Married Men (2 page)
Authors: Carl Weber
Jay turned to his friend Kyle, who was stepping out of the limo.
“Well, we’re here. You sure you wanna go through with this?” He motioned toward the two women who were halfway down the block now, the sway of their hips still enticing, even from a distance. “Mmm, mmm, mmm, look at the ass on the one on the right.”
Kyle, a short deep-chocolate brother with Caribbean features and a handsome smile, was visibly nervous about getting married. He didn’t answer his friend, although he did turn his slim, muscular body in the direction of the woman, trying to appear nonchalant as he checked out her behind. Jay smirked as he busted his friend sneaking a peek. He and Kyle had both been ladies’ men for years, and Jay was relieved to see he hadn’t lost his friend completely, even on the day of his wedding. Jay was the only one of Kyle’s friends who was upset about his upcoming marriage. As far as he was concerned, he was losing his partner in crime.
“Cut that shit out, Jay! You know he’s gonna go through with it.” Wil Duncan, a thick, light-skinned man with a round, shaved head, chastised Jay as he stepped out of the limo. Wil was almost six feet tall himself, and damn near twice the size of Jay. He was Kyle’s best man, and clearly in favor of his friend getting married.
Wil smiled as he stood in front of his friend and straightened his tie. “You aw’ight, Kyle?”
“Yeah, I’m cool.” Kyle nodded breaking his nervous trance. He turned to see what was keeping his third friend, Allen, who had yet to step out of the limo. “Al, what the hell are you doin’ in there?”
Allen Jackson, a slim, cocoa-colored man with a narrow face and a fade haircut, stepped out of the limo with a bottle of champagne and a glass. He poured himsclf some champagne as his eyes traveled from Wil, to Jay, to Kyle.
“Why y’all staring at me like that? You didn’t think I was gonna let a good bottle of champagne go to waste, did you?” He sipped contentedly. “Ahhhh!”
“Put the damn champagne back in the limo.” Kyle slapped Allen in the back of the head. “You can be so stupid sometimes, Al. Can’t you see we’re going into a church?”
Allen guzzled down what was left in his glass and handed the bottle to the driver. “Yo, chief, keep this cold for me.”
The driver nodded his head as he closed the car door.
Turning his attention to the church steps he was about to ascend, Kyle sighed. His insides were churning with nervous energy. Marriage was a big step, and he hadn’t slept a wink all night thinking about it. He wondered how anyone ever knew if they were truly making the right choice. He was in love with Lisa, there was no question about that. But would that be enough to make their marriage last?
He was the first of his friends to get married. Maybe it would have been more comforting if one of them had gone before him and shown him that it can work. He glanced at Wil, who was getting married himself in a year, and then at Jay, who had sworn he would never commit to marriage. This was the moment of truth. He had to either climb the stairs to the church, or turn around and get in the limo to ride out of the life of the woman he loved.
“Well, guys,” he finally announced with confidence, “let’s go get me married.”
Jay put his hand in front of Kyle, blocking him on the first step. “You can still back out if you wanna. We could jump in that limo and be in Atlantic City in two hours.”
“As tempting as that might be right now Jay, I’m gonna have to pass.” Kyle pushed Jay’s hand out of his way. “I know you don’t understand what Lisa and I have. That’s because you’ve never been in love before. All I can tell you is that I can’t see living my life without her.”
“Aw‘ight, man, I ain’t no playa-hater. Hell, I’m a participator. I just hope you know what you doin’.”
“So do I. Now get out of my way before I change my mind.” Kyle laughed as he walked up the stairs to the church.
“Kyle,” Jay called to him.
“Yeah?” Kyle turned toward his friend.
“I’m happy for you, brotha. I don’t know why, but I’m happy for you.” Jay smiled.
Kyle nodded and headed to the church entrance. When he rang the rectory bell, Father Smith soon greeted him and his friends.
“Well, I see you didn’t get cold feet,” Father Smith laughed as he led them down a small, narrow hallway into an equally tiny room. “You boys have a seat. We’ve got some time before we’re gonna get started.”
Kyle and Allen sat on the only two chairs in the room. Jay and Wil leaned against a table, facing their nearly wedded friend, who still had “nervous” written all over his face.
“Ya know, Kyle, I’m happy for you, bro,” Wil said with folded arms. “Lisa’s a good woman, and she really loves you, man.”
“Thanks, Wil. That means a lot coming from you.” Kyle had always respected the advice of Wil, who was usually the most levelheaded of the group.
“I feel sorry for your partner in crime over there.” Allen joined their conversation, gesturing toward Jay. “You gonna be aw‘ight chasin’ women by yourself, Jay?”
“Man, I been runnin’ solo ever since he met Lisa’s ass. The boy’s pussy whipped!” Jay sucked his teeth.
“Come on, Jay, we in church, man.” Kyle shot him a dirty look.
“So you guys gonna try ta have kids right away or what?” Wil changed the subject.
Kyle grinned. “The minute we get on that cruise, I’m tossing her diaphragm overboard.” They all laughed. Even Jay couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a Kyle Junior, running around.
“Ya know the one thing I want when I get married? I want all of our kids to be close like we are,” Jay said.
“Amen to that,” Kyle agreed.
“I still can’t believe you’re getting married,” Allen said sadly.
“Damn, Al! You act like I’m dying or somethin’.”
Jay laughed at that one.
“Nah, it’s not like that. I just never imagined you or Jay settling down.”
“That’s true. I never thought either of you would get married” Wil agreed.
“Hey, man, I’m twenty-seven. I can’t be a player all my life,” Kyle reasoned.
“Speak for yourself.” Jay stepped away from the table and puffed out his chest. “I’ma be a player till I die.”
“Truth is, 1 shoulda been the first one to get married.” Allen had a distant look in his eyes. “I shoulda married Cinnamon when I had the chance.”
“Yeah, you shoulda,” Wil stated matter-of-factly.
“She wasn’t gonna marry ya ass, Al.” Kyle stood and started pacing.
“Why the hell not?” Allen asked.
“ ’Cause your ass ain’t got no job, that’s why.” Kyle laughed, stopping in front of Allen. “Who the hell’s gonna marry a brotha with no job?”
“I can get a job anytime I want to.”
“Yeah, right!” Jay laughed. “Last job you had was two years ago, and you quit two months later.”
“That’s ’cause school was about to start again,” Allen protested.
Wil sat down next to Allen and faced him. “Allen, you been going to school eight years. When the hell you gonna . get a degree?”
They all burst out laughing at that one.
Allen lowered his head. He knew his friends were joking, but he wished he had an answer for them.
“Ahem!” Father Smith interrupted them. “The bride’s just pulled up to the church.”
“Okay, Father Smith,” Kyle nodded, “can we just have a minute?”
“Sure, son.” The priest walked out, closing the door behind him.
Kyle placed one arm around Allen and the other around Jay. Jay put his arm around Wil, and the four friends pulled together into a tight circle. They were silent for a moment until Kyle spoke to his lifelong buddies.
“I want you all to know I love you. We’ve been best friends since the fifth grade and better friends a man has never had. You three have always been there for me, and I wanna thank you for that. Lisa may have my heart, but it’s you guys that built it. I love you.”
“We love you too, Kyle,” Jay said for the three of them. “Come on. It’s time to go get you a wife.”
Seven years later
1
Kyle
My wife Lisa pulled our Ford Windstar minivan in front of the Jamaica train station and leaned toward me for a kiss. The scent of her White Diamonds perfume reminded me of the incredible night of passion we’d shared last night. Lisa had started the night by seducing me with a black Victoria’s Secret negligee with a matching thong that would have made a gay man straight. She knows how much it turns me on to see her in some lingerie, and last night not only was she wearing the hell out of that see-through number, she was an animal in the bed.
We didn’t have that usual don’t-make-any-noise-so-the-kids-won’ t-hear-us sex. Nooo, not by a long shot. Last night was one of those pre-kids nights. The kind of night when neither of us cares about who’s listening. Things got so out of hand, round two wasn’t a possibility but a necessity. That was the kind of night that reminded me why I fell in love with her in the first place. Not the sex, but the passion and desire we had for each other.
Just remembering the night’s passion was starting to make my nature rise as we sat in the minivan with our kids in the back seat. I was supposed to be getting on a train to meet my boys for the first game of the over-thirty basketball league. But I swear, if this game wasn’t so important to Jay, I would have had Lisa turn the van around, stop at Blockbuster for a video for the kids, and tried my best to reenact every damn minute of the night before. Of course, I knew I couldn’t because the last thing I wanted to do was listen to Jay’s mouth about how I let him down. After twenty-five years of friendship, I knew him well enough to know that he would never let me forget it if I missed the game.
I shook the memory of passion out of my mind and turned my attention to the back seat, where my three daughters sat smiling at me.
“Bye, girls, I love you.” I smiled.
“Bye, Daddiiee!” they replied in unison, blowing kisses tome.
“I’ll call you later, Hun.” I kissed my wife again.
“Do you want me to pick you up tonight, Kyle?”
“Naw, it’s aw’ight. Allen’s going to Rose’s tonight. I’ll catch a ride with him.”
“Okay, babe. I love you.” Lisa smiled.
“I love you too.” I smiled back, stepping out of the van.
“Kyle!”
“Yeah, Hun?” I turned and spoke to her through the open window of the passenger side.
“Last night was wonderful. Let’s do it again tonight,” she winked.
I smiled as she pulled off. I didn’t tell her often enough, but I really loved my wife. It was times like these that reminded me just how much.
As I watched Lisa pull away in the van, I thought about our life together. I’d fallen for her the day we’d met eight years ago, and she’d made me the happiest man in the world when she agreed to marry me a year later. We’d struggled the first few years when I maxed out the credit cards and used all our savings to buy a struggling African-American beauty supply business. The bill collectors were calling on practically a daily basis, harassing her whenever she answered the phone. Lisa had actually packed her bags to leave me, the stress had been so bad at one point. The truth is, if it wasn’t for our first daughter, I would have let her go. Our relationship was so strained because of money, there were more than a few nights I didn’t want to come home. I didn’t want to face the dirty looks and the arguing. She just didn’t get it. We were going to have to struggle a little in the beginning if we were going to have a successful business. Lisa didn’t seem willing to struggle with me, and at times I resented it. To be honest, I didn’t think our marriage was going to last.
But slowly and surely I turned the business into a successful chain, moving us out of our tiny Rochdale Village apartment and into a huge, five-bedroom house in the exclusive Jamaica Estates area of Queens. I’ll never forget the look on Lisa’s face as we lay together in our Jacuzzi bathtub the first night in our new home. It was the first time she’d looked truly happy in years. Not that my wife was a materialistic person, but a $500,000 house will do that to you after you’ve lived in fear of not making the rent every month. The day we moved into our own house was the day my life went back to normal and my wife became my wife again.
I checked my watch as I walked up the stairs to the Long Island Railroad. It was only 10 A.M. I had plenty of time before my train, so I took out my basketball from my duffel bag and practiced dribbling on the platform. I was on my way to Chelsea Piers in Manhattan where my friends and I would whup some ass on the basketball court against another team trying to recapture their youth.
I wasn’t a great basketball player, like my friends Jay or Wil, or even good like Allen. The truth is, I couldn’t shoot worth shit. Jay had threatened to kick my ass if I took a shot this year, but that didn’t stop him from wanting me on the team. Especially since I was the most unselfish player in the group. Combine that with the fact that I could dribble and pass with the best of them, and I made the perfect point guard.
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