A Snapshot of Jack's Life Ch. 02

Jack's brow furrowed in puzzlement. He quickly re-read the email and blushed. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed, and then realized how ridiculous that was. He was alone in his office. He unconsciously bounced his right knee up and down. It was a nervous tick he had, along with incessant pacing. If he didn't know any better he could swear she was flirting with him via email.

He sat quietly contemplating the possibility. Jack knew he wasn't Brad Pitt, but he wasn't horrid looking either. He was tall and lanky, had brown eyes and a full head of brown hair (thank God). He was nearing 50 but most people assumed he had just turned 40 (again thanks to the full head of hair!).

He'd had 8 lovers in his life. Two of them were his ex-wife and Collette. He hadn't slept with anyone except Collette since he'd married her 13 years ago. He had never even considered the possibility of cheating on her as he had done to his first wife.

Yes, Jack had been married once before. He liked to pretend the marriage never happened. It was an embarrassment and source of humiliation that he'd failed at something in his life. He blamed a strange combination of events, which caused what must have been temporary insanity (no other way to explain it), resulting in the marriage. He thanked his lucky stars it hadn't lasted very long and produced no children.

He considered himself a good lover. He tried his best to please his Collette. True enough things weren't exactly as hot as they once had been. When they were first married they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Jack considered himself experienced enough when it came to sex, but then Collette came along. She'd done things to him he would have never considered were physically possible.

Unfortunately they were both older now. Collette had turned 50 and he was 47. He hated to use the excuse "I'm getting old" but it was a physical reality. Things had cooled considerably and sometimes weeks went by before they both realized they hadn't had sex. The worst part was they didn't even miss it. They would give it a half-hearted attempt and do it, just so that weeks didn't become months.

As for his first wife....well he didn't even want to go there. He shuddered at the thought. They hadn't even slept together on their wedding night. It was as if he had married a stranger.

Jack cheated on his first wife. To this day, his first wife didn't know what he'd done. He'd confessed it to Collette during one of those conversations two people getting to know each other have when they compare their sexual experiences. He wasn't proud of what he had done but was grateful he'd never been caught. His divorce had nothing to do with the affair but what he'd done affected him profoundly.

His mind flooded with shame when he remembered the high price the woman he'd had the affair with had paid. Her marriage failed and she'd never been the same again. It caused him great pain to know he had made another human being suffer so miserably. He was determined to never repeat that mistake again.

Once divorced, he was unsure he would ever meet the "right one". Fortunately, God smiled on him and he quickly found Collette and married her. Collette was the love of his life. He tried to live his life in a manner that would make him worthy of her love. He'd learned a very painful lesson as a result of his first failed marriage and the affair. Yet here he was, contemplating the possibility of whether or not his much younger secretary was flirting with him via e-mail.

One had to wonder.

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It all started with a purse.

"A purse??" you may ask. "What do you mean a PURSE?!"

Yes, yes, I know, it sounds absurd.

"A purse is a "run of the mill" object. How could that possibly lead to anything?"

Well believe me, it's true enough.

What started out as your typical office crush, just your average pining for a gorgeous co-worker from afar, turned into something else. And it all started with a purse.

You are right on one count though. What's more "run of the mill" than a purse? I mean, half the population on earth has one. They might not own a formal "purse" per say, but they have a bag or a container of some sort nonetheless. It could be a plastic grocery bag (Lord knows what to do with those things!), or a knapsack, or a satchel, or a handkerchief tied to the end of a stick, or even a lovely Lockit Horizontal (total classic!). What I mean is they all own "something" that keeps their stuff nicely contained.

Yes, a purse is positively a must have item. My gosh, have you ever tried running through the jungle with your makeup, credit cards and other bits and pieces in your hands? Well rest assured, I can tell you, it's not very practical. Therefore, you absolutely need a lovely purse.

A purse is typically an object of innocent beauty (the GLAMOROUS - so many outfits, such little time), of hope (you never quite know what you'll find inside), and of good memories ("Oh my God, your shoes and matching purse made you look so cute at your cousin's wedding!").

So all in all, I would have to respond with, "Of course a PURSE!!"

The problem is.....well, in our sordid little tale it started with a purse and ended in misery.

But more on that a little later.....