February Sucks In Greenville

FEBRUARY SUCKS IN GREENVILLE

Preamble Ramble:

Why not, everyone else has done it so I might as well. The names have been changed and some of the basic premise because it fit the narrative I wanted to portray. Jim and Linda seemed to plain and with over 75 stories overused to me. No new ground covered.

I noticed my stories are getting longer and more complex. I tried my best to reduce any grammatical errors as I don't use an editor. I would joke that bad English is my first language. I'm starting to believe it is. Which is funny because my friends consider me highly intelligent. Maybe that says more about them then me.

I hope you enjoy the story.

I'm getting ready to celebrate 15 glorious years of matrimony to the love of my life, Olivia. We met in college as freshmen at North Carolina State. During summer band camp of all things. I was a drummer playing the tenor drums and she was a flute player. The band was broken up in sections for the first week and got together as a whole the second for music and third week for drill. We met when there was a evening "get to know you" party for new members hosted by the band booster group. Love at first sight for both of us. We dated exclusively all four years. I majored in architecture and she in nursing. The only time we weren't together was the summer I marched drum corps. Carolina Crown baby. We weren't bad and not great, 11

th

out of 30 plus corps.

After we graduated I got a job at Green Development in Greenville two and half hours away from from Raleigh, who just changed their name from Green Construction. I was their only architect at the time and as the company grew I ended up leading a team of 4 people with several interns. We build housing and apartment developments all over the area. Olivia got a job at Greenville Memorial working as a floor nurse. During those 15 years we had 10 year old Madison and 12 year old Sean. We have a great life. Good, well behaved kids, financially secure. Things were not always perfect, what marriage is.

Olivia's job can be very stressful. People see nurses as the back bone of the healthcare industry. But lately she has been acting more stressed lately. Usually its only a couple of days after losing a patient but this time its been several weeks. I'm hoping this date can get her out of her funk.

We had plans to go to the hottest new restaurant in the Charlotte, Dogwood Southern Table & Bar. It was supposed to be a solo date but somehow our friends invited themselves. So now it was eight of us instead of two. Two of my coworkers and their wives and Olivia's best friend, Page and her husband. I had gotten a room for afterwards. The kids were with the Grands for the weekend. Our friends were on their own after dinner and dancing.

At 38 and 2 kids Olivia is still a beautiful woman. Being active all day keeps her in great physical shape. Five feet 4 inches tall, curvy but not overweight. She is very well rounded. Nice booty and boobs. I have to go to the gym 3 times a week to keep up. She was wearing a lovely blue dress with fishnet stockings. She knows its a weakness of mine. The shoes with 4 inch heels only made her great legs look better, if that was possible.

We had a good time at dinner. I gave Olivia a diamond necklace and she gave me a Bell & Ross Vintage 123 watch.

Dinner was delicious and the company though unwanted was nice. We all adjourned to the club down the street. They were known for playing pop and disco music from the 80's to early 2000's so it didn't attract the rowdy younger crowd. The price point of the drinks also kept them out. Most of the people were around our age or older. Mostly couples with few singles in friend groups.

We had been there for about an hour when a murmur went through the crowd. I looked over and saw 4 huge guys walking in. It was Mercedes De'porsche Jackson, Octavious Lewis, Myron Crawley and Colonel Booty. Charlotte Panther players. The ladies were swooning at them. In all honestly they looked good. No Homo, but they were all in excellent shape of course. Hair done to perfection and expensive suits on on. Why not, they made millions each year. Octavious was a local legend having graduated from Charlotte. He did a lot of charity work in the city.

I'm a football fan, My team is the Raiders. I know they suck but not as bad as the Panthers. At least we can say we've won a Superbowl or three, I'm just saying. Locally all you hear about is the Panthers, no matter what their record is. On TV, Radio, Online Podcast. I know the Carolina's don't have another professional team but jeez, come on. You can't get away from it. I knew they had talked about trading Crawley, benching Lewis and waving Beers. They only had 9 sacks in 16 games between them. What made it worse is that they had the weakest schedule in the league.

They hung out by the bar letting fans buy them drinks and tell them how good they are. Danced occasionally with some pretty woman. I noticed it didn't matter if she was single or with someone. Olivia and I had danced several times since we got there. She's a very goods dancer and I just try to keep up and not look silly. I went to refill our drinks and when I got back she was dancing with Myron Crawley.

I watched them dance to a fast song. I could tell he was trying to make his move but she was putting him off. Whenever he tried to get close she would back up. A slow song came on and he tried to grab her into an embrace. Again she put him off and walked back to the table. I had no issues with her dancing with other guys. She is pretty and I'm not a jealous person. I didn't appreciate the way he acted but I was proud of her.

We sat and talked amongst us. It was a good time. We danced some more until Octavious Lewis came to the table to ask Olivia to dance. She accepted and went to the dance floor. Normally the man would ask me beforehand or at least acknowledge me. Or she would look to me for permission. She's not my slave but does it out of respect. Not in this case. I was feeling some kind of way about that. It hit me kind of hard. With everything that had been going on lately it made me think maybe more deeply than I normally would have. I sat back and watched them for a while. They danced to two songs. The third song came on and I expected her to return to the table. When she didn't I was getting a little pissed off. I also noticed he was getting a little handsy without being rebuffed.

I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went out on the dance floor and tapped him on the shoulder saying I was cutting in to "Dance with my wife" which I put emphasis on. He looked at me and said "you can have the next one."

I responded, "No I'll have this one, take a hike."

Olivia shocked me by saying, "It's okay Zan, I'll have the next dance with you after this."

Octavious laughed, "Yeah Zan, you can have the next one." with way to much sarcasm for my liking and continued dancing.

I was standing there pissed and embarrassed beyond belief. What kind of game was Olivia playing? By now another song had started, this time a slow one. Not only did they continue to dance but Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck while he held her by the waist. So I'm standing in the middle of the dance floor while my wife dances with some knucklehead during our anniversary date.

I'm not one to deal with disrespect, no matter who its from. I tried to be a nice guy so instead of tapping him on the shoulder I reach up and grab his ear and twist it real hard. I mean hard, hard enough for him to let loose Olivia and yell in pain. He turned while I was grabbing his ear. I look at him and said "I told you I was cutting in, you got a choice, leave or I'll put you on the bench like your coach is going to do"

He had me by 6 inches and 100 pounds easily. I mean he is a NFL defensive end. Was I looking to fight" Not if I didn't have too. But sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do, even if it means getting his ass whooped in a good cause. He was getting ready to make his move when Olivia jumped between us. "Please stop. Tavis, don't hurt him. I'll dance with him okay? We can finish later."

Tavis? Why would she call him that? We'll finish later, what the fuck does that mean? Some things were quickly coming into focus. "No, Tavis, you little bitch, you wanna dance lets dance." and I pushed him catching him off guard and he fell into Olivia. She shrieked which caused more people to notice what was going on. By now people had stopped dancing and were watching us.

She grabbed him again when he regained his balance and came after me. "Please stop both of you, this is getting out of hand. Tavis, I'm going back to my husband."

There it was again. Another tell. 'going back to my husband' like she's left me. "No Olivia, I don't know what the fuck is going on with you and this bitch 'Tavis' but I figure its not the first time you both danced' doing the quotation fingers when I said danced. 'I'm not stupid. As a matter of fact Tavis, you little bitch, you can dance her ass on home how about that?" Now I had a real idea where her so called stressed attitude was coming from. You don't call someone by a nickname within minutes of meeting them and show your husband so much disrespect. I don't know how she knew him or him her. At this point I didn't care but I would find out eventually.

Me calling him a little bitch got the desired effect. He tried to punch me. Except Olivia was still trying to hold him back which caused her to get hit by his elbow as he drew back. Blood went flying out of her nose and she dropped like a sack of potatoes. He never connected with me as I stepped back. I knew if he connected he would do some real damage. While all this was going on our friends had come onto the dance floor to see what was going on. When Olivia got hit all hell broke loose. He attempted to hit me again but Ben was behind him. Ben works with me and is one of the construction guys who is going to school to learn architecture so we developed a friendship. He's a big ass Swedish guy who's brother in law also works for the company. He put Octavious into a full nelson, actually picking him up off his feet. I said he was big. I noticed quite a few people had their phones out taking videos of was going on.

Tavis' friends came running onto the dance floor to help their friend. The club doesn't have bouncers because they are never usually needed them, until tonight. They do have a couple of off duty cops working the door collecting the entry fee. I saw Jackson and Booty looking at their friend seeing him locked up unable to get out of the full nelson. Before they could do anything the off duty cops grabbed and held them back. Ben released Tavis and the cops put him in cuffs until they could figure out what was going on.

Olivia was still on the ground being helped by Ben's girlfriend Isabella and Nancy. Her husband, Robbie had stepped in front of Jackson and Booty when they came after. Its nice to have good friends.

When everything had settled down all the football players were able to leave. People had seen that it was an accident Olivia had been hit and the video's verified it. Since he never touched me and I didn't care to press assault charges. Yes, even trying to hit someone is considered assault. I did call him a little bitch as he left which pissed him off even more. Being disrespected and not being able to get payback eats at you.

When Olivia had got herself together we were told to leave also. The ladies wanted Olivia to go to the hospital to be checked out. They were upset when I told them if she had to go they could take her. The look I gave them let them know I wasn't going to brook any discussion about it. I told them I had reserved a room and would be there but didn't tell them which hotel. I gave the car keys to Ben and told Olivia I would be home Monday. That would give me time to think about our future. Before I left I asked a couple of people if they could send me a copy of the videos they sent. Later on some would show up on TikTok and Instagram.

Olivia pleaded it wasn't what I thought it was. There wasn't anything going on, yadda yadda yadda. All the usual things you expect to hear when someone is cheating. I let her know she could explain what I thought it was on Monday after work.

I walked to the hotel. This was supposed to be a night to remember and it turned into a night I would always remember.

I had noticed some things over the last month or so. She had become distant. We didn't hold conversations like we used too. She would come home and tell me about her day. The good and the bad. I was the one she could let her feeling out with. Nursing is a hard job, emotionally and physically. Its very demanding. Most nurses are assigned to 5 to 7 patients. Sure they have CNA's assisting but some can be lazy and only do a half ass job. Sex had diminished also. Having kids reduced what we were used to but that was to be expected. We went from four days a week to one or two. Lately its been once every two weeks. And she didn't seem as enthusiastic as before. The kids had even noticed and mentioned the way she was acting a couple of times.

Tonight was a total departure from her usual attitude. She's always been respectful and loving to me in social settings. Blowing me off on the dance floor was upsetting because it went beyond what I expected from her. Looking back I think about the way she was dancing with that bitch ass 'Tavis'. The way she looked at him. It was more than a dance. It was almost like foreplay. And who calls someone by a nickname like that on the first meeting. There was a whole lot more going on then meets the eye. Being an architect I have to notice small things. It's never the big things its always the small things. I measure a wall incorrectly it can cost thousands of dollars to fix. A wrong calculation on a five story building could mean it collapses in 5 years.

The walk only took ten minutes. Going into the room I look at the rose petals laid across the bed and a bottle a champagne in the bucket. I feel like a fool looking at it. Fourth down, 3 seconds and I kick the field goal wide right. That's how I feel.

I throw the cover back and the petals go flying all over the room. I don't care. I open the bottle and grab a glass. Shit, I paid for I might as well drink it. I think back over the last 15 years. I thought they were good years. I tried to be a good husband and father. Was involved with the kids. Sean plays soccer and I go to all his games and take him to practice. Madison is just starting dance class. I take her when Olivia wasn't able. I still took her out on dates. We had a good social network. My job has a lot of get togethers on the weekends at different coworkers houses. We've even hosted one or two. She knows quite a few of my coworkers. The hospital staff isn't as social outside of work and they don't get together at all. I tried to be sexually attentive making sure she was satisfied. I'm not the biggest guy and definitely not the smallest dick wise.

Could that be what attracted her to that bitch ass Tavis. That he makes more money than I do. The myth of the Mandingo cock. I mean the motherfucker is 6'5" 270 pounds of muscle who makes millions of dollars. Who gives a fuck if they can't play with a shit. Once you got the bag you got the bag. That wasted 3 million dollar signing bonus would go far. Would she throw away her family for cock and money? Who knows what a woman thinks sometimes. I damn sure don't. Half way into the bottle of champagne I fall asleep fully dressed.

I woke to my phone buzzing. I looked and it was Page, Olivia's friend. I noticed I had some text messages. I answered the call. "Yes Page, to what reason do I owe this early morning call?"

"I'm calling for Olivia, I thought you might care about how she is doing."

"No, I stopped caring when I figured out she was fucking that punk ass no football playing can't sack a quarterback who had one leg motherfucking Tavis. That's when I stopped caring, Anything else?"

"She's not fucking him Zan, How can you think that? She loves you, you must know that."

"I used to know that for a fact, until I started having doubts. Last night confirmed all my suspicions. She totally disrespected me and I'm not going to stand for it."

"Zan, please, its all a misunderstanding. How can you throw away all those years you been together. Almost 20 years because of some unproven facts. She's never had sex with him, I would know she tells me everything. I'm her best friend Zan."

"Yes you are and you would lie for her. Its way to early for this conversation. You woke me up and I got to piss. I'll talk to her Monday like I said." Before she could respond I hung up. Would Page lie for her, hell yeah. They have known each other for more than 10 years. I went to take the much needed pee. When I was done I went back and checked my missed text. A couple from Olivia asking me to come home and saying she didn't do anything. One from Ben and Robbie making sure I was okay.

I realized I had left my clothes in the trunk of the car. Shit, this weekend gets better and better. I said fuck it. I was hungry to I went to Easy Like Sunday Morning, They have one of the best brunches in the city so of course there was a wait, 90 minutes. I had nothing else to do so I waited. I had reserved the room for another two nights. Wearing the same clothes for one day is okay, two is a little much.

I looked around the restaurant and noticed I was the only person eating by myself. Its so embarrassing eating like that, by myself. I see couples and groups of people eating, chatting and laughing. Enjoying life. Yesterday being Valentines Day people still had that I love you look about them. Its what I had planned for the day. And not only that but a trip down to Columbia South Carolina for an early dinner and jazz concert in the park and another stay in a hotel. Breakfast and finally go pick up the kids. Well that was fucked. While I was eating I texted back Ben and Robbie. I let them know I was okay and also offered either one of them the tickets to the concert if they were interested. Ben took me up on it. He had been dating Isabella for almost 2 years. He was introduced to her by one famous Three Musketeers. Maria who is the office Manager, Jennifer, Pam and his Sister Ingrid. Yeah, some people don't know there are really four Musketeers. So far they are responsible for 7 marriages within the company. The joke around the company is they have three apprentice Musketeers, Pam's two girls and the owners step daughter. Who actually fixed up the owner with his step daughters mother. You better not use the term stepdaughter around Hal or her. They are father and daughter, no if, ands or buts about it.

I emailed him the tickets and the restaurant info I had made reservations at if he wanted to use him. I even offered the hotel room. He gladly accepted and I would call the hotel to give his name. At least someone is going to have a good weekend. After eating I found a Goodwill store and bought a pair cheap pants and shirt. I didn't need to look good for anyone now. Not wanting to stay in the hotel and wallow in my misery I took a walk after showering and changing clothes, There's wasn't much to do except window shop. I came to a park and sat for a while. Thankfully we had a warm February day. I didn't stay long. Families started coming and kids were running all over. A single man sitting in the park causes people to become suspicious. This sadly is what society had come too. A man can't enjoy the park by himself. It made me think about all the times I took the kids to a park and watching the joy on their face at the silliest things they did. My smile was cut short when I realized what I would be losing.

This whole time I couldn't believe I never thought about the future and what it would bring. I only thought about what happened and how we got here. I'm not going to think about getting past this. It's not like she wrecked the car or spent to much at a store on a dress. This was something beyond the pail. She gave herself to another man. For what, the excitement? I go over in my all the reasons cheaters give. She didn't feel appreciated. Her job stressed her out. He made her feel special. She's getting older. Everything except the truth. She wanted some strange dick. Well now she can get all the strange dick she wants. Maybe that bitch Tavis will pass her around the team.