How times have changed. Ever since the internet brought the world together, the rules of "cheating" evolved right along with it. Jane hadn't thought of being chatted up by a stranger as cheating until he started invading her thoughts outside of their online exchanges. "Randy" he called himself, but was that his real name? He probably thought the same when Jane gave her name to him. He was a big man, and found herself wondering what it would feel like to have one of those hands resting on her bare thigh as she drove her car around looking for yard sales on a Sunday morning. What would it feel like to be taken in those arms and being kissed on the forehead. Nothing overtly sexual, just plain affection. She found him to be handsome at the least. 

Affection wasn't lacking in her marriage, quite the opposite. Sex was definitely on the decline, that happens with time and also the truckload of medication her husband was taking did everything but temporarily neuter her man. Not his fault, he was trying to get better. Jane's husband loved to give and get touch from her and their nightly ritual of him unhooking her bra after a long day was a simple exchange that meant the world to her. 

Randy asked her the night before what had happened to her husband and her marriage. She told the truth, hub was turning more into a roommate than husband after a recent, out of character mental breakdown. She regretted disclosing that fact, not many people knew about it. In fact, just typing that made the fleeting thought a concrete fact. He stopped going to work before the breakdown and then couldn't work for a period of time afterwards which caused a lot of financial stress for Jane. Her husband let her control the money, pay the bills and as long as the A/C worked, he had access to food and the internet worked he was detached from financial worries. The medication, meant to stabilize his moods, killed his libido. The time Jane spent alone in the house while he was hospitalized ranged from relief to absolute anguish. Jane, relieved he was getting 24/7 help couldn't help but internalize his pain. She knew he had a depressed "streak" that surfaced from time to time but this nearly ended his life. Yes, hubby was trying to get better but this episode definitely impacted their marriage. Jane NEEDED a partner. She NEEDED to feel like his wife , not his mother and not his caretaker. Jane couldn't imagine a lifetime staring at her husband wondering if he was going to retrieve a tool from the garage or a noose. That fear was slowly subsiding but not quickly enough. 

"If you do wish to get married, what type of man are you looking for or hoping to meet as a husband?" Randy was direct but in an online exchange, what does anyone have to lose? Jane wanted to be honest but chose her words carefully.

"I feel lately more like a mother than wife and lover and that's not ideal. I want someone that loves life." Simple statement ringing with truth.

"I am presently in NJ Engineer of road and building construction. I travel a lot and have been to 14 countries all over the world." Wow, Jane sat back in her chair, she didn't even possess a passport. Her international travel consisted of a Mexican cruise. She kept reading.

"My job is very demanding but the reward is great."

Jane, after scrolling through Randy's Instagram posts stopped on a short video. He had a slight accent that she couldn't place. Jane spent a lot of her career in call centers and this accent was very unique but also deduced English was NOT his first language. She was starting to notice tiny grammatical errors in his messages and some phrases he used hinted he was not American. She decided to roll the dice. 

"Randy, are you American?"

"Yes, of course"

"Had to ask"