It was a treacherous business that she was about, but it seemed the thing to do. For quite a while she’d suspected that her husband, Jim, was having an affair. There wasn’t enough evidence for her to come out and ask him. That would have tipped her hand before she had the goods on him, and he’d only deny it anyhow. Instead, she’d come up with a plan to test his honesty and faithfulness. Once a week, Mildred typed a short unsigned, heavily perfumed note and mailed it to Jim at his office. In it, she would tell how much she had loved him from afar, supplying enough tantalizing personal information to prove that she knew a good deal about him. She described herself as a very attractive and desirable woman that he knew, but never noticed. The notes were rather steamy and titillating. In fact, Mildred had devised a system to stalk her husband through the mails. Now the reason for all of this subterfuge was apparent, if only to Mildred. As his soulmate and confidante, she expected her husband to tell her about these mysterious letters. They were supposed to have no secrets from each other. After all, she told herself, if positions were reversed and she received such notes, she would most certainly tell Jim. She overlooked the fact that, by secretly writing the letters, she was, herself, in violation of that very trust that she demanded of him. Weeks went by, and her husband said nothing about the love notes, the letters soon smoldering with passion and desire. Mildred had become quite good at writing by this time, all in the heated manner of the romantic novels she liked to read. The more torrid the notes she wrote, the more convinced she became that Jim was having an affair. Only that could explain why he wasn’t forthcoming about the series of letters. He was, she assured herself, afraid of arousing suspicions in his oblivious wife. Changes developed in their relationship as time passed. She grew aloof, denying her husband time and again, because of headaches, fatique or disinterest. Jim was fast losing patience with the coldness displayed by his formerly loving wife. He tried to talk to her about it, during the Christmas holidays, but got nowhere. While inwardly fuming, Mildred told him that he was making issues over nothing. She would brush him off, by either changing the subject or walking away to attend to purportedly pressing matters. Meanwhile, her letter writing continued, and his silence about them fully infuriated her. Finally, she decided to retain a private detective to check on her husband’s activities. As it happened, she selected the same detective, listed under AA Investigations, that her husband had earlier hired to track down the well-informed woman, who was sending him the bothersome letters. Taking a retainer from both parties posed a question of ethics for the detective, but he decided to remain quiet about it for the time being. Up front, he had advised Jim that, until he learned more in his investigation, he should not tell anybody about the letters, including his wife, because it might even be one of her own friends. Having access to the envelopes and postmarks, the detective discovered that the mailings all originated at the post office less than a block from Mildred’s and Jim’s home. He first suspected that a neighbor might prove to be the woman in question. He arranged for a laboratory to test the perfume that the notes reeked of. It turned out that this perfume was quite expensive and sold only in one store in town. Following up on this lead, he learned that Mildred had an account at that same exclusive shop. Explaining all of this to Jim, he urged his client to telephone the shop and inquire about such a perfume having been purchased by his wife. He would use the ruse of wanting to buy another bottle of the same brand, expressing uncertainty as to her choice. Sure enough, Mildred did purchase that brand of perfume at the store. This evidence was damaging, especially since he’d never detected that perfume on his wife, only on the many mysterious letters. At first, Jim was inclined to brace Mildred with all that he knew, waving the scented letters in her face. But, by this time, considering what she had been putting him through, he decided to teach her a lesson. Indeed, he was not having an affair at all, and had no qualms about showing the letters to his wife. It was only on the detective’s advice that he hadn’t done so. Jim worked out a plan of his own. After his meeting with the detective, he went home and told Mildred that they had to talk. She joined him in the living room, where he had already settled into a recliner. She sat on the sofa opposite him. Jim had a grim look on his face, and she was ready for a confession, either about his affair, or concerning the many anonymous love letters he had been receiving over the past months. As expected, Jim began the conversation by telling Mildred about the long period in which he had been receiving the letters. He further told her that he had developed a relationship with this woman, whom, he later learned, worked for his firm. He had grown to love her, he said, and it was a divorce that he now wanted to discuss. It was obvious to him, he told Mildred, that her own love for him had waned, and divorce would be best for both of them. As he summed it up, "You’ve always been straight with me, Mildred. You don’t deserve any less than the full truth." Mildred sat there shocked and speechless. What was there that she could say? With that said, Jim pulled the chair’s lever and fell back into the recliner. On the floor, now visible under his raised feet, was a huge heart shaped box of candy, topped with a tied bundle of love letters. Jim gave her a few seconds to grasp the situation, and, smiling smugly, said, "Happy Valentines Day, dear." THE END   ~ RickMack (jotoma@bellsouth.net)~ You are welcome to use the graphics on this page providing you use them as a set and don't mix them with other graphics. You may use a different title and different text, but be sure to include my button and a link back. (http://www.geocities/writerswinter2004/) All poems and short stories on this website have a copyright. If you wish to use one or more on your website, contact the author for permission. If you enjoyed this page, check these out: A Keeper Love Sublime Valentine Sentiments And.......for many others, click the link for HOME. Home: Writers' Winter 2004 Index