This weekend, the hubby and I plan on visiting with another couple that just had twins. I'm pretty confident the visit will be very chill and wholesome with no drama or foolishness. What a relief. Back in the day, when I first moved to Las Vegas I remember a couples' night that was anything but normal.
I used to be heavily involved with a guy to whom I never should have given my number, my attention or my time. Let's call him "Sam". Nevertheless, I began a relationship with Sam and tried my best to cultivate it by engaging in various "team-building" exercises such as eating dinner at his uncle's house or going with him to score pot from a little one-armed guy with an eye patch in the hood behind Stratosphere. One night, we visited with a married couple on the other side of town. They were friends somehow of Sam's uncle and we thought it prudent to hang out with other couples who were close in age to us. We'll call this couple "Von" and "Betty". The idea was to have dinner with them, have a couple of brews and play cards or dominoes. You know, just an old fashioned hang session, despite the fact that we were living in one of the most exciting cities on earth.
Von greeted us at the door when we arrived. As any proper host would, he invited us in, made us comfortable and prepared us a drink. We asked after Betty. She wasn't home yet because she was just finishing getting her hair done at the salon. She would be back shortly. In the meantime, we would just enjoy each other's company. An hour went by before Betty arrived. She came in, barely spoke to us, gave Von a look and then immediately went to the master bedroom. We suggested a three-handed game of spades. Von excused himself to the bedroom. Sam and I looked at each other and then looked at the front door. There was going to be trouble.
Von emerged from the bedroom, all smiles, letting us know that Betty was just changing her clothes and would be out to join us in no time. We shrugged and grabbed more beer from the fridge. It's no problem. We'd wait for her before starting a game. I think Von managed one swig of his drink before going back into the bedroom. At this point, I'm pretty sure that an argument had ensued between them but I could not be sure. Either the walls of the apartment were well insulated or they were not the yelling types. A few more moments passed and Betty emerged wearing this slinky little dress that was way too cute to just sit at home in. Betty was going out and evidently without Von, Sam or me. Von followed her to the front door and asked her where she was going. Out, she replied. While putting on her shoes and grabbing a shawl, she neglected to put her cell phone in her purse. The cell phone sat on the kitchen counter. Von noticed the slip and surreptitiously covered the phone with his hand before sneaking it into his pocket. Betty left.
Sam and I stood up from the kitchen table and attempted to make a cordial exit but Von wasn't having it. He was determined to have all of us sitting around the table, Betty included, drinking beer and playing cards. We froze in our tracks while Von perused the history in his wife's cell phone. Then suddenly Von flew out of the front door, presumably in pursuit of his wife. I turned to Sam and exclaimed, "Oh shit! We gotta bounce!" Careful to leave the door unlocked, we made our way down the stairs and away from the building where we witnessed Von snatching Betty out of the driver's seat of her car before sitting in it himself.
"Where are you going, Betty? You going out? Who with? This fool that keeps calling your phone? Who is this fool calling your phone?", Von hurled at Betty.
"I don't have to tell you shit, Von. I'm going out. Don't worry about who's on my phone. Get out of my car!" Betty spat back.
Sam and I decided not to wave or say goodbye. We backed away from the scene toward our own car but kept an eye out to make sure no fisticuffs took place. A couple more statements were thrown back and forth between the couple before Von pushed Betty away from the car, closed the car door and started the engine. Meanwhile, Betty scampered back toward the car, clutched the door frame and decided to hold onto the car even as it backed out of the slanted parking spot, stopped and continued forward down the street. Those had to be at least four inch heels she was wearing but I have to admit she was keeping up pretty well running along side that car. I can just see her little legs pumping even now when I close my eyes and remember.
There was nothing else for us to do but go home at that point. We ended up not calling or visiting with Von or Betty again. We thought it would be best not do so to so for the sake of our own relationship and to spare them any embarrassment. Today, all I can do is laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. I think that night foreshadowed the things to come between Sam and I. Thank God, we're not together anymore.
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