The Past part 5: The Birthday Party

When I last left off my tale of the past, Hub and I had just gotten into a fight. We had met a couple we had considered “swinging” with. The couple, whom I refer to as the Swinger Singers (or SS) got weird and turned into two individuals rather than a package deal. Hub had flatly refused the idea of hooking up with just the male half of the couple, but was ready to jump at the chance to hook up with the woman. Pissed off by the double standard, I had argued with him at our favorite bar, Flyers, in front of our friends. One particular friend, Jesse, seemed to be taking a big interest in what was going on, and an even bigger interest in me.

And now on to part 5 of the tale…

Hub and I argued with each other for a couple of days after our encounter with the Barracuda. Finally the air between us cooled and life returned pretty much to normal. We no longer had bedroom talk that involved making plans to hook up with anyone else. The subject had silently, and mutually, been dropped.

We had also skipped hanging out at Flyers for a couple of weeks. I missed our friends, and Hub missed the attention he got there. There was no question that we would go back. We just weren’t sure quite when that would be. Then one day we got a phone call that decided our return for us. One of the bartenders, Sue, was having a birthday. She was turning forty and the rest of the Flyers crew wanted to give her a big bash. It was all arranged that everything was going to happen right there at the bar so that even those who had to work could help her celebrate. One of the other bartenders called us to be sure we would come. Sue was one of our favorites at the bar, and there was no way we would miss helping her celebrate her birthday. The next Saturday night, we would return to Flyers.

That night was like no other at Flyers. The place was packed. Everyone loved Sue, so they had all turned out for her party. There were so many pilots there; I had to wonder if there were any planes in the sky. Every karaoke nut in town seemed to be there as well. Add to that a mix of Sue’s friends and family, and every person on the staff and the bar was at capacity. It was noisy, it was crowded, and it was a lot of fun.

At one point even Hub got into singing karaoke. Sue had somehow talked him and Terry into singing a duet. Hub’s deep baritone voice covered the male vocals, while Terry managed the female. It was quite a sight to behold; or rather, quite a sound to hear.

It tends to happen at parties that couples go separate ways and mingle with various people. This night was no different and it was just what happened with Hub and I. Had the Swinger Singers been there, or either one of them, that may have been different. Luck was on our side and they were not there that night. Well, probably not so much luck as the fact that Sue didn’t really like them and they weren’t invited. Still, it was a public place and there was always the chance that they could just show up.

I had left Hub chatting with Terry and Sue about the possibility of a repeat performance and headed to the bar. As I waited to order a drink, Jesse slipped in beside me. “Where the hell have you been?” he asked.

“I have a life outside of Flyers Jesse,” I spat at him as I flagged down the bartender. Jesse and I both ordered drinks. As we waited for them to be made spoke quietly to me, “I wasn’t sure you were coming back.”

“Why? Because Hub and I got in a little fight?”

“No. Because I thought the Barracuda might have run you off.”

The bartender brought us our drinks and we walked together toward the back of the bar. As we walked Jesse leaned in close continuing what he had been saying. “I would have been really disappointed if that had happened.”

I knew where this conversation was going. I also knew that I should try to avoid having it. At the time I needed it though. I needed to hear a man say that he wanted to see me, to talk to me, to be near me. I wanted all of those things from Hub, but he wasn’t giving them. I needed them, and so I sought them out from this handsome pilot. I was willing to get the attention I was so desperately craving from this gorgeous man who was ready to give it to me. So I asked, “Why?”

Jesse said everything I expected him to say. He told me how much he enjoyed talking to me and that seeing me here was the highlight of his week. He told me that came here always hoping to see me and to get to spend at least a few hours next to me. It was everything I wanted to hear. We sat talking alone in the back of the bar for at least an hour. Eventually Brent, Jake, and some of the others wandered over to join us. The conversation changed, but my eyes would still meet Jesse’s and everything we’d said to each other was held there.



Disclaimer: The re-telling of these events from my past are not meant as an endorsement of the swinger lifestyle. It is not meant to glorify swinging in anyway. In fact, the whole story is meant to demonstrate how swinging can destroy a marriage and ruin the love and trust between two people. I also want to make people aware that just because someone goes along with this lifestyle it does not mean they truly want to do so. They may be doing it simply to make their partner happy, while it is slowly eating away at their own soul.