Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.
***
The storm hit out of no where, and it was a deluge. But it only slightly exceeded the storm that had been brewing between them for several hours as they tried to enjoy their 22nd Anniversary. They ducked into the first door they could find open at midnight on a Tuesday, and Josh shook himself almost like a dog would after being unexpectedly sprayed by the yard sprinklers.
Without looking around, he pulled off his expensive suit coat and hung it to dry on the coat rack just inside the door. It was then he noticed that his wife had frozen just inside the door and was neither moving nor speaking. Josh looked up and saw her staring into the room, and he followed her gaze. A moment later he quietly mumbled something to assure her.
"It's okay, honey, we will just be here a minute," and the couple looked at each other with concern. Then one of the very large and very Black men at the table near the back of the bar spoke out, suddenly making things seem a lot worse.
"Hot enough to fuck right here, dogs." And Caryn groaned in fear.
* * * * *
Two hours earlier, Josh thought the evening of their 22nd Anniversary had actually been going well, even though he noticed that conversation on her part was noticeably reduced from what should be considered normal between a husband and wife on their Anniversary. He should have seen it coming when she had asked him a question earlier while they were getting dressed for dinner that evening. He had mumbled the ubiquitous, "What?" and heard her groan.
"I shouldn't have to explain it to you," and she closed the door of the bathroom, almost slamming it in his face. Yes, the storm was brewing, and Josh still had no idea what she had asked.
She was finally ready half an hour later but remained silent during the forty minute drive from the bedroom community they had moved to more than nine years ago to their usual anniversary restaurant. He had been bringing her to this same restaurant since their first anniversary and hadn't even thought about the traditional choice when he had made reservations last week. It had changed hands three times over the last twenty-one years, and the surrounding neighborhood had been declining in attractiveness, but they just kept coming here.
This year they had to park four blocks away because the usual parking lot had been cleared and used to build an eighteen story apartment building with a private underground parking garage. Caryn had stumbled twice during the walk when the four inch heal of her new beige pumps had jammed into cracks in the aging sidewalk.
The first time it happened, she had mumbled "Shit!" and kept on walking. The second time she had shouted a string of profanity and didn't move for several seconds. When Josh turned to see why she had stopped walking, she was pointing an angry look at him with the obvious expectation that he somehow fix what was wrong.
He walked the two steps toward her and tried to act concerned enough to appease her, while trying to ignore the fact that they were two minutes late for their scheduled reservation. He inspected her ankle and rubbed it for several seconds while he dutifully examined her shoe for any damage. After less than a minute of massaging the ankle and examining the shoe, he straightened up and encouraged her to continue to their destination, with the soothing comment that she could rest for an hour when they sat down at their table. She glared at him for a second and then almost marched the rest of the way to the restaurant. Josh shook his head and tried to keep up.
The dinner was no warmer, and the conversation was mostly lacking. He tried to give her more details about the promotion that he had just received at his law office, and she nodded when it seemed important but kept reading the menu. They finished the meal and a bottle of wine, and still seemed to have little to talk about. And as they were walking back to their car, the storm exploded on them and the rain drenched them.
He quickly looked around for a store or restaurant that was still open at midnight on a Tuesday because their car was still two blocks away. After several seconds of frustration, he finally spotted a glow coming from an alley just a dozen feet behind them. Ignoring the fact that it was down an alley, and the fact that they were on the Southside of Chicago, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the light. As he had hoped, when they turned the corner into the alley, he could see a bar just a few feet ahead. The two of them ducked into the bar.
Without looking around, Josh pulled off his expensive suit coat and hung it to dry on the coat rack just inside the door. It was then he noticed that his wife had frozen just inside the door and was neither moving nor speaking. Josh looked up and saw her staring into the bar and he followed her gaze. A moment later he quietly mumbled something to assure her.
"It's okay, honey, we will just be here a minute." And the couple looked at each other with concern. Then one of the four very large and very Black men at the table near the back of the bar spoke out, making things suddenly seem a lot worse.