The Weekend Pt. 05

But now, all she felt was exhaustion. She was so tired of being this person. Why was she always hurting others?

"Brian, please. You have to let me go." She pleaded with him.

"No. I won't let you go." he whispered as he started to nuzzle her neck. His hands slid down her body and onto her butt. She felt his fingers squeeze each cheek and slightly spread them apart

This act of intimacy was too familiar. In fact, it felt down right invasive.

Her sympathy for him was beginning to drown as the tide of her frustration rose. This entitled little boy act was wearing thin. For some reason, every time her mouth said "no", his ears heard "try harder to convince me".

She had to be blunter. She couldn't leave any room for misinterpretation.

"BRIAN, GET OFF OF ME!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she found the strength push both of them backwards. She swung around to face a Brian who was bewildered. His eyes held a look that was both hurt and confused.

"Gina, baby, what's up? Why are you treating me like I'm the enemy?"

The fact that he was confused angered her, considering the fact that she'd been perfectly clear.

"I'm not treating you like you're the enemy. I'm treating you like you're a guy who can't take no for an answer! You think you can force me to love you out of sheer will? Get it through your head! We...are...done. Over. Kaput. Dead and buried. It ain't gonna happen!"

Something of a revelation dawned on Brian. It was an unflattering picture of himself in this situation; an angle that he'd not seen. Seeing her standing there seething in anger reminded him of...himself. It was almost like...

Oh shit.

"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Galatians 6:7-9

He heard that bible verse somewhere; he couldn't remember where. That was unimportant; what was important was the reason that it popped into his head at that defining moment.

He'd been on the other side of this conversation so many times in his life that he was surprised he didn't recognize the irony. How could the tables have turned so completely? When had he become the clingy bitch, begging for the someone to love him?

This was how Wilma, and all those other women felt. Degraded. Worthless. Cast aside. Insignificant.

Humiliation filled him, driving the pain out. A realization of sorts set in with him as he was reminded of a truth given to him by his father before he went to prison.

Never give your heart to a woman. They're awful creatures who can't be trusted. The beautiful words that come out of their mouths are nothing but momentary truths. They speak of love, and crave it, but soon become bored with it.

At least until the next best thing comes along. It's called hypergamy.

The sick joke of it all is after they are done breaking your heart, sucking the marrow from your bones, and discarding your lifeless body, they will turn everything around and make you the villain in their heroic autobiography.

So why not be him from the start? Better to be the lion than the gazelle.

A familiar smirk began to curl Brian's lips upward. A cold arrogance shaded his eyes as the lion returned to the pasture. Fuck her. Fuck all these bitches. Then and there, he made a silent vow to never put himself at the mercy of a woman again.

Welcome back Brian.

A laugh came from his throat. With a sneer on his face, he said, "It ain't gonna happen? It's already happened, sweetheart! Multiple times."

He reveled in the whiplash look of confusion in her eyes as she met the real him. With delicious cruelty, he taunted her saying, "I had the scratch marks on my back for days after. Don't pretend like you forgot about that weekend now that you're on your high horse."

The sudden change threw Regina off. Feeling the need to defend herself, she said, "I'm not on a high horse. I'm just trying to be honest with you. You deserve that much."

His smirk grew larger and larger until it couldn't be contained. "Please don't give me that "you deserve better" bullshit. The last thing I need is your fucking pity. You can save that shit for yourself. You're the batshit crazy bitch who has more mood swings than a pregnant woman." With that, he gasped dramatically and covered his mouth, like he said something wrong. In a fake apologetic whisper, he mocked her with, "My bad. I didn't mean to put you in the same sentence as pregnant!"

That felt like a punch to gut. All the air was sucked from her body as a pained looked crossed her face. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at this cruel man in front of her. His entire persona was different. A frozen, sadistic aura emanated from his him.

This person wasn't the man she went away with. He wasn't the guy who listened compassionately as she poured her heart out to him; told him her deepest fears and truths. This was someone she didn't recognize.

"Fuck you, Brian!" she spit out angrily

This got her another taunting laugh. "Haven't you been paying attention? You already did that; A LOT! Of course, I had to deal with all the constant belly aching about you losing that goddamn baby. I mean, you stayed stuck on that shit! Miscarriages are sad, but they happen all the time. Most people get over it, not wallow in it. But not Gina! No, Gina milks that for all the sympathy that it'll get her. You use that get-out-of-jail-free card to do what the fuck you want. You expect people to hug you and tell you that it's not your fault you're such a selfish bitch. No matter what you do or who you crush while doing it, you're the victim! It's a wonder your husband hasn't left you sooner!"

His words caused her to ache. She felt like she was getting physically attacked. She had no comeback for him; no response. All she could do was sit there and feel the impact of each syllable.

Brian looked at her shrinking in front of him. With a look of disgust, he shook his head and said, "You're worthless; just like the rest of them."

***

Unbeknownst to them, there was another set of eyes watching them in the parking lot. These eyes observed intently, looking for something between the arguing duo. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew that he'd see it when he found it.

Like Regina, Lee's mind was in a whirlwind. He too felt the impact of seeing her for the first time in months. It surprised him how much it affected him. After going so long without seeing her, he kind of fooled himself into a false sense of complacency. Areas inside of him that he thought were dead now felt energized.

He forgot how much he missed her.

He was able to put those feelings aside when he was in the safety of Daryl's living room. Daryl lived like a typical bachelor. Everything about his place screamed, "I'm single and I love it!" It's hard to not adapt to that sense of freedom when you are suffering from marriage fatigue.

Unfortunately, it had become more of a crutch for Lee than a breath of fresh air. Instead of dealing with his pain and anger, he squashed them down in the back of his mind. He refused to think about Regina or his marriage. The birth of his son provided a distraction to keep him occupied. As noble as it was, it too had become a convenient means of escape.

But now...

All the pain and hurt that he buried came spewing up. The questions, the insecurities, the anger; all of it felt like hot magma in his chest. It was like he was back in that bedroom, looking at that portrait.

In the spur of the moment, he decided to go to her job and catch her when she got off work. It was a quick drive to the hospital. She'd be off in about 30 minutes.

The closer he got to her job, the harder his heart beat. When he pulled into the parking lot, it was practically pounding out of his chest.

It took him 5 minutes of driving around to find her car. He chose an empty space close to it and waited. He knew he wouldn't have to wait long

And he didn't.

Seeing Brian chasing Regina was the first time Lee had laid eyes on this man. Somehow, in his mind, he'd built this man up to be a superhuman of sorts. Brian was more than just a horny guy out to steal his wife; he was a demon with the ability to seduce women and turn loving wives into horny sluts.

But this man was no demon or a god; just a douchebag who spent a lot of time in the gym.

Lee almost felt the chivalrous need to run out and protect Regina from him. He couldn't hear everything that they were saying, but the body language didn't leave much to the imagination. Brian's was aggressive, angry, and spiteful. Regina's seemed to be bordering between matching his antagonism and cowering away with pleading lips, begging him to leave her alone.

Lee's curiosity kept him from intervening; at least for now. Yesterday Regina claimed that she and Brian didn't talk "like that"; but here it was only a day later, and they were clearly in the thick of it. Obviously, they weren't having a loving, romantic conversation; but it seemed passionate, nonetheless. There wouldn't be this much passion unless the raging fire that was trying to be put out needed a lot of cooling.

It was like a first break up; not the lukewarm mediocrity of a cooled down friendship.

That's what nagged Lee. Regina gave him the impression that she and Brian were over. If that were true, then why was he acting like this outraged? He shouldn't be this angry.

Yes, Lee was paranoid and looking for conspiracy theories, but that's what happens when the ground of trust becomes thin ice.

He sat and waited as long as he could. Unfortunately, this thing was getting carried away. Lee couldn't passively stand back anymore when he saw Regina crumbling under the weight of Brian's heavy words. The more pained she looked, the more Brian cruelly laid it on.

This asshole was the man that she cheated with? He didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted.

With a snort through his nose, he opened his car door and stepped out. "Gina!" He yelled out as he walked over to her. Both sets of eyes turned towards Lee. When he was next to her, he asked, "You okay?"

Regina's eyes were shimmering with humiliation and rage, but they softened as they looked upon him. Lee could see that she was only holding it together by a thread. A small, grateful smile came on her lips as she nodded.

"Who the fuck are you? Brian spit at him. Then, an "aha" look came on his face as he returned Lee's challenging gaze, only with added arrogance. "You must be husband."

Lee swallowed the urge to beat this man senseless. Every pore in his body wanted to take back some of the dignity that was stolen from him that weekend. Without realizing it, Lee had started to feel inferior to this Brian asshole for a while now, despite never seeing him.

But here he was, asking for an ass-whipping. Begging, really.

"And you must be Brian." Lee said, looking him up and down. With an unimpressed huff, he said, "I heard you were a war hero, but all I see is an insecure, desperate man-child bullying a woman because she doesn't want him. Maybe next time you should try to find a woman who isn't married instead of luring other men's wives into your bed."

"I don't have to lure them, Lee." Brian said, putting extra emphasis on his name, showing that he knew it. "They come running to it. They all do; just like Gina did. And trust me, you don't want to know all the nasty stuff we did once she got there!"

"You're a piece of shit!" Regina yelled out so hard that spittle shot from her mouth.

With a satisfied smirk, he turned to her and said, "That's not what you said that weekend. What was it that you told me? You said that I have a...how did you put it? A humongous cock? No, not humongous; rather large." With a snap of his fingers, he dramatically pointed at her and finished with, "That's it! You said that you were sore from my rather large cock, and I had to show my moves outside of the bedroom. That's when we went out on the town and had that artist draw a portrait of us. You remember that?"

That goddamned portrait. The despondent memory of looking at that thing filled Lee. He shot a glance at Regina and found her eyes shimmering with rage. The hit to his ego came with the realization that her lack of denial confirmed everything he said.

Regina couldn't truthfully deny what Brian said, no matter how much she wanted to. She didn't regret that weekend with this monster any more than she did at this moment.

If only...

"This is how he does it." She realized. "He preys on women's insecurities. When he wants to be the nice guy, he uses those insecurities to shape how they see him. Now, he's turning everything around on me because he's pissed. He's not a master seducer; he's a manipulator.

Since she couldn't deny the "rather large" comment, she leaned into it. Finding some of the bravado that she'd lost, she smirked and said, "Then I guess it's true what they say. A big dick and a small brain are usually found together."

The audience laughing around them was the first indication that the trio weren't alone. Brian looked around quickly, noting the growing crowd. Not to be outdone, he retaliated with, "Well, as tight as you were, Lee here must be a fucking genius!"

The laughs and the "ohhh's" at Brian's diss became loud, but they quickly changed into shocked gasps as a sudden loud smacking thud filled the air. Lee's fist had shot out from his side as he lurched forward. The move was unexpected, especially to Brian. Before anyone knew what was happening, Lee's knuckles were slamming into the side of Brian's face.

Blinding pain in the jaw sent Brian stumbling backwards. Before he could recover, Lee sped towards him with 4.5 speed reminiscent of his college football days. Using a spear move only meant for sending a painful message an opposing team, Lee jammed his shoulder into Brian's torso. His arms wrapped around Brian's thighs, giving him the leverage to easily hoisted him into the air, turn his body, and forcefully drive him into the ground with the assistance of gravity and momentum.

This sure-fire concussion move is illegal in football for a reason.

Brian's head bounced on the unforgiving granite before the rest of his body, causing pain to explode around him. He tried to fight back, but he was already at a fatal disadvantage. He was disoriented, and his vision was blurred, making his movements wild and erratic. Lee, on the other hand, was mobile, focused, and pissed.

He jammed his knee in Brian's chest, using his weight to keep him pinned down. One of his hands gripped the throat with the strength of an anaconda, while his other was balled up into a hammer.

The first blow from this position made the fight over. There was no protection against it. Brian was on the cusp of unconsciousness and offered no more of a threat.

But this fight wasn't about threat suppression, or self-defense. It was good old-fashioned vengeance. So, Lee hit him again, and again.

And again.

"Please stop, Lee! Don't kill him!" Regina screamed out, trying to penetrate the hate filled fog that surrounded her husband's brain. She'd never seen him like this. His face was twisted with rage as he relentlessly pounded his victim.

No matter how loud her voice squealed, Lee couldn't hear the cries of his frantic wife. He was in another world; a world of retribution and hatred. All he could do was feel the rage that he'd been forced to ignore for five long months.

Each punch felt good. It fed that rage. Unfortunately, it was insatiable. The rage wanted more; more blood, more pain.

That is, until he was yanked off and slammed onto the ground face first. His arms were being twisted behind him as something hard and sharp wrapped itself around his wrist with a click.

"Stay down! Don't move!" The unfamiliar, authoritative voice on top of him ordered. As his anger abated and he stopped struggling, he turned his head as much as he could and caught a deeply dark blue uniform in his peripheral vision.

Once he was subdued, the police officer went to examine the other unconscious body laying on the ground. Seeing the condition that Brian was in, he shot an angry glare over at Lee before using the radio on his shoulder to call for backup and medical assistance.

Lee could hear the murmuring voices surrounding him. There were so many of them. Lifting his head, he saw that there were so many unfamiliar faces; all of them with a shocked expression as they looked between him and the heavily injured Brian.

"What have I done?" He thought to himself as he let his head fall to the ground. A tear slipped down his cheek.

Moments later, he was in the back of the squad car. Words couldn't describe the indignity and humiliation he felt being back there, like a common criminal. All his life, he prided himself on being a level-headed person; a good, decent man. Yes, he made mistakes; tons of them. However, two things he never did was lose his cool or break the law.

Now look at him.

Is this the man that you want your son to look up to; a monster who beats on unconscious men because he can? Where's the self-control?

He met his wife's eyes for a moment, but he had to look away. He didn't want her to see him like this.

The policemen questioned the witnesses (there were a LOT of them) to get the full story. Regina had to be warned a few times about her own behavior. She was close to being thrown in the cop car alongside her husband. She was belligerently protesting her husband's innocence, causing even more of a commotion as her co-workers vehemently disagreed with her.

Despite everything, the brave policemen were able to restore order and disperse the crowd. After a few words with Regina, the lawmen got in their cars and drove off with their perp.

Regina stood there with tears in her eyes as she watched the black patrol car disappear into traffic.

***

Fortune frowned even harder on Lee's Connor McGregor moment. It seems fate doesn't care if an ass-kicking is justified.

Friday is the end of the week for most people, including judges. Getting arrested for aggravated assault doesn't change that. Since it was around 4:30 on Friday when Lee was processed, the judge wouldn't set bail until the beginning of the following week. So, to add extra flavoring to his shit sandwich, he had to spend the weekend in jail.

The following Monday, Regina found herself in the company of bail bondsman. His red, drunken eyes appreciated her body over the top of cheap shades. His leery smile showed a single gold tooth surrounded by a bunch of yellow ones.

"How much?" She asked impatiently. His stare was making her skin feel like he was pouring acid on it. She silently cursed herself for wearing this low-cut blouse and these form fitting jeans. Yes, these were Lee's favorites on her, but there was a reason for that.

In a deep, grating voice that sounded like it should hurt his throat to talk, he said, "Ten percent, sweetie."

Quick math had her counting out $500 and giving it to him. He took the crisp bills, counted them, and gave her a sheet of paper. "Fill this out doll while I get your hubby." He said as her nose was assaulted by breath smelling like cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee.

She wanted to run away and shower, despite having already taken one not even an hour ago.

Her discomfort yielded fruit because not long after, she was driving away with Lee sitting thoughtfully in the passenger seat. Like the rest of their life together, words that needed to be said were replaced with silence. That seemed to be their go to move.

As the car stopped at a traffic light, Regina felt the need to say something. She had nothing of substance to say, but the silence was killing her.

"Lee..."

"I don't want to talk about it." he said, cutting her off.

A part of her wanted to respect his wishes, but she was tired of the quiet.