The Affair
4. Kisses in the rain
Monday, April 13th 2020
7:05 AM
"Shit!"
Fred had just dropped Sam off at her apartment, and traffic was ugly. He didn't normally have to be out in the 'rush hour' mess since he worked from home. He didn't ever schedule appointments early just for this reason. He hated driving in traffic.
He grinned remembering how he nearly didn't get out of the apartment. That was a nice goodbye. Sam was going to take the bus to work, and he would pick her up at six o'clock tonight from there. This was her idea, and he didn't mind at all. It sure beat sitting at home alone watching classic movies. Truth be told, that's what he and Sam would probably do, but he wouldn't be alone. Better yet, he'd be with Sam.
This traffic was just going to get worse. There was a coffee shop in a strip mall just ahead. He turned off and parked in the lot. The place was nearly deserted inside; the drive up business was backed up around the building. He placed his order at the counter and chose a table by a window. He purchased a copy of the Times, got his coffee and returned to his table. He only glanced at the paper. Most of his thoughts were of the past weekend and Sam's loony idea of an 'affair'. On the surface the 'affair' was pure Sam. However, if you knew Sam well at all, you knew that she was very, very complex. You have to mix all that complexity in with a massive load of smarts, and a trainload of devious. She also had enough insecurity to float a boat.
The reason Sam gave for hiding this from Carly was total bull. Carly wouldn't give a flying fig if he and Sam screwed each other like bunnies in the middle of the West Seattle Bridge at rush hour. Hell, she would more than likely applaud it as a sign that her two best friends were finally together, and Sam knew it. Nearly six years ago Fred and Sam were together, but weren't dating, like 'dating'. But their relationship had been implied by both of them, often. The rules were all Sam's. She hadn't wanted a boyfriend because she didn't like what it stood for. She did want Freddie; at least that's what she told him, and anyone that would listen to her. For all intents, the two of them were a couple. Then Sam had gone off for a weekend camping trip by herself and met Phil. She met him on a Friday night and married him on Saturday… Carly, her boyfriend at the time, and Fred had been working on a project at Carly's studio, waiting for Sam's return from camping. The trio heard the elevator doors open. Sam had nonchalantly stepped out with Phil, and introduced him as her husband. Fred had been devastated. Carly and Fred had discussed the Sam and Phil thing to death. Carly swears that Sam had never loved Phil, but only took up with him since he was a kind of counterfeit Freddie. But neither of them could figure out why Sam had wanted a counterfeit when the real Freddie was available and willing. Then Carly had accused Fred of doing the same thing when he turned up with Shelly. The only difference being that Sam wasn't single at the time. The sad thing was that Fred knew Carly was right. He had finally admitted it to her when the divorce from Shelly was imminent. That was almost two years ago… Tempus Fugit.
Wow, Tempus Fugit indeed! It was already nine! He was meeting with a new client for some used car lot commercials at eleven. Time to stop daydreaming and get to work!
Monday, April 13th 2020
5:55 PM
Fred's meetings had gone well. He'd sold the car lot a commercial a month for the next two years. He could nearly live off what that would bring him! Better yet, he was here in front of Sam's work, waiting to pick her up. Yeah, this 'affair' thing was kinda dumb, but if that's what she wanted…
It was starting to rain, so Fred got out of his car, got an umbrella from the trunk, and waited for Sam in the foyer. Samantha never ceases to amaze Fred. Sam works for NorthWest Chemical Corporation, a huge agricultural and industrial chemical supplier. Is she a receptionist, secretary, corporate gopher? Hell no, she's the assistant head of the Purchasing Department, with half a floor calling her Ma'am and a corner office with windows.
In just a moment, the elevator doors open and deposits a large group of folks just wanting to go home. In the midst of the group was Sam. She saw Freddie waiting by the side of the receptionist's desk. As she approached, Sam gave him a smile that would light up a good portion of downtown Seattle. They stepped outside, it was pouring. Fred put up the umbrella and they walked to his car. With Fred's umbrella shielding them from the rain, he opened the passenger door for Sam. Before she could get in the car, he kissed her, a long and passionate kiss. When they separated, Sam seemed speechless. Fred just smiled, held the door open again, and helped her get in. When he had got in and started the car, Sam turned to him and said;
"Long kisses in public, huh? What else do you like to do in public, Benson?"
"Pretty much anything you can think of I guess…"
"Oh!" said a surprised Sam.
Fred pulled out of the parking lot onto a side street.
"This will sound cheesy, but your place or mine?"
"Yours please, eventually. Can we stop by my place so I can get some things?"
"Your place first, then. Also, if you don't mind, I took the liberty of making a couple plans for us this evening. I've got all five 'Albert the Axe Murderer' movies. I also have a copy of the pilot episode that was so violent it couldn't be run on TV and never got played."
"I've never seen the pilot! That will be great!"
"You can pick up your truck if you want, or I can drop you off and pick you up from work. I really don't mind."
"I kind of like having a chauffeur for now."
"Ok, what about dinner?"
"No plans Freddie."
"Ok, a bucket of chicken sound good?"
"mmmmm, yes!"
They stopped at Sam's apartment, then on to get something for dinner.
"Fred, you said you had made a couple plans for this evening. What else besides the movies?"
"Oh, yeah… here we are at the Chicken Shack. Let's go order first."
They make their selections and got their order. Sam rifled through the bag and began munching on a chicken leg for the remainder of the drive. Arriving at Fred's house, they unpack the food and get ready to eat.
"Ok dorkster, now tell me. Just what is the other plan you had for this evening?"
"Alright, ok… look, this is going to sound kind of odd, but, well… Just before I threw Shelly out, I ordered a jacuzzi hot tub. You know the one with the water jets… Well, it didn't get installed until after she was gone. That was a good thing as far as I was concerned. Now, here's the cliché. I always fantasized about, you know, sex in the hot tub during a rain storm. I just couldn't ever get the fantasy to gel. Even in my head, it just didn't work. I couldn't tell you why. I just couldn't imagine doing it. I really couldn't, until today. I walked by the hot tub, it was raining, and I realized that it was you I was missing. You were my fantasy. It was you that was meant to be my fantasy girl in the hot tub. So, you know… I was kind of wondering if, umm, you would like to go soak in the tub."
"That's it Benson? Just soak in the hot tub and relax by myself?"
"Well, sure, if that's what you want to do, Sam."
"I might get lonely out there, in the rain, all by myself, nude, in the steaming hot tub, nude, with nothing to do and nothing on. Did I mention I like to be in hot tubs while nude? You know with nothing on, only my birthday suit."
"Tell me about the nude part again, Sam…"
Sam didn't say a thing; she started to say something a couple times, but eventually, just smiled and stepped in to give Freddie a kiss. She stepped back and put the containers of food in the fridge. She took his hand, and led him out doors.
"Hurry Benson, you can never tell when it might stop raining."