Carl learned to only react to things that might be life-threatening. He hardly looked away from the ballgame when the seven-year-old ran by making jet noises with his arms extended like wings and the terrier barking at his heels. He ignored the 4-year-old behind the coffee table, pretending to swim in goggles, flippers and a snorkel, but nothing else. Carl didn't react until Evy, in her sleek one-piece swimsuit, snatched the naked boy and tucked him under her arm. Evy paused on her way out to ask "Are you about ready?" Carl lifted his tee shirt to show her his swim trunks, then stood and clicked the television off.
"Get Kyle covered and I'll make sure Donny lands safely." They were going down the street to a pool party and it was time to leave.
Aaron heard himself sigh at the ceiling and realized that Mindy might have heard it too. He swung his legs off the bed to sit up and watched his wife. In her mental state Mindy could overreact to the smallest things, but she was preoccupied with her hair and with her makeup and with the irresistible need to touch herself. Aaron did everything he could for his wife, but he couldn't do it constantly. Something had to give.
"Let me get a shower, then we can go." Aaron groaned, and dragged his exhausted body off the bed. Taking Mindy to the neighborhood party risked an embarrassment, but it seemed to Aaron like his best chance to recover.
The house was open when Carl and Evy got to the party. They let the kids lead them through the house to the patio where Aaron waited under an umbrella. Carl and Aaron had an unspoken pact to support each other's ideas and objections at the neighborhood meetings. To Carl, Aaron didn't look well, or maybe like he hadn't slept. Carl looked around after they shook hands and asked "Where's Mindy?"
"Don't know. It's hard to keep her in one place these days." Aaron shrugged. "Maybe the little girls room, maybe somewhere else. I'm sure she'll be back." Evy found a place beside the pool while they talked.
The afternoon sun had set low enough to shade the patio, but the tiles by the pool still radiated heat. Carl stretched his legs out in front of the pool-side chair and watched the kids in the water. Evy settled into the chair next to him and rested her hand on his thigh. "Oh look." She said, motioning across the pool. "There's Mindy. She's pretty, but that little white sun dress is risky, don't you think? Does it look like she's lost weight?"
"Aahh... I don't know." was Carl's best answer. He didn't like to answer those sorts of questions. "I don't see much difference, but you always notice things that I don't." Something about Mindy was very attractive. Maybe it was the sun dress with its hem swirling lightly at mid-thigh, or maybe it was something in her manner. Aaron pointed across the pool to where Carl sat with Evy, and Mindy waved to them. Carl waved back then kept a furtive eye on Mindy. When she worked her way around the pool to where the caterers were setting up the buffet table Carl decided to get a closer look. He announced "I'm going to see what they have in the buffet" and pulled himself out of the patio chair. "Is there anything you want?"
"A cola or something is all for now." Evy answered. "I'll look later." There wasn't a lot on the table yet to chose from. Carl was sampling the dips when he overheard Mindy talking with two women at the end of the table.
"A swimsuit under this?" Mindy asked, plucking at her dress. She giggled. "Oh no. All I'm wearing under this is a thong. The invitation said that the kids could have the pool until 8:30 and the grown-ups after that, but I want to be home fucking my hubby before that happens." Carl looked up in surprise and found Mindy grinning back at him, her dark hair framing bright eyes and red lips.
One of the caterers tried to squeeze through the door and dropped a jar of mayonnaise that she was juggling. Carl scrambled to scoop up the jar before it rolled under the table and helped her into the kitchen. When he turned around he found Mindy behind him, so close so that she startled him. She pulled her pony tail over her shoulder and combed her fingers through it while she talked, oblivious of the caterers bustling about them.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you out there, but then you shouldn't be listening in on other people's conversations. Now you know what I'm wearing and what I'm not wearing. Maybe you should tell me a secret to make us even." Carl gestured but couldn't come up with anything to say before Mindy snatched his hand. She worked her thumbs into the palm, then looked into his eyes. "You have big, strong hands." She wrapped her hand around his first two fingers and went on. "Your wife is that beautiful Eveline, right? I bet she loves what you can do with these hands."
"Excuse me," The caterer interrupted. "but I need to get to that counter behind you." Carl sidestepped and pulled Mindy along with his hand on her elbow. Mindy touched herself where Carl had tugged on her arm and balanced uneasily on the balls of her feet, wavering between stepping closer to him and stepping back.