Marily and Fred were not displeased to have the party end. They had both benefited from it, and this both of them knew as they drove home. Inside the house Marily looked around, felt that she was seeing their home for the first time. She turned to Fred and he took her in his arms and kissed her as she had never been kissed before. She liked it, she loved her 'new' husband. "Now you'll be too much for me," she told him, feigning pushing him away from her.
"I'll try to be, darling," he said, taking her again in his arms and moving his hands down to her soft, full buttocks and pulling her pelvis into his. "And I can try better in the bed, too." He moved her toward the bedroom.
Fred's and Marily's happiness increased daily. Marily had some struggle with her own feeling because Peter came to her house twice during the week and Hans invited himself over once. She was surprised that she wanted Peter and Hans, just as much as she had the first time. She enjoyed Fred more than either of them, yet there seemed to be the need within her for other men too.
She hesitantly told Fred about Peter's first visit, and he had laughed at her, told her that she was becoming insatiable, then seeing her brow wrinkle laughed and told her about his daily visit during lunch to Anna or Vivian or Katherine. She was jealous, then laughed at herself for being so, then told him that he might pay her a lunch visit someday and see how strongly she could show her appreciation. He promised to do so the following day. He did.
Marily no longer had to go to the patio for her morning cigarette, but she did anyway out of habit. She enjoyed the fresh air and it tended to bring her fully awake in the morning to go there and have a cigarette. There was generally dew on the ground, all the small creatures in the world were starting their day, moving about slowly and then more rapidly, eating and looking for food and she had come to appreciate the closeness of all the creatures in the world, had even come to some kind of philosophy about man and insects. She was sitting in the patio one morning, thinking about the four parties she had attended with the group, and someone spoke to her. She looked toward Peter's house, thinking that Vivian must be home and was coming to visit her, but she saw no one there. Then the voice spoke again, said, "Over here." Marily swung her head around and saw where the voice was coming from. It was the yard in back of their house, rather than at the side of it.
Marily stood and looked at the beautiful young girl who was speaking. "Hello," she said to her. "I'm Marily and you must be the new neighbor. I knew that someone had moved in because of the lights, but I hadn't seen anyone about. Come over and have some coffee." Marily opened the gate, looked at the curvaceous petite blonde as she stepped into her yard.
"I'm Sam Kingsley," she said, smiling. Her eyes sparkled.
"Sam?" Marily asked.
The blonde laughed. "It's short for Samantha. Sam."
"Well, Sam, welcome to the neighborhood. What does your husband do? I haven't seen him."
Marily did not miss the momentary scowl on her face before she answered. "He's in business. Electronics." She did not elaborate.
"That's nice. Mine, too. How long have you been married?" Marily asked her.
"Eight months. Sometimes it seems like years, then at other times it seems like only yesterday." She sipped at her coffee, said nothing more for a few minutes, then asked Marily, "What is there to do here? My husband's so busy and he wants me to get to know some people and… well, he's very conservative, Marily, very. I suppose I am too, but… it's strange being here. There's just so much to do in the house and then it's all done and the whole day's there facing me." She stopped talking and shook herself and her face colored. "I'm sorry, it's just that…"
Marily knew what it just was, but she wanted to hear it from Sam. "Just what?" she asked, softly, encouraging her.
"I don't know, really. I just thought marriage would be so different. I thought that one could let one's self go, sort of… enjoy life. But it isn't that. Tom – that's my husband – he's so interested in business that that's all he has time for. This week-end he's going to be gone and I'll just be here without anything to do. I'm sorry, I have no right to…" She stopped, surprised at her own boldness in talking to a stranger as she was.
"I understand, Sam. I like you. We'll be good neighbors. We can start right now. Could you do me a favor? I need to go shopping and I promised my husband that I would be here to make his lunch – he manages to come home ever so often – and I'm sure that he would like to meet you and your husband, so," Marily rushed on, the plan having formed suddenly in her mind, or the beginning of it, "Would you have lunch with him? You could get to know each other." She smiled at her.
"Well, I'd love to. I mean… sure, if you think it's all right. I'll make some sandwiches and a salad and…"
She looked closely at Marily. "How very nice of you, Sam. I'll leave him a note and he'll be right over as soon as he comes in. And thank you. I just have to go out and I was thinking about calling him and telling him to eat downtown but this is sort of a special surprise for him, an added something to the week when he comes home. You're sure you don't mind?" Marily smiled sincerely at Sam.
"Oh, no, not at all. I'd like to meet him. I wish Tom would come home for lunch. It'll give me something to do and look forward to," Sam assured her, standing and smoothing her stretch pants over her hips.
"Good. I'll see you when I return, then. And thank you, Sam. Very much." Marily watched her go, assuring herself that she had done the right thing. Then her mind turned instantly to her own problems. Where, she wondered, was she going to spend three hours? She would shop, she decided, taking a piece of paper and beginning a note to Fred.
DARLING, she wrote,
LUNCH IS WAITING AT THE HOUSE IN BACK OF OURS. WE HAVE A NEW NEIGHBOR WHO REMINDS ME OF MYSELF NOT TOO LONG AGO. SHE IS PREPARING LUNCH FOR YOU. BE GENTLE… BUT FIRM!
LOVE, MARILY.
She dressed quickly and left the house. She felt good even though pangs of jealousy gnawed at her heart. But… what greater love could any woman have for her husband, she smiled contentedly to herself.