The Wives

"Had a good day?"

"Yes we did, how were the kids?"

"The kids were good, where're your sisters?"

"Checking in on the kids."

"Good come in and close the door." She closed and locked the door; this way if one of the others came up here they'd know we weren't to be disturbed.

I sat back in my chair and studied her as she stood in front of my desk, I didn't want this to disintegrate into a screaming match where nothing got resolved and she walked away feeling helpless, so I had to choose my words carefully.

"Now that we're both calm you want to tell me what happened yesterday?"

She folded her arms and set her mouth mutinously, not this shit again.

"Babe seriously that stance you're about to take is only going to get you fucked and not in a good way, lose the atti and tell your man what the fuck is wrong, I can't fix shit if I don't know shit."

"I don't know what's wrong, I was talking to mom and..."

"Stop right there, how many times have we had this conversation? How many times have we come to the same conclusion? What your mother thinks is not conducive to this family, anyone who's only going to spread hate and venom can't be too fucking sane so why in the fuck you'd want to listen to that shit is beyond me."

"But she does have a point Bradley, I mean how do I know that you're not going to wake up one day and decide that you'd rather just be with one of the others? I mean they're both younger and prettier than I am so I'm pretty sure I'll lose there."

"Babe are you fucking shitting me right now? You can't be serious, what the fuck?"

"These things happen all the time in conventional marriages so I don't see the big leap."

I'm not sure who I was taking to right now so I thought it best to hold my peace and let her get all of her shit out before I tore her a new one.

"Go on, I'm listening."

She paced back and forth arms folded, as she too seemed to be choosing her words carefully.

When she finally turned to face me she seemed to have her shit together in her head.

"I think I need to have more of a say in certain things."

"Like what per se?"

My tone in no way gave away the fact that I wanted to strangle her ass for being stupid, either her crazy fuck mother had done a real number on her or she'd finally lost it.

"I don't know, like expenditures for one I mean somebody has to rein it in, if you're going to be buying quarter of a million dollar bracelets every month for Anna and twenty thousand dollar ATVs for Marcy then I think someone with a steady head should be overseeing things."

"And you think you're more qualified than I am, me who amassed millions while still in college and went on to turn those millions into billions? Carry on."

I could see my little interruption had stumped her but she was nothing if not tenacious.

"Well that's different, it seems that when it comes to your women you lose all sense and I'm afraid that one day it's going to land us in trouble, I'm only thinking of the children here."

"Anything else bothering you sweetheart?"

"No I think that's about it for now."

"Okay first, you've lost your fucking mind plain and simple, I thought you'd had enough time last night and this morning to see how skewed your thinking was but I was wrong, you've gone around the fucking bend if you think I'll let you control what I do or don't do for my wives. I noticed you don't mention the shit I've bought you in that lineup and since I'm not as fucked in the head as you seem to be I'm not going to throw that shit in your face. I had no idea you were this selfish Jan, you're keeping tabs on what I buy your sisters now? We have to keep a tally? Fuck that, my money my wives I'll do what the fuck I want there, as for you looking out for my kids' implying that I'm not, I find that shit not only fuck stupid but insulting."

She wasn't looking so full of herself anymore, she had to have known that I was going to shoot her ass down I mean seriously did she not know me at all?

"Why can't you understand my point?"

"Because you don't have one you're talking out of Elizabeth's ass, you have never gone without since you've been mine, not once, name one thing you wanted that I denied you, tell me what's missing in my kids' lives, go on tell me."

"I don't know how to make you understand..."

"Talk plainly, don't beat around the bush just say whatever the fuck it is you have to say and maybe then I'll understand because that shit right there that you're feeding me is pure bullshit."