We are at The Big Chill after eating at Sharkey’s, the usual Friday night routine.
Nancy and I are sitting in one of the big chairs on the deck when Jake walks up, holding his beer. “I’m ready to go whenever you are.” he says. Now to me that sounds like he wants to go. It sounds like that to Nancy as well. “I’m not ready to go, we just got here.” she says. He gets his back up right away. “Did I say I want to go?” “That’s what it sounds like to me.” she answers. He turns to me, “Did that sound like I want to go to you?” Oh, oh. Instead of saying, ‘I have no opinion.’ like I did earlier today when Nancy asked me to agree with her about Jake’s swim shorts not being good enough for an evening out, I forget myself and say, “Yeah, it sounded like that to me.” He shakes his head and says nothing and I think that might be the end of it. I should know better by now. He turns back and says, “This really pisses me off. So what way should I say it, eh? All I am trying to say is whenever you want to go we can go. I’d stay all night if it were up to me. But I am trying to be considerate.” Nancy says, “I don’t know.” She thinks for a minute and says, “You could say, ‘just let me know when you want to leave’, I guess.” Turning to me he says, “What do you think I should say?” I don’t know if he didn’t hear her so I repeat what Nancy just said. “OH…. so I should bend over and kiss your ass should I?” he replies. NOW I remember that I have no opinion and I keep my mouth shut. Nancy says, “No, you can just say, let me know when you want to leave.” He flops his hand at us dismissively and walks away. I turn to Nancy and say, “He asked. If he doesn’t want to know he shouldn’t ask.” He comes back and starts in again so I get up off the chair and walk to the rail to watch the fish around the sunken lights. I have had enough of this.
Soon Nancy joins me. We stand there for about 15 minutes and watch and comment on the condition of the water (lots of weeds) and the fish. She decides she’s had enough and I am getting eaten alive by noseeums and mosquitoes, so I am fine with going. We look around for Jake but can’t see him anywhere. She pulls out her cell phone and calls him. He is waiting at the car. As we walk over there she says, “He’s in a mood.” Oh great. I say, “I have nothing to say, I have no opinion and I forgot that earlier.” She laughs uneasily.
We get to the car and he is leaning on the hood and doesn’t even acknowledge when we walk up. We get in the car and then he shakes his head, gets off the hood and gets in. He starts right away. “What does it mean to women when a guy says ‘I’m going to pay the tab’?” Nancy doesn’t say anything and I sure don’t. “I am asking you, what does that mean to you?” “You’re going to pay the tab I guess. I don’t know.” She says. “I went and paid the tab, I look around and I can’t see you anywhere. I goes over to the chair you were on and you weren’t there. I go back to the bar and ask Jenny if she’s seen you and she says no. So I goes back to the chair and you aren’t there so I think you must have gone to the car.” Nancy replies that she was at the rail right by the chair. “I went back over there and you weren’t there.” He says. She say’s again that she was at the rail. “NANCY!” he yells, “I went back there. You weren’t anywhere around.” “I was at the rail looking at the fish. I didn’t know you came back over there.” “When someone says they are going to pay the tab, it means they want to leave.” He says. “Are you stupid? I honestly think there is something wrong with your brain.” He rants. He goes on and on for the next 3 or 4 minutes, yelling at her and calling her names and putting her down. I am so not used to this sort of thing and it upsets me to no end. I just look out of the window and say nothing, but inside I am churning. He finally runs out of mean things to say and is silent the rest of the way back.
When we get inside the houseboat, I go straight to my room and close the door. I just want to be alone. Nancy takes the dog outside and Jake turns on the TV and sits down. I change into my PJ’s, get into bed and start typing this before I forget exactly what was said.
As I am sitting here, I hear Jake walk by to the back of the boat where Nancy has gone to bed. “You know, Stan says that women are just c***ts, and I have never agreed until tonight.” I hear him say. ‘You just come in here, the both of you just go to bed without saying a word to me, like I am not even on the boat. It is f***ing unbelievable.” I don’t hear the response from her, if there was one. He walks back to the TV.
Is he kidding??
I wish I were flying out of here tomorrow. I have had enough of Jake.
