Free Fridays

by Pat Tucker

  “Hey, Babe, I’ll be late tonight. Office happy hour or something like that,” Riley said.

  His comment broke her train of thought. Leela looked at her husband side-eyed but didn’t say a cross word. She knew that was his way of saying he was going out to drink with Bill after work. She liked how his rules were only for her to follow and for him to disregard when the feeling hit him.

  “Okay, how late you think you’ll be?” she asked.

  Riley stopped, but he didn’t turn to face her. “I’ll call you if it’s too late.”

  Without another word, he was out the door.

  Leela felt so alone. It wasn’t just his absence, but lately, she’d felt like he wasn’t completely there with her. Something had gotten ahold of her husband, and she didn’t know what to do about it.

  Her problems were big, but she knew the issue with Pah-pah and Big Mama was even bigger. The biggest issue was the fact that her mother wanted to be oblivious to what her father was going through. It was clear that Linda had chosen Big Mama’s side, and while Leela understood, she had to figure out a way to prevent Linda from completely banishing her grandfather.

  When the phone rang and it was Samantha, Leela didn’t think twice about picking up.

  “Hey, you!” she squealed into the phone. Leela was happy to hear from Samantha. Guilt washed over Leela temporarily because she had taken the pact with her husband seriously despite the fact that he hadn’t.

  “It’s about damn time. I don’t know who I pissed off,” Samantha began. “But this shit has got to stop. I ain’t seen your pretty ass in nearly three months, and it ain’t right! It ain’t right, I tell you!”

  Leela laughed so hard she nearly squirted. She could tell Samantha had been drinking, but she didn’t care. Actually, she felt even more slighted. If she had gone to Happy Hour with Samantha, maybe she’d be feeling good too.

  “You are truly special,” Leela said into the phone.

  “When are we getting together? I’m sick and tired of this dry spell. I know I brought you home drunk the last time, but I’ve been punished enough! Enough already. Who do I have to blow for a night with my bestie?”

  Leela loved Samantha’s energy and figured it wouldn’t hurt to spend some time with her girl. Besides, she knew her husband was off somewhere with Bill.

  “Maybe we can do Happy Hour this week or something,” Leela said.

  “You promise?” Samantha asked.

  “Yeah. I’ve been swamped with Pah-pah and so much. I could use some time for myself,” Leela admitted.

  “I’m gonna plan something for us. Nothing too extravagant, but just something for us to relax and relieve some stress. I don’t want to piss Riley off again. So you just tell me what day next week is best for you. If you can’t do Happy Hour, maybe we can do a spa day or something. Just let me know.”

  “Okay. I will,” Leela said. As she was about to hang up, Samantha yelled.

  “I’m giving you two days! If I don’t hear from you, I’m coming over there and it won’t be pretty,” Samantha quipped. “You know Riley don’t like me anymore, so don’t let it come to that; hear me?”

  “I hear you.”

  The call cheered her up. But more importantly, it made Leela see that her husband was a hypocrite. There was no telling how long he’d been hanging with Bill despite the fact that they were supposed to stay clear of Bill and Samantha.

  Leela knew her husband felt like she should follow his rules because he was the man of the house, but she had news for him. She was getting fed up with his crap. And the last thing any man wanted was a woman who was fed up.

  • • •

  Riley shoved the food into his mouth like he wasn’t sure when he’d eat again. His mind was all over the place. When he was at home with Leela, he couldn’t stop thinking about Natasha.

  That was one of the main reasons he didn’t want to be bothered with Natasha again. She made him weak. There was just something about a woman who didn’t mind doing anything she thought her man wanted. Back in the day, Natasha would fuck, or suck, on demand, no questions asked. He couldn’t think of a time when Leela had been so willing.

  He knew his wife was dealing with a lot. He understood that the problem with her grandparents had taken a toll on her, but he had issues of his own.

  Weeks had passed since they had shared a kiss or had sex and she seemed to be fine. What was up with that? It was a wife’s duty to make sure her man was satisfied at all times, and she knew how strongly he felt about that. Perhaps his wife was getting hers elsewhere, and that meant she no longer cared about him and his sexual needs.

  “I take it you like your breakfast,” Leela said.

  He had barely looked up from his plate. “Yeah. It’s good.” Once he finished eating, he pushed back from the table and looked over at Leela. “That was great, Babe. I’m about to go hop in the shower.”

  Lately, their conversations were limited to talks over meals or brief greetings in passing.

  Before he walked into the bathroom, he wondered how long he’d survive. He needed to do something because he was desperate. Riley walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He put his favorite playlist on repeat and told himself he knew he needed to do the right thing.

  But his mind wouldn’t cooperate. The minute the music took ahold of him, his mind went back to Natasha and the party. There they were on the balcony, beneath a blanket of stars with some of the most suggestive reggae songs playing in the background.

  When Lady Saw’s “Heels On” blared through the air, Natasha was transformed.

  When she’d looked at him, her eyes were ablaze with lust.

  She sang the lyrics in such a seductive way, Riley felt himself go weak. “Let me fuck you with my heels on,” she sang. “I wanna fuck you like I own ya’.”

  Riley had closed his eyes. He’d felt himself slipping and struggled to resist the feeling. But it seemed the more he refused to give in, the stronger Natasha came on.

  He could smell the hint of alcohol on her breath when she’d invaded his personal space. Riley had stood transfixed for a few moments as she’d moved in. He didn’t try to stop her when she’d grabbed his crotch and stroked him. Natasha always knew how to send his blood boiling, and it seemed time had done nothing to lessen the power she once had over him.

  In one swift move, she’d locked eyes with him, unzipped his fly and lowered herself to her knees. Riley had shivered with raw excitement as Natasha took him into her mouth. That was something Leela rarely did.

  Riley had staggered back slightly; the space spun, and whirled out of control. With each move, Natasha had clung desperately to him. Riley had grabbed the railing to steady himself; his legs felt like they were made of cloth and he could barely stand.

  The sound of Leela walking into the bathroom brought him back from that memory.

  It was Leela placing a stack of towels into the armoire. She glanced at him.

  “You wanna come in and join me? The water feels great.”

  “Some of us have work to do around here,” she chided as she walked out of the bathroom.

  Riley was relieved once the door closed. Now if only he could keep his mind focused on his marriage and not his ex, he might have a chance.

  CHAPTER

  15

  Leela knew for sure her life was falling apart. It all started with the text message she saw on Riley’s phone. The message was simple. It said: next time we need to go all the way! It had a few hearts and lipstick characters in front of a hashtag that read no spouse parties rock!

  As she waited for Samantha at the Wine Dive in midtown, she kept going over the message and what it could’ve meant. She had no idea who had sent it because the name attached to it was only two initials.

  “You’re in such deep thought over here. I waved at you from the door and it was like you looked right through me,” Samantha said as she slid into a chair across from Leela.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve got so much going on these da
ys. I’ve gotta figure out a way to get these people out of my grandfather’s house, and at home—” Leela stopped speaking abruptly.

  Samantha’s face twisted in confusion. “And at home what?” she asked.

  “What’s a ‘no-spouse’ party?” Leela suddenly asked.

  A wicked grin stretched across Samantha’s face and mischief danced in her eyes. “Why you ask?” Samantha leaned in close. “This guy I went out with a few weeks ago told me about it. Oooh, did someone invite you to one? I think it started up on social media sites, but I was like, it’s a pretty cool idea.”

  “What is it?” Leela asked. She couldn’t hide the irritation in her voice. “I mean, I’ve heard of companies that have a no-spouse rule for their holiday parties, but we’re nowhere close to the holidays.”

  “Girl, it’s a party where someone from your past invites you to come without your spouse so y’all can hook up,” Samantha said. When her eyes looked away, Leela could tell Samantha’s level of interest had wavered since she didn’t know what the party was all about.

  “Like, to cheat?” Leela asked. Her stomach felt like it was tied in a dozen knots. Worry invaded her features. Only then did Samantha’s focus return to her.

  “Oh, wait a minute. Not you, did somebody invite Riley to one?” Samantha pursed her lips and leaned back a bit. “Umph.”

  “So, you’re trying to tell me people invite their exes to a party so they can cheat? What kind of foolishness is that?”

  “I’m trying to tell you, Leela. Marriage ain’t what it used to be. Honey, if you ask me, soon, we’re gonna see people start to change the definition of what’s considered a successful marriage.”

  Leela frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Who says you have to be married ’til death do you part?”

  “Uh, your vows; God,” Leela answered.

  “Do you know how many people are not religious these days? Think how marriage has changed over time. People get married in a drive-through window or they go downtown. Same sex marriages are now legal. And people have already altered vows to pick and choose what they want to include. When was the last time you heard a woman say she’d obey her husband?”

  “And what does all of that have to do with anything?” Leela asked. She had already started to dismiss Samantha and whatever point she was trying to make.

  “No, hear me out. All I’m saying is this. Just because a marriage ends in divorce, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t successful. I’m not talking about Big Mama and your grandfather. I still don’t get that one; after fifty-two years, y’all should just hang in there. But what I’m talking about is cases where after five, maybe seven or even ten years, the couple has developed into different people and maybe want different things out of life. Why shouldn’t they go their separate ways and call it a day?” Samantha put up her hand to stop Leela from interjecting. “Besides, once sex hits the A-B-C stage, it’s really time to do something different.”

  Leela’s eyebrows bunched together as she listened to Samantha. It was obvious Samantha had given this lots of thought.

  “You know, ABC sex, where you only do it on anniversaries, birthdays and Christmas!” Samantha said. “Of course, none of this applies if you have kids; that would complicate things. But if it’s just two adults who still have some love for each other, but they feel they’ve done all they could together, it seems very appropriate to me that they should be able to move on,” she added. “The thrill is gone; the challenge no longer exists; and they’ve stunted each other’s growth. Why stick it out?”

  “Umm. Yeeaaah, what you’re talking about, that’s called dating,” Leela said.

  Samantha rolled her eyes and picked up her menu. “Closed minds stay stuck,” she muttered.

  “I’m far from close-minded,” Leela defended. “But call me what you want. When I took those vows, I didn’t take them for five, seven or ten years, and I took them knowing that this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. What’s the point if you can just switch every five years?” Leela looked down at her nail bed. “Besides, I put up with a lot. All wives do. Do you know how many nights I don’t get a wink of sleep? It’s three in the freakin’ morning and Ry gets a bad case of restless dick syndrome!” Leela rolled her eyes dramatically. “It’s exhausting, but it is what it is; you do what you gotta do, until there’s a pill for that!”

  Following Samantha’s lead, Leela picked up her own menu. Her mind was supposed to be focused on food and drink choices, but it was stuck on the “no spouse” party and Samantha’s suggestion for how the institution of marriage needed to be updated to fit the times and a restless generation.

  “I have a very open mind,” Leela huffed.

  “You are missing my point.”

  “No. I think you’ve explained it very well. You want to change the institution of marriage and turn it into registered dating.”

  “That’s not what I said. And I don’t have to explain it to you. But look all around you, Leela. Marriage is not what it used to be. We continue to evolve as a people. We change as we evolve. Why do I have to be considered a failure because I’ve outgrown my spouse? Why can’t I simply find someone else who shares my new interests? Or better yet, why can’t I have sex with another man who turns me on? I think people are afraid to publically embrace what I’m saying, but in private, or even when they’re among like-minded people, their actions prove they agree.”

  Leela had moved on. She didn’t even respond as she perused the menu for possible options. But, as she prepared for dinner with Samantha, there was no way she could have known just how soon she’d be put to the test.

  • • •

  The splash of cold water woke his senses and felt good against his skin, but nothing could really fix what was wrong. The reflection that stared back at him in the mirror was one of a man he hardly recognized.

  Riddled with guilt, Riley told himself he needed to move on emotionally. He was a man after all, and a real man is built to handle the difficult and meet challenges head-on. He hadn’t responded to any of the suggestive text messages from Natasha and when she sent him an MP3 of the song Heels On by Lady Saw, he purposely didn’t listen to it, at first.

  Startled at the sound of her voice, Riley jumped at the question.

  “That’s an interesting song, the lyrics,” Leela said as she leaned against the sink. “Where’d you hear it?”

  Riley’s eyebrows elevated slightly. He used a fluffy hand towel to dry his face. “Oh, that?”

  “Yeah, I’ve never heard it before. Kinda raunchy if you ask me,” Leela said. “I can’t even picture you listening to music like that,” Leela added, wrinkling her nose.

  “Music like what? Reggae?”

  Riley knew he needed to play it cool. What did she care which songs he listened to during his alone time? What the hell was she doing in the bathroom while he showered anyway?

  “We haven’t listened to Reggae since our trip to Jamaica, or was it the Bahamas? Either way, it’s just odd to hear you listening to this. And, the lyrics are so graphic. They’re just not you.”

  Riley struggled to hide his frustration. He raised his right arm and ran the stick of deodorant under it. The lyrics were him more than ever. He tried to tell himself it wasn’t fair that he was looking for a reason to find something wrong with Leela.

  A sense of relief washed over him when the song went off. It looked like his wife was about to leave. Then suddenly, she turned and said, “Another graphic song? What’s up with you lately?”

  “Nothing. What are you talking about? Damn! It’s music,” Riley snapped.

  The look Leela gave him made him think she suspected there was more to it, but he knew his wife well enough to know she didn’t want to go there with him.

  When Leela walked out of the bathroom, he felt relieved. She had no business questioning him about his music, or anything else for that matter. What difference did it make which music he chose to listen to?

  • • •
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  Natasha would like the song. She was different from Leela. Natasha liked what he liked, she did what he said, and if she thought it would make him happy, she’d do it. No one was perfect. Just like Leela, Natasha had her faults, but more and more, Riley felt her open-minded approach to anything he wanted, had Leela beat—hands down.

  Leela wasn’t too headstrong, but there were times when she behaved like she had forgotten that he was in charge and that what he said was the rule of the house.

  In the beginning, he loved the fact that Leela looked up to him and always looked to him for the right answer. He wanted his wife to feel like she could count on him.

  Lately, she’d been working his nerves. He was frustrated, and her constant nagging didn’t help. Riley released a heavy breath when she finally walked out of the bathroom for good.

  He continued to listen to his music and think about everything he should’ve done with Natasha.

  Dressed and ready to go, he stopped and looked at his reflection one last time. As he caught a final glimpse of himself, he decided it was time to present the idea to Leela.

  He still loved her; he wanted their marriage to work, but he knew that unless they took action, unless they did something drastic, they were headed for disaster. After all, he was already flirting with it.

  CHAPTER

  16

  Leela’s eyes held a hint of alarm. She struggled to contain the sheer disgust and fury that was brewing deep inside and threatening to explode into all-out rage. Her husband must’ve fallen somewhere and bumped his head really hard.

  As she listened, she blinked a few times and bit down on her bottom lip. What she really wanted to do was go upside her husband’s head and knock some good sense into his ignorant behind. One good hard blow; that would do the trick.

  “Are you guys doing okay over here?” The waitress smiled as she looked down on them. Leela didn’t even notice as she approached. One minute her husband’s words were flapping around in her head like trapped birds struggling to get out of a cage; the next the waitress was at the table.