The Affair Continues, Part 4

“I’ve also been doing some thinking,” he paused, “about doing some talking about maybe having another baby.”

Teri’s eyes lit up in shock and surprise. “You want to talk about what?”

“You heard me.”

Teri began to sob again softly.

“Teri, honey, please don’t cry.” He said as he softly stroked her hair.

“It’s just that I thought you’d never want to talk about it again.” She said through her tears. “I mean we used to talk about it, but then the time never seemed right. Tyler was starting school, and Brandon was still in diapers, I was working on my master’s…” her voice trailed off.

“The point is that we stopped talking about it and I just figured I was getting too old to be having children.”

“Nonsense! Why just look at you. You look better than most woman half your age.”

Teri shot him the glance that said he was exaggerating again.

“Well, okay, but you look better than most woman in their twenties. After each of the boys were born, you worked hard, really hard, to get your shape back. You’ve toned up your muscles and flatten out that stomach.” “Yes, that stomach,” he said as he playfully smacked her belly. “Have you ever seen a tighter stomach?”

Bill got serious again. “Teri, I want another baby. I want us to have another baby.”

“And I hope she’s as every bit as beautiful as her mother.” He quickly added with a laugh.

“She’s? You think with our track record we are going to have a girl?” Teri laughed.

“Well, I guess we’re just going to have to practice until we get it right.” Bill laughed back. “But I can’t promise you that I’ll always be able to perform as well and as much as I did this weekend. I’m gettin’ old ya know!” Bill quipped.

“Oh, Bill, stop it! You’re only a year older than me.”

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A week later, Teri was sitting at her desk going over her notes for the day. It was early and school had not started. She kept trying to refresh herself with her plans for the day, but found herself staring at her husband and her boys, whom she always kept close, framed on her desk. It had been an exceptional week. Bill had been so attentive of her. It was almost like he was a new man. His old self seemed to have returned. He was better than that. He was kinder and more caring than he used to be. He became really helpful around the house and with the boys. He’d come up and rub her shoulders or plant kisses on her cheek just because. He really was like a new man.

Teri’s thoughts were interrupted by a call from the office. There was something there that required her immediate attention. What could that be, she wondered.

When she walked into the office, there to her surprise was Bill and the boys with balloons and a great big basket of flowers waiting for her. “You didn’t think that we’d let your special day go by without notice, did you?”

Teri was so surprise she didn’t know what to say.

Bill walked up to her flowers in both hand and kissed her, “Happy Birthday, honey.” “You thought I forgot, didn’t you?”

She had to admit, Bill was always very good at remembering her birthday.

The boys each wished her a happy birthday as they handed her their balloon for her and then dashed off to class.

Bill offered to walk her and the flowers to class. “You could have had them sent to my room you know.”

“I know, but it wouldn’t have been as much fun as it was to see the look on your face when you walked in here, now would it?”

“I have another surprise for you,” he said. The boys were going home with friends from school, and Bill was taking his beautiful 38-year-old wife out for a night on the town.

Teri couldn’t believe it. She was elated. Just the two of them? She thought. He really has changed.

Teri went about her day as usual, except for the many, many renditions of “Happy Birthday” from her students who all knew about it thanks to her husband and sons who provided the telltale flowers and balloons.