Chapter The Last
We had settled into a normal life, well as normal as you can see given our extended marriage. There had only been a half dozen prospects that pledged in, so the total population was 30 now. As kind of an unanticipated result, the plaque we had received for having the best GPA among all of the Greeks on campus hung on our trophy wall. Aaron and I had both assumed, when we were summoned to the Dean's office, that the jig was up, that I'd be fired, and the Fraternity would be kicked out of the campus. Instead, we got the plaque. Evidently, since the guys didn't have to spend every waking moment figuring out how to get laid, they actually spent more time studying than their contemporaries.
It was the first day of the National Football League's playoffs. Since this was, after all, a largely male-dominated place football started around noon. Well, actually, it started with the formal tapping of the keg at 10:00 a.m. ("it HAS to be 5:00 somewhere," Roger had intoned as he set the tap and pumped).
As we had agreed, those of us with breasts and vaginas had prepared a mountain of sandwiches, a couple of gallons of spicy "nacho" cheese, and had purchased about fifty dollars worth of nacho chips. We didn't intend to be working all day either.
The beer had started flowing at 10:00 and by, oh, about 10:12 someone had produced the first of many joints. By noon, when the first kickoff of the day occurred, I was mildly drunk, quite high, and ravenous. I raided the sandwich pile, refilled my beer mug, grabbed a saucer of cheese and some chips, and went to sit by Aaron.
It's funny, isn't it, the way we choose our place in any space.
When I was in college a book by a guy named Carlos Castenada, "The Teachings of Don Juan," had been making the rounds of those of us who felt we were "intellectuals." It dated back to the 1960s, but seemed to retain a sort of cult following and some friends of mine introduced me to it. I read the damn thing but about the only thing I remember was his description of how you had to find your "proper" place wherever you were. I didn't strive to find that spot, but since reading that book I have tended to notice that once you have found a spot in a place you tend to wind up there whenever you are there. Wow, reading that sentence captures the way I was feeling about then, so I think I'll leave it alone.
Aaron and I were in our accustomed places, one of the "love seats," small two-person couches, that had accumulated in the house over the decades. This particular one had side-by-side recliners and I was leaning back, my nachos on my belly, my beer in the little cup holder, devouring my sandwich, and just kind of watching the room.
Over at the pool table, Paula was giving lessons. She's a good stick, usually beating me at least 4 of 10 games and I am a VERY good stick. She cheats though. That magnificent ass of hers, peeking out from under the T-shirt that was all she wore anymore, was guaranteed to distract any human being with a functioning Y chromosome and, of course, we had plenty of those around.
On another couch Arlene sat, her blouse open and breast being nursed by Joseph. She looked absolutely beatific like that and he looked like he might be asleep.
In the corner, Annette was practicing her pole dancing to the appreciative whistling and clapping of four or five of the guys. I watched for a while, still trying to figure out how she made it look so easy. I am much stronger than she is, and more athletic for that matter. But whenever I tried the things she showed me I felt like an awkward bear. She was, as I watched, slipping off her short skirt while never stopping her smooth trips around the pole.
It was, in sum, just another day in this strange group marriage that had developed.
I was kind of watching the game, kind of enjoying my beer and snacks, and mostly just letting my mind wander.
"What?" Aaron asked and when I turned to him he was looking at me intently.
"What do you mean, what?" I asked, taking another swallow of the beer and dipping my chip into the nacho sauce.
He chuckled.
"You look like a happy female Buddha sitting there with that smile. I was just wondering what you were thinking about."
I giggled and I could feel a blush spreading across my face.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhh," he said, drawing out the syllable, "one of those thoughts, huh?"