Troubles and Treats

“What do you mean, ‘not really?' How do you ‘not really, kind of’ have sex?” Claire asks in confusion.

 

“Well, it started off really hot and awesome. We were in the car in the driveway and going at it. But then he started talking all kinky, and I don’t know, it felt weird. Like, we’re older now and parents of two kids and maybe we shouldn’t be doing it like that anymore. I told him to just do it normally and without the crazy stuff and it didn’t go over so well.”

 

Liz and Claire stand there staring at me, and I notice Gavin picking up a pair of lacy thongs from one of the tables and putting them on his head like a mask.

 

“You told Drew to stop being kinky in the middle of sex?” Claire asks in shock.

 

“Please, don’t ask her anymore questions about that. Words like ‘dirty whore’ and ‘slut’ will be thrown around and my brain can’t take that memory again,” Liz says with a dramatic shiver.

 

“But, I mean…you guys are the epitome of kinky. That’s like telling me I shouldn’t bake anymore. It’s unnatural.”

 

Is that true? I mean, I couldn’t imagine Claire never baking again. It’s her life and part of who she is. Is kinky sex part of who Drew and I are? If we don’t have it, are we not being who we really are?

 

“Tell me this, did it feel normal to you trying to have plain, old regular sex? Did it make you happy?” Claire asks.

 

“No, not at all. It made me sad. But it just felt like it was something I should do and ever since then, Drew hasn’t even tried to have sex with me again. I think I broke his penis,” I whisper.

 

“No one thinks my jokes are funny,” Gavin complains, walking over to us with the red, lacy thongs still on his head, the front of the thongs covering his eyes and nose.

 

“Uhhhhh, why is that on your head?” Claire asks, pulling her cell phone out of her purse and trying to stifle her laugh.

 

“It’s my mask. It’s my joke telling mask and no one thinks I’m funny,” he complains again.

 

“Oh, I think you’re HILARIOUS!” Liz says, not even bothering to hide her laughter. “Tell me your joke.”

 

Gavin turns to face her. “Knock, knock.”

 

“Who’s there?” Liz asks, giggling with each word.

 

I hear Claire’s camera phone click next to me as she takes a picture.

 

“Y,” Gavin states.

 

“Y who?”

 

“Y YOU SUCK!” Gavin shouts, laughing at his own joke.

 

“Yeah, your joke – not funny. But you wearing women’s underwear on your head? Priceless. Make sure you send that picture to me. It’s going on my fridge,” Liz tells Claire.

 

“You guys are all a bunch of donkey crap bags,” Gavin complains as he walks away from our laughter.

 

“Okay, anyway, back to our discussion. Why would you think you broke Drew’s penis? Just because you told him you didn’t want to have wild and crazy sex?” Claire asks.

 

“Well, he was kind of inside me when I said it. And it made him soft. Like, really quickly. It felt like I shoved a balloon inside me and then popped it with a pin. That can’t be good.”

 

“This analogy of his penis and your vagina is really not something I need to be picturing in my head right now,” Liz complains.

 

“Eeew, Drew's penis and my vagina do NOT have analogy. That’s just gross. I have never had a green, slimy vagina, and do you think I would honestly let Drew’s penis anywhere near my cooter if it looked like that?” I complain.

 

“Oh for the love of God, focus, Jenny!” Claire says as we make our way up to the cashier. “Making a guy go soft doesn’t break his penis. You shocked the horny right out of him. Which as far as I know, is a first for Drew. He’s probably freaked out and thinks you’ve changed and doesn’t know how to deal with it. That’s why he hasn’t tried to initiate anything since then.”

 

I sigh as I pile my merchandise onto the counter.

 

Is Claire right? Does Drew think I’ve changed and doesn’t know how to act around me anymore?

 

“I feel like we’ve grown so far apart and I hate it. It’s like we don’t even know each other. It’s the worse feeling in the world.”

 

Claire pats my back as she finishes placing her items on the counter next to mine.

 

“You guys absolutely still know each other. Even though it doesn’t feel like it, he’s still your best friend and the one person who knows everything about you. It’s a rough patch. Couples have them and if they are strong enough, they work through them. You guys are strong enough. You just have to get on the same page.”

 

Gavin bounces past us with an umbrella in one hand, swinging it through the air and smacking it into hanging racks of clothes, knocking some to the ground. Now he has a blue bra strapped to the top of his head like the guys in the movie ‘Weird Science’.