Switch

"Well, I never did go to any of them, and there isn't any difference, and what in the hell are you doing listening to Sandy?"

"That was only girl talk, we talk about everything. I'm sorry, honey. I should have said something to you about it first, I guess."

"I think it will change everything, I love you and I want to be with you."

"OK. I guess you are probably right."

"There is one other thing, honey. Sandy..she...I...it happened."

There was a long silence.

"Already? We haven't even had dinner yet here?" Carol's voice changed.

"Honey, I am sorry. Things got out of..."

Sandy walked out of the bedroom, she had her clothes back on.

"Is that Carol? Let me talk to her." John handed her the phone. Sandy sat down, John went into the bathroom and took a shower myself.

They were still talking when he came back out. Sandy looked up at him and smiled.

"OK. I will tell him, see you tomorrow." Then she hung up.

"Is she mad?" John asked.

"No. She said it was her own fault and she doesn't blame you."

John felt a small relief at that, he was worried about his wife's reactions, he was even more upset about his own. Their life together was far too good to risk on something as silly as this.

"So what are you going to do?" Sandy asked him.

"Nothing, I guess. We can't take that back."

"There is no harm done, Johnny. Besides, I have wanted to try you out for years now." She grinned at him.

John blushed from the top of his head to the tip of his toes at that. The vision of her standing up and exposing her lower body flashed into his mind, he felt himself begin to react at the thought. He tired to force the thought out of his mind, but it was too late.

"You liked it, didn't you?" Sandy's voice took on a sultry tone.

"Well, yea, sure. But...."

"We can do it some more if you want to, it's already too late so why not?" She grinned at him.

"I can't, I don't think..."

"Carol won't mind."

"Why would Carol not mind?" John got a sudden sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Last year, we were at the tournament. Darin flew down."

John stared at her.

"You know how Carol gets when you tease her with any kind of sexy talk?"

John knew that about his wife very well, it was something he used often in their own bedroom, and he had teased Carol to get a reaction out of her even out in public, and often when Darin and Sandy were around.

"She didn't, you guys didn't...?

"Yes. We did. Darin started to tease her for fun and we all got carried away. She couldn't figure out how to tell you, so this is her way of making it up to you."

"She didn't!" That somehow did not ring true to him.

"Oh, yes she did."

John felt his world feel like it was coming apart. Carol? With Darin? And nearly a full year ago, he had no idea. He stared at Sandy for a few seconds.

"I wouldn't mind another session with you, Johnny. It won't matter anymore." She smiled and got up, started towards him.

"Sandy, there is no way in hell! I already made one stupid mistake, I'm not going to make things worse." He held his hands up, palms out to stop her.

Sandy got a hurt look on her face but she didn't say anything. John turned and went to his bedroom, closed the door.

He lay there awake for a long time, half expecting Sandy to come in but she didn't.

The next day he drove Sandy to the airport, she was quiet until just as they got there.

"Please don't tell Carol anything I told you, OK?" She said finally. That sounded odd to John.

Something just was not ringing true, Carol was always open and honest with him, there just was no way she would have an affair.

John nodded, he intended to do exactly that. It was obvious that he and his wife needed to have a talk.

He watched as Sandy went up the steps to the airport lobby, in a half hour he saw Carol come out and look around. She spotted their car out in the parking lot, smiled and waved. Then she walked quickly over to him, gave him a big hug.

The ride home was frustrating, Carol was oddly silent. Finally he asked her straight out when he shut the car off at their house.

"How in the hell did you end up on the wrong airplane?"

"I don't know for sure, I didn't even realize until we were halfway there and I heard the captain announce it."

"What happened up there?"

"Nothing, we talked and had a visit, watched TV."

"Just talked, that's all?"

"Yes, pretty much." She had her face turned away when she said that.

"I will bet he wanted to."

"Yes, he did. This was all a mistake, Sandy and I talked about it before is all. I'm really sorry, honey." Then she started to cry.

John felt more confusion, why would she be crying? Perhaps because he had...suddenly he felt miserable.

"Don't cry, babe. I don't know what was up with all that, either. After Sandy told me about you and Darin down at Reno, I didn't know what to think."

"Darin? Reno? Darin never came down to Reno." She looked at him puzzled.

"Last year, she told me?"

"Darin didn't come down last year?"

"He didn't? The three of you never had sex down there?"

"No! He wasn't even there. All I did was bowl and play the machines a little."

John was now confused.

"But Sandy said he was?"

"Well, he wasn't." Carol had a confused look on her face, John knew she was not lying about that.

"Now I don't understand." John now realized that Sandy had lied to him, but why? Then he thought he understood.

Just to make him think it was all right somehow?

What had she said?

"Don't tell Carol I told you?"

He realized that he did not know Darin and Sandy as well as he thought he did.

"Did Darin try anything while you were up there?"

"Yes. Plus he kept looking at me."

"What do you mean he looked at you?"

"All I had on was Sandy's jammies, they were way too small so I just wore the top part. It's no big deal, he always looks at me like that. Like you look at...Sandy."

"Just great! But I don't look at Sandy." John said with sarcasm.

"Yes, you do! I see that all the time!"

"You were just wearing a tiny pajama top? Did he see you?"

"Oh, it covered me up, besides, I kept them tugged down."

"That's all then?"

"Yes, except he was talking to me, you know how I get."

"Really? What was he saying?"

"He teased me about liking my outfit, trying to get me fussed up but I knew what he was doing."

"So what did Sandy do?" Carol asked him before John could ask the rest of the questions he had in his mind. That flash of guilt poured over him, he decided to just be honest.

"She had on one of my T-shirts and just pulled it up, I tried to stop but it just happened."

"It's OK, Honey. We should have talked first, I'm sorry." She kissed his neck lightly, they stood there quietly for a long time.

"I need to take a shower." She said, letting go and heading for the bathroom.

Later, Carol came out of the bedroom. She snuggled up next to him, he knew what she wanted.

In just a few minutes he had Carol naked, and was making familiar love to her. She pressed happily up against him afterward.

"Johnny?" Her voice was very quiet.

John instantly came alert, Carol seldom called him that.

"What, babe?"

"Am I better than Sandy?" Her voice sounded just a bit timid.

"Way better, no doubt about it at all. That was all over so fast it almost didn't happen."

"Really? I'm sorry it wasn't good for you." Then she giggled, turned her back and curled up.

"I really did think you wouldn't do it. But everything is all right then, I am happy I am better than Sandy, you are way better than Darin." She said softly, almost in sleep.

John shook his head. Yes, dumber than a rock but he really did love this woman. He turned her way, cuddled up, reaching around to gently stroke her bare breasts. Carol was relaxed, slipping into a contented snore.

Then it hit him.

What did she just say?