One Week in the Summer

Rick woke up early after an hour or so of sleep. His mind was swimming about everything that happened over the past few days. He was first attracted to Paula, this one time neighbor, but the attraction was more lust than anything. She was the first naked woman he had seen in a while. Being so close, and so hard, he was ready to crawl through the window. Then he saw how hurt Lori was. His wife, through good times and in bad. Over the next few days he realized that she was doing everything to get his attention. They both realized they were taking each other for granted.

As the morning sun was starting to pour through the window, he took a long look at the woman who was asleep in his arms. What she said over the past week stuck with him. She never opened up to the pain of seeing her father walk away, and she was scared that he wold do the same. He could never walk away from his family.

He then thought about what he heard when Paula and Abe fought, and what she said to him. If it was the fault of the booze or not, she cut to the core. She said things that in twenty years together, Lori never once said to him.

It was 4:15, and he knew he had work to do. He gently moved Lori out of his arms, and went downstairs. One box of cereal left, half a gallon of chocolate milk, and some skim milk was in the fridge. He had to hand it to Lori...she is an expert at running a household. Everything was packed and by the door. The trash was taken out last night, the kitchen was clean, and clothes for the kids set aside. The only things they needed to do were to eat breakfast, get dressed, gather up their own sheets and dirty clothes, and go. She even had the cooler, ready to be filled with snacks for the road. The bath towels were washed and put away.

He started the coffee and turned on the news, keeping the volume low. He settled for a bowl of Captain Crunch, and when he was done he looked out of the window to see the sunrise. He was serious about what he said to Lori. He could look into getting a job here, they could start over in a new place, near the beach. A house like they were in would be too expensive, but they could make it work. It would be difficult to walk away from his childhood home, which has become his kids' childhood home. Maybe.

He heard some noise upstairs, and was getting ready for some company. Lori came downstairs, already dressed in shorts and a tank top, and had already gathered their sheets and dirty clothes from last night. He took the pile of sheets from her and put them in a big plastic bag she already had set aside.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Alright. I think I got most of it up last night. Thanks for helping."

"Your welcome, baby." He held her close, and kissed her on the mouth. "Coffee and aspirin are ready."

"Thanks. I was thinking...you mentioned retiring here?"

"Yeah. I was thinking maybe a retiring early, or transferring here. I'd have to check out crime stats, schools, cost of living, stuff like that."

They sat together at the kitchen table, no TV, just talking to each other. He told her about Paula and Abe's fight, and what she said.

"She was...nice, but a little, um, off." Lori smiled as she joked,

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like the day we went shopping, she was the one to talk me into the belly button thing. And the waxing."

"Well, that I like.' He chuckled. "When you took your shirt off and I saw that red bikini...I was happy to sit in the cold water. You look really good, baby. You've been taking care of yourself, and I'm sorry for not noticing. Are you gonna keep the piercing?"

She blushed and asked "Do you want me too?"

"Hell yes." He said.

"The kids will be up soon. It's not even five." She said, with a smile.

He didn't need another invite. He stood up and took her by the hand, quickly walking into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, they were very relaxed and waiting for the kids to wake up. They were watching the sunrise, thinking that their family is all they need.