Days of Our Wives

2:31 a.m. Sasha let her own eyes rest and soothe. She neither knew nor cared a great deal what time it was, nor how long passed before she opened them again. But when she did, she saw something that astonished her.

Gasp. "Omigod...omigod!" She didn't want to lose sight of it, but also didn't want her wife to miss it. She flipped her gaze back and forth, taking Hailey by the arm and shaking her.

"Honey! Sweetie! Wake up!"

Jolted awake, Hailey gasped herself.

"Where am I?? What's happening??" She reached for her eyeshades.

"Baby, look! Look! You gotta see this!"

Hailey pulled down the shades and pawed at her eyes, trying to focus.

"...What?"

It was not a "What?" that asked what Sasha wanted her to see. It was a "What?" that wanted to know what on Earth was going on. And if there was a mountainside hurtling towards them at five hundred miles an hour. Sasha insistently tugged at her arm.

"Look! Look at the moon! It's huge! I've never seen it that big or that close before!"

Hailey blinked a dozen and a half times in succession, gaping otherwise motionlessly.

"...Huh??"

"Th—...the moon, Hailey, the moon! Look! It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life!"

Hailey took a few disinterested glances, to merely see what would make Sasha rouse her from such a serene slumber. Seeing nothing extraordinarily amazing, she disconcertedly stared.

"...Sasha...I was sleeping."

Sasha continued alternating glances, half-gesturing out the window.

"W—...I-I know, honey, but...darlin', we're on vacation. You can sleep as late as you want. In...in fact, it's better than a vacation. It's our honeymoon! L—see? Look, honey: moon!" she pointed with a giggle.

Hailey said nothing. Sasha paused, then went on.

"...And-and how many times do you ever even get a chance to see something like this?? I'm...I'm sorry I woke you up, but...how could I let you miss it? It's incredible!"

Hailey didn't quite see it this way. Literally. Her drowsy stare darkened to a scowl.

"So take a picture, it'll last longer. Besides...

"...There's nothing there."

With this, she sighed in frustration, slumped against the seat, replaced her eyeshades, and waited to fall back asleep. To her left, a now also disenchanted Sasha gazed at her, frankly disappointed. And a bit disoriented. It certainly wasn't the first time Hailey'd gotten peeved at her, and she knew Hailey wasn't crazy about being woken up, but...she guessed she still just didn't expect this kind of reaction. Hailey...hadn't forgotten they were married now, had she? Sasha thought her wife was as happy as she. Whether conscious, asleep, or subject to friendly awakening. But furthermore...

Sasha wanted so dearly to share all the things she loved with Hailey. And truthfully, she'd always been somehow...enamored, of the moon. Perhaps she was part wolf. But when she was a little girl and knew no better, she honestly, legitimately believed that the moon actually was made of honey. Perhaps she was part bear. Loved ones teased her, facetiously explaining that she was mistaken—that it was not in fact honey; it was cheese. But little Sasha was stubborn, and refused to let anyone tell her different. She was not even cognizant of that short post-marriage epoch of leisure, luxury and lovemaking. She merely chalked it up to a grand coincidence.

Yet here this mystic twilight, thirty thousand feet above the Earth, sitting beside the woman to whom she'd just pledged everlasting love, devotion and loyalty, Sasha Pleshette-Lockwood felt abruptly...sad. Deflated. Let down. Not even by Hailey, but somehow...by herself. She couldn't explain it. As if by waking Hailey up, innocently wanting them to share this magic moment, she'd instead tarnished it. Was she..."supposed" to keep certain such experiences to herself? The thought made her want to cry. And if so, which...

She suddenly felt very tired. Maybe she should join Hailey outside of consciousness. Maybe things would look clearer in the morning. She supposed the important thing was that they were married, and on the way to their honeymoon. She should just be happy about this. And she was. She soothed her eyes again. Then she opened them and turned back to the window.

The moon was gone.

*****

Day 1,198 — casa de Lockwood, Juniper, Minnesota: Gay Tripper

Thursday, October 7th, 2004, 6:14 p.m.

Hailey returned home after another decently demanding day at the office. It had been a tough struggle, but she'd worked her way to the corporate peak. She'd earlier the same year become a chief executive at J.D. & Associates. Three years back, when they'd married and moved into their beautiful split-storied house, Hailey was concerned its financial toll would be too much. Though Sasha the artist hosted her own semi-frequent showings and sold the occasional piece for pretty pennies, she didn't take home a steady paycheck. And while her promotion was a big relief, Hailey needed a bit of overtime to meet their financial obligations. But despite that minor lunar hiccup on the plane, the Lockwoods' honeymoon had gone splendidly. Hailey was one happy chick married to her dream chick. And she loved Sasha way too much to kill her dream and make her get a "real" job.

There was, however, Sasha's other personal "investment" of sorts, which Hailey felt was less than necessary.

"Oh!..." Hailey removed her shoes, tossed her purse on the couch, and started out of her business suit and ascot. She stripped down to just her undershirt, bra and boxer shorts, which she liked to alternate with panties. She was tired, felt quite frankly like a nap, and wouldn't mind having Sasha there to snuggle her. Even if Sasha wasn't sleepy. She could lie in her nightie, quietly watch TV and be Hailey's cuddle bunny. Ideally, she'd be there already. And though she couldn't and didn't expect it, Hailey peeked in the bedroom. No...no Sashas here, belonging to her or anyone else. She turned around.

"Honey?" she called out loud.

She turned things over to silence and listened extra hard. After a moment she heard the faint buzz of bass and drums coming from Sasha's studio. Hailey retraced her steps, altered route and headed back. When she stepped into the doorway, she saw something she didn't remember ever seeing before. She was tired, but this still seemed new.

6:21 p.m. Poppy jazz played from the stereo at moderate volume. Across the partially windowed and skylit studio was an array of easels, canvases, supplies, machines, shelves, books, both original and purchased pieces, and the random odd or end that had found its way in. But the spectacle which captured Hailey's eyes was a completely naked Sasha—flesh speckled here and there with paint—prancing back and forth across the floor, ballet dancing. For just a second, Hailey was unsure what was going on. But one glance to the active easel's end table, and she had her answer. There it was, Sasha's little friend. Her second wife, as it were: "Lucy."

"...S-Sasha?"

Sasha abruptly ceased dancing. She held a stationary pose, quite remarkably considering her condition. She looked to the skylight.

"God??"

Ho boy... Hailey approached as Sasha exclaimed with awe.

"Holy fuck...God's talking to me..."

"No...no no..." Hailey took her arms. "Babe? Look at me. This way, c'mon. Both eyes. Bo—sweetie? No no no, over here. Here I am."

"Hailey, please!" said Sasha. "You are interrupting my conversation with God!"

"No, no...honey, l—focus. Look at me. It's me, sweetheart. Your wife."

"Holy fuck...God's my wife..."

Hailey let her eyes obligatorily roll.

"Baby, listen. You're, tripping. Okay? You're angel dusted. Now, I need you t—honey? Honey. Try, to calm, down, and talk to me."

This became increasingly more difficult for Hailey every time Sasha LSD'd herself up. Sasha gaped, seeing twelve Haileys blend and melt into each other. Everything her wife just said penetrated Sasha's ears at super-slow motion. She abruptly burst out laughing.

Hailey facepalmed and shook her head. She calculated Sasha hadn't begun the trip so long before, and only with her usual one or two hits. Otherwise she'd be freaking the hell out by now. At least she exercised moderation. Hailey couldn't say she didn't know what she was getting into marrying Sasha. Back in the mid-'90s when they got together, it was actually kind of fun. Hailey wouldn't do acid herself, and Sasha was too mellow to make her. The trip was light—not too intense—and the way Sasha acted bizarrely amusing. She certainly didn't pal around with Lucy all the time—mostly just when she either had nothing else to do, or felt artistically blocked and needed some inspiration. The two were not always mutually exclusive. At times Hailey'd come home to find her sprawled on her back making snowless angels, or on her belly thinking she was swimming. The novelty didn't take long to wear off. Inevitably Sasha'd become petrified of everything and panic, compelling Hailey to "rescue" her and make her feel safe again. Hailey liked the idea of Sasha needing her, but wasn't crazy about the coercion to protect her from invisible monsters.

There was one way to sober the girl up a bit, and luckily it was a pleasant way. Hailey took Sasha's jaws in her hands and kissed her. Good, long and sweet. Sasha let her eyes flutter closed and saw two pinwheels spiraling in opposite directions. Her exposed nipples stiffened a bit. Hailey eventually released her from the liplock.

"...Whoa," Sasha groaned in vertigo. "...Harsh."

This merely meant the acid trip was being harshed. They'd found out early on when Sasha kissed Hailey, and soon after floated down from the high. That first rush was very mellow and benign, and so proportionately, a wilder high would demand a wilder kiss. Or a giant psychedelic orgasm. If both were in the mood, this was fine. But after a long day at the office, coming home unawares to find Sasha having an "affair" with Lucy, the white lightning wife, didn't exactly set Hailey's libido on fire. She supposed she'd admit to slight intrigue in seeing Sasha stark naked in her studio. She could hypothetically do any naughty thing she wanted to Sasha's body. But while Sasha's reactions were unpredictable, she refrained. Hailey just held her and stroked her hair.

"Baby? Sweetheart? Listen, why don't we just go to bed. Huh? It'll be nice. We can snuggle, and you'll already be safe and sound in my arms, so you won't get so freaked later on."

Sasha waved a hand. "Wait! Wait. Not yet. I want you to..."

Her speech trailed off as her eye caught sight of her hand. She studied it with wild wide eyes.

"WHOOOOA...fuckin' A..."

Hailey took the hand and returned it to her side.

"Hon, y—...hon?" Kiss. "Focus. What is it? You were about to say you wanted me to do something. What did you want me to do?"

Sasha nodded. "I want you to see my painting! Look!" She turned around to gesture to the canvas. Hailey looked.

"...Okay, sweetie?...That's blank. ...There's nothing there."

"You're crazy!" Sasha gushed. "Look at it! It's brilliant! I'm a genius! Look at those colors! I have never created colors like this before! No one has! I'm gonna be famous! Hailey, we're gonna be rich. Filthy, stinkin', mother-'finkin'' rich."

Hailey sighed, looking down at the floor. These moments made her so sad. She had to alter her strategy.

"Oh honey, I...you-you're right. I see it now. You are a genius. You're a truly gifted artist. The art community would be lost without you. You'll exhibit it in your next showing. But for now, you're very sleepy, and you wanna come to bed with me."

"Oh no, but I can't stop now!" insisted Sasha. "I'm hot! I'm on a roll! Look at it, it's...oh my god, I'm so good it's painting itself! Hailey darling, this is gonna be huge."

Hailey repositioned herself to stand between Sasha and the blank canvas.

"No no no, baby, but you see, you have to stop now, don'tcha know.

"Because, you're a kite."

"...Whaaaaat?"

"That's right, sweetie! A kite! Look! Look around! Don't you see all the other kites? Look. They're waving at you. See them?"

Sasha looked around. She gasped.

"...Sweet mother-fuck! Hailey, they've waving at me!"

"They are! They are. Now wave back."

Sasha obeyed.

"Good girl! Okay, now sweetie? The wind's dying down now. See the kites? They're floating to the ground. You see them?"

"Oh, the poor kites!"

"But it's okay! Sasha, it's all right! We can fly with the kites another day! But right now we're floating down too. We have to say goodbye to the kites now."

"But I don't wanna!"

"I know you don't. But it'll be all right. We'll play with the kites tomorrow. But we have to go to bed right now. Come on, sweetheart. You're gonna have to wave goodbye."

Sasha slowly tilted her head, looking up at an indeterminable angle. She reached out a hand...and reluctantly waved.

"'At's my girl." Kiss. "Come with me, honey. We'll go to bed, and we'll have nice cuddle times, and you'll be safe and sound."

"...But I'm not sleepy."

Hailey leaned in, and gingerly whispered in her ear.

"Yes, you are."

Sasha tilted her head again. Suddenly, she did feel sleepy.

She let Hailey take her to bed.

*****

Day 2,557 — five thousand feet above Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Mistakes On A Plane

Friday, June 27th, 2008, 6:12 p.m. (U.S. Central Standard Time)

"Ah...another trip to the Apple."

"I know. This is one of my favorite times of the year. And thanks to my raise last fall and your sale during that last showing, we can have our 'Pride-iversary' in New York, and also take a vacation anywhere we want."

"I would go anyplace in the universe with you, Hailey Comet."

"I love you so much, Sashie baby."

"You're the Big Apple of my eye. You are the lady of my life. You're the queen of my heart. And my soul. And my naughty parts."

"Hee hee...gotta love a gal who knows how to keep the romance alive."

"No kidding, Hailey, I really do love you so much too...I can't imagine my life without you. Happy Anniversary, darlin'."

"Happy Anniversary, sweetheart."

6:26 p.m. "Sasha...

"...If I died, would you ever get married again?"

"...Wwwwwhat're you talking ab—...you're...wait, you're not, like, sick or anything, are ya? Is there something I should know here?"

"No no, sweetie, not at all. It's just that when you said you couldn't imagine your life without me, it made me realize that I never considered how my life would be without you in it. And to be honest with you, I don't want to. I suppose it's always been just too painful a thought. But then I couldn't help but wonder if you ever thought about it. I guess curiosity got the better of me."

"...If...if I've ever thought about it?"

"Well, yes."

Sigh. "Hailey, I...really don't wanna talk about this on our anniversary."

"I understand that. It's just that I feel it's important to know where we both stand. I mean, I know we're still young, but...life's just so short, Sasha. It's something we'll kinda have to think about one day. And along with that, marriage is a big deal. California just legalized same-sex marriage, and it's still only legal in one or two other states. Remember how much we wanted to get married, and how happy we were when we were able to go to Canada and do it?"

"...I'm having trouble seeing your point, Hailey."

"I'm sorry, honey. It's just that...you're my wife. You mean so much to me...I guess I wanna know that I mean that much to you too."

"Well, I thought that'd be clear from everything I've done for you in the last thirteen years! The love letters and poems I wrote you, that portrait I painted of you for your birthday that one year, all the Christmas and Valentine's presents, the times I took you out to dinner and movies and...wherever else...and lest we somehow forget, my dozens of 'X's, 'O's and 'F's: hugs, kisses and boinks!"

"Shh—...there's no need to get worked up. I just...Sasha, you...you know my folks. They love you almost as much as I do. Tell you the truth, there've been times I've felt like they love you more than they love me. My brother and sister're successful, self-sufficient, married, and one hundred percent straight. I'm only three of those things. And my folks've never exactly been wild about having a gay kid. But honestly, the marriage is most important to them. And now that the rest of the world's finally waking up and starting to recognize gay marriage, it's made my parents realize that we have...y'know, options."

"...'Options'?"

"Well, I mean, you know, just on the off chance something should...happen, between us. Heaven forbid. I-I certainly don't want it to, of course, but...well, Mother and Father have always taught me to believe in being prepared."

"Oh, well isn't that lovely. You have your own little faith. And it's predicated on us being widowed or divorced. Brilliant!"

"N—Sasha, I didn't say that. The last thing I'd ever want's to be without you. I just..."

"You just want a contingency plan."

"...I...well—"

"What a nice thing to hear my wife say on our seventh anniversary! Hey Hailey, as long as you're betting against us, why don't we get ourselves a lawyer and sign a post-nup??"

"D—Sasha, that is not fair! I-I didn't mean that at all! May—..." Sigh. "Maybe bringing this up was a bad idea."

"Golly fuckin' gee, ya think??"

"Maybe we should stop talking about this."

"Maybe we should stop talking altogether."

"Sasha, some things in life require a plan. Sensible steps, logical thinking. You can't just wing it all the time."

"Hailey...why don't you take one of your precious naps. I need a little quiet time right now."

6:56 p.m. "Your attention, please, ladies and gentlemen, your captain speaking. Supper will be served shortly. Please advise your attendants which dish you would like."

"...Okay, Sasha? You haven't uttered a word to me in fifteen minutes. Would you please say something??"

"I'm reading. Talk to the paw."

"Excuse me?"

"Why, did I stutter or d'you rip one."

"...Sasha, why're you being like this?"

"Hailey, if you seriously don't know, I am so not gonna tell you."

"...All right, look, Sasha, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm really sorry."

"Well, I'm sorry, Hailey. But no; not okay. Apology not accepted."

"Well, why on Earth not??"

"Because, your apology is not a real apology, Hailey. It's a typical 'my wife's pissy and I don't want her to be, so I'm gonna offer up a hollow apology to try and mollify things so hopefully this fight'll be over' apology. Not an 'I understand I made a mistake and I genuinely regret it and really am sorry' apology. You don't even know why I'm upset!"

"I would if you'd just tell me!"

"Hailey..." Sigh. "...You just don't get it. Your parents're concerned with status and success. And it's like they've...psychologically detached you from basic sensitivity, and from your wife's feelings. I dunno when that happened, but here's a little tip, dear: only a crazy spouse asks if you'd ever get married again if they died. First of all, there's no possible way I could answer that—even if I wanted to. Second, this is our anniversary. We are happily married—at least I thought we were—and happily married young couples are supposed to celebrate their life together. Not death. Why...why would you even..." Grumble.