And said his girlfriend spends most Wednesday nights at her mums.This went on for a few weeks, then my partner said if I fancy a night with him go for... it, no I said I don’t do anything without you. To cut it short after a week of trying to persuade me to see my Ex I agreed, sort of and said I would see what happens if I meet Ian. I told my partner he’s a real pervert. lolWe told Ian I would like to meet him, and I arranged to meet him for a drink just outside Manchester the following Wednesday. Such an arrangement was rare, even for graduates of the Institute, but it was the right thing to do. Legally, she could only marry one of them, so Edward Carrington received that honor by virtue of his earlier graduation. Legally, there was no reason why consenting adults could not form a lifestyle of their own choosing, and so effectively, Carrie had two "husbands".And even at their ages, now in their mid-fifties, they still behaved like high school boys. They had lived together in perfect. The anger I could empathize with - Anita had missed our anniversary this year, and she would be missing Neem's (my nickname for her) birthday the third week. And as much as I wanted to rail at her and command her to leave her goddamned job in that goddamned nation, I couldn't. I knew how much it meant to her, and I didn't want to be the villain in her life.It was Poornima who broke our silence on the way home. "I don't want a party."I pretended not to know what she was talking about. "What. The layout was predictable and as fast as possible I stretched out on the office sofa and crashed. Up until that moment, I'd forgotten how exhausted I was.It was much later when I heard the ladies talking nearby. "He was such a doll when I took him to Target. He knew what he needed and shopped like General Patton, you know, search and destroy.That boy was so exhausted he barely made it to the couch. I had to convince him to let me spread out sheets and get him a pillow. Are you sure he's Ok?".