18-12-2021, 10:15 AM
Nothing was said let alone discussed over the next several days. It was Saturday when she hit me with it.
"Honey, tonight's the night. I want you to dress cowboy style. We're going out," she said. I swallowed and nodded somberly. "Come on, big guy, it'll be fun. And besides, maybe nothing will happen. But if it does, we'll both have a ton of fun and a lot to talk about for quite a while," she said. I was literally shaking in my cowboy boots and I didn't even have them on yet.
She spent half the day getting ready to go out. She spent a significant part of the other half getting me ready. She showered with me, dressed my hair, dressed me, and inspected me. I think she was getting ready to have me douche when she remembered that I was a guy! I was going out, but I wasn't looking forward to it; it was humiliating. Claire, on the other hand, was buoyant.
We arrived at the Hole in the Wall Bar and Grill and dance hall at about eight o'clock. Things were just getting started. We'd already eaten at our favorite restaurant in town, and we, or at least I, was nervous as hell; I did not want to be here.
I had gone to get us our second round of drinks, and I was on my way back, when I saw a cowboy—well, he was dressed like a cowboy—ask my wife to dance. She smiled in my direction, but I just gave her what I knew was a weak and tentative nod. Our table was toward the back of the place, and I lost sight of her for some little time as she did not return for several dance tunes. Finally, she did.
"Hi Gary, sorry I disappeared for so long. Several different guys asked me to dance, and well...Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to Ann."
Greetings done, Ann did her best to engage me in conversation. I finally realized that this was a woman that my wife had talked into being with me for the evening. Claire stayed with us laughing and carrying on, mostly with Ann, until she felt that it was safe enough to leave me to my own devices. I was sure they had had more than a few girls' nights out together.
"Well, Gary, and I hope you don't mind. Claire said you wouldn't mind taking me home when we're done tonight. That's okay, right?" said Ann.
"Uh—sure. That will be fine," I said. I was wondering how my wife intended getting home. But, it soon dawned on me that if she did get home tonight it would be in some other guy's car. I was not feeling very good. Add to that that I already felt like a cheater, nothing Claire had said to the contrary withstanding.
To her credit, I thought, Ann was doing her best to make me feel at ease. "Why don't we get some air?" she said.
"Good idea," I said. We headed outside. Boy, did I need to get out of there. The few glimpses I had had of Claire after she had left our table did not exactly make me feel good.
"Where's your car?" she said. I pointed. "Let's head over there, okay?"
"Sure, I suppose," I said. I didn't know what the attraction of my car was, but at least we'd be out and away from all of the foot traffic milling around us. I really, really wanted to be somewhere else. Ann might have been one of Claire's friends, and she might be into whatever—well—whatever the two of them had cooked up; but I wasn't. I was trying to come up with a way to let her down gently. That soon became a non-issue.
"Honey, tonight's the night. I want you to dress cowboy style. We're going out," she said. I swallowed and nodded somberly. "Come on, big guy, it'll be fun. And besides, maybe nothing will happen. But if it does, we'll both have a ton of fun and a lot to talk about for quite a while," she said. I was literally shaking in my cowboy boots and I didn't even have them on yet.
She spent half the day getting ready to go out. She spent a significant part of the other half getting me ready. She showered with me, dressed my hair, dressed me, and inspected me. I think she was getting ready to have me douche when she remembered that I was a guy! I was going out, but I wasn't looking forward to it; it was humiliating. Claire, on the other hand, was buoyant.
We arrived at the Hole in the Wall Bar and Grill and dance hall at about eight o'clock. Things were just getting started. We'd already eaten at our favorite restaurant in town, and we, or at least I, was nervous as hell; I did not want to be here.
I had gone to get us our second round of drinks, and I was on my way back, when I saw a cowboy—well, he was dressed like a cowboy—ask my wife to dance. She smiled in my direction, but I just gave her what I knew was a weak and tentative nod. Our table was toward the back of the place, and I lost sight of her for some little time as she did not return for several dance tunes. Finally, she did.
"Hi Gary, sorry I disappeared for so long. Several different guys asked me to dance, and well...Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to Ann."
Greetings done, Ann did her best to engage me in conversation. I finally realized that this was a woman that my wife had talked into being with me for the evening. Claire stayed with us laughing and carrying on, mostly with Ann, until she felt that it was safe enough to leave me to my own devices. I was sure they had had more than a few girls' nights out together.
"Well, Gary, and I hope you don't mind. Claire said you wouldn't mind taking me home when we're done tonight. That's okay, right?" said Ann.
"Uh—sure. That will be fine," I said. I was wondering how my wife intended getting home. But, it soon dawned on me that if she did get home tonight it would be in some other guy's car. I was not feeling very good. Add to that that I already felt like a cheater, nothing Claire had said to the contrary withstanding.
To her credit, I thought, Ann was doing her best to make me feel at ease. "Why don't we get some air?" she said.
"Good idea," I said. We headed outside. Boy, did I need to get out of there. The few glimpses I had had of Claire after she had left our table did not exactly make me feel good.
"Where's your car?" she said. I pointed. "Let's head over there, okay?"
"Sure, I suppose," I said. I didn't know what the attraction of my car was, but at least we'd be out and away from all of the foot traffic milling around us. I really, really wanted to be somewhere else. Ann might have been one of Claire's friends, and she might be into whatever—well—whatever the two of them had cooked up; but I wasn't. I was trying to come up with a way to let her down gently. That soon became a non-issue.
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