David sat on the aisle in one of the metal folding chairs that had been set up for the outdoor wedding. His wife, Suzanne, was somewhere with the bride, doing whatever it is women do before a wedding. The bride, Laurie, was their best friend, and had been for a couple of years, and David was going to miss her, figuring that, with marriage, she would be spending less time with them and more time with her new husband. David had met Jeff on several occasions, and even though he found him to be very likable, David was still a little resentful he was going to be taking more of Laurie's time.
It was a late summer wedding, and the weather was gorgeous, the sun bright yellow and the sky just starting to show the hint of the coming of autumn. David had worn his khaki colored summer suit, and was glad for the jacket, because even though it was sunny, the temperature was only in the high 60s. "Cool temperatures come early up here," he thought to himself. He fidgeted in his seat, and picked up the program again, pretending to read it like it was an article in the local paper about his beloved Packers. There were maybe twenty lines of print in the whole program.
David scrunched up the program in his hands and leaned his head back. He knew there were at least 15 minutes till the show was supposed to start. And then, there were the requisite delays, but since this was a second marriage for both maybe at least the delays would be minor. Weddings of older, or once-married folks tend to skip the drama of the first marriage, or the weddings of the young. The older ones know the guests are there for the party, and also know better than to keep them waiting any longer than necessary.
David's mind drifted, thinking back over the last couple of years. He'd never imagined, in even his wildest dreams, that what had transpired would ever really happen to him. He remembered that one winter's night that started the whole thingβ¦.
David and Suzanne had gone out to dinner. Married for twenty years, they had a great relationship and enjoyed each other's company immensely. Even though financially they were a little strapped, with two kids in college, they weren't lacking for anything. But they had a freedom they hadn't had in a very long time. David had been looking forward to the kids leaving, if only for the selfish reason of hoping their absence would give a little bit of a kickstart to their lovelife. In fact, age caught up with Suzanne, and she had lost almost all interest in sex. David was disappointed, to say the least, but he loved her company and stuck through it with no complaints. He figured whatever it was, it would be over soon enough.
Even though it was a nice restaurant, they took their usual table in the bar. There was more going on in the bar, and they both enjoyed the socializing. Just after their appetizers arrived, Suzanne's friend Laurie came in by herself. David knew she had recently divorced, but that was about all he knew of her. Suzanne asked Laurie to join them since they were so early into their dinner. Laurie politely protested, but soon agreed to join them. She ordered scotch, and David thought, "Does she like scotch, or is this her winter drink, or is this the divorce talking?" He knew it was sexist, but he couldn't resist.
Suzanne and Laurie started talking, about Laurie's 12-yr old daughter who went to her father's in the weekends, about their jobs and whatever. David kept mostly quiet, watching the two of them interact. They seemed like two really good friends, even though he knew they didn't get together that often. David finished his appetizer and when the waiter came by he ordered a bottle of wine for he and Suzanne. He asked Laurie if she would like some, which she did, and David asked the waiter to bring three glasses.
David continued to pretend to listen to their conversation, hearing it but not really completely comprehending. He was thankful when dinner came β it gave him something he could legitimately concentrate on without seeming to be rude. Just partway into his dinner Suzanne ordered a second bottle. She and Laurie continued talking and drinking, just picking at their food. David was close to finishing when he heard Suzanne, "Oh, he's not getting any. I haven't had any interest in it for months."
David looked up from his plate. He thought to himself, "And women think we have sex on the brain all the time? Get two women together, and they're talking about it inside of ten minutes." Laurie was looking at him, a sympathetic smile on her face.
"Oh, you poor thing," she said. "But at least you've been getting some."
"Nope, nothing," David said, "not for several months now."
"Well, that's better than me. My ex had no interest at all, and I LIKE sex."
Finally getting to a subject David thought he knew something about, he asked, somewhat rhetorically, "Was he on the right side of the fence?"
"Jury's still out on that one." They all laughed.
Suzanne said, "I told you he had personality. It just takes a while for it to come out."
Laurie looked at him and reached across to take his hand. "You'll be fine. It won't last long."
David got up to go to the bathroom. When he returned, they both looked at him and started laughing. He had no idea what was going on so he just took his seat and finished off his drink. The plates had been cleared and, apparently, the bill had been paid while he was gone. David was just mentally going through the TV channels when Suzanne announced, "Come on David. Laurie's coming over to our place for a nightcap. She's never seen our house."
David stood back up, thinking this might be a little more interesting than TV. Suzanne was always funny, and so too was Laurie. The two of them a little lubricated were turning out to be very entertaining. David held the door for both of them, and followed them out. Laurie got into her car, and David and Suzanne got into theirs. As they were pulling out of the parking lot, Suzanne asked, "Do you mind if Laurie comes over?"
"No, not at all. Why would I?"
"Well, she's more my friend than yours. I just wondered." There was a pause. "Do you think she's sexy?"
"Sexy? David laughed. "It's wintertime. You can tell how tall a woman is, and you can tell what color hair they have. But it takes Superman's x-ray vision to figure out anything else!" They both laughed at that, and made the turn into their driveway, Laurie right behind them.
Suzanne got a bottle of wine while David was arranging the winter coats in the entryway. Their house was warm, and when David finally made it into the kitchen, Laurie had taken off her sweater. "You may be right, Suzanne."
Suzanne looked over at David, figured out what he was talking about and laughed. Laurie looked at them both, quickly figured out she was the subject of their humor but had no idea what it was all about. David went in to the living room and laid a fire. The girls followed in a couple minutes.
They each took a seat. While Suzanne and Laurie talked about the decorating, David sipped his wine and tended the fire. The fire added a comforting warmth to the room β almost too much David thought, with the wine they'd already consumed. Suzanne moved over to the sofa where Laurie was sitting and they continued their conversation. David felt like joining in at several points but they were getting along so well he didn't want to interrupt. Pretty soon the bottle of wine was gone, and the girls were getting pretty giddy. David started feeling sleepy from sitting too close to the fire.
"David, why don't you go get another bottle of wine," Suzanne suggested. "And take your time." She and Laurie both laughed. They were obviously getting into some discussion they didn't want David to overhear. Eager for an excuse to move without seeming rude, David went into the kitchen and got out a bottle of Chardonnay. They'd been drinking red, but David felt like he needed something a little more refreshing. Before he went back to the living room he stepped outside for some fresh air. It had gotten considerably colder, and it invigorated him. After a few minutes he went back in, grabbed the wine and returned to the living room.
As he walked in, he overheard Laurie "Really? He's that good at that?!" Then they both started laughing again.
"Here's some more wine for my girls," David announced as he entered the room. The conversation died and Laurie inadvertently gave David a serious once over as he approached the coffee table. David ignored it, figuring it was the wine talking, but when he looked at Suzanne, he knew something was up.