The Thursday Night Gang was just being served their first round as Ben walked in.
"So?" Hank grinned as Ben approached the table.
"You get those horns trimmed, buddy boy?" Bud took up the theme.
"We saw you with her at the concert," Dave continued, "Nice rack on that one! Hope you brought us some pics!"
Ben's eyes rolled up briefly and he gave a small head shake.
"Uh-oh guys," Jay cautioned, "that's not a satisfied look there.
"Here, Benny," Jay continued sympathetically, "take my beer. Haven't touched it yet. Sit. Tell us the tale," he encouraged, pushing out a chair.
"Thanks," Ben sighed and slid into the open seat.
Ben took a long pull on the pint, sighed again, set it on the table, tilted back and stared at the ceiling.
"Shit. That bad, huh?" Jay asked.
"A little good. Mostly not," Ben finally offered.
"She didn't wanna put out, huh?" Bud tried to sympathize.
"Well, I'd have to call it a 'yeah, but'...," Ben shook his head.
"C'mon, man, spill," Hank urged. "It's just us here. And hell, we're certified beer therapists! Better than a shrink! So if it sucked, just tell us! Then we'll give you a load of shit, buy your drinks and it's not a problem anymore, right?"
Hank was on target there. The Thursday Night Group--"TNG" to waitresses, wives and regulars--had been friends for over 60 years, most of them. These were kind of friends that knew everything about you from grade school on and liked you anyway. The ones that stuck together through high school, stood up for each other at weddings, became godparents for each other's kids, and knew damned well that they survived teenage adventures more by luck than skill. They shared everything. Well, they shared MOST things, even some embarrassing bits.
They weren't as explicit about their love lives as they were back in high school. Lots of hints--innuendos and grins--but skimpy on any slick details.
Still, locker-room banter wasn't entirely off the table, and if one of them was in the doghouse it quickly became common knowledge. They stopped the teasing before it hurt--most of the time.
All of the wives knew each other, too, and some were even close. Carol, Ben's wife and Jay's wife Chris-- "Chrissy" to Ben and Carol--were as close as sisters. Chrissy mourned Carol's death almost as deeply as Ben. Jay and Chrissy reached out reflexively to Ben and had become like an extended family in the years since Carol's death.
Over the years the TNG conspired to help Ben transition into life as a widower. They weren't always good at it, but there wasn't any question of their intent.
Ben took another pull on the Guinness before speaking.
"Yeah, Dave, she had nice tits, and no I didn't get any pics--you degenerate. She was eager. At least she was until she saw my pecker--then she laughed. Tried to stifle herself, but she couldn't stop the smirky grin.
"She tried to apologize. She was all: 'Oh, now honest, size doesn't matter to me.' Ya' know? All sensitive and shit--like that cancelled out the snicker. Anyway, I couldn't get it up. Even on a 10mg cialis, no wood. Can't say I was completely into her anyway, so that was a factor, but she pretty much killed the mood for me."
The response was predictable--in turn, each of his buddies shared their limp-dick times, sympathetically assuring Ben he was far from being alone. Hell, all of them were taking boner pills--and they all knew it! That was very old news, but bless their damn souls, it was nice to have friends!
Ben drained the pint. Jay held up 2 fingers to the waitress--signaling a replacement for himself and another for Ben.
"You gonna try her again?" Jay asked gently.
"Nah--we're done. It's maybe sour grapes, but I didn't like her all that much even before. We tried to make the dinner conversation work. Turns out she's got some crappy right-wing views on Blacks and Jews--I didn't care enough about her to confront that bullshit. We got a room. I sucked her tits and got her off with some finger-fucking, but I was just trying to be polite. We'd have been done even if I'd fucked her."
"Just to be polite, of course," Dave deadpanned.
Everyone donned their most serious expressions and nodded thoughtfully.
"I've always admired that quality in you, Ben, you're always--exceptionally polite," Jay continued, still slowly nodding.
"It was the right thing to do, pal," Hank solemnly agreed, gently patting Ben's arm. "Very decent of you to get her off her after that."
"Oh, fuck all of you," Ben laughed, and drained the 2nd pint.
The whole table exploded in laughter now, unable to maintain the charade.
"You shoulda bitten her nipple, though, man," Bud growled, "and said it was a little present from your Jew-friend!"
The rest of the evening eased into their normal ritual at the pub--pints, catching up on their weeks, solving some of the world's problems, laughing--and feeling better for each other's company.
Ben had a 3rd pint--one over his usual limit--and Jay drove him home.
"You want to stay with us tonight?" Jay asked as they started. "Chrissy would love to see you--full Irish breakfast tomorrow morning. She's off Fridays now too."
"Thanks, man. That's tempting--but I'm ready for some alone time. You guys were just what I needed tonight, but I'm done, OK?"
"Sure--I'm glad you don't dread being in the house by yourself so much any more."
"It's getting better," Ben agreed.
It was true--after 5 years, Ben was finally getting comfortable with living life as a single. Granted, "alone" was often an excuse to fire up the PC, browse some porn and have a good "selfie" as he silently thought of his hand jobs. He grinned inwardly now when people used that to describe self-photos!
"Hand Job" wasn't quite accurate any more, either. He'd accumulated some toys, and relied on them for new fetishes. So "selfie" just fit better --now that playtime wasn't just stroking.
As Jay began to signal for his driveway, Ben had a sudden change of mind.
"Hold up a sec, wouldya? You sure Chrissy wouldn't mind you dragging me home? Why don't you giver her a call and make sure. Give her a heads up, at least."
"She told me to haul your ass home tonight, pal! I'd have gotten the stink-eye if I'd rolled in without you, but it was your call," Jay grinned.
"Onward to Christina," Ben said, suddenly feeling good about not being at the end of his evening--porn honeys and a selfie notwithstanding.
"You decent, hon?" Jay called as they entered. "Ben's with me! He's spending the night!"
"I'm damned decent if I do say so myself, but I'm also dressed if that's what you meant!"
Chrissy bounced into the room to give Ben a tight hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Been too long, stud," Chrissy held Ben's shoulders and smiled broadly. "I'm glad you're here! 'Nother hug!" she demanded and they swapped cheek smooches.
"Come, sit! You need a drink?" Chrissy led the way to the den.
"I've already had 3, but they're wearing off--so why not! Something lighter than Guinness though, if you have."
Chrissy headed for the kitchen.
"She's gonna pump you for details about whats-her-face, ya' know," Jay warned.
"Wouldn't expect any less," Ben laughed.
"Listen, I've got a 5:30 flight tomorrow so I'm heading to bed pretty soon. Use that as an excuse to duck out of the inquisition if you need an escape, but feel free to stay up with Chrissy as long as you want, OK? You two are good for each other."
