'What a waste.' Selena thought.
"And I told him to go fuck himself." Kyle, Selena's date, said. "Then he cross-checked me, so I hit him back."
She had high hopes for the night. But she was already over the date, and they hadn't even finished their appetizer. They met over Instagram, he was a co-worker's cousin. He had everything she wanted, or at least so she thought. He was young, athletic, had a well-paying job, and was quite good-looking. All this, plus he made reservations at an expensive restaurant in downtown Miami, made her very excited for their date.
The problem started when he started talking and then never stopped. He was more of a frat boy than his Instagram profile led you to believe. He was a bit of a narcissist, was already quite intoxicated, and was a big fan of telling long lacrosse stories. Selena couldn't get in much more than a few sentences in at a time.
She had really been looking forward to tonight, too. She dressed up for the occasion, wearing a small red top that showed off her thin mid-drift and large 32DD chest and the matching thigh-length red skirt. She put a gentle curl in her long blonde hair, a soft amount of makeup, just enough to show off her green eyes and cute pink lips. She looked gorgeous; it was just too bad the date was a dud.
'What an absolute waste.' She thought as he continued to talk on and on about lacrosse.
"Honey, just focus on us, please." Miranda said as they sat just a few feet away from Selena and her date.
"I'm trying to, but that man is talking so fucking loud." Miranda's husband Gus replied.
Gus and Miranda were celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary with a trip to Miami. Miranda was seated in a wheelchair, her light brown hair having a few streaks of grey in it. Her aging face showed a life well lived. Gus, too, had an aging face, a testament to their shared life, although the last year had been stressful.
It started just a few weeks after their last anniversary when, while driving home from the grocery store, Miranda was hit by another car. The crash was severe, and Miranda fractured several vertebrae in her spine. The doctors did what they could, but her legs were weak, and she had immense difficulty walking.
That was the least of their worries, though, as they found out Miranda had cervical cancer soon after the accident. Miranda elected not to get treated; the doctor hadn't given a promising diagnosis anyways, and she didn't want to be a massive burden on Gus.
Things had gotten tense in their marriage. They had initially met at a local boxing match, Miranda was there as a third whee,l and Gus was in the ring fighting. He lost the match but met Miranda after his fight. They had a few drinks and laughs and ended up hooking up that night. It was the best sex of their young life; Miranda was enthusiastic, while Gus was well-endowed. While much has changed throughout their relationship, their sex life has remained the one constant up until Miranda's accident.
Their relationship grew from there. Gus was a quiet, stoic type, whereas Miranda was more outgoing. Their opposing personalities blended well, though, and grew into a strong, loving relationship.
They had kids together, started a landscaping business together, and were planning on retiring together. Unfortunately, retirement came early with Miranda's accident and diagnosis. They sold their business so Gus could take care of Miranda full-time. She could see the burden it put on Gus, who seemed stressed and angry often during the first few months.
Miranda felt like an obligation, and she couldn't even have sex with her husband. While she knew sex wasn't everything in a relationship, it was a big part of the relationship, and Miranda felt she wasn't being a true wife by not being able to perform.
So, she gave him an out. It was a Sunday night. They were having dinner, and she told him to leave her for a week at her sister's. To go enjoy life and think about whether he's happy in their relationship. And if he wasn't, then he didn't need to pick her up at all.
It was a terrible week for Miranda. She was on edge about whether Gus was ever going to come back. She was a wreck that Sunday, waiting for him. She stared outside most of the day, a heart full of dread.
Her eyes teared up when she saw his truck pull into the driveway. He kissed her, took her home and they never discussed it again.
"There's nothing we can do about it, so just focus on me." Miranda told him. "I just feel bad for that girl." She said, looking in Selena's direction.
"There's something I can do about it." Gus mumbled.
"Not tonight, honey." She replied.
He nodded and smiled as they tried to focus on their own meal. Meanwhile, a few tables over, Selena was ready to end hers.
"Look, you seem nice, but I don't think this will work." She said when she finally got a moment to speak. "I think we should call it here and go our separate ways."
"Wow, wow, wow. What do you mean this isn't going to work?" Kyle asked, confused. "Look at me, I'm a fucking handsome dude. You think you'll get better than this?"
"No, I don't think that. I think we're just not what each other is looking for." She replied.
"I mean, what else could you want?" He smugly asked.
"Look, I think it's best if we end the date here." She answered, standing up and grabbing her purse.
Before she could walk away, though, Kyle grabbed Selena's wrist, holding her back from getting away. The rest of the restaurant took notice. Miranda looked over at Gus and gave him a nod, Gus knowing what that meant.
"I didn't get us a fancy restaurant reservation, just to not even get a goodnight kiss." He told her. "So, why don't you sit back down and enjoy the meal."
There was a coldness in his eyes that made Selena nervous. She was frozen, contemplating what to do.
"Let the lady go." A gruff voice said from behind Kyle, a hand coming down on his shoulder.
Kyle turned around and saw Gus standing before him. He chuckled at his serious demeanor, almost like he was trying to start a fight. The elderly man was maybe an inch taller than him but didn't have the muscle definition of Kyle. He had a thickness to him that Kyle misinterpreted as fatness.
"Go back to your table, old man." He told him, still holding Selena's wrist. "The lady was about to sit back down."
Gus looked over at Selena, whose eyes screamed help me. "I don't think I will." He said.
Kyle sized him up, letting go of Selena to face Gus. "Look, old man, I don't want to have to beat your ass, so leave now or else." Kyle said in his most menacing tone.
"No." Gus stubbornly replied.
Kyle smirked and giggled to himself. He clenched his right fist and pulled his arm back, ready to throw a punch. He threw his body weight behind it, hoping to impress Selena with his physical strength. And he connected with nothing.
Gus might be older, but he can still see an obvious sucker punch from a mile away. Kyle was now off balance and in a vulnerable spot. If there was one thing Gus knew in this world it was how to throw a punch, having been a semi-pro boxer. A quick jab to Kyle's cheek was all that he needed to go stumbling to the ground.
"Uuhhh! I think I chipped a tooth!" Kyle said after hitting the floor.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The manager came forward to say.
"Ya, get this asshole out of here!" Kyle replied.
"I was talking about you." The manager responded. "We all saw you throw the first punch."
Kyle looked around and saw almost every other customer staring at him and none looked pleased. A few told him to get out and Kyle wasn't stupid enough to fight an entire room of people.
"Fine, I'll go." Kyle replied. "Selena, let's go." He said, looking back to where Selena was.
While he was distracted, Miranda had wheeled over and ushered Selena away. They now sat at their table, Miranda comforting Selena. Kyle didn't see her and began to look around.
"Where is she?" Kyle angrily asked.
"Sir, please leave." The manager answered, two large men from the kitchen staff coming up behind him.
"Alright, but you'll both be hearing from my lawyer." Kyle said, looking at both Gus and the manager.
Kyle turned and left, only then did Selena finally release a breath and relax. Miranda had given her some water to sip, rubbing her back as she let her nerves go.
"Are you ok?" Gus asked as he came to the table.
"Ya, I'm ok, just a little anxious." Selena told him. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." He replied.
"Has he done that before?" Miranda asked.
"Don't know." Selena responded. "This was our first date."
"Oh, pretty fancy for a first date." Miranda replied.
"Ya, I thought he was going all out to impress me." Selena told them.
"But he expected some." Gus said.
"Yes, exactly." Selena replied.
"Why'd you agree to go out with him?" Miranda asked.
"We met over Instagram, and I don't know, he was cute and seemed nice over messenger." Selena answered.
"Mmmpph... I don't trust online dating." Gus said.
"You'll have to excuse my husband. He's stuck in the past." Miranda replied.
"I ain't stuck nowhere." He responded. "But meeting someone online seems stupid to me."
"Thank you both, but I should probably stop bothering you." Selena said, realizing she was interrupting their meal.
Gus and Miranda quickly glanced at each other. Gus nodded, recognizing the look of sympathy in his wife's eyes.
"Hold on." Miranda said as Selena stood up. "You're not bothering us at all. We wouldn't mind you staying at all."
"I guess if I'm not bothering you." Selena said, sitting back down.
"Sit. You need a drink." Gus replied.
Miranda noticed a side-eye look Selena made towards Gus. It was one she had given him at the boxing match some 40 years ago. It was a look of attraction, which she found odd for a young lady like Selena to have given. She let it go for now.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to pay my bill." Selena told them after ordering a drink. "I'm Selena, by the way."
"I'm Gus, she's Miranda." He replied.
"So, what brought you to Miami?" Selena asked, knowing they were not locals.
"It's our anniversary tomorrow." Miranda answered.
"Oh wow, how long have you been married?" Selena asked.
"38 years." Gus replied.
"Wow, that's a long while." Selena responded. "How have you made it work so long?"
"When you're with the right person, it doesn't seem like that long." Miranda told her.
"That's so sweet." Selena replied. "How'd you two meet?"
"A boxing match." Miranda answered. "Gus here was a semi-pro boxer back in the day."
"Oh wow, so you were an athlete." Selena said. Once again, Miranda saw a look in Selena's eyes.
"Not really." Gus replied. "Could just punch hard, is all."
"Guess that explains why you won." Selena responded.
"Was just a jab." He told her. "With a pretty boy like that, that's all that's necessary."
"Well, maybe one day you could show me a trick or two." Selena replied.
For the third time, Miranda saw Selena give Gus a look. Once was a mistake, twice was a coincidence, but three times is a trend. Part of her was jealous. Selena was young and beautiful, a temptation for even the most loyal men. But she knew her husband would never do anything to hurt her.
But there was another thought in Miranda's head. What if she gave him permission for the night. It wasn't a brand new idea, give Gus the opportunity to enjoy sex with someone else without repercussions. He had been a loyal man for so long.
