stopped asking.” Dean paused, obviously burdened by recounting the story, kind of absent-mindedly picking at his dinner.

“So. I get married, more for companionship as much as anything else. I wanted a family just to prove that I could create and raise kids in the right environment, but that never worked out. I guess I got disillusioned, and we drifted. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen,” Dean admitted.  “By the time I noticed what was going on, it was too late. She had an affair, left, and we divorced, then the fun started.”

“What fun?” I asked, clearly recognizing the sarcasm.

“Well, Mom and Dad passed, and I’m an only child, so…” Dean trailed off, raising his hand and rubbing his fingers together.

“Oh, I see. She smelled money,” Mallory concluded.

“Oh yeah, she smelled money," Dean said, sounding exasperated. “Even though we’re legally divorced, if you have the right lawyer, they’ll do their best to collect what they’re not entitled to, especially if they think there’s a chance of some big payoff,” Dean added. “So, it’s been a nightmare. I offered her money to just go away and leave me alone, but for some people, enough is never enough.”

“I have a little experience in that field,” I said.

“No kidding?” Dean replied. “What did you do?”

“I just got lucky. She died,” I blurted out. “But I can tell you this, crazy doesn’t understand consequences, crazy is inexhaustible. Crazy doesn’t have a conscience, and crazy can be frightening. It doesn’t acknowledge any authority but its own, and restraining orders don’t even phase it.”

“You can say that again,” Dean agreed. “Man, this shit is exhausting. Which kind of brings my point around: I don’t want to be a party to screwing up a good marriage. That’s why I was so concerned about you two.”

“Well, Dean, you don’t have to concern yourself with that,” Mallory answered reassuringly. “We’re fine. We’re better than fine. So you can let go of that burden.”

“Yeah, we’re both okay,” I chimed in. “And we’re both sorry for what you’re going through. There are just those kinds of people in the world. Some folks know how to manage their hatred, and for others, it manages them.”

“That’s what was so great about what happened,” Dean said

“Okay, uh, you lost me there,” Mallory remarked, sounding confused.

“What happened was thrilling and intense,” Dean said very genuinely. “It was the first time in a very long time that I was able to forget about all my problems and just enjoy myself. And, man, did I enjoy myself!” Dean said enthusiastically. “It just seemed like the most natural thing in the world.”

Mallory blushed intensely, once again, but managed to say, “I wouldn’t describe it as the most natural thing in the world. Definitely not if you’re talking about my world.”

“But that’s just the point,” Dean said. “Just because something happened doesn’t make it your world. In fact, it’s really just the opposite. What happened was we all just stepped out of our ‘worlds’ for a couple of hours. Like some kind of carnal vacation,” Dean offered. “You just exercised your wild side.”

“I guess that’s one way to put it. Where did you say you got your degree from?” I replied. “I’m just glad that on some level, Mallory's been shown that she’s irresistibly attractive and still has a strong sex drive. I mean, this is one passionate, sensual woman when she wants to be.”

“Oh my gosh, yes, she certainly is," Dean asserted enthusiastically. “Like she’s hiding her secret identity.”

“Good Grief,” Mallory objected.  “You both need to stop right now! You’re embarrassing me to death! I’m going to the restroom,” Mallory announced, getting up from her seat. “You both better behave when I get back,” she said, playfully threatening, heading toward the ladies' room.

“Should we expect text images?” I asked, jokingly.

“Don’t be long,” Dean kidded. “You remember what happened last time.”

“There’ll be none of that tonight,” Mallory scolded.

“I knew I should have ordered her a Long Island,” Dean commented.

“I think her Long Island days may be over for a while,” I rebuffed.

“So, tell me, how is she doing? At home, I mean?” Dean asked sincerely.

“Outwardly, she’s fine,” I answered. “I can say this, on the positive side of the equation, she’s definitely been a lot more sexy, playful, frisky, however you want to put it, since the 'event'. She seems more aware of her sensuality these days, and that’s a good thing,” I commented.

“That’s great, I’m really relieved to hear that,” Dean replied.

“Yeah, but there are still some things she needs to work out,” I said with concern.