Peter Van Husen carefully put on his new tuxedo, custom tailored to fit him and completely unlike the tuxedos he'd rented in the past to wear to weddings and the few other formal events he'd attended in his life. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Peter sighed. He was going to miss being Mavis Schuyler's boy toy. It was nice getting things like tuxedos and fancy shoes and hand knit sweaters for gifts. He was also going to miss going to bed with Mavis. The woman was a wildcat, especially when compared to his wife, Chelsea. Still, all the sneaking around and lying was getting to him. Peter was pretty sure that Chelsea was getting suspicious anyway. The time had come to end this brief chapter in his life, file it under Fond Memories, and go back to his normal, boring existence.
"Peter? Do you like my new dress?"
Chelsea came into the bedroom, fastening an earring as she moved. Peter looked at the dress she'd chosen to wear to the Policeman's Retirement Ball. It was fire engine red, low cut and made his wife look absolutely ridiculous. Like one of those double decker buses in London. Although he hated himself for it, Peter almost wished Chelsea would stay home. It was going to be embarrassing to be seen in public with her in that get up. She looked so...flashy. Flashy yet ordinary at the same time--not a good combo.
"It sure is...red."
"I wanted to stand out tonight," Chelsea explained. "I'm tired of always fading into the background. That's why I colored my hair too."
Oh, yes. Her hair. Chelsea's hair was now a shade of red that was damn close to the color of her dress. "Well, shall we go?" Peter asked.
"This is fun," Chelsea said as they headed for Peter's car. "We should do this more often. Why don't we go out more, Peter? We used to."
Peter shrugged and kept his eyes glued to the road, guilt filling him like a too rich dessert. No wonder Chelsea was dressed up like a heat seeking missile. She was lonely. Lonely for him and their marriage. "We'll go out more," he promised.
Chelsea snuggled up next to him and for a moment Peter remembered why he loved his wife. Chelsea was comfortable and safe. Mavis was exciting and dangerous. While excitement and danger might be fun for awhile, Peter knew that in his heart of hearts he preferred comfort all the way. "I love you, Chelsea," he said as they pulled into the Schuyler Square Country Club's parking lot. "Let's make tonight special."
Chelsea squeezed his arm in response. "It's going to be special," she replied. "I can feel it in my bones."
No comments:
Post a Comment