The Years Disappeared

Mistakes Happen

"Mom can my friend stay over?"
"Tonight? The notice is a little short sweetie."
"Please, we have a project to work on together."
"Well, me and your dad are going out so you have to promise me you'll behave yourselves."
"Who's going out?" Lindsey swaggers in bearing a suspicious expression.
"Us, you know, for our anniversary!"
"I'm kidding, kidding! But if this friend is a boy we're not going anywhere!"
"It's a girl dad."
She rolls her eyes.
"Really? Then what's her name?"
"Kristen."
"You never mentioned her before."
"She just transferred for senior year."
"The blonde one? From Wisconsin? I think I remember you mentioning her." I interject.
"Yeh, her parents just divorced and she moved here to be with her mom's family."
"Oh dear, what a poor girl." I bite my lip.
"Is that a yes?"
"Like I said. Behave yourselves! No boys, no alcohol, no...Anything..."
"You remember that time your brother thought he'd get away a with raiding the liqueur cabinet?"
"Dad, how could I forget?"
"Joe won't, considering you made him walk a mile to school for the rest of the semester."
"And got me to tail him to check he wasn't getting rides from any friends." Karen adds in exasperation as she closes the fridge and I shake my head.
"You know he deserved it, and speaking of getting what we've earned, are you ready to leave yet?"
"I'm in yoga pants." I state with my hands on my hips.
"Exactly." I scoot away as he reaches to slap my ass.
"Disgusting," Leia seethes as she gathers her books from the kitchen island.
"This is my house, and I will grab your mother's ass as I please."
"Lindsey."
"Don't worry sweetheart, I've walked in on worse," Karen winks and follows Leia out of the room. Before I can discipline my husband, he has me pressed up against the counter with his mouth on mine. Breathless, I pull off slightly.
"What was that for?"
"Twenty-one years of marriage to the most beautiful woman in the world."
"I bet you say that to all your long suffering wives."
"You're such a bitch."
"You're such a horny bastard."
"Forgive me but I don't usually get complaints."
"No, just five kids..."

He takes me to a sweet little restaurant on the waterfront, where he passes me an envelope. Inside are plane tickets to a little-known Italian island, and I feel upstaged after wrapping him up a new tie and a photograph album. He tells me I'm being ridiculous, but I let him know I've been writing again, and of course much of it is about him. I knew this would make him happy and it does. Over the past decade I've managed to release a few poetry collections and even a novel. I'm by no means a superstar, but I sell well enough to keep a relationship with the publishing house, and my latest work is what I'm hoping will be my best. Our hands are all over each other as we take a car back to the house. Sara and Rachel are staying with one of their uncles for the weekend, and Leia knows to give us privacy tonight.

I initially enter the bathroom to brush my teeth, but he follows me in and won't stay off me. I kiss down his chest as I free him from his belt and undo his zipper, taking his throbbing member into my hand, teasing the tip with my tongue. I squeal and giggle as he grabs my hair and I give in to his impatience, sucking him all the way down until I gag, moaning partly for his enjoyment but also because I can feel just how much he is turning me on in return. I pause to take my breasts out of the top of my dress so he can touch them, revealing his most obscene thoughts to me as I return to pleasuring him. Just before I know he's about to come in my mouth, he pulls out of it and hastily covers himself, staring open mouthed behind me.
"What th-" I already see her in the corner of my eye by the time I've begun speaking, and I cut myself off to hide my own body.
"What do you think you're doing?" I yell.
"Leia told me the aspirin was in here, I'm so sorry!" She babbles with incredibly red cheeks.
"Just get out."
She momentarily stands as if about to defend herself again, but obviously thinks better of it and dashes off.
"There was no need to scream at the poor girl."
I spin to gift him a deadly stare.
"Are you fucking kidding me right now Lindsey?"
"Just calm down goddammit!"
"I will go and calm down. On the other side of the house!" I sob, leaving him in the bathroom.

I find myself hiccuping on my own tears as I curl fully clothed on the guest room sheets. I seems like forever before I hear the door creak and feel his warm arms around me.
"Go away," I whisper halfheartedly.
"No, we have a rule remember?"
"I don't care about rules."
"Neither do I, but I care about you, and I wanted to check you were OK."
"Well I'm not, so there's your answer, you can leave."
"No way."
"You're only here because I never got to finish you off," I roll to look at him seriously but he smiles at my snarky line and I can't help smiling too.
"I'm sorry Linds," I squeeze his curls and assault his face with brief kisses, making him squirm. Eventually I reach his lips and he deepens it, flipping me onto my back. We make love speedily and desperately at first, but when tears begin to slide down my cheeks it becomes more emotional, and afterwards we lie and whisper to each other for a while.

"Here's to 21 mostly happy years of marriage."
I press my lips to his jaw just as lethargy is threatening to overcome my senses.
"And to many more," he replies, half-asleep.