A Round of Sob Stories

The black-haired woman swung her ass side-to-side as she swerved this way and that way to get around the men loitering near the bar. Heads turned, eyes stared, and lips licked as the single, horny men checked out the C-cups and curvy behind that she poured into a maroon, floral lace dress. A friendly woman, she gave polite smiles and excused herself multiple times. Finally, free of the growing crowd, she slipped into a chair at the table with five other women. Mary, Harmony, Wanda, Diane, and Cheryl all nursed their drinks, bored out of their mind.

"It's getting packed in here," Friday commented. "The front bar is wall-to-wall with people."

"It's not that bad. The problem is that everyone is on one side over here as they try to avoid the game of charades," Wanda countered, motioning to the far side of the room.

Almost anyone else would've admitted defeat, but not Chastity. Despite not getting even ten people to participate, the honey blonde bounced around, encouraging the players. A crowd of men milling around the bar watched her and not the game. Her frequent movements caused her flowing heart-filled skirt to swirl around, but their eyes zeroed in on her ample breasts hidden beneath her cute, pink top.

"How's Ms. Lakefield and her friend holding up?" Mary asked, curious over the dancing.

"I think Principal Hartburn caught her by surprise with his dancing skills. She looked equal parts amazed and embarrassed. He's swinging her around every which way," Frida relayed, chuckling. "She's usually very graceful and concerned about her appearance."

"Who was the other man that her friend is dancing with?" Cheryl inquired, knowing little about the teachers and school staff.

"That's Ryan Skoug. He teaches business and marketing at the school. Jack made him his wingman when he started five years ago," Wanda informed the doctor, well aware of gossip around the teachers' lounge. "Not too long ago, he looked pretty good. Now, he's getting a little puffy. That doesn't help when you have an inflated opinion of yourself."

"All I know is that Kimberly didn't look happy dancing with him," Frida reported.

"Wasn't there some issue with him?" Diane queried, recalling some whispers at the PTA meetings.

"Before he became a teacher, he worked at Smith Industries, and got fired for being a dick," Wanda divulged.

The women nodded at the information as a waitress stopped at their table. Everyone ordered another round, except for Harmony, who still nursed her glass of wine. A brave man stepped over to the table. He blatantly ran his eyes up and down Wanda's cherry red dress, with his attention mainly focused on the smooth legs the knee-high material showcased. Effortlessly, the school nurse brushed the man off with a promise to maybe talk later, once she finished hanging out with her girls.

"Are you really going to talk to him?" Harmony asked.

"Nope. It's better to avoid a confrontation and hope another woman catches his eye. I need to cut down on my scenes with men."

Mary and Diane glanced at each and shook their heads. Having known Wanda since middle school, Diane knew quite well about her friend's history with men. And while Mary had only known the school nurse for a couple of years, she'd learned quickly that a simple question about a guy could turn into a thirty-minute tale.

"So, what's the deal with the school principal?" Cheryl asked, breaking the silence. "He seems like a handsome fellow. Is he divorced?"

Everyone else turned to stare at Wanda.

"What?"

"You have known him the longest," Diane pointed out. "And I'm definitely not one of the mothers he slept with."

"He sleeps with his students' mothers?" Cheryl asked in surprise.

"Oh, he screws more than his students' mothers, but that list by itself is long. While single mothers are easy pickings, Jack prefers challenges. How he hasn't been knocked out by a pissed off husband, I don't know," Nurse Zee remarked. "PTA meetings are his personal dating service."

"Eww! He sounds like a creep," Dr. Fort responded.

"No, he's actually not one. He doesn't come on too strong, nor does he badger women. Oh, he makes it clear what he wants, but then waits for the women to come after him. Plenty turn out interested enough to cheat," Wanda explained. "And come every June with graduation, his pool of prospects grows."

"N-no--he sleeps with his students?"

"Ex-students. Well, if you can call girls that graduated only an hour earlier an ex-student," the curly redhead chuckled. "I know several of my Honeys who've taken a ride on The Hartburn Express, the summer after graduating."

"Sounds like someone has inside knowledge," Frida remarked. "Have you take a ride on his train?"

Wanda hesitated to answer, but Diane's coughing on her wine gave away the truth.

"Fine, I have. Several trips to be precise." Noticing the surprised looks from Mary and Harmony, she added, "Jack's one of the better lovers I've had, so I'm not ashamed."

"Tell me, how's a gorgeous girl like you still single?" Frida inquired. "I'd have figured you to be on the arms of the perfect guy tonight."

"Once upon a time, I did have the perfect guy," Wanda began. "We met in college, became friends at first, and later a couple. He was smart, handsome, kind, and well-endowed. Not porn star cock, but nothing to sneeze over."

Several of the women chuckled, while Harmony glanced around to check if anyone overheard.

"Right as we graduated and planned to move to New York, my grandma became very ill. Lung cancer. My parents had busy careers, and I studied to be a nurse, so it fell to me to take care of her. Not that I minded. I loved her dearly and wanted to help. But my boyfriend had to go for his first job, while I moved back here to take care of my grandma. We tried to make it work, but the distance was too great. After almost a year, we both slipped up and cheated on the same weekend. I immediately regretted it, the same for him, but we realized that our relationship couldn't go on. A year later, he's engaged, and my grandmother's dead."

"That's awful," Frida moaned, hugging the woman she barely knew. "You did the right thing, but came out of it with nothing."

"I did inherit my grandma's little bungalow, and all the great memories in there," Wanda remarked, wiping a tear, but trying to look at the bright side. "How come you're still single?

"Me? Oh, I don't know. I guess I've never found the right man yet," Frida replied.

"Aren't you lonely? I've been so lonely since my divorce," Harmony stated.

"Not really. I've dated here and there and had a few flings. I do meet a lot of men at the manor."

"Living with two handsome men must be difficult," Diane remarked, wondering about the living arrangement. "Nothing happening there with the Ravers brothers?"

"Daniel is married..."

"I think she meant before his marriage," Wanda said.

"Danny's my best friend! I could never think of him that way. He's the brother I never had," Frida said, dismissively. The skeptical faces led her to clarify. "He was my first kiss, but it was more a sweet thing kids do."

"Hmm, what about Robert? His reputation travels far and wide," Cheryl commented.

Glancing around the room, Frida nodded. "Don't mention this to Brooke, but yes, I have. Nothing happened until after their divorce, but I don't want to make things awkward even more between us."

"So?"

"Is he..."

"Yes, Robert's exceptionally gifted. That's all I'm going to say," Frida declared, attempting to end the conversation.

"Is that why you stay?" Mary questioned.

"Absolutely not. Me and him? That's a rare event. I stay because the Raverses have always been like family to me. More Danny than Robbie. He's more a friend," Frida tried to clarify. She didn't want to sound creepy. "I consider their children to be my nieces and nephew. And with their parents' busy lives, someone needs to be there for them. Perhaps when Bella goes off to college, I'll finally open my own restaurant."

"That's very kind and sweet of you. I know Heather and Logan both speak glowingly about you, Frida. I'd say they see you as an aunt as well," Mary complimented. "I can't wait to have Isabella in my classes someday."

"It looks like we're telling the stories of why we're single tonight. So what's your reason," Frida asked the literature teacher.

"A story that I hoped only to experience through the stories I read," Mary replied, the smile vanishing from her face. "Much like Wanda, I thought I had the perfect boyfriend. We'd been dating for three years, and even window-shopped engagement rings. Then a text sent to the wrong phone number revealed my perfect relationship to be a sham. He'd been cheating on me with another teacher, who I called a friend. And I found out that she wasn't the only one."

"You poor thing," Frida said, frowning.

"After that, I couldn't stay at that school and took a job here. Everything was too painful."

"It sucks, and that asshole never deserved you, but we're happy to have you with us," Wanda stated, giving Mary a side-hug from the next chair.

"Thanks, meeting such wonderful people in Azure Rocks has been a blessing in disguise," Mary replied, perking back up. "I'm also thankful for discovering his cheating before getting engaged or even worse married. Oh, I'm sorry, Harmony."

"It's fine. You had nothing to do with my marriage crumbling," Harmony responded with a sigh. Noticing the curious looks from Frida, Diane, and Cheryl, the blonde math teacher continued. "I guess it's time for my tale of woe."

"You don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable," Diane assured her.

"No, it's fine," she stated, downing a large gulp of wine. "I need to work on moving on. My story is that high school sweethearts don't always stay sweet. I missed all the classic signs. Him frequently staying later and later at work, weekend overtime, gushing about a new female coworker, and then silence about her, and finally him losing any interest in having sex with me."

"My high school boyfriend couldn't make it past his weekend in college without cheating. That's pretty much my tale of woe. Being single is all my fault. I've been a workaholic for years," Cheryl revealed, before apologizing to Harmony. "I'm sorry, I interrupted you."

"No, it's fine. Everyone's reasons for being here tonight matter all the same."

"How did you catch him?" Frida asked Harmony.

"I didn't. My son saw them out in public, making out." Cries of shock and outrage rang around the table. "I felt like such a fool when I finally realized what I missed. All the signs were there, and dumb, blind me thought he was the love of my life."

"Don't blame yourself," Diane told her. "You gave him your trust, and he violated it."

"Damn, right! I felt awful when I slipped that time, but to cheat on his wife and the mother of his children, Ray should feel like dirt," Wanda adamantly declared. "And I hope you keeping on telling him that."

"The worst part is how it affected my children's lives. My daughter, Caitlin, reluctantly stayed in Black Well. She couldn't stand the idea of leaving her friends. She lives with Ray but spends much of her time staying with relatives. I miss her so badly, but I understand that she didn't want to leave her life behind."

"But your son came with you?" Cheryl inquired.

"Yes, Leon's been my rock. He shouldn't have to do that at his age, but I'm so proud of him," she beamed. "Yet, I feel horrible. He left behind a girlfriend and all his friends. Back at Black Well, he'd be out on a date for tonight. Instead, he's having a few friends over to play video games."

"My son is doing that as well tonight," Diane chimed in. "Although Gavin's too shy around girls to date. He's only had one very brief relationship. If you can call it that. But I'm happy he has a few friends over to keep him company."

"Gavin's a good kid. He's just a late bloomer with the opposite sex," Mary said. "He'll discover that brainy boys are sexy to college girls."

"I only hope Gavin knows what to do with them. That's one area I can't replace David. A boy needs a father to explain girls to him."

"The internet and his friends probably can give him advice," Wanda joked. "I'm fairly certain that's where most of my students learn it from. It's far less embarrassing than listening to their fathers mumble the facts. Teaching sex education can be a hoot and depressing at the same time."

"Wait, you're the Sex Ed teacher?" Frida questioned with a laugh. "No wonder teenagers in Azure Rocks are so sexually active."

"Hey, are you blaming me for Heather and Logan's exploits?" Wanda asked in mock anger.

"Not at all. Robert took care of corrupting those two. I'm only blaming you for the rest of the teens in town fucking like rabbits," Frida remarked, launching into a laughing fit.

"Gawd, the kids on my street get more than I do," groaned Diane.

"If you don't mind me asking, Diane, when's the last time you got some," Mary inquired, shocking Harmony.

Wanda knew how long and shook her head before her friend could answer.

"Uh, seven years," the widow revealed, blushing in embarrassment. "An old study buddy from med school was in town."

"That long?!" Harmony exclaimed, before apologizing.

"Why--who...how are you still sane?" Frida stammered, her laughter abruptly ending.

"She goes through a crapload of batteries," Wanda revealed, causing Diane to lean across the table and slap her arm.

"Wanda!"

"Shit, you give a whole new meaning to the seven-year itch," Frida remarked.

"You need to meet someone and meet them tonight," Cheryl declared.

"Yes, and we're going to help," Mary nodded vigorously.

"No, we're going to get you laid tonight!" proclaimed Wanda.

"Damn right, we are," Frida agreed.

"Heck, even I had a one-night stand the night my divorce became final," Harmony shared a detail that she hadn't told anyone.

Diane watched nervously as everyone at her table nodded in agreement. Suddenly, embarrassed by the attention, she wished she had lied.

"Girls, I appreciate--"

"For Pete's sake!" Chastity interrupted, appearing next to their table. "Is this the fuddy-duddy or party-pooper table?"

"Chastity, we're trying to help Diane find a man," Frida relayed to the mixer hostess.

"Wait, I'm not--"

"By the mirror of Venus, that's perfect for our next game," Chastity clapped while bouncing on her feet. "Everyone has to move around and talk to someone they don't know."

"Uh, I really don't--"

"Let's zip up those lips, turn the lock, and wait for the man of your dreams to unlock it with his key," the honey blonde ordered, giggling.

"Wow, I don't know you were so dirty, Miss Kupp," Frida teased.

"Leaping lizards, you're not making any sense."

"Don't worry about it, dear," Wanda responded, standing up. She reached over and grabbed the arm of a passing man. "Have you met Diane?"