My husband was fuming on the way to the Christmas party. While I enjoyed the Christmas songs on the radio and looked at the snow outside, he drove and ignored me. It was Christmas Eve and how dare I want to spend time with friends and family in a festive atmosphere? He wanted to stay home and watch the football game alone in his man cave while tossing back beer after beer. We battled back and forth all day over it and he finally relented but I was going to pay the price and have to deal with his attitude. It is my parents' tradition to spend Christmas Eve with their close friends, Bob and Gerri. Gerri happened to be my old Sunday school teacher and one of my mother's best friends. Her daughter and I had grown up together and now that I had moved back to town I was looking forward to chatting with her. Unfortunately, my husband was being an ass.
After driving slowly in the snow we arrived at their home in the suburbs. It is a beautiful estate with a pool in the back and a large manicured yard, but the party was inside on a night hovering near freezing. We were the first to arrive so it was my husband and myself, plus my friend Melissa and her husband John, and Melissa's parents, Bob and Gerri. The Christmas music was playing and appetizers were out. I brought in a dessert and my husband carried in two bottles of wine and a six-pack. They had a rum punch ready to go but my husband immediately used his own keys to crack into his six-pack and plop onto the couch. Melissa and I hugged and she told me I looked so beautiful. In my attempt to be festive, I wore a tight black dress with red loop earrings and red high heels. It was a family-friendly event, so I wasn't looking to be at all provocative. There isn't much I can do to hide the fact that I have incredible tits though. I won't pretend otherwise.
Melissa and I had sat down at the dining room table to catch up and within 30 minutes the party had grown. My parents had arrived and so had many other friends of Bob and Gerri. By now, the noise had grown as the Christmas music played, kids played a game in the living room, and food was available for grazing in the kitchen. 30 or so people moved about the vicinity. I told Melissa I was going to refill my wine and get a plate. I glanced over and saw my husband in the living room. He still had a sour face on and a beer in hand. Whatever. I reached the bar and topped off my red wine. I turned to go to the kitchen and I stopped in my tracks. A man was in my way. He had white hair, glasses, and a dark blue sweater stretched over a beer belly. That's festive, I thought to myself.
"Gina?" he said.
I looked at his face closer. "Oh...wow...uh...Mr. Hanford?"
He chuckled. " I think just 'Mark' is appropriate now."
"Oh, sure. I never knew that." I turned cold: "How are you?" I always hate Mr. Hanford.
"Retired. Loving it. What are you doing these days?" he asked plainly.