My Mistress

Expensive

mistress [ˈmɪstrɪs]

n

1. a woman who has a continuing extramarital sexual relationship with a man

2. a woman in a position of authority, ownership, or control, such as the head of a household

3. a woman or female personification having control over something specified

 The beginnings of this post take place before I even met my wife.  As with many similar situations this also was work related.  After so many years of marriage the relationship is still ongoing but not as intense as it used to be.  I started out as a typical inexperienced fumbling novice but became somewhat of an expert with continued time and practice.

As I became more involved, time and money became more of a demand, rather than a willing contribution.  The root of this pre-occupation goes back to the time I attended a corporate conference in Santa Barbara California.  What happened at that conference would affect me to this day.  On the last day of the conference, we had what was known as a free day.  Many activities were offered and paid for by the corporate heads.  Amongst the activities offered deep sea fishing, golf, softball, bowling, sightseeing, and just good relaxation by the hotel pool.

I was the youngest mid-management person on the corporation’s staff and definitely an easy prey to new adventures.  Having had limited experience and coming from a small town mentality, when it came time to sign up for an activity, I signed up for bowling tournament (my bowling average was a respectable 192).  My team took the trophy for the day.

The next day on the drive home my companion and sales manager at my office was telling me about some plans to open new locations, and other improvements planned for the coming year.  I was astonished by what I was hearing and asked him if we had attended the same conference.  His response got me started with the affair that would last a lifetime.  He mentioned that he had selected golf as his activity choice for Sunday, and he ended up in a foursome that included the vice president of the corporation.  As the game progressed and more and more liquor and beer was being shared the vice president started relaxing and sharing information about future plans.  My trip companion suggested that I take up golf if I had plans to move up the corporate ladder.

It turned out that his advice was not only good but in fact great.  I signed up for golf lessons as quickly as the following week of our return to town and have been playing ever since then.  I don’t want to say how long but let’s just say that it was soon after the game progressed from bamboo shafts. By the time I married my wife golf was already my favorite past time.  Not long after my wife and I married we started spending time together at the golf course (at least a couple of times a month). My wife enjoyed driving the electric golf cart and basically playing caddy. I hate to admit it but she could actually analyze my game, including swing and short game, and made recommendations. It's hard to improve on a good thing, but I know that she made the game more enjoyable just by her presence. The wonderful experience was ended by about the 6th month of my wife's first pregnancy. The arrival of the children further guaranteed that I would go it alone in the golf course.

My wife labeled my golf interest my mistress, and has actually purchased expensive golf clubs for me as gifts. The mistress is a very expensive one and my golf activity is no longer as intense as it used to be, mostly because the grandchildren need more of my time, and I spend more time on the miniature golf course. The best is yet to come…..