Married In Name Only

I was born in the 1950s, a week after my cousin Rose was born. We grew up together, circumstances were such that Rose grew up next door. She went to an all girls school which were popular in those days, and I went to an all boys school. In the eighth grade a problem arose which changed everyone's life. Rose was found, that's the word that was used, in an amorous embrace with one of the junior teachers. So amorous in fact that there could be not do doubt about their intentions.

The teacher of course was reassigned elsewhere, and Rose, well now that they knew about her was asked to leave the school. The school could not be seen as accepting girls like her, this was a school where young ladies were prepared for life. Rose was sent to Switzerland, to a school where they worked with girls like her to correct their behavior. She was gone five years before I saw her again. She was a woman, 19, in all her glory. I was 19 and a college student in New York at Columbia, the family alma mater. Boys will be boys and all that, I was infatuated immediately with her. I had a wet dream that night about her.

She had nothing to do so I invited her to come spend some time with me in New York. The family apartment had more than enough room, was well located and she might become interested in studying something while she was there. She accepted, anything to get out from under her mother's thumb. I was so taken by her that I am sure I made a fool of myself. And she reminded me more than once, we were cousins, it was a sin.

While I went to school she spent her time at the museums, and art stores. She met a girl, a girl from Connecticut, and they became friends and went out together. Truthfully I overlooked the whole thing, I was just glad she had someone to run around with. Until one afternoon when I came home early and they were in Rose' bedroom fighting like two junk yard dogs, cuss words, and all. I opened the door out of concern, and they were both naked.

It seems like the five years in Switzerland didn't accomplish anything. Rose was as matter of fact about it as you can get. She told me about her Social Arts teacher, a Swiss woman who she got close to, so close in fact that they knew each other in the most intimate way. She also met a girl who was there from Venezuela, a dark girl with jet black hair. They also knew each other intimately. And now, with her friend from Connecticut they knew each other intimately.

Some months later I made the statement that I wanted to be intimate with her friend from Connecticut. Laughing aside, I became intimate with her right then and there. So intimate in fact that the girl was pregnant. That brought up an issue of the time, she had to get married. Her family was happy, happy in that she married a boy from a good family, happy in that she would be well supported, happy in that they no longer had to worry about her problem. Her problem was now my problem.

Rose stayed. Someone had to be with her during her pregnancy. Someone had to attend to her. That someone was Rose, not me. Yes, she was married, but no she wasn't married. Did I understand that. It was Rose she wanted to be married to.

Forty years passed and Rose and my wife continued their ways and I learned to not object, make myself scarce or put up with it. Forty years, two women in their fifties, fighting like two junkyard dogs, cussing and everything. I knew better than to open the door.

Over the years I cheated, had a lover now and then. But I had Rose and my wife to look after and I couldn't really ruin their lives, could I? Upper lip and all that. You get what you deserve.

The girl that was born, she is now a doctor and married to one of those men with too much brain and not enough brawn. They live here in Manhattan.