"Well, if you expect me to just sit around forever, until you get your shit together, you better think again!" That was the final dagger I thrust into a marital argument that had been brewing for weeks.
"Fine; you do what you gotta do, I'm outta here!" Donny's words lingered, before I heard the sound of one last door slamming.
Funny thing is, after nearly 25 years, I still can't remember what sparked such a huge quarrel. It would be a period of about six months until things between us worked out and we fell back into each other's arms. The year was 1983. I was nearing my mid-thirties. Baby Josh was only about three years old, and my younger brother Rudy was twenty-four, when Donny (my hubby) decided to take his sabbatical. I mention Rudy, as he figures prominently into this part of that otherwise regrettable interlude.
They say a woman hits her sexual peak in her mid to late forties, and I surely won't debate that. However, being accustomed to having sex 3 or 4 times a week with Donny, after three months I was ready to climb the walls.
Even with my husband living in a rented apartment across town, I dare not interfere with his so-called mid-life crisis. I elected to hide our separation from my large group of siblings, but Rudy was always someone I could confide in. My husband and Rudy were also close, but Donny opted to use this period for introspection (I assumed), and never contacted him.
At that time, Rudy had taken up residence in an old warehouse loft apartment with a mutual friend, Chuck. The two of them had finished college, except for Chuck, who was doing graduate work on his art degree. A pair of young bachelors reveling in their freedom, they had plenty of female distractions around to keep things interesting.
Chuck was a sturdily built farm boy that no one would have suspected to be an artist. The whole time he and Rudy were growing up, he would always get a bit red-faced around me. Although he was too shy to act on it, plus the fact that I was already taken, I always figured he had a crush on me. In my current state of "going without", it was only a matter of time, before my curiosity regarding the young artist got the best of me.
"Donny's picked up the baby up this afternoon for the whole weekend, so I was wondering if I could come over and hang with you guys?" I asked.
"Sure Sis, you know you're always welcome," Rudy replied.
"Don't want to intrude, if you guys have something going on," I excused myself.
"No, nothing special planned that I know of. The girls might be here. We rented some movies. Ya know, anything to break this damn heat. Come on over."
"Girls? Is Chuck seeing someone?"
"Oh, they come and go. This one's name is Betsy. He's been with her for about two months now, I guess. Why, were you thinking about taking advantage of the poor boy?" Rudy joked.
"Actually... the idea had crossed my mind. I mean if circumstances presented themselves." I admitted.
"God Sis, you DO have a bad case of the hornies! All I can say is you'd better come packing plenty of ammunition," he laughed.
"So, it wouldn't embarrass you if I came on to him?"
"Hell no. We could do with a little excitement around here," he cackled.
Ending the phone call, I went to the bedroom to scavenge for just the right ammo. The heat had been oppressive for the past few weeks, to the point that several of the town's inhabitants had to be hospitalized. Even with our A/C cranked to the max, I still felt clammy, as I tried on a variety of revealing tops.
I finally settled on a white cotton halter-top I hadn't worn since before we were married. Fortunately I had successfully lost my baby-making fat from around my waist and thighs. However, after breast-feeding for two years, my boobs kept their inflated size. A few unavoidable blue vein lines had emerged with the swelling, even after regularly tanning.
"God, these big suckers will never fit into this old 34-inch top," I pondered, as I scooped and stuffed my full d-cupped 36-inch tits inside. "Hmm, plenty extra hanging out the sides, but maybe that's the extra ammo Rudy was referring to," I smirked. Squeezing my hips into a pair for freshly severed low riding bell-bottom jeans, I was pleased with my reflection in the floor-length mirror. Peering at nearly a foot-long amount of cleavage, a shapely toned bare midriff, and tight tanned thighs, only slightly draped by the ragged ends of my short-short jeans; I was still damn hot for a mom in her mid-thirties.
Slipping on a pair of heeled open-toed sandals, I touched up my lipstick and spent an undue amount of time ratting up my way-too-long curly '80's blonde hair. "Have to do something about that one of these days," I reacted, spotting several strands of gray starting to streak my locks. Punching in a pair of new extra-long dangling silver earrings, I grabbed my purse and headed for the door.
Making my way downtown in our trusty golden Dodge Duster, I soon found myself standing outside the rickety door to Rudy and Chuck's third floor apartment. Dabbing away a few beads of sweat from my chest, I took a long breath after climbing the three flights and exhaled before knocking. Suddenly having misgivings about being over- exposed in front of my baby brother, I casually brought my hand up to cover some cleavage, when the door swung open.
Staring up at my six-foot three-inch brother, I was speechless. "I... I," was all I could lamely offer. He slowly reached out and lowered my hand to give me the twice over.
"Wow Sis, that's some SERIOUS ammo you're packing!"
"Oh God–too much, I'm sorry," I lowered my eyes.
"Don't be silly. You look fucking delicious," he reassured me, before taking me in his patented bear hug.
"Well I guess that was the idea," I admitted, whispering in his approving ear.
"Why, if you weren't my sister..." He leered, broke our embrace, and let his hands slide down my arms. Ever so gently, he squeezed my elbows, which proudly pouched out my cleavage even more.
"Yeah well, let's not forget that," I smiled, and pulled his arms away.
Stepping inside from the short hallway, we were abruptly in a great room with extra tall ceilings and aged red brick walls. The clip-clop of my heels on the wooden floor slightly echoed as we entered the sparsely furnished apartment. This was obviously a bachelors' pad based solely on practicality. I took note of a long couch, that only Goodwill would have turned away, facing a 25-inch television, with a hand-me-down leather chair next to it. Directly staged behind the couch, up against the only wallboard, was Rudy's extra-long king-sized bed and box spring sitting on the floor. Bed linen and blankets were strewn around to give the place a lived in look, I'm sure.
"Hi, you must be Barb. I'm Penny," said the petite brunette stepping away from the kitchenette counter. Holding a tall drink in one hand, she extended her other hand to greet me. The thin, but attractive girl I imagined to be in her early twenties, glanced into my eyes, then down to my chest, as we shook hands. "Rudy's told me so much about you."
"All good things I hope," I smiled, letting her warm handshake continue.
"Those are beautiful," she blurted out. Pulling her hand from mine, she reached up to caress my long earrings.
"Thanks."
"Look Rudy; see how sexy they are. You can get me a pair just like that for my birthday!"
Rudy ignored her statement completely. It seems my brother was more intent on operating his latest purchase, a new VHS recorder, while his girlfriend continued to ogle my jewelry.
"They really do add length to your neck. That's what I need. Mine is so short," she lamented, letting her index finger run the length of my neck. "Do they ever get in the way when you're... you know, making out?" Her dark eyes shifted to mine for a response.
