Ellie has just turned forty when her husband of fourteen years announces that he's met someone new.
This sends Ellie into a deep depression that only her friends can help her out of. They invite her on a girls' trip to the Caribbean. The goal of th...
Henry was the most considerate lover you could wish for. And he was so patient. At first I felt embarrased that I was so inexperienced at my age especially with a relationship of twenty two years behind me, but he was gentle and open and asked me questions to understand how to please me.
I opened up and told him about my marriage. It seemed like a bit of a turn off to tell a lover about your failed relationship, but Henry listened and was very attentive.
"I appriciate how genuine you are", he said as he listened to my story. "Were you happy?"
"I thought I was. For the better part of it, I'd like to think I was. We treated each other well. The years struggling with getting pregnant were tough on us, but we were always there to pick each other up. At some point I guess we were more like friends than lovers. It happens. We didn't want the same things anymore and I was struggling to keep up with his constant need for adventure. I was content reading books, doing yoga, going to art museums and stuff like that. Adam needed excitement, so he'd go cliff diving, hiking or swimming with sharks. In the end I guess he also needed a woman, who was more exciting...." I said with a wistful look.
"Don't", Henry said and put his hand on my cheek. "You are exciting. And lovely and smart and beautiful. Don't let anybody define how you feel about yourself."
He kissed me on my forehead and held my hands in his. There was something so comforting about his words and the way he was present in the moment. He was mature and knowledgeable and in many ways he seemed more experienced and aware than me with my forty years of age. Even if his life had been so different from mine and he had spent the better part of his late teens and twenties as a public person, it didn't come off as if he had missed out on life. He was definitely learned and experienced - not only sexually.
"Is it weird that I feel like I've known you forever?" I asked him.
"No, it's not weird. I think there's a possibility we've known each other in another life", he said with a cheeky grin.
I laughed at the thought, but there was definitely something special about our connection.
***
We spent most of the day at the beach house. He played me some of his songs and I was impressed with his writing skills. His lyrics were deep and honest. They told stories of how he saw the world and how his encounters changed him. There was joy, pain, sorrow, excitement and love. He was talented, that was clear.
My phone buzzed. It was a message from Gayle.
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We decided that we actually needed to get some food, so we arranged to meet for dinner with the girls and Henry's friends.
"Can I ask you something?" he said as we were about to leave the beach house.
"Sure", I said curious about what he wanted to know.
"Will you come back here with me after and stay the night?" he asked looking a little shy.
I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Then I nodded and took his hand as we left the beach house and an afternoon of pleasure behind us.
