INFATUATION REVISITED: THE ENTICEMENT OF AN AFFAIR
By Sherri Lederman Mandell

  
Introduction by Dr. Michael Tobin
  

Marriage often becomes routine. As the couple raises children, they may feel exhausted, and be less willing to give to each other, support each other and listen to each other with deep caring.

So when somebody, an outsider, comes along who shows interest in them, who makes them feel alive, the married man or woman may be poised on the edge of a male-female dance of excitement -- and danger.

For it is the newness that attracts the players to the affair, the fresh feeling of romance -- someone has come along who will support and understand them and give them the excitement they've been missing.

In this drama, we see the beginning of the male-female dance.

Natalie, 38, a contracts specialist for O.S.H.A. in Washington D.C. has been married for 14 years. She has two children, ages eight and eleven.

An accidental meeting on a train has brought her into contact with Patrick, 38, her boyfriend from high school. A freelance photographer, he has moved back to Washington D.C. with his wife and kids after ten years in Seattle.

Natalie and Patrick meet in a restaurant to reminisce. Patrick focuses on Natalie as a woman. He talks about her beauty, past and present and takes on a supportive role encouraging her to believe in herself.

Let's assume that her husband has forgotten how to support her and then Patrick comes along and gives her something she's been missing for some time. Wouldn't it be difficult to resist? Wouldn't it be rather scary for Natalie? How can she resist Patrick when he is meeting some of her deeper needs?

 

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Sherri Lederman Mandell has a Master's degree in Creative Writing and has taught writing at the University of Maryland and Penn State University. She is the author of the book Writers of the Holocaust. She has written articles for the Washington Post. She is married with four children.
 
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