I was barely a quarter of the way down the driveway and starting to feel the pain when a huge grey pickup with four-wheel drive and a plough blade on the front rolled up to the end of the driveway. The window rolled down to reveal the smiling face of my sister-in-law Dee. She was part owner of a landscaping business that offered private plow services in winter.
“Hey there, Dave,” she called out, “You want some help?”
“What do you think?” I answered.
“Get out of the way, then. I’m a coming.”
I stepped back into my garage and watched as she quickly and neatly pushed the snow off the drive onto the lawn. When she was done, Dee parked her truck in the drive and climbed out.
“How’s that for a shovel?” she said with a grin on her face.
“Gotta get me one of those, I guess. Thanks, Dee.”
“No problem. Is Ang around?”
“Nah. Off to Toledo again,” I answered with a sigh, “This new job is becoming a real pain. You want to come in for coffee?”
“Sure.”
Inside, we shed our parkas, boots, and other winter attire. From under the bulky winter clothing emerged the slim, sexy figure of my sister-in-law in snug jeans and a tight sweater. I sometimes wondered whether I had picked the right sister when I married Angela instead of Deanna. Dee had one of the tightest, sexiest bodies of any woman I knew, including my wife, and there were times when I felt more comfortable and in tune with Dee than with Angie.
I whipped up some strong black coffee and we settled in the rec room couch to enjoy it.
“Good coffee,” she said after couple sips.
“Thanks. It’s a blend I buy at that little place at the market. Angie’s not crazy about it. She’d rather have her fancy lattes.”
Dee shook her head and giggled.
“Hard to see my little sister as a latte addict. We’ve always been more of a cheap coffee and a doughnut kind of family.”
“I like the lattes and stuff but I’m not convinced those fancy places are really that good,” I replied, “I would rather brew my own from a good blend.”
“You managing to keep warm with Angie away so much this winter?” Dee asked.
“I have a good comforter,” I answered, “Less heat for it to keep in, though.”
Dee smiled and sighed. She had been single for two years since her husband left her for a woman he met through work.
“I know the feeling,” she replied wistfully, “Haven’t had much extra heat under mine in a while. And I keep thinking about him keeping her warm.”
Seeing a tear forming in Dee’s eye, I reached over and gave her back a light pat.
“He made a mistake, Dee. I don’t know if he figured it out yet, but that sexy airhead he left you for could not possibly be a better partner than you.”
“Thanks. At least Angie picked well.”
“Remind her of that, please,” I said, “Because I’m starting to think we’re in the same boat as you and Shaun.”
“What do you mean?” Dee asked, a bit startled.
I sighed and explained, “I have pretty good evidence that part of the reason she’s not complaining about the travel to Toledo is that she has someone down there.”
“Oh God, no. Not Angie,” Dee said in a dubious tone.
“I stumbled over some new lingerie buried in with her travel clothes,” I continued, “Really sexy stuff that she has never, ever worn for me. And there have been some strange phone calls to and from numbers in Toledo. Not her work number but others and they came when she was home. Reversed one of them and got a residential address.”
“Have you asked her?”
“Not yet,” I answered, “Not sure how to go about it. Not sure how I really feel about it, to be honest. I mean, if it’s making her happy maybe I just go along with it. Let her know that I know but not force the issue. Leave it to her as to what to do.”
“I tried that tactic and look what happened,” Dee pointed out.
“If it leads to her leaving then maybe that’s what is meant to happen,” I argued, not really convincing even myself.
“But maybe if you fight, make her realize that you still care, you can turn things around,” she countered.
“Perhaps.”
“But if it doesn’t work out, then maybe it’s time for you to be looking elsewhere, too,” Dee added.
The tone of my sister-in-law’s voice and the look she gave me were suspiciously flirty. Was Dee suggesting that she was available and open to being my “elsewhere”?
“Only if it is clearly over, but thanks for the advice.”
“I can talk to her if you like.”
“Not yet. Let me see what happens when she comes home on Thursday.”
We finished our coffee and Dee went on her way, leaving me with conflicted feelings over both women.
***
“I have to stay until Saturday,” Angie said over the phone.
“Really? What’s up?” I asked sharply, my suspicions immediately coming to the fore.
“Big meeting on Friday. Jim asked me to stay for it rather than conferencing in from there.”
“Too bad. I was looking forward to having you home. Why not come home Friday night when it’s over?”
“It might go late.”
“Or did he just want you for another night?” I blurted out, immediately shocked by my candour.
“Who wants me for another night?”
“Whoever it is that keeps you warm down there.”
“There isn’t any…,” she started in a flustered tone, then sighed and asked, “How did you know?”
“Lots of bits of circumstantial evidence that added up,” I responded, feeling more confident now that she had owned up, “The lingerie that I never saw save by accident. The phone calls. The fact that every trip down seems to need an extra day or two.”
“Yes, he wants me to stay the extra night. I want it, too, though.”
“How serious is it?”
“I sleep with him most nights that I’m here now.”
I sighed.
“Someone from work?”
“No. We met at the bar in the hotel where I stay. He was friendly and flirty, I was lonely and horny. We had a couple one night stands, then got serious. I was trying to figure out the best way to tell you.”
“I guess I’ve saved you the trouble,” I responded, holding back both tears and anger, “Have a nice week. Say ‘hi’ to him from me.”
I hung up and the tears came. Slowly, sadly, I hit the speed dial for Dee’s number.
***
“Are you sure about this?” Dee asked as we pulled out of my driveway.
The snow storm was two days in the past and the streets were all plowed. The drive to Toledo would be a breeze barring traffic at the US-Canada border.
“No, but you’re the one who said I shouldn’t let her go without a fight,” I said.
“From what you told me about the last phone call, this could be more like Custer’s Last Stand,” she responded, shaking her head.
The plan was simple. I had found a romance suite in a nice hotel and a good restaurant. Using dinner at the latter, I hoped to lure my errant wife into a night in the former. Seduction was not my forte but I figured getting her into the sack might be the best way to show her that the passion was still there. Certainly, the lack of it in our lives over the last few years had likely contributed to her adultery.
“That’s a bit melodramatic,” I suggested, “It’s not like anything other than my marriage is going to die as a result of this and it’s not well anyhow.”
“And my role?”
“Backup driver. Companion. Maybe someone who can talk to her as a last ditch resort.”
I left out the part about someone to give me some intimate company for a night in the romance suite if things did not work out. I was not about to waste the couple hundred bucks it was going costing me and my sister-in-law was number two on my list after Angie herself.
We had a smooth drive to the border crossing at Sarnia. The US border agent gave us a funny look when I said we were going to visit my wife but it passed when I said Dee was her sister. He smiled, returned our passports, and sent us on our way.
Arriving at the hotel early in the afternoon, we checked in and headed to our rooms. I had booked Dee a nice suite of her own at my expense. That way she was nearby if I needed her but could enjoy herself while I was trying to seduce Angie. After a quick shower, I confirmed my restaurant reservation and then sent a bouquet to the apartment hotel where I knew Angie was staying in Toledo.
The note that I had attached to the bouquet was anonymous but invited her to dinner at the restaurant. The anonymity kept it ambiguous. She would probably think it was her boyfriend and come on that basis. Once she was there, I hoped the discovery of who it really was would be a welcome surprise for her.
Angie arrived at the restaurant a few minutes late, which was fine by me. I was early and it gave me time to order wine and get relaxed. As she entered, the maitre’d pointed to my table. Angie’s face went white, then red. She walked briskly towards me, a cold look on her face. Dee’s reference to Custer’s Last Stand went through my mind and I checked on the whereabouts of any knives.
“What the fuck is this about?” she asked in a curt tone.
“A surprise dinner for my wife,” I answered calmly and sweetly, “Something wrong with that?”
She was silent, looking a bit stunned for a moment.
“Thanks, Dave, but…” she began.
“Why not join me and we can talk about it?” I cut in.
“No. No, I’m not playing some game you’ve cooked up. I expected it to be Alexi.”
“That’s kind of what I had in mind. I figured if my name was on it, we might not even make it this far. Now, would you like some wine? I picked a Chablis which, I recall, is a favorite of yours.”
Still cold, still fuming, my wife sat down as I poured the wine. It was a rather silent dinner but the fact that she stayed seemed a slight positive. My attempts at flirting or discussing my feelings and concerns went nowhere, though. By the end, her face had softened to a slight smile and there was an unexpected warmth in her eyes.
“Thank you, David,” Angie finally said in a quieter, friendlier voice, “I’m sorry for my reaction when I arrived but you’re not who I was expecting or wanting. I’m sorry. I have to go call Alexi.”
I responded sadly, “I know. Have a good evening. See you when you get back.”
“I’m not sure I will,” she responded, “He’s talking about me moving in with him and staying here.”
“What about your job?”
“The office here wants me badly so I’m sure Jim will okay the transfer.”
I was running out of straws to grasp so I let go.
“Goodbye then. Just let me know if and when you’ll be back.”
“I will, Dave. Bye.”
And then Angie was gone and I was left fighting back a mix of rage and sorrow.
***
I didn’t even call Dee when I got back to the hotel. Just slipped out of my suit and into my sleep attire of a t-shirt and boxers before collapsing on the bed. After a while, I turned on the room’s clock radio and found a station I liked to fill the emptiness. I wished the emptiness inside me could be filled as easily.
I barely heard the knock on the door and ignored it the first time. After a second, clearer knock, I realized that it was probably Dee. As I got up from the bed to let her in, the thought that it could be Angie possessed me but that passed when I realized that she had no idea where I was staying. A quick glance through the peephole dispersed any lingering hope on that front. It was definitely Dee.
“Hi, Dee,” I said softly as I opened the door.
“Hey there. You’re here alone so I’m figuring it didn’t go well.”
“No, it didn’t. She warmed up a bit towards the end but still went off to see him. Alexi is his name.”
I sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh. Dee walked over to me. Her hand lightly caressed my face, a gesture that could have been sympathetic or erotic.
