The Honda Odyssey

My name is Tom and my wife is Lisa. We're both 45 years old and have been married 26 years. We live in Houston and have two kids, Jim and Susan. Jim graduated from college last year and lives in Austin. Susan just graduated and accepted a job in Little Rock.

It's very early Friday morning and I'm sitting in the back of Lisa's Honda Odyssey reading the owners manual, trying to figure out how to remove the back seats. It seemed so simple when the salesman demonstrated it. Susan was ready to load the van with what appeared to be all her worldly possessions and head to Little Rock. We were going to need all the space we could get.

I finally got them out and noticed a huge storage compartment beneath the back seats. I opened it, hoping I could put some of her stuff there. Wrong, it was packed. Lisa had a 1st Aid Kit, jumper cables, rags, towels, jackets ... you name it. She was prepared for anything. I was about to close it when I noticed a small canvas bag pushed back in the corner. Something made me pull it out. I opened it and looked inside. I was stunned. I must have sat there staring at the contents for 5 minutes. Inside was Lisa's best negligee. It was black and very revealing. I had given it to her this Valentines Day. Next was a box of condoms and a small bottle of KY. I had a vasectomy about 10 years ago, so the condoms weren't for me. And finally, a note pad from the Marriott. On the pad she had written a room number and a list of dates going back 3 weeks. This could only mean one thing, Lisa was having an affair. I couldn't believe it.

I finally snapped out of it when Susan yelled and asked if I was ready to start loading the van. We needed to leave soon. She didn't want to have to unload in the dark. I quickly put the bag back where I found it and closed the lid. This wasn't the time to confront Lisa, not in front of Susan. And we had to get her moved.

We finished packing and left. I was glad Lisa rode with Susan in her car. I don't think I could've ridden the whole way with her. During the drive, I searched my mind for anything unusual between us. I couldn't recall any major changes in her behavior toward me. Our sex life had dropped off and she seemed a little preoccupied. I mentioned it and she said she was just trying to get everything together for Susan's graduation and move on top of her responsibilities at work and the hospital. For the past 3 years Lisa has been volunteering at our local hospital almost every Tuesday night. She said it was all closing in on her. I told her I would help anyway I could. She thanked me but said there really wasn't anything I could do to help. I suggested that maybe she should stop volunteering until things settled down. She immediately said she couldn't, they needed her. That was it! She must have taken my advice and stopped her volunteer work. That freed up Tuesdays to meet her lover.

We got to Susan's apartment and unloaded everything before dark. We were exhausted. We got something to eat, took our showers and went to bed. Susan offered her bed to Lisa and me, but I refused and slept on the couch.

We spent all of Saturday and until mid-afternoon Sunday setting up her apartment. Leaving was difficult, especially for Lisa. Now both kids were on their own. And truthfully, it was hard on me too. If you're a parent, you know how hard it is to let go. We pretty much drove in silence. When we got home I said, "Lisa, you know we've spent most of our married life raising our kids. I think we did a great job preparing them to be on their own. Not that there weren't some problems along the way, but nothing major. We have two intelligent, responsible young adults. That's something to be proud of, especially in these times. I want to thank you." Despite what it seemed she had done, everything I said was true.

She said, "You're right, we did good. But, it wasn't just you or me. It was both of us. We provided them a loving and stable family. That makes all the difference."

I said, "It's late, we're tired and you have to go to work tomorrow. Since I took tomorrow off, why don't you take my car and I'll finish unloading everything tomorrow. I'll put the seats back in the van and get it washed and cleaned." She thanked me and we took our showers and went to bed.

Monday morning I finished unloading the van, put everything away and after consulting the owners manual again, managed to get the seats back in. I took it to the car wash and had it cleaned inside and out, and got the oil changed. I got home about 11am and ate a sandwich.

It was time. I couldn't put it off any longer. I got her bag from the van and emptied the contents on the kitchen table. I looked at Lisa's negligee. She always looked so sexy in it. Now it was ruined. How could she wear my gift for another man? I noticed several dried cum stains on it that obviously weren't from me. It made me sick. Lisa had a package of 6 condoms, 4 were left and there was a small bottle of KY. The note pad from the Marriott had 3 dates and the room number written on it. I got a calendar and as I thought, all 3 were Tuesdays and dated back 3 weeks. So this has been going on a month tomorrow. I took pictures of everything and made a copy of the note pad. I downloaded everything to my computer and printed several copies. Then I put everything back in the bag and put it back in her van.

I decided not to confront her when she got home. I wanted to see if she intended to "volunteer" Tuesday.

I had dinner waiting when she got home. She thanked me for fixing dinner and taking care of her van. We finished eating and she said she was still exhausted from the trip. She was going to shower and go to bed. I told her I would finish cleaning up.

After her shower I said, "Lisa, things have been very hectic the last month or so. Our life has completely changed. It's just us again, like it was before the kids. Why don't we go to a romantic restaurant tomorrow night to celebrate? And when we get home, we can celebrate other ways. It's been well over a month since we made love."

Lisa looked at me and didn't know what to do. Finally, she said, "I can't, not tomorrow night. I've got to be at the hospital."

I said, "Come on. Why don't you just tell them you can't? It's only one time. They can make do."

She said, "No, I can't. They need me. They count on me."

I said, "I need you. I need to be able to count on you."

She thought a few seconds and finally said, "I'm sorry. I just can't, not tomorrow. We can go Wednesday."

I said, "Never mind, just forget the whole thing. Obviously, you have higher priorities than me." I left the room. That told me everything I needed to know. The next morning, I left for work before Lisa was up so I wouldn't have to talk to her.

Tuesday evening, I left work early and waited for Lisa across the street from her office and when she left, I followed her to the Marriott. She got out of her van and went in. I couldn't see if she took her bag in with her. I assumed she did. Then I went to the hospital and asked the receptionist if Lisa was working tonight. She said she wasn't there, in fact, she hadn't been there the last month. Lisa told them she had some personal obligations she had to take care of. I had all the information I needed. I went home and waited for her. I was going to confront her when she got home.

About 8pm, I heard the garage door open. I wasn't expecting her until 9:30pm or 10pm. That's when she usually gets home from the hospital. I wondered why she was early. She could've fucked for at least another hour and a half. She came in the door looking worried and upset. Her makeup was messed up and it looked like she had been crying. I said, "You don't look good. Did you have a bad evening?"

She said, "Something like that and I'm afraid the worst is yet to come. I'm going to go shower and then we need to talk. Why don't you make some coffee?" Then she walked to the bedroom. I was curious. What did she want to talk about? Maybe she was going to leave me.

I started the coffee and when I heard the shower, I went to the garage to get her bag out of the van. It wasn't there. I looked all through the van, but it was gone. I went back in and got the pictures. When she turned off the shower, I poured each of us a cup and sat at the kitchen table.

Finally, she came in and sat down. She wasn't in her nightclothes. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. She took a few sips of her coffee and said, "This is going to be extremely difficult and I don't really know how to say this or what will happen. I think it would be best if you let me talk until I reach a stopping point. Then you can ask questions. OK?" I nodded. There were tears in her eyes and she said, "Here goes. I've been having an affair. For the last month, I've been seeing another man. I had sex with him 3 times, on Tuesday nights, when I was supposed to be volunteering at the hospital. I'm so sorry."

Even though I was all but certain she was having an affair, actually hearing her say it hit me hard. It felt like someone hit me in the gut as hard as they could. She could see the physical change on my face and the tears that formed in my eyes. She dropped her head and sobbed.

After a minute, she stopped and said, "His name is Paul. We worked together for about 6 years. We became good friends and talked about everything; what our kids were doing, what was going on in our lives, the achievements and the problems. Then one day he told me that he caught his wife in their bed with another man. Talking and confiding in me helped him get through it. Shortly after his divorce, he was promoted and relocated to our office in St. Louis. I was happy for him. He deserved it and it would give him a chance to start over in a new location. This was about a year and a half ago. We stayed in touch mostly with email. And until a month ago, I had been completely faithful to you. Please believe that."

She continued, "About a month ago, he called and said he was coming to town for 6 weeks to supervise a special project. He showed up at my office the next Monday morning. It was so good to see him again. We talked briefly before he had to go to the job site. I asked if we could get together for lunch to catch up but he told me he would be in the field every day. He asked if we could meet for dinner. I thought for a minute. I realized that I never told you about Paul. I don't know why. But, telling you I was going to dinner with a man you knew nothing about might give you the wrong impression. So I told him we could meet Tuesday night. I would tell the hospital I wouldn't be in and you would never know. I didn't like doing that, but at the time, I didn't know what else to do.

"After work, we met at his hotel and ate in the restaurant there. We had a nice dinner and a few drinks while we filled each other in on what had been happening in our lives. I told him that Susan was about to graduate and take a job in Little Rock. He said he enjoyed his new job and liked St. Louis, but he hadn't found anyone special.

"After we finished eating, we went to the bar for another drink and to continue our conversation. Then the DJ started playing music. We listened for a few minutes and he asked me to dance. I didn't see any harm in it, so I did. After several fast songs, they played a slow one. I started to go back to the table but Paul held me and we started dancing. I was a little hesitant at first, but I relaxed and we began holding each other tighter. I put my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. I felt like a teenager again. When the song was over, he leaned down and kissed me lightly on my lips. I didn't stop him, so he kissed me again with his tongue and I responded. We hugged and kissed a few seconds before we went back to the table, got my purse and went to his room. I knew better, but I wouldn't stop myself.

"We got undressed and laid on the bed for several minutes kissing and fondling each other. Then we had oral sex. I sucked him off and he licked my pussy. After a few minutes, he wanted to have intercourse. But, he didn't have a condom. I haven't been on the Pill since your vasectomy and there was no way I was going to have sex without one. Besides, it was getting late and I needed to get home. We dressed and I jokingly told him I would bring condoms next time. I left and went home.

"The next Tuesday we had oral sex and then we had intercourse. Earlier, I bought a box of 6 condoms and a small bottle of KY. The following Tuesday was a repeat, oral sex and intercourse. Then today we met, but we didn't have sex at all. I told him it was over, that I couldn't do it anymore. I never should have done it in the first place. I came home and that's where we are now. I guess I'll stop now and you can ask questions."

I was shocked. She laid it out pretty much like I thought. Questions? I had lots, but I didn't know exactly how to start. Finally, I said, "I can't believe what I've just heard. I can't believe you had sex with another man. Stop calling it intercourse, you FUCKED! Just how intimate were your conversations? How much of our personal life did you discuss? Did you go so far as to discuss our sex life?"

"No, just general things; what the kids were up to, our vacation plans, things like that. I never talked about any of the intimate details of our marriage and certainly never anything about our sex life."

I said, "If he was that good of a friend and just a friend, why haven't you ever mentioned him to me? You must have thought your relationship was somewhat inappropriate or you would've said something."

"No, not at all. There was nothing inappropriate at that time. I don't know why I didn't tell you. Do you tell me about all your friends at work?"

I said, "No, but then I've never FUCKED any of them. You did."

She said, "You're right, I'm sorry. I guess I never said anything to you because at the time, we were just friends. I didn't think it mattered. Then, when he wanted to go to dinner, I thought you might think something was going on. So I lied. I should've told you. I could've asked you to go with me. But I didn't."

"So the first time you just had oral sex. Did you let him cum in your mouth and swallow?"

She said, "No, I didn't. I don't do those things for you and I wasn't about to do something for him that I don't do for you. When he was ready to cum, I moved away and stroked him while he came, just like I do with you."

"When he ate your pussy, did you enjoy it? Did he satisfy you better than me? Did you cum?"

She answered, "Yes, I enjoyed it. He was different but not better. And I did have an orgasm."

"The next time you did oral again and then you fucked. From what you said, it was your idea to bring the condoms so you could fuck. Is he bigger than me? How was it? Was it what you thought it would be? Did he fuck you better than me? How did you do it? Did you cum?"

She said, "You're actually larger than him. I didn't really know what to expect. It felt good. It was exciting because it was an unknown. He wasn't any better than you, just different. Because we were so excited, it went pretty fast. He got on top and we ... we fucked, hard and fast. We didn't change positions and we both came in minutes."

"You came when he licked your pussy and again when you fucked?" She nodded, yes. "I can't even remember the last time you came from just making love. That's why I always satisfy you orally first. He really must be special to be able to do that for you."

She said, "No, he's nothing special. It was just the excitement of it all."

"I guess I'm not exciting enough anymore. The next time was oral and fucking. How was it that time? How long did it last? Were you trying to please him and yourself? How did you do it? Did you hug and kiss while you fucked?"

She said, "It was slower, not so frantic. We took our time enjoying each other. Yes, I concentrated on pleasing both of us. We started out with him on top. We did hold and kiss some while we fucked. Then I moved on top, until I got tired. We finished with him fucking me from behind. We lasted 15-20 minutes and I did have another orgasm."

"Did he ever ask you to dress special or wear a sexy negligee?"

She cringed a little and said, " Yes, he asked me to wear something nice. I...I wore the black negligee you gave me for Valentines Day. It's the only nice one I had. I would never wear it again with you. I was going to buy another one just like it. I'm sorry. That was something very special you gave me and I ruined it."

"Where is it now?"

She said, "I kept it, the condoms and the KY in a small bag in the van. Tonight, as I was leaving, I threw it in the hotel dumpster."

I said, "I guess the first two times were mainly physical. But the last time was more. It was slow and gentle. You wanted to please him. You hugged and kissed while you did it. You wore my gift for him. It seems to me that you didn't fuck him, you made love to him. Do you love him? Do you want a divorce so you can be with him?"

She said, "NO! I don't love him and I don't want a divorce. I guess it did look like we made love. I guess it was more than sex, but it wasn't love. We were lovers but that doesn't mean I love him. I love you, although I haven't shown you much lately. You have been my friend and my lover. We have helped each other through all the bad times and celebrated the good ones. You're the one person I could always count on, the one who's always there. That's how I love you. Paul isn't even close.

"If that was really true, why did you do it? If I really meant that much to you, how could you have done this to me? Do you have any idea how I feel right now? Do you have any idea how much you've hurt me? You took the love and intimacy that was meant for only us and shared it with another man. Why God Damn you, WHY did you do it?"

She had tears in her eyes but I kept demanding an answer. She finally said, "I don't know. I don' have an excuse. There's none. I was stupid. I was selfish. I was a fool."

"That still doesn't tell me why. Something happened that made you go from friends to lovers. I want to know WHY!"

She thought a minute and said, "We were talking at dinner and I asked him if he had a girlfriend. He said he didn't. I told him I couldn't believe that and I thought he was an attractive and sexy man. He blushed and said I was just saying that to boost his ego. I told him that wasn't true. That I thought he was sexy and if I weren't married, he would have been in my bed long ago. He thanked me and said, "If only that were true." I guess that was the first time I actually thought about having sex with him. It must have sparked something in his mind as well. Between that, the alcohol and the kiss on the dance floor, I snapped. I lost all self-control. I was so weak."

I thought about what she said and finally said, "I guess I could rationalize how it happened. I might even be able to understand it if it was a one night fling. But it wasn't. You carried it further. You deliberately set things up so it could continue. You lied to me about having to work at the hospital. You bought the condoms. You wore the negligee. This wasn't a one nighter, it was a planned affair. Why did you let it continue?"

She said, "I don't know. I guess I got caught up in it. It was something completely new and exciting. I had never even thought about cheating on you before. I had always been faithful to you. I was always the good and proper wife. A few of my friends told me about affairs they had. They enjoyed it. It was new, different and exciting. They felt naughty. It made them feel good that another man desired them. After the newness wore off, most ended the affair and remained married. I never approved of what they did, but I admit I became very turned on hearing about it. I even found myself fantasizing about it. I guess, in the back of my mind, I was envious of them, even though I knew it was wrong. Their life was fun and adventurous. It didn't seem to hurt their marriage. In fact, they thought it was better. I thought, why not me? Then, I found myself in a position where it could actually happen. I could live that fantasy. I couldn't help myself. I had to do it. I'm sorry."