Under My Thumb
I was surprised when Joe called me up and invited me out for a bear. We had run in the same circles since junior high, played on the same adult softball teams and basketball teams, but never had either of us called the other. I am sure we liked each other and if I walked into a gin joint and saw Joe at the bar, I would not hesitate to sit next to him. Even my wife Angie, was surprised that Joe had invited me out for a beer.
Joe was sitting at a corner table when I walked in with a pitcher of beer and a couple of mugs in front of him. I sat down and Joe poured a couple of beers and handed me a mug.
He smiled and said, "You are wondering why I invited you out for a beer. We have probably known each other for the better part of 20 years, and I cannot recall either of us ever calling the other. Rather odd, don't you think."
I laughed, "Even Angie said the same thing. I cannot imagine why though. And I can't imagine why you called this time."
Joe took a big gulp of his beer, almost emptying the mug and said, "I do not want to be the one telling you this, but Angie has been cheating on you with most of your friends and at least half the softball team."
My blood began to boil, and I wanted to reach out and punch him.
Joe refilled our glasses and said, "We have never been the closest of friends but friends we are, and I could not continue to think of you as a friend and not tell you."
It all became clear to me, the way she acted with some of the team while we were having beers after a game. The way she carried on with some of the guys. The overly familiar touching.
I finished off my glass and thanked him. I turned to him as I was getting ready to leave and decided to leave one question unasked, but he read my mind.
"No, I didn't because I do not fuck other men's wives."
When I got home, Angie had already packed her suitcases and was loading them into the car. She followed me into the house. She could see by the red in my eyes that I knew.
She said, "I assumed that was why Joe called. I am not sure when he figured it out, but he confronted me last week. He wanted to give me a chance to tell you, but in the end, I was not brave enough. I do want to apologize, and I still cannot believe I let it happen. I love you more than anything in the world and you were my greatest lover."
She had tears in her eyes as she spoke, but I told her to get the fuck out.
The following year was tough. Not only the divorce and unwinding the financials of our marriage, but I had to find a whole new set of friends. Joe was always going to remain in my inner circle.
What bothered me the most was the other women, either married on in significant relationships, that were hitting on me. One woman showed up at my door with nothing on under her coat and she assured me it was okay because her husband knew she was there. The world had gone mad.
The actual divorce was easy. Angie did not put up a fight. My job as a chemist paid very well and most of our assets were mine from before the marriage. On the way out of the meeting with the lawyers, Angie again apologized and said she was not going to offer any excuses to explain her behavior because none could justify it. She again told me that I was her greatest lover and was going to miss me between the sheets. I wanted to scream that if I was so good, why the fuck did you have to fuck someone else and why the fuck did it have to be my friends and teammates. But I just turned and walked away.
Things started getting easier after the first year. I still had not dated any one and had no interest in any kind of relationship. Joe and I joined a new softball team, and we occasionally played our old team. Sometimes Angie would be at those games, never with anyone else, but I would see her in the stands. I ignored my old friends during those games, but one time, the man who I would have considered my best friend was playing second. I decided to steal second and while sliding in, I left my foot just high enough so that it nailed him right on his shin. Poor slob ended up with a broken ankle. Now in normal times, a slide like that would have resulted in a bench clearing brawl, but no one from his team made a move. My current teammates were already on the field. One guy from his team got up and helped him off the field.
Towards the end of the summer, a coworker invited me over for a barbecue and pool party. I was desperate for a good excuse not to go but he had planned his move very well. The party was going to be a mix of his and his wife's coworkers. The wife was a nurse so there would be a lot of "available" women there, his words.
I had not finished my first beer when they introduced me to Jackie. Sweet little Italian girl and extremely attractive.
As our host walked away, Jackie said, "I will kill her Monday morning and I apologize for putting you in this situation."
"No apologies needed," I said, "just let me know when you're going to take her out and I'll shoot him at the same time."
She laughed and then we both laughed, and we continued laughing over the next hour. We laughed about our exes; her ex was a doctor who fucked all the other nurses of the hospital floor where she worked. She ended up having to find a new job. I told her about mine and my softball team. We agreed that a new team was easier than a new job.
We laughed about our coworkers. Mine, mostly chemists like myself, were the picture of corporate America, racially diverse mix of men and women and all generally nerdy. Jackie was a registered nurse and worked for an oncology practice. The doctors were all white and older, sitting around discussing their vacation homes in Europe. Most of the nurses were younger, about the same age as Jackie and were wearing very skimpy thong bikinis as they frolicked in the pool. One of the nurses, Stacy, could have been Jackie's twin. The only person of color in her group was the black janitor who had to be the oldest person there. The clichés went on from there.
Neither of us had planned to stay long and we brought nothing to swim in. I was getting ready to make my excuses when Jackie started her goodbyes. As we were walking out to our cars, I joked that we were giving our coworkers something to talk about. She suggested that we really give them something to talk about, so I invited her to my place for a glass of wine and she accepted.
