The Reluctant Key Card

Thanks to the hip and knee doctor for editing assistance.

***

I hated flying, so my company allowed me to use my own car when I had to go out of town. They paid me mileage and it all sort of balanced out, except that I had to do my own driving. My wife, Karen, on the other hand, hated to drive. We both turned fifty this year and were both still working. Karen sold insurance policies for large construction projects. They were fairly complex and difficult to set up. I took care of commercial loans for housing development projects. This week I was in Charlotte and Karen was in Knoxville.

I finished up two days early. The last day I spent most of my time fantasizing about the Ocala National Forest. We had visited the area years ago when the kids were still young and I really enjoyed it. Our two daughters were both out of the house now, and had families of their own. Our empty nest house was too big, too expensive, and required too much upkeep. I have no idea why both of us kept working. I actually had grown to hate my job. I am not certain how Karen felt, but I wanted to discuss some alternatives with her.

I programmed the Knoxville Ramada Inn into the GPS and hit the road. I had time to kill and couldn't think of a better way to do it than spending it with Karen. The trip gave me lots of time to think and plan. There were plenty of small cabins and lodges available for sale in and around the forest. We could rent a place in Ocala and take our time looking for the ideal retirement home. We could handle the move and the early retirement with no financial problems. The five hour drive to Knoxville would get me there just past normal supper time, so I decided to stop and grab a bite on the way.

One of the nice things about the area was the availability of Krystal hamburgers. I bought a whole bag of the little suckers and munched on them all the way to Knoxville.

I didn't want to call her to let her know that I was coming because I figured she would be tied up in some meeting. She usually kept her cell turned off during the day anyway. Unfortunately, I hadn't bothered to get her room number either. I had never felt that it would be necessary. I parked the car, grabbed my carry-on and entered the lobby. Before going to the counter, I noticed that there were two restaurants. It was a good possibility that she would be in one of them. The first was more of a snack bar and she wasn't there. The next choice was fine dining and I found Karen sitting with Robert Wilson, her company Marketing Manager.

"Karen! Robert! Surprise." It was a simple greeting, but I was really surprised at the reaction I got from both my wife and her dining companion.

"John. What are you doing here?" I was expecting a warm welcome, but what I got was totally different. Robert Wilson seemed to be squirming in his seat and Karen was totally flustered. What the hell was going on?

"I finished up early, so I figured I'd pop over here, spend some time with you, and we could drive home together."

"This is unexpected John, I am not...,: I mean ..., " Karen was having trouble finishing what she wanted to say.

Finally, Wilson spoke up. "John, we already ordered. I have a nice medium ribeye coming. Why don't you take that and I will leave you two alone to enjoy the meal? I'll catch something in the snack bar."

"Robert, I already ate. Stay right there and relax. I'm going to go and clean up and I will join you two later for drinks."

"No John. I insist. I have some work that I have to finish up before tomorrows meeting. You stay and enjoy your wife." Wilson was extremely nervous and Karen was pale as a ghost. He started to get up until I put a hand on his shoulder. "Sit Robert! Karen give me the room key! I'll be back in thirty minutes."

I held my hand out to my wife for the room key card. She looked at Wilson and then looked back at me. "John. There is no hurry. Can you just sit for a few minutes?" I picked up her clutch and emptied it onto the table. A minute later, I was on the elevator to the sixth floor.

It was worse than I had anticipated. The bed had recently been used. Wet towels and bath robes were hanging by the shower. Of course, both sets of luggage were there. There were two used condoms in the trashcan by the bed. His and her grooming products covered the vanity. I had no idea when this started, but they had been traveling together for years.

I did not go back into the dining room. Ten minutes later, I was on I75 headed for Chattanooga. I didn't feel any desire to go back to Pennsylvania.

I spent the next morning taking care of personal, financial, insurance, and working problems. It is amazing what you can do on the Internet. I couldn't do everything that I wanted to do, but got most of it done. I had received a lot of calls on my cell from Karen which I deleted. I spent the whole afternoon at the Chattanooga Aquarium.

A week later, I was comfortably settled in my new abode. It was not very elegant, but it was actually within the boundary of the Ocala National Forest. I never imagined myself living in a single wide trailer with no air conditioning. It was heavenly.