*Inspired by the short story of the same name by Kate Chopin.*
I stood silently by the door as my husband Richard gave me one last long lecture on everything that needed to be done while he was away for his week-long business trip.
"Do you understand, Louise?" he finished in the formal, emotionless tone he used with everyone, including his own wife.
I nodded silently in response. To my surprise, I felt my heart quicken with excitement as I realized my husband was moments away from being gone for a whole week. Only then did I realize how much I'd been looking forward to this day.
My husband was not an abusive man but he was cold, stern, and controlling. I was not allowed to go anywhere alone outside of work and, when I was done, I had to return straight home. Taking too long to return would result in a long interrogation of where I'd been. I was always guessing at what he wanted and why, just hoping not to trigger the days of icy silence he'd punish me with when I did something that displeased him.
I said goodbye to my husband and shut the door behind him. As I watched the taxi drive away to the airport, I sighed. I felt like I had released a breath that I'd been holding for all twenty-one years of marriage. I was free! For seven glorious days, I was free! No worrying about what I said or what I did. No constantly checking in with him over the phone. I could eat, wear, and do whatever I wanted! In a moment of mischievousness, I stripped off my clothes, freeing my large breasts from the confining bra my husband insisted I wear even at home. I danced through the halls of my empty house, spinning about like the woman from The Sound of Music.
I froze as I heard the lock of the front door click open. My heart sank as, for an irrational split second, I thought my husband had returned. But my heart soared even higher before when I heard my son Jack's voice shout "I'm home!" There was nobody else in the world I'd rather share my temporary freedom with.
"Hi, honey!" I shouted back from upstairs as I quickly threw on my old, threadbare nightdress minus the bra and panties. I felt my breasts jiggling as I hurried down the stairs to greet him. I saw my eighteen-year-old son in the living room and threw my arms around him, mashing my unbound breasts against his chest.
"So Dad's gone?" he asked, instantly realizing what my outburst of emotion signaled.
I nodded, barely repressing a smile.
"Good," he answered, years of tension released in that one word.
For the rest of the evening, we talked about his father, voiced our every resentment and frustration. It felt so good to say our grievances out loud rather than hiding them in whispers, rolled eyes, and sighs.
As we sat down for dinner, I noticed that his eyes kept darting back to my newly unrestrained bosom. "Like what you see?" I asked flirtatiously, hefting my breasts in my hands.
"I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "It's just that, well, um..."
"Go ahead, dear. We've been so honest with each other this evening."
"Well, it's just that I've never noticed how BIG they are."
I giggled. "A few years after we got married, your father told me that I looked like a whore when my breasts jiggled."
"That bastard. You've never looked more beautiful."
I don't know what came over me. I think our newfound emotional openness disarmed all my inhibitions. I got up from my chair, rounded the table, and kissed my son right on the lips. He didn't pull away and soon I felt him kiss me back.
After what seemed like an eternity, I broke the kiss and opened my eyes. He gazed into mine with loving intensity.
Jack was the first to speak. "That was awesome."
"Yes," I said breathlessly. "Yes it was."
A long moment of silence passed between us. Again, Jack broke the silence.