“I did answer you. I said it doesn't matter.”
“It does matter. It matters to me.”
“Yes Randa, I do love you. And maybe that why it’s so hard for me to talk to you. Why I haven't moved on from this. Maybe once it's over I can finally put you and all this behind me.” Marcus took a drag and blew the smoke out.
“What's that I hear? Are you smoking again?”
“Yes,” he said, blowing the smoke into the phone to be sure she heard it.
“When did this happen? You were doing so well.”
“I started, let me see, - - - I started smoking a little more than a year ago. I believe it was the day that I came home and found my wife pulling her hair out, riding another man’s dick,” Marcus said calmly.
“I guess I deserved that,” Randa said quietly. She knew she was fighting a losing battle so she decided a change of tactic was in order. “Are you seeing anybody now?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I'm just asking. But I know you’re not seeing anybody seriously.”
“How do you know that?”
“Maybe I have a spy in your office.”
“Well we both know who that is. Ms. Tiffanie Powers, Attorney At Law and she'll be fired in the morning.”
“You're not really gonna fire Tiff? Are you?”
“Watch me.”
“That still doesn't answer my question.”
“Okay, since you seem to already know, I have somebody I see every now and then.”
“Every now and then? As much as you love doing it, Marcus. I know every now and then ain't cuttin' it.”
“I believe that falls under the heading of my business. You gave up your rights to caring how much I’m getting a long time ago.”
“Well, I'm not seeing anybody regular either. I tried to date for a while, but I realized that it wasn't what I really wanted. What I want is my husband back.”
“Well Randa, you're old enough for your wants to hurt you.”
“And it does hurt me, Marcus. Every morning I wake up and you're not beside me, it hurts. Every morning I wake up and I can't make love to you, it hurts me. And I know that I have nobody to blame but myself.”
“That's the first bit of truth I've heard from you tonight.”
“No it's not. I was telling the truth when I said I love you.”
Marcus returned her comment with silence.
“Marcus I love you and you love me. That's some place for us to start. And maybe with time we can put this behind us. Go back to being happy. Get back to the way things used to be. Do you remember how good it was between us?”
“Yes,” Marcus replied, remembering how good Randa made him feel sexually.
“How we use to make love every morning?” Randa said tempting Marcus. “And twice before bedtime?”
“I remember, Randa. Which reminds me, how could you fuck another man in the same bed we just made love in? Did you at least have the decency to change the sheets?”
This time it was Randa who answered with silence.