An Affair Of The Heart

Talking to residents about their past relationships, Dorothy intercepts by saying, “I know this is shocking, but I had an affair of the heart when I was married”. The residents around the table leaned in and eagerly said, “Go on then to us all about it”!

Dorothy glanced at all the curious eyes around the table and began to tell her tale. She was married to Reggie for eight years with a five-year-old son, Timothy. 

She was happily married, or so she thought, until one day when she was shopping in town, struggling with her bags and dropping one to the ground. Upon attempting to retrieve her bag, a tall, handsome man leapt forward to help.

Their eyes locked, and Dorothy exclaimed that they shared a heart-stopping moment.

In those days, an affair when you were married was frowned upon, especially if it involved a married woman with a married man. Her near-perfect life turned upside down, and her heart was in turmoil.

Dorothy quickly said that the affair was not intimate; yes, there was kissing and holding, but no carnal intimacy, which is why she referred to it as an “Affair of the Heart”. 

His name was Stephan; he was tall with piercing blue eyes and wavy blond hair, and he was a medical exchange student from Sweden. The affair began when we agreed to have coffee together. Dorothy recalls even that choice was daring and dangerous, something she had never done with a stranger.

Thinking back, she always compared her assignation with Stephan to one of her favourite classic movies, Brief Encounter. She has no idea why she agreed to have coffee with a stranger that day, explaining that her heart ruled her head and was mesmerised by his charm and kindness.

During coffee, they chatted about their daily lives; Dorothy felt overwhelmed by her attraction to this young man.

They agreed to meet again the following week. Dorothy knew in the back of her mind it was reckless and foolhardy to contemplate meeting this man in secret; even so, they did, and the affair went on for several months until Stephan announced he was returning to Sweden.

Dorothy recalls her desperate feelings of loss at the thought of never seeing Stephan again; he had asked that she leave with him, but her practical side knew this was impossible and declined.

Although riddled with guilt about deceiving Reggie, at the same time, having no regrets about her brief affair with Stephan and kept the secret alive in her heart for almost forty years. 

That spark of illicit romance provided excitement in Dorothy’s world; she often thought about what her life would have been like if she left her family. Knowing she had made the right decision back then and is happy to talk about it now that Reggie is no longer here. 

The eyes around the table were full of admiration, envy, and jealousy of Dorothy’s daring past, asking for more details, which Dorothy declined, saying that those intimate details would always remain private.

The gleam in her eye made us all feel there was much more to tell that we would never know.