Kate 5tupid Danny ♈
Have you ever had someone completely take the wind out of your sails?
It happens a lot with family, it happens a lot at work, it happens a lot in love.
After my last date with Leo, my wind was completely gone.
I didn’t want to do anything sexual for at least two weeks.
Vincent would just breathe, and it made me want to strangle him.
I know, I know, typical husband and wife issues.
Leo had given me a fantastic night under the stars and then dumped me, well basically dumped me. How fucking dare he? Didn’t he understand I’m the one that does the dumping? Not him! I am the one in control here! Me! He was supposed to be my plaything, not the other way around.
How dare he?! My voice repeated in my head in a funny accent.
Why are you so weird? Why does your mind constantly wander and turn everything into comedy or a universal observation about how things are cosmically interwoven?
How dare he not tell me that he was married?
! Is it hypocritical that I am married and angry that the man I was having sex with was also married?
What if he had kids too? Am I a homewrecker now?
He knew I was married from the start. What the fuck are you talking about, Kate? Get it together!
I walked to the bathroom, washing my face with cold water, looking myself in the eye as my hair looked limp and tired as I did.
Was I upset over Leo? A man I still see as we make this dumb commercial for the office?
I don’t get it. I splashed cold water on my face again.
Standing upright, I breathed in the clean scent of our bathroom.
The breath caused the soft fabric of my pajamas to rub against my skin.
The sounds of my husband in the yard as I let the feeling of the silky fabric fade from my focus.
I marched upstairs as if a child was scolded by her parents; I took a hot shower and prepared myself for an afternoon or evening out. Whatever the husband was interested in, even if he didn’t know it yet.
Two hours later, Vinny was showered and ready to go out in shorts and a superhero t-shirt.
We were such a nerdy couple, and we loved it.
He had absolutely no idea what to do, and he kept saying how tired he was from doing yard work most of the day.
However, he didn’t know that we were about to take another step in this open marriage journey, but neither did I.
We started with a great dinner at our favorite spot, and then I forced him to go with me to the same bar Leo had frequented.
“Holy shit, he took you here,” Vincent said to me quietly as we walked through the dimly lit space.
His Crocs sounded soft on the wooden floor, while my sandals, with a little heel, made a sharp clack with each step.
We found the same booth where Leo had fingered me in front of the waitress.
I hoped she wasn’t there tonight, but part of me also wanted to see her. I had no idea what I wanted.
A waitress dressed in jeans and a tank top stopped by and took our order. I was disappointed but ok that it wasn’t Stephie. The bar was dead that day, but I saw a couple of college guys playing pool. One was familiar, tall, and blonde.
”So, why did you want to come here?” Vincent asked as the waitress returned with our drinks.
”I wanted you to see it.”
“To see this dank, dark, and dirty bar? Are you sure you weren’t hoping we would run into him?” Vinny pressed.
”Hey, it has a certain charm to it.” I snapped back, not sure why. “And definitely not!”
”Yeah, and hepatitis.” Vincent was not impressed with my defense of this place.
The neon signs for different alcohols around the room, the dark and lightly smokey look of the air, plus the hardwood worn flooring - someone had pride in this old bar.
The booths were clean with comfortable padding; the place was purposefully designed to be a dive.
I imagined the owner was an older guy who would fit in with this crowd, my mind wandering to what he might look like as he walked through the space and said things like, ‘Put another neon sign here,’ and then I realized I was utterly lost in a fantasy.
Everything I thought after observing this space, was just a dream. I looked at Vinny, a minuscule smile curling the edges of my lips. “I know it’s not the best place. Please sit with me and talk to me.”
His eyes digested my face as his arm curled around me, pulling me close, my head resting on his chest. “I’m sorry you’re hurting, how can I help you move on? Do I need to take you home and ravage you?” We both laughed.
”I love you, Vinny. I do. You know I do.
This Leo guy,” I put my hands on the table for a second, grabbed my drink, and took a swig, “This Leo guy really got into my head. First, Eric made me accept that we are in this open marriage, and then Leo pushed me into a new head-space with the entire situation. He knows how to make a woman feel, well, owned.” I confessed these thoughts out loud for the first time. I was trying not to feel them at all.
”First off, I love you too. This is not a problem. I wasn’t sure how he came into our lives at all, but I think you should know something,” Vincent reached into his back pocket and pulled out a paper. “Read this.”
”Ok, but you could have picked a better place to give me something to read…”
”Just read it.” He interrupted.
”Fine… fine…” I took the paper from him and brought it closer to my face so I could see in the dim lighting.
Luckily, a neon sign not far away provided enough light for me to make out the characters.
The title and the first paragraph were printed on old yellowed paper; the rest of the message was handwritten.
Monsieur Remy Le Futur
Thank you and Merci for seeking the guidance of an authentic fortune teller.
Mes amis have sought the expert advice of the Magnifique Remy for the last 30 years. His prophecies and predictions have an unprecedented number of confirmations over those years. Monsieur is legit!
Merci, mon cher ami, Vincent, for reachin’ out to ol’ Remy for guidance.
You ‘bout to go on a journey that’s gonna change everything with your chere.
Now, some women, they got ways of growin’ and bloom’n we don’t always understand, mais c’est la vie, hein?
For your wife, looks like she ain’t had the time to fully come into her own before y’all tied the knot.
That don’t seem like a problem right now, but when folks rush into life together too quick, sometimes parts of who they are get left behind.
Don’t you worry none, though - y’all are meant to belong to each other, deep down in your bones.
Mais listen, Vincent, your love, she gotta go on this journey - more than just with you.
I see somethin’ stirrin’ in her, a kind of awakening that calls for her to make her way through the zodiac.
She’s got somethin’ pure and powerful inside her, mais ca, it needs to be unlocked.
She gotta feel a whole range of attention, one from each sign of the zodiac, for her to truly know herself - and for you to see the woman she’s meant to be.
This road ain’t gonna be easy, non, not for her, and not for you.
Her journey? It’s like the Earth, makin’ a full lap ‘round the sun.
Now heed this warning, mon ami. If you don’t stand by her on this path, you’ll lose her. And let me tell you, you ain’t never gonna feel passion like the kind you share with her again. So you better think hard ‘bout this.
After reading the prophecy, I raised my eyebrow at my husband. “What the hell is wrong with you? This isn’t normal.”
”Baby baby baby. I was downtown when I stumbled across this guy at the street fair; all of that was the week before you approached me with the offer from Eric.” Vincent said seriously.
”You’re saying you believe this silly nonsense.” I sat up, no longer leaning on my husband. Slapping the table, “What the fuck, Vinny. This is bullshit. Twelve men!? Twelve! How long is this supposed to take?”
”It says it will take about a year.”
”I know it says it will take a year! Twelve men in twelve months - that’s absolutely ridiculous!” I was so annoyed I finished my drink.
The waitress returned a moment later with refills for both of us.
”Kate, I was pissed when I first saw this stupid…
letter… or whatever it is.” He motioned to the piece of paper.
“The thought of sharing you was absolute garbage, but…” he took a drink, “…but he handed me this piece of paper when I walked in, Remy said he had just finished writing it, so I don’t know if this is a set-up or what kind of bullshit this could be, but this sure feels like it’s bigger than us. ”
Still in shock, “what are you even saying?” My mind was having trouble catching up.
”It gets crazier,” he looked at the paper, searching for something.
“I tore this up. Ripped it twice and placed it in the glove box. Then it disappeared!” It looked like he could be looking for evidence that he had torn the sheet.
“I went back to the shop and the guy, the psychic guy, he healed the paper. Not like he recycled it or just taped it together. His hand was glowing and the paper came back together… it was… it was literally magic.”
”Magic?” Slipped from my lips as the tale was surrounding my logical mind. It wasn’t making any sense.
”Yes. Magic. I know it sounds crazy.” His brown eyes seemed to glow in the dark room.
I stared at him for a second, contemplating his words. After looking around the bar for a few minutes, I grabbed his hand, kissed it, and pulled myself back under his arm. “So what do we do then? Should I start tracking everyone’s birthday to see what’s next?”
”I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t think you need to. Think about how simple it has been with Eric and Leo. They approached you. It’s almost like you’re a sticky tape, and they are flies to the slaughter.” He squeezed me in.