Watching

"Walter tells Stephen to move back so he can see his c*ck better. I noticed his grunting slowing down so it' s not a surprise. This is the third time my husband has had me have sex with our basement tenant. I used to like Stephen so that's the part of about all of this that most depresses me."

The first in a series of short stories in "The D-Word" collection, "Watching" is the story of a young immigrant to Canada named Kali. After graduating from high school she is married off by her father to a much older family friend who she soon discovers has an unusual hobby. Walter is physically repugnant to Kali and she's extremely grateful he does not have sex with her. But she wonders what he does in his room where he increasingly spends most of his time.

After Walter loses his job he renovates his basement and selects an attractive university student, Stephen, as the tenant. A few months later he informs Kali that they will be visiting the basement apartment and Stephen the following evening and that she needs to get a good night's sleep and bathe following work the next day.

This story is based on a divorce case I edited many years ago while working at my first job as a legal editor for a publishing company. As I edited these cases I learned over and over again that truth can indeed be stranger and even kinkier than fiction.