Chapter 6:
The Pratt family living room looked awfully big when only one lone man was there. From the main hallway leading into the room, his frame looked small by the way his body was hunched over the coffee table as he sat on the black leather couch. He was smoking silently and keeping an eye on the melting ice in his empty drink. Buffy’s eyes were fixated on his hands tapping out the ashes from his cigarette into an ashtray before going back for another puff.
“You know those things will kill you.” Buffy said quietly from the doorway.
William looked up across the room and saw her shying away.
“I know…” he muttered, “…and I’ve made my peace with that about ten years ago.”
“Is that when you started smoking?”
“Hardly…” he crunched the bud out in the crystal glass disk, “Started when I was thirteen, quit after my very first cigarette. I was twenty nine when I was reunited with the habit…I didn’t seem to notice the bad taste. I was at my very first swingers party… and that was ten years ago.”
“You’re thirty nine?” Buffy asked after she did a little bit of elementary math.
“Next month I will be…” he nodded and got up to his feet.
“You don’t look it…you look younger” she muttered truthfully.
‘Angel was thirty when I saw him starting to sport his gray hair….’ She noted to herself, ‘And after tonight I will not be surprised if I find a few grays of my own.’
“Thanks…” he replied to her compliment, “It has to be genetic, my dad is hitting seventy and he still looks like he’s fifty.”
“I’m sorry…”
Buffy knew she had to apologize to this man before leaving the house. She knew she was wrong to judge him and act nasty to him when all he was trying to do was make her feel less crappy about the situation; make her feel less uncomfortable. He failed doing so in the process, but she appreciated the effort.
“It’s okay.” He said quietly.
“No, I was out of line back there…”
William shrugged, “Just a bit…but you have a reason to be.”
“Bet this wasn’t what you were expecting tonight huh?”
“What did you think I was expecting Buffy?”
‘Please don’t make me say it…’ she wished.
“Well…you-you know…” she stammered
“Look, Buffy, I think you—“
“No.” she raised her hand and shook her head to stop him before he could start, “Let’s just leave it…please…”
“But—“
“I just want to go home and…and…” ‘Cry.’ She automatically thought.
“So you’re just going to leave without your husband?”
“Yes…”
Buffy didn’t need to ponder that issue for a second.
“You know it’s kind of a rule to stay the night and leave with your partner in the morning after.” William informed her.
“Oh…I see, this is a swinger party rule huh? So I have to stay here until he’s finished? Hmmm…” Buffy put her finger to her lip to act like she was thinking for about three seconds, “No…” she started to shake her head, “….I don’t think I’ll be doing that.”
‘Like he could keep it up all night anyway…’ the little voice criticized her husband’s sexual skills.
Buffy walked over to a seat nearest to her and started to slip on her shoes that had been dangling from her fingers.
“So you want me to leave a message for him in the morning or…?” William shrugged.
“You don’t have to tell him anything…”
‘But if you want, you can punch him in the gut a few times…’ she thought to herself. Buffy looked up at William’s biceps and rose an eyebrow at how fit he was, ‘And I also suggest to not hold anything back, use all those muscles….flex every single one of them…’
“How you going to get home?” he asked.
Buffy froze as she slipped on her left shoe. ‘Oh crap…’
“Shoot!” she yelped, “He has the car keys.”
William bit his lip, he didn’t know if he should do this our not.
"Here."
William reached into his casual pants and pulled out a hundred dollar bill and sat it on the arm rest of her seat.
“What’s this?”
“I’m figuring you don’t want me to drive you…so its cab fare.”
Buffy picked up the bill carefully and examined it in her hand.
“And you just happen to walk around with a hundred dollar bill everyday in your pocket?”
“It’s for you regardless…so take it.”
Buffy quickly rose from her chair so she could look him straight in the eye, which was sort of hard considering she only had one shoe on.
“What do you mean it’s for me…’regardless’…?”
“I was trying to tell you before, pet”
“Tell me what?”
“That I wasn’t going to have sex with you.” William explained.
Buffy looked down at Mr. Ben Franklin for a moment before looking back at William with confusion.
“I’m not following.” She admitted.
“You’re not the only one that believes that a marriage is loving and making love to one person…” William started, “Dru may give herself away easily…but for me, I can’t. That’s just not me…and it never will be me.”
To say that Buffy was shocked would be an understatement.
“So the money is for?” she whispered.
“My partner…guess you can say it’s a little payoff to keep quiet.” William explained as he reached into his black pants and revealed two more hundred dollar bills, “Well, I guess a big payoff.”
Buffy stared at the twin Ben Franklin's in awe. ‘He really does this…’ she thought to herself.
“So… you give three hundred dollars to ever girl you get, you don’t sleep with them, and Drusilla doesn’t know?”
“She never brought it up.”
“I still don’t understand.” Buffy shook her head.
William bounded his head, “Didn't think you would.”
“Why would you—“
“Why would I go along with these swinger parties if I didn’t want to sleep with someone?” he finished for her.
Buffy nodded sadly.
“Guess I was like you… sort of trapped.”
“Trapped for ten years?” Buffy cried.
She was starting to get upset again, but this time it was for him…for what he was doing to himself.
‘Why didn’t he go?’ she asked herself, ‘Why is he still here?’ 'If he couldn't leave was there any hope for me to get out?'
“No” he disagreed, “Trapped only applied to the first year…the last nine, I was just...lost…”
Buffy continued to frown and let tears hit her cheek, “Then maybe you should start looking for a way out now?”
“It’s not that simple…”
“It never is…but you need to get out of here.” Buffy looked around the house and started to feel very cold again
.
‘We both do…’ she thought to herself.
TBC....