I
My wife Becky and I live a pretty white-bread life. We met as undergrads at the University of Maryland, and got married two years after graduation. Becky is an events coordinator for a brokerage firm, and I work as a paralegal in Baltimore. We live in a small, starter home in the suburbs with our two dogs. We go on vacations once a year at my parent's lake house, but for the most part our lives are very routine: work, dinner in front of the TV, walking with the dogs, going out to an occasional dinner and movie.
Our neighborhood is starting to change. Developers bought the lot which adjoins our backyard. At first, we were upset that we were losing the woods behind our house, but when we saw they were putting up 600K+ houses back there, we got pretty psyched about the effects on our property values.
One day after the houses were complete, we saw some activity in the house right behind ours. We peered over the fence to get a glimpse at our new neighbors. They were older than us. Becky and I are 26 and 27 respectively, and our new neighbors seemed at least a few years older. The man was probably close to 40, distinguished, well-dressed, with dark hair graying at the temples. The woman was tall, slim and exotic. She seemed like she was part-Asian and part-Hispanic, although she was relatively fair skinned. They were almost our opposites in that regard. Becky looks younger than she is; when we go to Maryland games she could easily pass for one of the blonde sorority girls we see tailgating in the parking lot. Aside from a few extra pounds and a little less hair, I could be one of the frat guys partying with them. Not that that is all that surprising. That is who we were just a few years ago.
Our new neighbors saw us looking into their yard and introduced themselves as Don and Anita.
Don was a lawyer, and when I told him I was a paralegal, he offered to talk to me about making a career in the law. Anita and Becky seemed to hit it off too. Even up close, Anita was a bit of a mystery. She could have been anywhere from 30 to 40, but she had a sophisticated air about her that clearly left Becky both intimidated and intrigued. After a few more pleasantries, they excused themselves and went back to supervising the movers who were unloading a lot of expensive-looking possessions.
"They seem nice," I said as they got out of earshot.
“Yeah, definitely," Becky replied.
***
The next day, I was mowing the lawn, when Don walked over to the fence.
"Hey, Jeff," he called out.
I killed the motor and approached him.
"How's the move going?"
"We've got a thousand boxes to unpack. But we love the house so far."
"Great, we'd love to see it sometime. Let me know if you need any help with anything."
"Thanks," Don replied. "Actually, I was going to invite you up to the house for drinks once we got settled in, but if you do have some time later this afternoon, I need a little help moving some things. Would you be willing to give me a hand? We can order some Chinese food, have a couple of beers, and get to know each other."
"Sure, sounds good. I'll check to see if Becky had any plans, but unless you hear different, why don't we plan to come over around four?"
"Great, see you then," he said with a smile.
I went back to mowing the lawn.
***
That afternoon, Becky and I went over. While Don and I moved some furniture, Becky and Anita unpacked their kitchen. When the food arrived, we sat down in their breakfast nook and had dinner.
Anita and Don were full of stories. They had travelled all over the world. Don was a litigator and had lots of great war stories. Anita had this dry wit, and she kept us in stitches with her asides and observations. She also had this little twinkle in her eyes that I found very alluring, and I could not help checking her out as she walked around the kitchen in her tight jeans. Even that first night, I realized I was becoming somewhat infatuated with her,
My wife Becky and I live a pretty white-bread life. We met as undergrads at the University of Maryland, and got married two years after graduation. Becky is an events coordinator for a brokerage firm, and I work as a paralegal in Baltimore. We live in a small, starter home in the suburbs with our two dogs. We go on vacations once a year at my parent's lake house, but for the most part our lives are very routine: work, dinner in front of the TV, walking with the dogs, going out to an occasional dinner and movie.
Our neighborhood is starting to change. Developers bought the lot which adjoins our backyard. At first, we were upset that we were losing the woods behind our house, but when we saw they were putting up 600K+ houses back there, we got pretty psyched about the effects on our property values.
One day after the houses were complete, we saw some activity in the house right behind ours. We peered over the fence to get a glimpse at our new neighbors. They were older than us. Becky and I are 26 and 27 respectively, and our new neighbors seemed at least a few years older. The man was probably close to 40, distinguished, well-dressed, with dark hair graying at the temples. The woman was tall, slim and exotic. She seemed like she was part-Asian and part-Hispanic, although she was relatively fair skinned. They were almost our opposites in that regard. Becky looks younger than she is; when we go to Maryland games she could easily pass for one of the blonde sorority girls we see tailgating in the parking lot. Aside from a few extra pounds and a little less hair, I could be one of the frat guys partying with them. Not that that is all that surprising. That is who we were just a few years ago.
Our new neighbors saw us looking into their yard and introduced themselves as Don and Anita.
Don was a lawyer, and when I told him I was a paralegal, he offered to talk to me about making a career in the law. Anita and Becky seemed to hit it off too. Even up close, Anita was a bit of a mystery. She could have been anywhere from 30 to 40, but she had a sophisticated air about her that clearly left Becky both intimidated and intrigued. After a few more pleasantries, they excused themselves and went back to supervising the movers who were unloading a lot of expensive-looking possessions.
"They seem nice," I said as they got out of earshot.
“Yeah, definitely," Becky replied.
***
The next day, I was mowing the lawn, when Don walked over to the fence.
"Hey, Jeff," he called out.
I killed the motor and approached him.
"How's the move going?"
"We've got a thousand boxes to unpack. But we love the house so far."
"Great, we'd love to see it sometime. Let me know if you need any help with anything."
"Thanks," Don replied. "Actually, I was going to invite you up to the house for drinks once we got settled in, but if you do have some time later this afternoon, I need a little help moving some things. Would you be willing to give me a hand? We can order some Chinese food, have a couple of beers, and get to know each other."
"Sure, sounds good. I'll check to see if Becky had any plans, but unless you hear different, why don't we plan to come over around four?"
"Great, see you then," he said with a smile.
I went back to mowing the lawn.
***
That afternoon, Becky and I went over. While Don and I moved some furniture, Becky and Anita unpacked their kitchen. When the food arrived, we sat down in their breakfast nook and had dinner.
Anita and Don were full of stories. They had travelled all over the world. Don was a litigator and had lots of great war stories. Anita had this dry wit, and she kept us in stitches with her asides and observations. She also had this little twinkle in her eyes that I found very alluring, and I could not help checking her out as she walked around the kitchen in her tight jeans. Even that first night, I realized I was becoming somewhat infatuated with her,
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