Danny stretched out on the lounge chair and let the rays of the setting sun warm his face. It was chilly on this beautiful October night, but the sun made the brisk evening palatable. This patio was his favorite part of his palace on the ridge. From here he could see the entire town below. With his telescope, he could even read the scoreboard at the high school football stadium.
He could hear his wife stomping about up in their bedroom. She had been talking to him non-stop since she had come home. She was in a hurry, as usual. And as usual, she didn't need to be. She was always late, and usual because she was always the last to leave wherever she was before she became late. That was the case this time. She was late because she stayed at work too long. Yeah. Right.
She came thundering downstairs looking for him. He could hear her calling, but felt no urgency to answer. The sunset was too pretty to look away. The quiet was too calm to let her break it. The evening chill was invigorating. He had no desire to unleash Hurricane Martie on this little idyll. He took a sip of his beer, and sighed when he remembered how she used to be.
He met Martie after catching his first wife cheating on him. He was building a garage at her neighbor's house when she came over crying hysterically. Her husband had just left her for a younger woman, and she was bitter. He offered her some advice and the name of his lawyer, and by the end of the month they were inseparable. They married as soon as her divorce was final.
He had built his house himself, and invited her to move in with her three kids. They got along famously with his three kids, and he built an addition to accommodate everyone. He kept building as the kids grew, and by the time they were all old enough for it to matter, they each had a bedroom of their own. Nobody ever had to wait for a bathroom. He built fine homes to make a living. He built the finest home to house his family.
Most of the sun had set. A tiny sliver of brilliant red-orange cling to the horizon, but like any other last ray of hope, it scurried away at the first sign of trouble. That sign was Martie, bursting through the patio door with fire in her eyes.
"Damn it Danny, you aren't dressed yet!! Didn't you hear me telling you we had to be at the ballroom by..." Something about her fall office party...something about a promotion...something about irresponsible...something about can't count on you for anything...something about drinking beer already...something about need to leave now..."are you going to get off that chair right now or do I have to drag you upstairs to get showered and dressed."
He took another long drag on his longneck, swallowed, inhaled, and blew out a healthy blast of hop scented CO2.
"Nope."
Margie's face reddened with fury. She stomped towards him, heels clacking on the flagstone terrace as she made towards him with all possible dispatch. She grabbed his wrist and struggled to pull him to his feet, cursing his "lazy ass" with every breath. She wasn't successful. He was a lanky 6'1", and weighed an even 200 pounds of solid muscle, hardened to steel by years of physical labor building houses.
"Danny, don't you ruin this for me! You know how important it is for the bosses to mingle with our spouses. You need to at least put on the appearance of being a loving husband..."
"Nope."
Martie was used to getting what she wanted from Danny. Until the past spring, she gave him everything he wanted too. They had a perfect relationship. They had raised 8 kids, three from each one's first marriage, and two of their own. They each worshipped the ground the other walked on, and each was the first to brag about their spouse to others.
"What the fuck do you mean 'Nope?' You are going, and that's final..."
"Do you remember the old days, when you loved me and would never dream of using the word 'fuck' outside of bedroom talk?"
It took her back. While she searched for a response her face flushed red again, but his time she wasn't angry.
"Do you remember the old days, when we had bedroom talk?"
She had been a total bitch for months, and hadn't been interested in making love. The few times they had connected, she had just laid there like she was bored.
"Do you remember the old days when we didn't fight? When no one cursed? When we kissed each other good night every night and good bye every morning? When those kisses meant something? Do you remember making love?"
She looked beautiful, standing there in her little black dress, pearls, and high heeled pumps. She was one of those women who could wear anything and make it look good. She could work a pair of heels so that every man in a ten mile radius had no choice but to say "wow." Her bright blue eyes lit up her pretty face, and again she knew how to paint it even more beautifully with her stunning make up skills. She was confident, intelligent, and intuitive, and was at home in business situations as she was in social circles.
"What the hell are you getting at Danny? Whatever it is, this isn't the time. Now please, get dressed. We'll go to the party, and talk about this tomorrow. I don't like how you've been acting around here either, so we should clear the air. So please..."
"Nope."
"No!? Daniel Adams you stubborn son of a bitch..."
"I'm staying home, and that's final. You can enjoy the evening with Joe."
Suddenly she didn't have quite as much to say. The air went out of her, and she deflated into a chair across from Danny.
