I got on Neil's (my husband) nerves, and one Friday, he purchased a plane ticket with an itinerary departing from Savannah, where we live, to Virginia Beach, where Gary and Tom, two good friends of ours, reside.
"Not sure if in my 61 years, have I ever sent a partner away for a disagreement," Tom told me the night before I flew up.
Neil and I after 20 years had come to the end of the road, as we met before I joined the military and for years he petitioned for me to get out so we could live together, for we couldn't spend as much as time as we wanted due to deployments, field exercises, etc.
"If you were home more, or chose a career that didn't rely on you being gone so much, I think our marriage would be much better," he said on the day I got commissioned, in which eight years in I shot up the enlisted ranks to sergeant first class, and decided months later to drop an officer package.
Me getting promoted to the chief warrant officer ranks brought more perks for the both of us, to include him having the opportunity to travel and live with me in billets that were abroad in places like Germany, Spain, South Africa. I was also paid a more substantial amount due to rank, and him being my spouse, and when the money rolled in, he didn't necessarily complain, for I would be gone for globs of time, and everything was everything. Oddly enough the real turning point came when I announced I was resigning my commission and retiring at my 18 year mark, for I was thinking we'd finally get the chance to be together everyday, but he wasn't as enthused as I expected. The coming months things seemed to get tense, and overall, we were headed for destruction as we no longer became intimate, and it was almost as if a stranger had entered our bedroom each night when we closed our eyes. The final straw, of which led to him booking a flight for me to leave on a Friday, and return on Monday was the Wednesday before, he and I argued about the trash being taken out, as Neil, who owns a small massage parlor located behind our home, tossed some of his empty supply bottles in the kitchen's can, vice just taking it outside.
"You're being inconsiderate," he told me.
That triggered an emotion to where I raised my voice at Neil for the first time, and he responded, and a few hours later he sent me a text message stating he was booking a flight for me to hang with our buddies.
"Happy birthday," he told me as that subsequent Wednesday would annotate my 53rd year on this Earth, and he was slated to travel so this was his way of commemorating me.
"Well, you get here, and we'll celebrate all weekend," Tom told me in text the night before, and once I landed at Norfolk International, the party was on, for they greeted me at the jetway with balloons, a card, hugs and kisses, before we headed to baggage claim, then departed in their Chevy pickup.
I wept a little while they shuttled me from the airport, as I explained to the older couple (Gary being a year younger than Tom at 60), who themselves at some point served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines, respectively. 20 minutes later we pulled into their driveway as they owned a home in an exclusive part of Virginia's resort city, their large, brick home intertwined between a golf course and a large lake. Once I exited the truck and inhaled the local air, I felt relief, as for 96 hours I wouldn't be concerned about the man I loved for so long.
"First things first. We need to get some alcohol in you," Gary told me as he was a top notch bartender.
"Whatever you desire, this man will make because we have it," Tom added as we walked inside.
Neil and I had a nice property down south in the Old Town portion of the city, but I was in awe of Gary and Tom's place for it signified so much: their hard work and dedication, as Gary was a registered nurse, their philanthropy, and their determination to make it work as a unit for they, too, as gay men had been through a lot. I relaxed in their sunroom and kicked my shoes off while Gary catered to us with Screwdrivers, giving the right mix of vodka and orange juice to make me sip and truly indulge in the moment.
"Weather's gonna be nice this weekend, so we can take out the boat," Tom suggested.
"Maybe fire up the grill," Gary added. "And remember, in our place its always clothing optional."
I remembered how they enjoyed being nudists, as they were big on people being as comfortable as possible. Gary stood up to take his shirt off first, showing off that Irish, hairy bear chest of his, before he slid off his shorts, with Tom doing the same, showing off his tanned, naturally smooth skin, and gorgeous cock I'd never noticed before.
"Like we said, clothing optional," Tom said as he looked down at me and smiled as if it was required for me to be nude.
I took off my clothes, then laid back on the couch while Tom suggested dinner, with Gary getting up to grab the remote from the television and turning to something we all wanted to watch. We ended up watching a Jeff Foxworthy special.
"You like Jeff Foxworthy," Tom asked me as I am a black man, and they didn't think he would pique my interest.
I explained to them that I enjoyed comedy from different backgrounds, and as a result of us drinking we ended up "political" discussing race issues, from assumptions to what was real, with the alcohol as fuel to drive a heated discussion.
"Guys, we're not here to get tangled up, we're here to be buds for the weekend," Gary said as he brought us back to Earth.
"Well, we can always get tangled up, but in the opposite way," Tom said as he smirked and winked at me prior to taking another sip.
The liquor clearly affected him quicker than the both of us, and so I fell back, simply watching television as the comedy special continued on.
"Andre, when's the last time you and Neil been intimate," Tom asked me minutes later.
