Irvin and Isabel Davis

"Your husband," he said. She looked surprised.

"He's here? Where?" she said, scanning the bar in all directions.

"No, I met him a few weeks ago. And, yes it was here," he said.

"What? How? When? Why didn't you tell me!" she said.

"I would have, but I didn't know it until now, just now.

"He was here. He was playing music," he said. There was a long pause. Hardin looked down, looked away, everywhere—anywhere but in her eyes.

"What!" she said.

"We talked," he said. "We talked about women."

"Huh? About women?" she said.

"Yes," he said.

"And?" she said.

"Well, a lot of it turned out to be about you as I now know. It was guy talk, you know," he said.

"No, I don't know," she said, growing more and more impatient.

"Well, you came up in the conversation and somehow we—I—got to talking about your feelings about your husband. Which, I hasten to add, I did not know it was him that I was talking to! Okay!" he said.

"What the fuck are you talking about!" she said.

"Well, I kinda told him some of the things you've said about him, thought about him. You know things you've said to me when we've been together," he said. Suddenly her look morphed from wanting to know what was going into something resembling horror.

"Oh my God! How he must have felt. Exactly how much did you tell him?" she said.

"Kinda everything," he said.

"Oh my God! Jesus Hardin! What were you thinking! Damn-damn-damn!" said Isabel.

"It just popped out. You know, guys braggin' and sayin' shit," he said.

"Can I ask, did Irv say anything?" she said. Hardin had to think for a minute.

"No, not really. He kept saying he wasn't much of a man and wished he had better looks, skills, stuff.

"I told him he was a pretty good looking guy. Told him he'd find someone sooner or later. I had no idea he'd already found you. Nothing, really, he didn't say much of anything," said Hardin.

"Oh boy, if and when I ever see him again, I am going to have to do some really fast talking. I gotta let him know that most of the smack I laid on him or to others about him was just sour grapes.

"Jesus, I did not want to hurt the guy. Sure as hell not more than I already have," she said. The man nodded.

"Yeah, I feel kinda bad too."

"Well, it is what it is. Hopefully there will come a day," she said.

******

The rescue mission was more or less gaily decorated for the day, Thanksgiving. But my mood was not gay. No family or friends to dine with, no party. But, the dinner would be pretty good actually, both turkey and ham and the usual fixins.

I did have a half pint of Jim Beam I'd been able to afford with the few bucks I was able to hold onto from the occasional clean up job at this or that store or bar I was able to get. I'd be enjoying it a little bit later. The mission did not allow drinking on the premises. I knew a few of the guys cheated on that rule creating their own version of coffee royale but not me. I'd be drinking alone though. My bud, Alex, wasn't available; he was in the freakin' hospital: a fall off the dock in the dark two days gone. He had a broken leg and a suspected concussion. He'd be in the indigents-only ward for a week at least.

I was going back for seconds when I bumped into her. She spoke to me.

"Hi," she said.

"Huh? Hello," I said. She looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place her.

"You come here too?" she said.

"Yeah, almost every day anymore, lost my job, wife, everything. Not much reason to work my ass off for just me. I mean if you get my drift.

"But, look, I'm sorry, but . . ."

She smirked. "You don't remember me," she said. "Gotta tell yuh that kinda hurts, well, a little anyway." My knitted brow evidently caused her to laugh.

"We never spoke but we were at the same place at the same time a while ago," she said. I looked her askance. "At the Hard Hat. I was talking to some guy. You came down to play some music and talked to him too. I saw you and wondered who you were."

"Yeah, I think I do remember you," I said.

"I heard him tell you that I did tricks," she said. "He didn't lie, I do, but not that often. I don't like it, but a girl has to survive. When I'm hungry, well you know." I nodded.

"Yeah, I guess," I said. "I'd turn a few tricks myself if I could interest any women in the product. But, the product in my case ain't much in demand." She laughed.

"Hmm, well, be glad it isn't. Turning tricks can turn one's stomach. I speak from experience.

"Anyway, my name's Carrie," she said.

I remembered the whole scene now. Karpis had clued me that she came into the Hard Hat occasionally looking for customers.

"Well, nice to meet you," I said. "Say look. I'm here alone. You?"

"Me too," she said. "And yes, I'd like to share the meal with you." She'd guessed at what I was about to ask.

"It's hard being alone on these holidays, especially this one," she said. I nodded.

"Yes, it is hard and yes I'd be grateful for your company," I said.

Well, Thanksgiving wasn't exactly glitzy, and no there was no offer of sex for companionship. But, the way I looked at things as Carrie and I parted, after some two hours of being together, two things kinda made the day better than I had expected. One, the food was good. Two, I had a new friend if only a platonic one.

The upshot about having a new friend was the salient fact that neither she nor I had made any plans to see each other again; and, I'm not exactly sure why. Thinking about it later, I would come to believe that we would be seeing each other again, and that not too far in the future.

******

"You're looking kinda down," he said. She shrugged.

"No, not down, or maybe just a little. Just wondering where he is today, I mean the holidays can be kind of a major downer if one is alone," said Isabel.

"Izzy, you've got to stop all of this moping around about him. It's his choice that he's not here with you, well, with us," said Hardin.

"I suppose, but it is kind of a downer for me on some level anyway," she said.

"I can understand that, but today is our day. Minnie and John will be over soon; and, so will Marlu and Bob. If Irv walks through the door today, we'll treat him like the long lost family that he is and try to get him to sit down and reason with us. But, if not, Izzy; it's his loss. You and I love each other, and while you have so far refused to divorce the guy while he's in the straights that he's in and marry me, I know that in the long run that that is what is likely to happen.

"Irv's a good guy. And, he deserves to be treated as such, but there are limits. Okay?" said Hardin.

"I guess. Maybe," she said. His look of frustration was obvious to her. She did love him, Hardin; well, she was pretty sure she did. But, she also loved her "loser" husband. Would she sooner or later divorce Irv and marry Hardin? It was a possibility, but . . ."

******

It had gotten cold. The neon standard in front of the bank, down the street from Allied Cargo, read twenty-two degrees. Cold as heck, threatening to snow, and now I was alone. Alex having been released from the hospital decided to take to the rails and head south to warmer climes. And, yes a few guys did still ride the rails. But, at least I didn't have to sleep in some doorway, or worse, in the open.

Christmas was four days away. I needed a few bucks for booze and maybe a little extra food: one meal a day was kinda marginal if sensationally wonderful for my diet. At any rate, I'd been hoofing it for some minutes in the cold when I saw a sign for temporary help. It had indeed snowed, and that fairly heavily: I guessed that the town had several inches of it on the ground. I headed inside to enquire about the temp job. Ironically the place was a Macdonald's; and no, it was not the one my wife worked at. I was more than sure I wouldn't be meeting up with her.

"Yes, we're busy and we need someone to do a little cleaning up outside and to keep the snow shoveled around the doorway and the handicapped parking. Think you can handle that, Irv," said Frank—his name plate said Frank Asst. Mgr.

"Yes sir," I said. He showed me to the utility room, loaned me a parka that employees used when working outside—I had my own gloves—and I got to work. I'd just gotten off after some three hours and gotten $20 cash for my trouble when the manager came on duty. It was 11:00AM. She almost screamed.

"Irvin! What are you doing here!" said the manager. And oh yes, she was my wife!" I just stared at her. I must have looked like a complete loser—wino—retard something. My clothes, while not exactly ragged, were dirty, and my aging Nikes were muddy and bespoke poverty. I sure was glad that Frank had already given me my twenty bucks.

"Uh-nothing . . ." I started.

"Come in, come in now," she said. I looked around, unsure of my next move. But, it was very cold, so I followed her inside the atrium; well, it was out of the wind which was picking up.

"What are you doing here? Where are you staying? Jesus, Irv, I have to say you look terrible," she said.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything. I was just on my way home," I said. Just then Frank came out.

"Hello boss. Irv here asked to do some of the temp stuff we needed done. I've already paid him," said Frank. Isabel gave him a positive nod which was the signal for him to withdraw. He did.

"Let's go into my office, Irv. We need to talk," she said.

"No, no, I've gotta get going. Got a lot to do," I lied.

"Look, Irv, the offer is still open, and I hope you're cooled off enough to accept it," she said.

"What offer? I've already done the cleanup. Frank said I did a good job," said Irv.

"No, I mean to be with me, us be husband and wife again, live together. But . . ." she said.

"But, your still seeing your boyfriend, right?" I said.

"Irv, he's moved in. And yes, I guess he is my boyfriend as you call it. And yes, we are sleeping together. But, if you come home you'll be in my bed at night and Hardin will be in the guest room. How about it?" she said. I was about to answer when Frank appeared once again.

"Boss the GM's on the phone. Says it's important," said Frank.

"Okay," she said.

"Irv, come inside for a moment. I have to take this call, but we need to talk some more," she said.

She turned and hurried inside. I hurried outside and away from there as fast as I could go. I didn't actually run, but I was walking at just a little below light speed.

Live with her with him in the house, listen to her screaming her pleasure as he fed her his nine-inch sausage? Not a snowball's chance in hell! I was gettin' along fine without her, and I would keep on doin' fine. Well, fine might be a slight exaggeration.

******

The neon standard in front of the bank now read nine degrees. Damn it was cold.

I kept going back to my most recent meet up with Isabel. God, she was pretty. She would always be that for sure. I'd essentially turned tail and run away from her that day at her new workplace, I hadn't had any time to think things through.

I was still as humiliated and hurt as I had been when she'd laid out her ultimatum to like it or hit the road. I'd opted to hit the road. At that time I was still employed, I had options, or, at worst I could develop options. I hadn't actually thought very far ahead of course which fact had finally ended in getting myself fired.

As I kept rubbing my all but frozen hands together in the farthest corner of the loading bay, I was finally doing what I should have been doing in the first place—thinking things through.

If I were to accept her offer of being in her bed, and yes even with her boyfriend just down the hall, I would indeed be humiliated and jealous and hurting real bad. That said, I was currently also humiliated, jealous, and hurting real bad. The difference? The only difference was that I would be seeing her ever day—and him too—while at the same time being warm and well fed. Was the price I would have to pay, seeing them together to be comfortable, worth it? That was the sixty-four dollar question.

It was another freezing day. It was 8:00AM. I watched as his car left, and waited a few more minutes before I went up the little path to the front door. I stood on the porch and knocked. She answered it, the door.

"Irvin! My God, you're here!" she said.

"The offer still good?" I said. "If not . . ."

"Yes of course, come in. It's freezing out there," she said. It was freezing and I did come in.

We headed into the kitchen. It was toasty. I shucked my overcoat, the only thing that had kept me from freezing to death the last month and a half.

"My God, Irv, you're so thin," she said.

"Yeah, been working out," I said. She smirked at my obvious and clearly ridiculous lie.

"You hungry?" she said.

"I could eat," I said, trying not to seem unduly desperate.

"Of course you're hungry," she said.

She spent the next twenty minutes putting together some bacon and waffles for me while I sipped the already made coffee. I noticed the mugs and dishes in the sink as she had poured me a cup. They'd obviously had breakfast together. If I stayed, and I was planning on it; I'd be seeing a lot of their—his—dishes and mugs in the sink.

I didn't exactly wolf the food down, but I didn't waste any time either. Well, I was hungry, and she knew it. However, she had the grace not to comment on it.

While I ate she kept up a more or less continual chatter about how glad she was to see me, and expected that she and I would be doing very good in the days to come. I made comments from time to time as seemed called for or during this or that pregnant pause in her monologue.

I wiped the detritus from my lips, took a final sip of coffee and leaned back in my chair. She was suddenly pensive.

"Irv, it is so good to see you, really. But, Hardin is still here and will remain so. You do realize that, right?" she said. I nodded.

"But, as I said those months ago, he will not have any impact on our relationship, yours and mine," she said. "I can promise you that." I nodded. It was not the time to cause problems. I was shaking in my emotional boots, but I was out of choices. I either accepted my status as her cuckold or I would have to be satisfied with my little cave in the truck park of Allied Cargo for the foreseeable future.

"Yes, I understand," I said. "I promise not to make waves." She nodded, and I suppose her nod would have to be described as hopeful.

"It's been what, nine months since you left. Right?" she said.

"Yeah, I guess," I said.

"Can I ask—well—would you be interested in . . ." she stopped talking and opened the bathrobe she'd been wearing and thereby exposing her breasts to me. I swallowed hard.

"Yes," I squeaked. "I mean of course." She smirked

"Thought you might," she said. "Come on." She rose and stretched out her hand for me to take. I did and she led me into the front room. Her robe was completely open now exposing both her breasts and her bald mound and the slit that divided it. God she was hot.

"You are so hot," I said, my tone almost trance like.

"Thank you, sir," she said. "But, Irv, You will be getting sloppy seconds this morning. I mean I didn't expect you, and . . . "

"Okay," I said, "I'll try not to notice." I was attempting to be flippant, and she evidently appreciated my effort.

"Well, good," she said. "Now strip for me. I want to watch you." I obeyed her command.

Naked, I walked to my wife and took her in my arms for the first time in many months. We kissed and felt each other up for some minutes as we stood in the center of the living room just a few feet from the couch.

I pulled her down to the floor with me. She lay on her back, smiled, and spread her legs as wide as she could. I needed no further encouragement. I mounted her and slid inside of her easily; she was obviously still well lubricated from her morning fuck with her lover. I fucked her for what seemed half an hour, but was more likely something like six or eight minutes. I shuddered and unloaded my pent up cum inside of her.

I rolled off of her and lay panting. I was still hot to trot if the truth were known. Well it had been a while.

She used her robe to wipe my still semi-hard almost four-inches dry and began teasing me up by stroking my cock oh so lightly and tickling my balls. It took a little while, but hard again, she rolled over onto her belly and raised her buttocks a few inches inviting me to take her from behind. The second time around I lasted at least ten minutes and she made it, orgasmed.

"Feeling better?" she said, as we lay side by side on the carpet.

"Lots," I said, and that truthfully. I knew things would change later, when "he" came home from work, but at that moment I felt safe and content if not actually happy.

"Good, and that's the way it's going to be from now on," she said. "It is going to be my business to make sure you are happy and fulfilled and not having to feel jealous or unloved or any of it. Okay?" she said. I nodded.

"Okay," I said.

"We need to shower," she said, "Together. You stink and as for that we both have the stink of sex on us. So let's go. She led me by my stump of a penis upstairs to the bathroom.

For the first time, even counting the day I left those nine months gone, I was ashamed of my cock. It was true that she'd drained me. But, even so, her hand completely covered its girth as she pulled me along to the shower.

"I will be moving his things into the spare bedroom a little later," said Isabel. "You're my husband. You have rights. One of them is to be my mate in the master bedroom at night, not him. You can feel good about things, Irv. You are definitely number one, not mister big dick."

"Okay," I said. "I appreciate that."

I presumed she'd likely be calling him to appraise him of the new reality as soon as she could. I wondered how things would play out when he realized that we'd already met. The thought made me smile, but it was a sardonic smile.

My old clothes, and there were a lot of them, had been moved into the guest room, after mister Karpis had taken my place in the master. Now, mine were transferred back even as she moved his into it. I made a mental note to make sure that certain items I'd left behind the last time would be with me if I ever felt the urge to leave again.

******

Isabel and I were sitting together on the couch when we heard the back door open and close.

"Well, this is it," said Izzy, "the moment of truth." She giggled. He stopped cold in the doorway.

"Wow!" he said. "You didn't call."

I guess, I'd been wrong about that one. She'd had opportunities, but had not given him a heads up. I thought that interesting. Maybe I really was number one after all if not the only one. I guess I felt good about that. Good for the moment anyway.

"No, I wanted it to be a surprise. And, in case there was any doubt in your mind, my husband has already had his sloppy seconds. You can have thirds if you are up for it. Okay?" she said.

He laughed. No, I think I'll wait till after you've showered," he said. Now it was her turn to laugh.

"Just kidding, he and I have already showered—together," she said. Now, everybody laughed, even me, though in my case maybe not as enthusiastically as the two of them.

Dinner was simmering on the stove and Izzy announced that we should adjourn there, to the kitchen. We did.

We ate and talked pretty much about nothing. Nobody asked me about my time on the streets, and nobody brought up Hardin and their time together; no, it was mundane and nothing and maybe best described as surreal. Dinner done everybody waited for someone to do or say something about what was to come next. Then, she took the initiative.

"Your clothes and personal stuff are all in the guest room, Hardin'. Now that my husband is back we'll go back to plan 'A' if you remember. Okay?" she said. I nodded, and so did Hardin, though in his case maybe a bit slower than in my case.