Do You Take This Woman? by RM Johnson

Author:RM Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2006-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

35

Pete sat at his dining room table, wearing a white shirt, black tie, and a brown suit. He was flipping through the pages of a yellow legal pad, checking his notes from the last day or so.

There were lines and lines, some words scratched out, some traced over to signify importance, others underlined.

These were his thoughts about what was supposed to happen between his best friend and his wife. The events that would be allowed to take place, and things that would be off limits, out of the fucking question during their short time together.

Carla was in the kitchen. He had not spoken to her much since arriving home, and she hadn’t pushed him to speak to her. Pete was sure that she sensed the conflict he was going through. He glanced at his watch, saw that it was five minutes to eight, just about time for Wayne to be there.

Pete pulled out the three copies of the contract that he had drawn up. He checked it for the fourth time against all his notes, making sure that he had not left anything out.

The words oral sex caught his eye. He fixated on them a moment, blocked the image that was beating at his mind, then dropped his head into his hand, and asked himself what in the hell they were doing. Did Carla really think he’d be able to go through with this?

Just then, he heard his wife say, “Are you all right?”

Pete looked up and saw Carla standing in the kitchen doorway. How he loved her. Pete realized that was the reason he was actually going through with this, because she had said it was the only way they could set things right, which was all he wanted.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Do you want anything? Something to drink?”

“No. Wayne should be here any moment, so—”

And then the doorbell rang.

“That should be him,” Pete said.

Carla walked to the door. Pete looked down at the contract.

Pete heard Wayne greeting his wife, Carla welcoming him. He lifted his head to see the two hug. He paid close attention to them as he stood up from his chair and walked across the living room to greet Wayne.

They shook hands. “I didn’t know I was attending a funeral,” Wayne said, grabbing the bottom of the tie that Pete was wearing. “I feel underdressed. What’s the deal?”

“No deal,” Pete said. “This just feels appropriate, that’s all. Now if you don’t mind, I would really like to get right to this,” he said, walking back toward the dining room table. He pulled out the chair at the head, and waited for Wayne and Carla to sit down on either side of him.

Pete picked up the papers. “There is a list and a contract,” he said. “It covers everything that’s going to happen, and what’s not going to happen. I made a copy of the contract for each of us, and at the bottom is where each of us will sign to acknowledge that we accept what is written here.

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