The Bet (Ten Dates)
Mallory stomped up the four flights of stairs, cursing. The elevator was out of order again for the umpteenth time since they'd lived there. With her arms struggling to cope with carrying six grocery bags, she'd have cheerfully killed the landlord at that moment. Or her husband and his friends. The choice was open!
She was doubly pissed because she'd buzzed up for help, and Steve hadn't answered. She had a damn good idea why. Pushing the door to their apartment open, she winced at the volume spewing out of the TV as the guys listened to the pre-game celebrations and smack talked at each other. No wonder nobody answered her need for help. They wouldn't hear shit with all the noise, much less a buzzing intercom!
Stumbling into the kitchen with her burden, she found the counter covered with spoiling food removed from the fridge. There was no room for her bags. Dropping the groceries on the floor, she opened the refrigerator and found exactly what she suspected. Eight dozen beer or what remained had taken over the newly made space. The beer count was easy, the empty cases casually tossed on the kitchen table. Already empty bottles took over another section of the counter.
Her pent-up rage erupted. She strode over to the pantry and slammed the door open. The electrical panel was just inside. With an incensed sense of satisfaction, she flipped off the main power switch. The TV and lights died abruptly. The shouting in the living room turned to dead silence when the men realized the TV was gone.
They were just starting to moan about the death of the game. She stomped into the living room, the tension in her body and her beet-red face catching their immediate attention. In the sudden silence, you could have heard a pin drop.
She couldn't help herself from screaming at them, "I just spent an hour grocery shopping, spending my own money to buy six bags of goodies for your game today. Only to have no one answer the phone and come down to help me. I had to carry all six bags up the stairs by myself 'cause the elevator is out. To top it off, I find our fridge stuffed full of your beer and the groceries I have to pay my hard-earned money for left spoiling on the counter. You're making so much noise up here, I'm surprised we haven't had one of the neighbours over complaining."
She took a deep breath. "You act like a bunch of spoiled little children, not adults. You get off your asses and into the kitchen. Clean it up. Put the groceries away where they belong and get your goddamn beer out of my fridge. If you need it cold, head for the corner store and buy some ice. Grab the cooler and ice your beer in there. You can turn the power back on and watch the game, but if the noise gets out of control again, I'm kicking you all out. Are we clear?"
They sat there, stunned eyes staring at her. "MOVE!" she screamed, stomping her foot, satisfied to see them scramble.
Still pissed, she headed for the bathroom and started running a bath, pouring a good measure of bath salts in. She needed something to relax after all that. In her mind, the kids were clearly out of control. And considering they were all over twenty-five and heading toward thirty, that didn't sit well with her.
It wasn't that they were terrible people, quite to the contrary she liked Steve's friends. But there were times they acted like the world didn't exist except for them and whatever it was that had captured their fleeting attention span. The games were a good case in point. If they weren't screaming at the ref, it was the coach or the idiot player that just made a foul play. In between, they insulted each other and anyone else that happened to disagree with their way of thinking.
At least they weren't still living at home, but all had roommates, which is why they liked congregating at her and Steve's place.
A quiet tap at the door interrupted her soaking.
"Yeah?"
Steve answered, "Brought you a glass of wine, sweetie. Can I come in?"
"Sure."
He sat on the toilet, handing her the glass and waited while she took a sip. "We talked, and the guys are sorry. You're right; we all misbehaved and want to apologize."
The warm fragrant water had calmed her considerably. "Okay, let's get past it all. Just try and keep it reasonable out there."
"We will, and they swear they'll try to do better in the future for you."
"Nice to hear," She told him, but suspicion was running rampant in her mind.
'Trust but verify!'
What that meant, she had no idea. She needed to think the whole matter through. Steve and Ethan weren't bad, but the other four? The thought of having a whip in hand, laying a good beating on them, made her smile. It certainly reflected her current mood. They needed fixing.
How could she tame them and their bachelor ways, she mused?
Taking another sip of wine, she decided to shelve the matter and enjoy her bath. Sinking down into the suds, she breathed out her frustration and relaxed. The alcohol wended through her bloodstream until she could feel her muscles relax. Calmness found her again.
Refreshed and dressed afterward, she decided to make peace. Heading for the kitchen, she got their goodies in the oven while she poured snacks into bowls and got them all a fresh beer from the cooler sitting on the deck. She got an enthusiastic cheer when she walked in with the beer and snacks. Soon she was chatting with Ethan while they all watched the half-time commentators.
It was relatively peaceful for the rest of the game; the guys were restrained and kept the noise down. In return, she made sure no one ran out of beer, delivering a fresh one to their hands by the time they were taking the last sip. It was a happy group that left Steve and her afterward. Their friends thanked them for the hospitality and promising to bring something besides beer next time. Every one of them apologized and vowed to do better in the future.
While Mallory counted it as a win, she knew it wouldn't take much for them to slip back into old habits.
If only they had girlfriends to gentle them. They didn't behave like savages when there were women around. No, they settled right down.
She paused at that thought. Was that her solution? Get them all hitched. Every one of them was single, except Steve, her husband. How could she hook so many guys up with girls? It wasn't like they hadn't met most of her friends already, so any hookups there should have happened. No, they needed new women. Women that didn't know how immature they were. The only exception was Ethan. The others could learn from him.
The next game was Wednesday night, and she was pretty sure they'd be back.
They arrived Wed and behaved like complete gentlemen, icing their own beer, cooking their snacks themselves. They waited on her hand and foot.
She could get used to this; she chuckled watching them.
Inspiration struck her when she watched Joshua haul out his phone to answer a text during the game. They all knew other girls. Girls they maybe wanted to take out but were too chicken to ask. They talked all the time about how hot some girl was, and they wished they could date her. They simply lacked the gumption to make that a reality. She could encourage them. No, she would kick their asses! Turn it into a challenge for them.
They'd deal with it at the next game Saturday night.
Kissing them all on the cheek to thank them when they left, she told them to be there half an hour early on Saturday for a special moment. Of course, they asked why? She just smiled mysteriously.
"It's a secret, but you'll like it," she said, smiling sweetly, lying through her teeth.
For the rest of the week, she gave the whole effort a lot of thought and drew up some strict rules. No slags with tramp stamps, it had to be a quality woman they lusted for but felt was out of their league. She could hardly wait to see the look on their faces Saturday night. Of course, she gave Steve no clue what was coming for his buddies.
It was time to tame these guys, train them into future husband material. Lord knows it was taking forever with Steve. Five future wives could thank her later.
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. Sitting at the kitchen table staring out the window, Mallory embraced her steaming coffee cup with a grin of anticipation. The game tonight was going to mark a new dawning in their lives. Her plans were complete, and those wayward children had a new paradigm coming. She could hardly wait to see the looks on their faces.
