Give Me Pleasure Chapter 2 Part 1
CHAPTER 2 · PART ONE
Give Me Pleasure
Addison
I tugged my ponytail tighter, smoothing the band as loose strands tickled my neck. With a small, satisfied smile, I glanced at Martha and softly said, “You have just been proved wrong.”
Curious eyes stared up at me as she stretched on her mat. A brief silence lingered before she broke it, asking, “What do you mean?”
“My husband asked me on a date this morning.”
“And how does that prove anything?” she said with a tsk.
“Are you not getting it? He freaking asked me on a date with the happiest face that I had not seen in a while.”
“My husband bought me a hundred thousand dollar Tiffany necklace a week before I caught his cheating ass.”
I shook my head and moved into a downward dog pose instead. Trying to convince Martha that Ronald wasn’t cheating on me, unlike her, was a lost cause.
“Tell me something. When last did he make you feel loved?”
“Tonight,” I said smugly. “He specifically asked me to look sexy for him.”
“That’ll be such a nice thing. Your husband is finally stepping up and being a good husband,” Martha said in a not-so-nice way as she transitioned into a warrior pose.
I ignored her jab. “Why don’t you accompany me to shop for a nice dress? I don’t have anything decent, and I really want to make my husband look at me like he’s just looking at me for the first time.”
She nodded. “I hope things go well.”
There was a flicker of hope in her voice, and moments like this made me realize that maybe one day Martha would return to the person she used to be.
“It will, for sure.”
Something inside me twisted. Was it nerves or instinct? I took a deep breath and blew it out, hoping the fear would leave with it.
Thankfully, the yoga instructor called for our attention, and training commenced. An hour later, my body was sore, but I felt good.
“Reckon we grab dinner before going shopping?” she asked.
I nodded. It turned out I was famished.
The restaurant closest to the yoga studio was where Ronald and I first met twenty years ago. He was a regular. I was a part-timer.
I used to think love at first sight was a made-up concept, but it happened to me.
“The new waitress over there looks like a gold-digger slash dominatrix,” Martha said, tipping her head toward a blonde woman behind the counter.
“Why would you say such a thing?” I laughed.
“She has the look. See the boobs she just had done?”
“Judging people based on their looks is nasty.”
“I judge,” she shrugged.
The waitress approached with a bright smile. “What can I get for you two?”
We ordered grilled chicken wraps with avocado kale, baked sweet potato fries, and sparkling water.
“See? You were wrong. She’s a nice girl,” I whispered.
Martha didn’t answer.
Silence stretched between us as her face grew pale, fingers fidgeting with her purse.
There was absolutely something she wasn’t telling me.