Maureen Davis pulled
into the garage of her three bedroom home and let the car
idle a moment, her heart heavy with disappointment.
Obviously, her husband of twenty years had forgotten her
birthday, again. Not that thirty-nine was a big milestone,
but it’d be her last year of being thirty-something. She had
hoped for at least a “happy birthday” out of him. After
bearing three of his children, she thought she at least
deserved flowers to commemorate the occasion.
No, the last time
Daniel had sent her flowers was the day she gave birth to
their third child, and that was eleven years ago.
She turned
off the car and reached over to grab her purse. A piece of
paper fell to the floor and she recognized the handwriting
sprawled on it. A phone number.
She wadded it
up and stuffed it in the ashtray.
The day was still
young enough that Daniel might remember the occasion, but
usually by now he had last minute drawings for clients for
his architectural firm. He would draw his plans up past
midnight, after Maureen had long since gone to bed.
So he wasn’t
romantic. Big deal. She didn’t need romance to be in love
with Daniel. But lust? Lust was another story. A little
attention every now and then to kick that lust factor up
would be nice, especially when it was getting harder and
harder to come home.
Kevin had asked her
out tonight. She wasn’t an adulterer so she’d said no,
because she knew where dinner with Kevin would lead. Kevin
was the player of the office and as far as she knew she was
the only one who hadn’t tasted his kiss.
But she hadn’t been kissed in a long time.
