Cheating for Married Couples

Ashleymadison.com is a website for married couples who want to have affairs. The slogan, ‘Life is Short. Have an Affair,’ appears on their billboards. The founders (a married couple) of the site believe this site services a need and might be an alternative to divorce. Call me crazy, but wouldn’t marriage counseling work? They claim if a spouse pursues sex on the side it makes it easier to stay in a sexless marriage. Since I live in NC where a spouse can sue for ‘Alienation of Affection,’ I wonder if divorce occurs because of an affair thanks to this site – who does the spouse sue… the website, the other woman, or both?

One can argue what constitutes an affair. Is it the physical act or can it be emotional? I address this topic in a play I wrote, If That Ain’t Cheating, Then What Is, where the characters give their own personal insight to a question whose answers are as different as the people themselves.

Most women consider an emotional affair the ultimate in betrayal. An emotional affair is the deal breaker. Not only did you dip your toe in the waters, but your heart as well. Such cheating can not be forgiven. Why, just this week I’ve considered cheating twice already, on my diet that is. It’s been hard to ignore all the Easter candy in my house. Temptation! Temptation! Just because I look longingly at the Easter bunny with the extra long ears does not mean I’ll indulge. It does not mean my willpower will dissolve and I’ll succumb to my desires. No. Instead I keep my thoughts of lust and desire where they should be – in my imagination. I’ve imagined nibbling the ears off my daughter’s bunny and experiencing the sweet sensation of chocolate goodness in my mouth. Oh, the emotional satisfaction. Only, I know if I ate the whole bunny or just the ears it would be cheating. Cheating is cheating.