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Published Tuesday, June 14, 2005 by seanlmccarthy | E-mail this post

SECRET LOVER CARDS: One of my habits, bad or not-so bad, is to start a sentence only to complete it by breaking into song. No wonder I cover pop culture. Thus, I had to include the chorus from Atlantic Starr's Top 3 hit of 1986, Secret Lovers, into my story on the new Secret Lover Collection of greeting cards. Say what you will about the business idea of marketing greeting cards for adulterers, but you cannot deny the crazy chorus from Atlantic Starr. It's oh, so real.

Secret lovers, yeah, that's what we are
Trying so hard to hide the way we feel
Cause we both belong to someone else
But we can't let go
Cause what we feel is oh, so real
So real, so real
- Atlantic Starr, "Secret Lovers,'' Billboard No. 3 hit, 1986

When President Bill Clinton strayed from his first lady, he famously gave several presents to second-fiddle Monica Lewinsky.
But would he ever have considered sending a greeting card?
Yes, if Cathy Gallagher had anything to say about it.
Gallagher, of Bethesda, Md., has launched a new Secret Lover Collection specifically designed for customers engaged in extramarital affairs. She debuted the line at last month's National Stationery Show.
"It's an untapped market,'' Gallagher said last week.

Read the rest of my story here: Cheating's in the cards: New greetings celebrate special moments in adultery (Boston Herald)