Kristy McKenzie

"Oh, don't worry about that; I'll pick it up." She casually commented.

"When?"

"Oh, you got jokes, right?" Kristy picked up an errant plastic bag despite herself and started picking up the living room. I stood back watching as her butt peeked out from under the towel. She glanced back noticing me looking but didn't say anything. Embarrassed, I went to the kitchen opening the fridge as Kristy appeared at the edge of the counter.

"Hey?"

"What?" I tossed some spoiled takeout and an empty carton of orange juice in the trash.

"There's like a little pub two doors over; have a drink with me." I noticed this earnest look on her face that took me back a step.

"Sure."

True enough, two doors over there was a hole in the wall tavern filled with all the seedy kinds of people any straight laced square like myself would expect to find in a place like that. We sidled up to the bar taking over the far corner from the door beginning the first of what would become several drinks. Kristy was wearing a Von Dutch wifebeater, leggings and some sort of ankle boots that looked like the kind wrestlers wore to the ring. My eyes danced across her body a few times coming to rest on her harsh face.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"You thought I was gonna snitch you out; that's why you didn't ask after we did it the first time, right?" I stared between her and my half empty glass for a few seconds pondering my answer.

"What do you think?"

"Fair enough; don't get it twisted or nothing just because I asked and all. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for weirding you out by saying that shit I said after we did it the first time. Uhm, I wanted to apologize but guess, I didn't know the right way to bring it up again." There was a raspy honestly in her voice as she took another shot.

"It's cool, we don't need to go there." I wanted to bury the issue, glancing around making sure none of my known neighbors were there.

"Church man; so, tell me about Linda. How'd you two get together and end up doing the marriage thing?"

"Mutual acquaintance at a party; ain't that how it always works out, Kristy?"

"I don't know; nobody pulled my marriage card yet. I'm the pump and dump type if you haven't figured that shit out yet. Hell, its one of the reasons I'm sleeping on your couch."

"How's that?"

"It's not important; I live free and fucking wild, but sometimes life just comes up to smack you in the face. I've known Linda since we were in high school; I was a cheerleader if you can believe that shit and an aspiring gymnast, too. Linda was a little more chunky in those days, so she ended up as a fucking flag girl."

"Is that right; tell me more."

"Yeah my moms wanted me to be like, fucking Mary Lou Retton on some old Olympic games type shit; you see, my mom was a gymnast, but she got like a fucked up knee ending that dream. I was supposed to uhm, do it for her. I wanted to have fun, but she wanted me to get her one of them gold medals."

"What happened?"

"Caught fucking one of the coaches down there at the training center in my senior year of high school. Working out all hard and shit gave me this kickass little, hard body that was apparently driving him up the wall or something. We were working on the mat in one of the side rooms at the gym when he went ham on my tight, bubble butt."

"That's fucked up."

"You like my ass too, right?" I didn't answer.

"Yeah, I know homie; we got a chunk of money but no medal. Mom didn't have much use for me after the black ball put me out of competition and I really didn't care anyway. She wanted me to keep quiet about that shit from the jump; but we got caught because that motherfucker lost his shit. I was still wearing my singlet, but that big football playing motherfucker was buck naked."

"Damn."

"I was kind of pissed that she didn't care about me getting piped down; ended up on the wrong side of the tracks after that shit hanging with the brothers. Doing all that fucking flippy shit and splits came in handy getting it in with the homies." Kristy was getting three sheets to the wind, but I was intrigued.

"Couldn't work it out; with your mother, I mean?"

"Grades slipped and the cheerleading went bye, bye; mom was dog tired and dad didn't want me moving in with his new family out in Utah. Moved in with Linda for a few months before I graduated. Couldn't fit in there either with her folks, but we always been people. They said I was a bad influence and shit." Kristy was getting into ranting territory.

"Kristy, what's this all about?"

"Just talking, that's all man; I just find it easy talking to you because you never judge or ask me why I talk like this or any of that other conformist shit. Me and Linda always been kind of tight, but she drifted out of the circle a few years ago. I posted getting kicked out of my place on social media and she called me right up. Gave me your couch, man-that's some real shit, right there."

"Hey, its okay Kristy; you can stay with us until you're ready."

"Naw, I shouldn't be on that couch in your fucking living room, like that man. Linda said it was cool too, but I feel otherwise. I mean-it's been real therapeutic hanging with you guys and all, but I'm too real for fakeness."

"Who's being fake?" She was about to take another drink, but I put my hand over the top of her glass.

"Uhm, can I ask you another favor?" There was something tortured in her face.

"What do you want, Kristy?"

"Call off and stay with me for the rest of the day, please." I sounded more like a plea than anything else as she placed her hand on my forearm.

"But Linda?"

"She ain't gonna find out; she'll be back around eleven tonight; bet money on that shit." The raw emotion on her face hit me like a fucking brick in the face along with what she was suggesting. My wife usually got off at five working only fifteen minutes away from out apartment. We stared at one another as I leaned back filling her glass with the remnants of the bottle.

"Excuse me for a moment, Kristy."

I shoved my hands in my pockets shaking as I strolled outside to make a scary phone call. It was overcast outside, and I had a lump in my throat and my belly as I dialed up a guy I knew who worked at Linda's office.

"Oh hey Gary; I know its been a while since we talked but I was wondering if my old lady was still at the office man, I've been waiting over here at the restaurant for a minute."

"No problem, uhm Linda hasn't even been in today, bro; guess you got your signals crossed." I gulped fighting the liquor back down my throat. The wind cut into my stark features as I stared at the traffic passing by in the adjacent streets.

"Oh uh, here she comes right now; sorry about that man." I lied.

"No problem dude; I have to get back to work."

"Yeah." I hung up standing on the curb letting everything wash over me hard. I looked around at some the passing foot traffic. Some of the pedestrians passed by casually looking, making me feel like they knew my shame. There was this small circular portal type window in the bar door that I peered inside finding Kristy still sitting at the bar. I sniffled a bit, wiping my arm across my nose before going inside to get the rest of the puzzle pieces.

"She wanted me to uhm, sleep with you. Didn't want you having nothing over her head and shit. She was supposed to catch us doing it, and like-pretend like she forgave you and stuff. Bitch, wanna divorce you later after the mindfuck. Before you ask, it's some soy boy with a better job and a bigger pay check." She was close to breaking down right there at the bar.

"Kristy."

"Hey, I'm a piece of shit, but I don't get down like that, man. We been fighting because she keeps wanting to set it up to catch you, but I been fucking stalling. It was gonna happen today, but she texted me while you were talking to her saying to forget it because he wanted her to stay over this afternoon."

"Hey, don't worry about it."

"Man, I'm sorry." She started to cry hard, getting attention from some of the patrons. The bartender handed his rag to me. I cradled her in my arms wiping her tears away.

"Hey just forget about it; I'm asking if the offer is still open. Is it, Kristy?" She looked up into my face wide eyed. There was remorse in her eyes which I wasn't stupid enough to mistake for anything else.

"Yeah."

"Come on, let's go home." I helped her up off the stool.

"Uhm would you, kiss me?"

I kept Kristy tight in my embrace as she wrapped an arm around me. We left that pub feeling the harsh wind on our faces along with a coming rain. She leaned into my body as we walked into the apartment complex together. I made love to Kristy McKenzie over and over again in my marital bed, trying to force the truth of my wife's nature from my mind. I wasn't wholly successful kin that endeavor as I threw myself into the pained passionate bubble we'd created from that initial infidelity on my part. It was true, I could have said no or put her out; but I went for it. There were questions about that lapse in character that I was comfortable not answering. I'd let time erode that too painful reality of a fraudulent union entered into by two fake people. The troubled woman under me gave herself willingly as we took one another with a level of passion that had been missing in my life for the last six months.

A week later, I put Kristy McKenzie on a bus to her father in Utah. She deserved a second chance.

THE END.