I was off to attend a conference in Scotland with Margo. It was to last for a week and we had to travel by train over night. Pete and I collected Margo on the way to the station. Nessie kissed Margo good-bye and turned to me. I almost thought it was impertinent to do this in our partners’ presence. Of course it was dark.

At the conference centre I shared a room with Margo. I was so bewildered and helpless with this new event in my life – my relationship with Nessie – that I could not help broaching the subject to her. She was very willing to discuss it and informed me that many girls had fallen in love with him before; that he did not really care for women, and certainly I did not care for his wet kisses, did I ?? I kept my thoughts on that subject to myself. I suppose she did what she could to dissuade me from any kind of special relationship with him – I would be the loser in the end. She was going to take the matter in hand on our return and prevail on Nessie to stop kissing the ladies and bestowing other signs of affection on them : “so don’t be surprized, if he doesn’t hug you any more”.  Little did she know.

In passing she mentioned that she had had an affair herself with a “distinguished” man in younger years and that her husband had taken it hard. It was wonderful to be really wanted, she told me. I wondered why she could have an affair and not I. Nessie was “distinguished” enough for me.

Curiously, she lent me a book while we were there, containing a chapter on “affairs”. The author took a sympathetic view  towards married women with lovers, saying that it might do them good emotionally and make them ready to return to their husbands in the end.

I decided I wanted to put an end to my little “affair” with Nessie. Temptation was to be avoided – I did not want any more kisses.