Chapter 1: Carol's POV

It had been a good day. My third graders had put on their class play, after which I'd rewarded them with a popcorn-and-movie party. As they sat on the floor munching and taking in The Sandlot, I was free to sip coffee and mentally plan for the weekend. And of course, by plan I meant daydream. Susan had done all of the planning already. After the kids went home, I stayed grading papers at my desk until 4:45, rushing so I could be at the gym by 5 to meet Susan for our workout. Our workouts were getting longer and more involved. Before I'd met her, I'd go to the gym twice a week at most, reading magazines on the elliptical for half an hour. Now, we had a 2-hour workout every day, with a complicated rotation schedule that Susan had devised. She's good enough to be a personal trainer. Tonight's workout was water aerobics, but not the kind old ladies do in classes. It was more like yoga in the water, a set of exercises that Susan had invented.

It was really something to see, Susan doing the graceful motions in her blue Speedo, her rippling muscles shining with the chlorinated sheen of pool water, her hair in a dripping braid stuck to her bare back, her eyelids closed, her lips relaxed.

I walked home as usual, still glowing from the workout and the hot gym shower, letting the September breeze dry my hair and play with my eyelashes. I reached at 7:15. Ross's Thursday ends earlier than mine, but it was also his turn to cook. I opened the door, expecting to find him at the stove. Instead, he was right there at the door, holding a bouquet of pink roses and bearing a huge grin.

"Surprise!" He threw the flowers at me. I barely caught them.

"Hey Ross. What's this?"

"Pack your bags. We're going to Vermont tomorrow!"

Ross was practically vibrating with excitement and glee and anticipation. Oh, Ross. I'm glad I'm not as transparent as he is.

"Okay, Ross. Why don't we sit down on the couch and you tell me what's going on?" I said. I handed him the flowers, and he went to find a vase for them as I took off my jacket and shoes.

"I made reservations at the Three Mountain Inn! It's a beautiful little bed and breakfast in Vermont. I thought it would be good to take a trip together. We don't even have to rent a car. Phoebe's lending us her cab! It's all in order. We can leave as soon as school gets out on Friday."

It wasn't easy to keep the smile on my face. Poor Ross looked so excited, so proud of himself.

"But don't you have a Friday night class?"

"I canceled it!"

"But aren't you going to the Knicks game with Chandler on Saturday?"

"Not anymore. He's taking his new roommate." Ross squinted at me. "What's the matter, Carol?"

"Oh, see, Ross, Susan and I have plans this weekend."

"Aww, Susan? How nice. Cancel them. We're going to Vermont!"

I fiddled with my sleeve as I tried to get my thoughts in order. Ross was staring at me, his big brown eyes looking confused and a little hurt. He'd expected me to squeal and jump into his arms and immediately begin packing our bags for the trip.

How could I tell him how much I'd been looking forward to the camping trip with Susan? She'd planned the whole thing out, ruining map after map of the Catskill Mountains with her red marker, until she'd finally found a 20-mile hike that was perfect for the weekend. We'd spend one night together, making s'mores by the campfire under the stars, swapping life stories and secrets like a couple of little girls, and then lying in the tent, our sleeping bags side by side, talking some more until sleep claimed us.

It was going to be a chilly weekend, too. In my daydreams, we'd stacked the sleeping bags and huddled for warmth.

"You don't understand, Ross," I said. "She's been planning this for weeks."

"Well, why doesn't she go with her husband?"

I bit my lip. "She doesn't have one."

"Boyfriend, then."

"Nope."

"Well, then, another friend! Doesn't she have gym buddies besides you?"

God I hope not, I thought. I'd picked up sporadic signals from Susan, but I couldn't be sure how she felt. If she felt the way I did, she was wise and considerate to conceal it from me, knowing as she did that I had a husband whom I loved. I couldn't help but wish she'd be more foolish and selfish about it. But maybe she just considered me to be a good friend and a reliable workout buddy.

"I don't know," I said. "Look. Can't we reschedule? It's a wonderful idea, but I can't abandon Susan. I told you about this camping trip weeks ago."

"But I already canceled my Friday night class," said Ross, his puppy dog eyes getting bigger and bigger.

I sighed. I knew what I had to do. I could tell how much effort he'd put into this plan. He thought a surprise getaway trip would rekindle the spark between us. Though he's dense in some ways, I think he could tell that something was wrong with our marriage. It was heartbreaking to see how hard he was working to make things normal again. I love the guy, I really do. Just not in the way he wants me to.

"I'll call Susan," I said at last.

Ross gave me a watery smile, his puppy-dog eyes still uncertain. I leaned over, took his face in my hands and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me, and when I broke away, he hung on for an extra fifteen seconds.