Perception

The Weekend

Max and Logan were going to be at their prospective friends houses for the whole weekend, and that gave Allen and Kathleen the opportunity to get away by themselves.  Kathleen had finished her articles on time, and found she was excited at the possibilities she and Allen could experience together.  She constantly looked for opportunities to connect with Allen.  

"Are you finished with this bag, Kath?  Can I load it in the car?" Allen called out.

Trying not to sound frustrated, even though he always loaded up the car before anybody was finished with their travel bags, she responded,  "Nope, I'm still using things that need to be packed.  Please leave it by the door and I'll take it out when I'm done."

His face suddenly appeared in their bathroom with her.  "How long do you think you'll be?  We should get on the road before traffic picks up.  Is there anything that I can help you with to make this process go faster?"

"I'm almost ready, and unless you're a makeup artist you can't really help, but thanks."  Kathleen finished putting mascara to her left eyelashes and began to apply it to her right. 

"Maybe I'll wash the car while I wait."  he said.

"No! I've got about two more minutes and then we can go."  She did not want to have to wait an hour while he detailed their mode of transportation.  She began to hope that work mode Allen would be left behind so that the real Allen could come out and play.

One benefit of Allen's job was that they were able to book any hotel they wanted for free.  He always took the lead and found charming 5 star accommodations for them.  Without the boys he didn't have to worry about the amenities that would occupy their interests.  The Country Villa was perfect for this weekend.  Staff always set him up with the best they had considering his reputation for operating one of the top award winning hotels.  They took his stay as an opportunity to show off what their hotel has to offer.

"Beautiful, gorgeous, perfection!" Kathleen swept into their suite taking all the opulence in.  She was going to soak in everything there was to offer and be pampered.

"Only the best for my wife." Allen wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. "Why don't we try that bed out?  See if it's comfortable."

Kathleen has been in love with Allen for more than ten years.  She opened up to him, trusting that he would only nurture the  intimacy that happens with full disclosure of self.  He was charisma, even to this day people are drawn to him.  Her friends are jealous of her, and tell her often that she is so lucky to have a husband like Allen.  It wasn't just her female friends, though, the guys also remind her that Allen is a good husband and dad.  Sometime she feels like everyone thinks she doesn't appreciate him, or maybe those feelings she gets after a text or phone call from Allen are real.  She wasn't the best wife, she didn't try hard enough. 

She would try hard this weekend to be invested in their time together.  Lately she's been feeling that there is something different about him, about how he interacts with her.  She's been confused to a point that she can't even explain it to herself.  Sometimes she thinks she sees a glimpse of something like dislike and even a steeliness that is devoid of love. It would be reflected for mere seconds, and then it would disappear leaving her wondering. Then, looking closer at him she would only see  the Allen who loves her.  This always left her feeling a little crazy, and was something she never ever mentioned to anyone.

He was now running a bath for her, his idea not hers.  She would rather shower and go pick a place to eat together, maybe see some sights.  Baths make her tired and she didn't want to lose any of the day.

"Your bath is ready.  I'm going to step out for awhile and leave you to relax.  When I get back we'll go get something to eat."  Allen said.

She couldn't help but feel let down.  Their lovemaking was great, but it felt like Allen was wanting to be onto something else, and not necessarily wanting to soak up 'we time'.  It felt to her like now that they had sex he didn't want to be around her anymore.  Pushing aside her feelings of rejection, she called out, "I won't be long, I'd like to go explore with you."