MISSING THE HOT TUB
—But Not the Ex-husband

By Kathy Koches

 

hot-tub-dayBack in 1975, my husband and I bought a new house in Vancouver, Washington.  It was a “tract house” and we purchased a lot from a builder, selected the plan, and watched eagerly as it was built.  We loved picking out the flooring, tile, fixtures, etc. and finally the big day came and we moved in. 

For the first time we had a large backyard for the children and dog to play in, and we enjoyed being outdoors for barbeques and games of catch.  I even planted a few flowers and some strawberries along the back fence line.

One day I came home from work, and my husband told me he wanted to talk to me after dinner.  We sat down at the dining room table, and he proceeded to show me several glossy color brochures showing beautiful decks and hot tubs.  He had decided that we just had to have one.  I wondered if we would be able to afford this, but he assured me that he would do all the installation work himself, build the deck, and take care of all the details of maintaining it and keeping it clean.  Think of a kid trying to convince you to let them get a puppy.  You get the picture.

Since I actually thought the idea of having a hot tub to soak in when I came home from work sounded terrific, I didn’t take much convincing.  We visited several spa dealers and finally selected a tub, brown and white with a marble sort of look, big enough to hold six people with seats built right in and lots of jets. 

My husband and his friend drew up plans and purchased the lumber and stain for the deck to surround the tub, and the project began. After many weeks of waiting, the tub was finally installed and the deck completed.  Ah, it was heaven to come home and soak in the deliciously hot, bubbly water! 

We had a sliding glass door out to the back yard from the family room, and that is how we went out to use the tub.  Then the cold weather came, and even a little snow.  We discovered that since the hot tub and deck were located right outside our master bathroom window, we could climb through the window right out onto the deck and jump in the warm water. 

Of course I always had him go out first to take the cover off so I wouldn’t be in the freezing cold air for any longer than absolutely necessary!

Often we would take a bottle of wine out with us, and sit, submerged up to our chins, gazing up at the stars sparkling in the night sky.  It was a totally sensual and magical experience.

After living in the house for about ten years, our marriage began to unravel, and eventually we went our separate ways and got a divorce.  To this day, I don’t really miss my ex-husband, but I sure do miss that hot tub!

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