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Why Tom Cheated on His Wife (And Other Men Do Too)
My experience witnessing the aftermath of an affair.
We crossed paths frequently in a small, shared gym in a sprawling office building.
His name was Tom. He was a handsome fellow with pronounced, proportional, masculine facial features. He stood just over six feet tall and had a thin but built frame, brought to form from his recurring triathlons.
We often rode recumbent bikes next to each other; that was where most of our interactions took place, half-winded conversations about our relative status quos.
Tom came across as calm and decisive, confident, and organized. With my limited information, I assumed he was good at his job.
He married young to his high school sweetheart. Both were only 19-years-old at the time. Now in their 30s, they had a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old. His stay-at-home-wife was raising both.
When it was just Tom and me in the gym, he frequently complained about his marriage. He complained bitterly about their lack of intimacy.
He said he felt like a passenger on a cruise ship. It’s a rather morbid relationship analogy: Cruise ships have the same exact schedule, same shows, same restaurants, over and over again. He said nothing was new. He had nothing to…
