Chapter 5
Right after Blanche had graduated from a mid-western college she had married her college sweetheart which was not an unnatural thing to do.
He was good-looking, seemed to have a good future and they were both relatively young. Through some connections he had he managed to get a partnership in an automobile dealership that sold Japanese cars, which probably explained Blanche's aversion to them.
Blanche got a part-time hob and between their two incomes they managed to live relatively well. The did all of the things that were expected of them.
They supported local charities, they gave dinner parties, they joined the local country club and Blanche's husband was a little league baseball coach.
Privately, they planned on having a family (one at first naturally, a second child after a year or two so the first one wouldn't get lonely) and for the most part they were a very typical couple.
Because the town in which they lived was so typical there was an inverse ration or proportion to various kinds of hanky-panky that was, for the common good, kept under very tight wraps.
Thee were the local rumour mongers of course, those kind of people can never be avoided but there was a tacit understanding that certain things like wife-swapping would be tolerated as long as it was kept within well defined bounds of discretion and didn't wind up hurting anybody professionally.
So, for all intents and purposes, Blanche and her ex-husband whose name was Willard, were an ideal couple. They had ideal jobs, an ideal marriage (both were physically attractive) and an ideal future and they were the envy of many people in the town because of that.
Even though they both made enough money to be able to live well (their house was small but had all the modern furnishings including a large screen television, washer/dryer, attached garage, microwave oven, everything spanking brand new) and they projected favourable images (both of them were well dressed at all times although Blanche was not the kind of person to go to the beauty parlour once a week). They also drove new cars which Willard was able to get through his dealership, but there was something radically wrong with their relationship.
As Stephanie drove down the road, Blanche remembered and it was not entirely against her will either. It or rather the evens had happened fairly recently but at the same by virtue of her relationship with Stephanie and all of the emotional implications it had, Willard and the life they had together seemed like ancient history.
"Something on you mind?" asked Stephanie.
"No, not really. Just thinking about dinner. Got a place in mind?"
"Mario's. We've been there before. You liked it, didn't you?" asked Stephanie.
"I did."
"We'll be there soon," said Stephanie, taking her eyes off the road long enough to give Blanche a quick glance, not really sure of what she was seeing, not really caring, thinking primarily of the dinner she was going to have, considering her other options.
Blanche stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and reverted immediately to her memories. It wasn't something that she did against her will, it was simply something that happened.
And here is what Blanche remembered.