"You mean she let you out to hang with the guys?" he asked sarcastically. The others laughed as I nodded and tried to let the jab not reflect the sharpness that had stabbed at me.
Married three years and my lovely girlfriend had turned into a shrew. Something about a wedding ring transformed her from Jekyll, to the monstrous Hyde overnight. Gone were the late nights out with the guys, all my single friends had been replaced by "couple" friends, where I smiled and sat neutered on one side of the table watching my wife Esther gab away with her girlfriend, while I tried to make small talk with the other husband. We would always have absolutely nothing in common, and I supposed his interesting rough edges had been worn down throughout the years of marriage until he was a happy male drone, there to drive his wife around and carry her purse and tell her that "no, those jeans did not, in fact, make her butt look big".
The evening went well, and I was savoring every moment of it until it was just Jack and me, having a final drink, before the cab came to bring me home. I glanced at my watch; a half-hour past the time I said I would be home. Esther would be pissed and I was a little distracted with thoughts of reasonable excuses that would satisfy her enough to not drag a long argument out when I returned home. I noticed a silence and glanced over towards Jack.
"You in the doghouse?" he asked.
"Nah, I'm good." I pretended.
He shrugged, and we both knew that I was full of shit.
"You know, it's been really nice hanging with all the guys..." I said wistfully.
"We've missed you, man. It's just a shame..." he stopped and we both understand what didn't need to be vocalized.
"You know," he said. "I could probably help you out a little with that."
I laughed, "Yeah, right."
He took another swig of his beer. "Suit yourself." This got me curious, and after a few minutes I leaned forward.
"Okay, supposing for arguments sake, I'm interested, I mean, how can you help me?" Jack smiled and his face lit up like I had asked the right question that he was just waiting for someone to ask all night long.
"I've got some new skills! Well not new, but over the last two years I've been studying without telling any of you guys, because, well, you know..." I nodded and prompted him to go on.
"Well, you're looking at a fully trained hypnotist!"
I laughed. "You're right Jack, if we had known you were studying that shit we would have given you hell! That hypno crap ain't real."
Jack looked a little hurt by my remarks but pushed forward.
"Look, I've worked with a number of subjects, but one of the hardest parts for me is to find new subjects. We would be killing two birds with one stone. I could have a new subject, and in the same respect we can make a few changes in Esther that would help her, and by extension help you."
"Yeah right! You just want another subject. This shit ain't gonna help me!"
He shook his head. "Look, we both know Esther can't kick her smoking habit..."