Can Married Couples Date? by Cagivagurl,Cagivagurl

A big thank you to Randi for editing skill and generousity.

There’s no sex in this story, if that’s your thing, then I suggest you pass on this one.

*****

“You know what I miss most from my younger years, is dating,” Marissa said.

Leanne laughed lightly. “Oh my god. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to go on a date. I keep hounding Clive, but he just ignores me.”

“Bullshit, oh yeah, I call bullshit on that,” Clive stated loudly. “We go out all the time.”

She sighed deeply. “Yeah, we go out, but not on dates. We come to these parties, we go to work functions, but we never go out as in a date.”

Renee gave her a hug. “You’re not alone, Leanne. I can’t remember the last time we went out as a couple.”

Jade chimed in with her take. “You guys are lucky. The only time we get out of the house together, is here with you guys. If it wasn’t for our girls nights and these parties, we would have no social life at all.”

“Same for us,” Helle added.

“Jeez, you’d think we were the worst husbands in the world,” Nolan, Jade’s husband, jeered. “We all have kids, we all work. Life doesn’t always allow for romance.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Marissa said. “I wasn’t blaming anyone, but after fifteen years of marriage, I miss the joys of going on a date.”

“Honey, it’s difficult at the moment,” Joe, her husband, grumbled.

“I know that.” She sighed. “I’m just saying. When we were young we went on dates, had those experiences, the novelty. Now after all these years, we don’t even go out.”

“At least you had dates,” Helle said. “Sonny and I went from playing in the playground as best mates to being husband and wife. I’ve never even had a date.”

“Oh my god,” Leanne gasped. “You have to be kidding, never been on a date? That’s criminal.”

Everybody laughed. Yeah, it was true, Sonny thought. Helle and he had grown up together. They had always been mates, loved the same things. She was mad about sports, played representative hockey, played squash.

They went from best mates to lovers when they went to Otago for University. Their parents never questioned when they said they were going to be flat mates. Flat mates, yeah, they shared more than the flat, they shared a bed.

After Uni, they came clean to their parents and were married soon after. Helle wanted kids, and it didn’t take long to start their family. What she said wasn’t untrue. They never really went on dates. They went out together, but usually with other mates. Especially when they were both still playing competitive sport.

Once married, the kids came straight away and then their world exploded with all the things family require. Dating, neither of them had ever been with anyone else.

Sonny thought quickly, he had never even kissed another woman. Helle was the same. Considering it, Sonny thought, I never really saw it as any sort of deprivation, and up until that moment, didn’t realise Helle harboured some sense of disappointment or disillusionment.

Renee added her thoughts. “I have to say. We’re so busy with the kids. We never go out either. God, when was the last time we went out anywhere other than these get together, Phil?”

He shrugged. “Pass, I can’t remember.”

“Yeah, it was a long time ago.” Renee sighed. “I used to love dating, especially first dates. I loved the unknown, what he would be like, would we have anything in common, would he be funny. When I think about it, I do miss that.”

“I’m with you,” Jade said with a giggle. “I used to enjoy getting taken out to nice restaurants, and interesting places. Even when Nolan and I do go out, we always end up going to the same places, talking about the same things. It’s nice, but not the same as the mystery of the first date.”

It was Joe who said rather cynically. “Bloody hell, sounds like you lot want to go back to being single.” He glanced around the group as we all balanced plates and glasses. “Whatya reckon, fellas? Should we we give them what they want, divorce?”

“Oh, don’t be an arse. We’re just saying you blokes could do a little better on the romance side of things,” Marissa threw back in a quick rebuttal.

“Jeez yeah,” Jade added her support. “Although, it would be nice to go out on a first date again. I mean, come on. Even when we do go out, we end up talking about the same old things, the kids, the house, renovations, getting the car fixed, money. It’s the same old same old. It would be nice to have a little mystery.”

Helle got up and started collecting the plates and cutlery. “I would love a little romance.” She sighed as she walked into the kitchen, the girls hot on her heels to help out.

Joe rolled his eyes back, sighing, “Bloody hell. What a crock of shit. As if we have time for that after work and trying to keep shit together.”

One of the girls called out loudly. “We can hear you, dick head.”

We all laughed. “Nosy bitch,” Nolan yelled loudly.

The girls walked back in with the dessert, and we finally managed to move off the subject. We had planned to take a Christmas holiday as a group, and we were going over where we would go. Helle’s folks had a place up in the Marlborough Sounds. It was only accessible by boat, and it sounded idyllic. It was the top pick so far. It would be a bit of fun, mostly camping, but the site was spectacular.

It was on the drive home that Helle and Sonny’s night got a bit sticky.

“Why didn’t you say something to me, before throwing it into that bunch?” Sonny asked.

Helle, feeling a little guilty, mumbled, “I’m sorry if you felt targetted or offended. I guess I hadn’t really thought about it until Marissa brought it up.”

“Bullshit, you jumped right into that discussion. You can’t tell me you hadn’t been thinking about it,” Sonny grumbled.

“Yes, sorry. You’re right, I guess I’ve been feeling that we don’t do much together anymore. I know it’s as much my fault. We are both busy. I didn’t mean it as an insult. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do some things just for us, just you and me.”

“Then why didn’t you say that? Why go on about never having a date?”

“Because that’s the truth. We never went on dates. We hung around together and fell in love. I guess I do regret the fact I never went on a date. I’m not talking about sex, either. I’m just talking about going to dinner, or a movie.”

“But we did heaps of that when we were younger.”

“No we didn’t,” she snapped bitingly. “We went to movies with all our other friends on Saturday nights. We went down the burger place or the pizza joint, but it was always as part of a group.” She looked at Sonny with a pensive grimace. “We, as in you and I, never did go anywhere by ourselves.”

She tried to soften her words. She realised they sounded a bit confrontational. “I’m not complaining, Sonny. I loved those days. I wouldn’t give them up for anything. I love you and our family. I guess I wonder what it would be like to be picked up by somebody and taken to a posh restaurant, not knowing what we will talk about. Not knowing whether I even like them.”

“Not complaining.” Sonny sighed angrily. “Doesn’t bloody sound like it…”

She sighed again, wistfully this time. “I know, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry.”

They finished the trip in silence. Theirs had been a wonderful marriage filled with lots of beautiful memories. When they moved to Christchurch from Nelson for work, they knew nobody. It took a long time for them to make the group of friends to which they now belonged.

As always, it was a combination of work colleagues, who had other friends. Slowly but surely, they slipped into the group, and now they were tighter than ever.

That night, Sonny had a restless night. That evening was the first time he had ever seen anything other than positive emotions from Helle. It left him unsettled.

Helle didn’t sleep well either. For her it was different. She saw the hurt her words had caused and that made her feel like shit. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling. Tonight was the first time she had voiced them, but she had been feeling unsettled. It was part of conversations she and the girls had been having over the last few months.

All the girls felt the same way, and it had recently become a regular part of their conversations. They all thought their men were not holding up their ends of the marriage bargain.

The next morning, Sonny packed his golf clubs in the car and drove off to the guys usual golf game. Okay, it was less about golf, and more about the number of beers they drank on their way around the course. They were far from serious golfers. The day was more about the social element. They laughed and told jokes, made fun of each others game.

This time was no different, although the events of the previous night were top of the hit list.

“What the fuck was all that bout?” Sonny complained.

“Yeah, bloody hell. I mean we have to work, mow lawns, do gardens, repairs on the house, repairs on the frigging cars. On top of that, we’re expected to be all sentimental and mushy,” Nolan said, loaded with frustration.

“I get it.” Phil sighed. “I know what they were getting at. But shit, they had it in for all of us. That was a bit much.”

“You get it?” Joe snorted derisively. “Fuck me, bro, are you on the rags or something?”

“Fuck you, Phil. I’m just saying we could all do better. It’s their fault as much as it is ours. I get home from work absolutely shagged. What do I find when I get home… My wife in old track pants and a sloppy T- shirt. Then she complains when I don’t get romantic.”

“Yeah, same at my place,” Clive agreed. “I’d probably be a little more receptive if she tried a little harder. The old I’ve got a headache wears thin after a while.”

“Fuck em,” Nolan sneered. “Maybe we should let em have their fucking dates, so long as we get the same opportunities. There’s a couple of hot chicks at work I’d love to get me hands on.”

“You dirty bastard.” Phil laughed. “There’s no way you’d survive that. Your balls would be hanging on the fucking gatepost for all to see.”

We all laughed at that, Nolan especially. “Hey, I can dream you know. Fuck, it’s about all I get these days.”

It all made Sonny a little uneasy. Helle, by comparison, was a sexy and vibrant woman. They still made love four nights a week, and she never turned him down. Okay, maybe it could be a little wilder, but he had no complaints.

The boys ragged on about their wives for the rest of the round.

If they had heard the conversation their partners were having they might have been surprised. At that moment, as they always did on days the boys played golf, they congregated at a small local wine bar and enjoyed a light lunch and a few wines.

“Helle, I still find it hard to believe you’ve never actually had a date.”

“It just happened that way. We went from kindergarten, to marriage. I love Sonny, but honestly, I would have loved to go on a date. I’ll keep hinting, and maybe he’ll figure it out.”

“After last night, I remembered some of my first dates. They were pretty awful. Just boys wanting to get in my pants. Dirty buggers,” Leanne said laughingly. “It was all fumbling hands and spurting dicks. I tell you, girl. You’re not missing much.”

“I’m not interested in the sex. I would just like to experience being taken out to a nice restaurant, some dancing, conversation. I don’t want sex, just a fun night out, some romance would be nice,” Helle replied.

“God, I’d love it as well,” Renee added.

“When, Joe and I go out. I mean he’s not a complete arse. We do go on dates. It’s just that when we do, we talk about the same things we always do. We’re so familiar with each other, there’s no secrets, nothing to talk about. Sometimes, I think if we didn’t have the kids we’d have nothing to say to each other.”

“Yes, you are so right,” Jade said pensively. “That’s what gets me as well. It seems like we’ve been together forever. We know absolutely everything about each other. What we like, what we don’t. There’s nothing new, nothing fresh. God, even coming to our little parties. I look forward to talking to the guys. It’s nice to talk about something different.”

“Yeah, it’s not like we’re asking for the world here. Just a chance to get glammed up. I have a wardrobe full of beautiful clothes I never get a chance to wear,” Leanne sulked.

“Yeah, damn it would be nice. Some dancing. I’ve danced more with you guys than I have with my husband. How bad is that.”

They all giggled, clinked glasses and laughed.

It was Marissa whose mind ticked over. She was in the middle of something, a thought that wouldn’t go away. It was a little twisted, consequently, she held onto it. She needed time to get the words right; she certainly didn’t want to offend anyone. It made her titter as she thought of it. What the hell would Joe say?”

That dinner party had certainly got all their minds whirring away. Sonny was mostly worried about Helle’s statement about wanting to experience a date. It worried him because it came out of nowhere. He had always prided himself on being a good husband. He worked hard, he never turned down overtime. He never shirked his duties around the house. Took the kids to their sporting fixtures, to plays and recitals. Now he felt like he was losing the battle.

Okay, he might not be one of those guys, what did thy call them? Snags… He would happily take, Helle on dates, but right now, it felt like if he did it would be because he was shamed into it. Bugger it, if that’s what she had wanted, all she had to do was ask.

*****

The next dinner party was at Leanne and Clive’s. It started as it always did, with lots of laughter and bubbly conversation. The girls all congregated in the kitchen and dining room as they prepared the sumptuous dinner.

It was always a great feast, with each of them bringing a pot or plate of something wonderful. The guys grouped together. The Crusaders had just announced their team for the up coming season, and as it always did, it created a lot of controversy: who was in, who was out.

They were all friends and all Crusaders supporters, but they had their favourite players, so the conversation was boisterous.

At the table, the conversation turned more towards family, work, and of course, the Christmas holiday. The girls had fun making cocktails and inventing new drinks. dessert came and went and the drinks flowed. The music started just after and they all moved into the lounge. The girls danced and the guys talked golf. It wasn’t until Leanne brought out the snacks and they all sat in a group, that Marissa decided to launch her idea.

“Okay guys, you know at the last party we started talking about dates? I have a suggestion I’d like to run past you.”

There were a few scrunched up faces and confused looks. Joe said, sighing, “Here we go.”

Marissa gave him a dagger glare before saying, “Just hear me out before you shoot me down.”

There was a communal head nod as they all waited for her revelation.

“Okay, here goes. We, and by that I mean us girls, expressed a desire to date. When I thought about it, the answer was staring me in the face. We have everything we need, right here in front of us. We all have wonderful partners, and we all enjoy each others company. My suggestion is, we date each others husbands.”

The room fell eerily silent as her words sank in. She saw the consternation on everyone’s faces, and she realised she hadn’t explained it properly.

“I’m not talking about sex here. This isn’t some kinky wife swap scenario. I’m talking about dating only. We would all get to experience dating again. It would be fresh and new. Each date would be like a first date.”

Again, silence descended, the only noise was the sound system softly playing in the background.

“Hang on a minute,” Jade rasped. “You mean we take turns dating each others partners?”

“Exactly,” Marissa gushed. “Each week or so, each husband takes us out on a date. They choose the location, and they pay for everything. We get treated like queens, and we bring a little bit of excitement into our marriages.”

“Holy crap, girl. Where did that come from?” Renee said with a sneaky laugh. “You never said anything.”

“No, I have been thinking about it since the last party. Several of you mentioned you missed the excitement of going on dates. Poor Helle has never even been on a date. We’re all friends here. We have nothing to fear. It would just be a little harmless innocent fun.”

Clive gave a hearty laugh. “We get to take each of you lovely ladies on a date, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s it in a nutshell.”

He nodded his head. “I can see how it could work. No sex though, right? This is just a date?”

“Absolutely no sex, no kissing, no hand holding. Just two friends going out for a night on the town.” Marissa replied.

“What’s in it for us?” Nolan said quickly.

Marissa scowled. “What’s in it for you… Good lord, think about it. Your wife comes home from a wonderful date, she is excited. You yourself have had an evening of conversation, dancing, a few drinks. Everybody wins.”

Phil laughed loudly. “Yeah, I’m in. I think it could be heaps of fun. We’re all friends here, but in truth, I haven’t really talked one on one with any of you girls. I think it would be a great opportunity to get to know you better.”

“Yeah, count me in,” Joe added. “If it stops Marissa going on about no romance, then it’ll be worth it. Although you boys are going to struggle. After your wives have had a little bit of me, they’re not going to want to go back to you losers.”

Clive gave him a sharp nudge. “Piss off, we all know about you mate. Mr. five minute wonder.”

There was a fair bit of laughter as that sank in.

“I might only last five minutes, but it’s five minutes they’ll never forget,” Joe threw back tauntingly.

Jade squealed. “Stop it, that’s awful. I think it sounds fab. I’d love to be taken on a nice date.”

Leanne, who had been a little quiet, said, “Yes, I’m in, too. I think it would be nice for us all to get a chance to talk one on one, you know. Get to know what lurks beneath. Yeah, I think I’d be cool.”

Sonny watched, totally shell shocked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Then Helle chimed in happily. “Oh, heck yeah. That sounds sweet. I like the idea of getting to know you guys better.”

Helle loved the idea. It had never occurred to her, but Marissa’s idea sounded choice. She realised Sonny hadn’t said anything. Lifting her eyes to catch his, she was shocked to see his stunned expression.

Trying to bring him into the conversation, she asked, “What do you think, Sonny?”

Sonny glared angrily at her. “What do I think? I can’t believe I’m actually hearing this shit. What a ridiculous idea. There’s no way we’re getting involved.” Turning his eyes to Marissa, he snarled viciously. “You’ve been watching to much reality TV. Count us out. You can do what you want, but we’re out.”

There were a few hushed gasps, but it was Helle’s silence that said the most. This was the first time in their marriage that Sonny had decided to speak for her, and she didn’t like it.

Joe, who had been slightly taken aback by Sonny’s curt, almost rude retort, decided to call him out. “Sonny, I think you owe Marissa an apology. That was bloody rude, mate.”

“Piss off,” Sonny sneered. “What the hell did you think I was going to say? She puts together this ridiculous plan to send my wife out on a date with you lot. Fuck that. I stand by what I said.” He turned his glare back to Marissa. “You watch all those ridiculous shows, like Married at First Sight, and that disgusting Wife Swap shit. Yeah, you love that shit. Well you can do it without us.”

“I’m sorry guys,” Helle blurted out in an attempt to reduce the tension. “We can talk about it later. I think Sonny has had too much to drink.”

Shocked at her making a ridiculous comment about drinking too much, he started again, and this time he didn’t hold anything back. “Like bloody hell,” he proclaimed loudly. “I’m speaking my mind. The rest of you might have fallen into this stupid insane plot, but I’m not having a bar of it. If I take somebody on a date, it will be my wife. You idiots should be doing the same.”

“Steady on, mate,” Clive snorted. “A little less of the insults, aye. Nobody said anything derogatory to you.”

“That’s because I’m the only one talking sense; you morons are carrying on like dicks. There’s no way in hell I would let one of you reprobates take my wife anywhere.”

“I’ve had enough of the shit, Sonny. I think you should leave. Come back when you’re thinking clearly,” Joe said forcefully. “I dunno what’s come over you, mate, but that shit’s uncalled for.”

Sonny snorted fiercely, “Don’t you bloody worry, mate. I’ll be glad to get out of this nuthouse.” He glanced over at Helle, who looked totally discombobulated. “Come on, lets get the hell out of here.”

“Sonny, I have to help clean up and get my plates,” Helle said, embarrassed by this sudden macho bullshit.

“Get them later, come on. We’re not staying here a moment longer,” Sonny stated in a rancorous bark.

Helle rushed around the group giving them all hugs. She apologised as she went, saying sorry over and over. Sonny had already walked over to the front door and waited impatiently.

Finally in the car, Sonny exploded. “What the hell was that all about in there? Was that something you girls already talked about?”

“Don’t be daft. I was as shocked as you,” she spat back angrily. His outburst had left her feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

“Then why the hell did you agree to that?”

“I don’t know what your problem is, Sonny, but I thought it sounded like fun.” She tried to keep the exasperation from her voice, but it flowed out, and once she started she couldn’t stop.

“You were so bloody rude in there. Those people are our best friends, we’re closer to them than we are with our family. Okay, if you didn’t like the idea, you just had to say so. You didn’t need to be insulting.”

Sonny was incensed, and he didn’t bother to try and mask it. “That bloody Marissa, she’s such a drama queen. She watches all that shit on TV, and now she’s trying to create that drama in our lives. She needs a good kick up the arse.”

“Wow, settle petal. I don’t know what’s crawled up your arse and died, but you can stop right now. She is my friend, yours as well. What the hell’s wrong with going out with them? Shit, I go out for drinks and that with Marissa and Jade quite a lot and you never complain. What’s the difference?”

“Married men and women don’t go out on dates with married people. We go out as a group. Jesus, Helle, she watches programs like that ridiculous Wife Swap. And she’s trying to recreate it here.”

“For Pete’s sake, Sonny. There’s no sex, you heard her. It would be just a night out and a chance to get better acquainted with our friends’ partners.”

“Oh yeah, sneaky bitch. I bet she wants to get better acquainted. Fucking slut. I don’t know who she’s got her eye on, but she’s not dragging us into it.”

“Sonny, how dare you? That woman is my friend. She does not deserve to be spoken about like that. What she suggested was some harmless fun between a bunch of very dear friends. Don’t you ever speak like that about her again.”

“This is ridiculous, Helle. I don’t know why we’re even talking about it. I think once the others have had chance to consider it, they will pull back.”

Helle just shook her head in total disbelief. She was completely blown away by his outburst. “That may be the case. We will wait and see. If they ever speak to you again, that is. I can’t believe the way you carried on. What the hell was that all about?”

“Me…” Sonny growled. “It was bloody stupid. The way you all jumped on board. You threw me under the bus. You didn’t even ask me.”

“Why would I? Good heavens, babe, there was nothing to get so upset over. Gee, it would have been nice.”

“Nice… Who the fuck are you? Who stole my wife?” Sonny snarled as he slid the car to a halt in their drive way. “Where did all this shit come from. You tell them you feel cheated because you never dated anyone. Then suddenly you’re dying to go on dates with our friends… What the fuck, Helle?”

“I never said I was cheated… Yeah, I admit I wonder what going on a date would have felt like. Really, all I wanted was for you to take the hint. We never do anything for ourselves anymore. I thought you might like to do something, but no. You chose to do nothing.”

“I wasn’t being guilted into it. I was going to do it. I was just waiting.”

“Well, tomorrow, you better apologise to the guys at golf, and hope they’re still talking to you.”

“Fuck them. If they can’t take that, they’re not mates.”

Confused by his blasé attitude, she chided, “I don’t think you realise how hurtful your comments were.”

That was a sleepless night for them both. Sonny tossed and turned restlessly. He knew his reaction was over the top, but he found the idea completely abhorrent. One of his friends taking his wife on a date. It went completely against everything he accepted as his code of ethics.

Some of that came from his parents. They had arrived in NZ fifty years earlier, refugees from Iran.

They weren’t strict Muslims, but like most refugees, they kept the faith loosely. If his mother heard about this, she would be disgusted. God knows what his father would say.

In the morning, Sonny decided he would go for a run. He wasn’t going to play golf. Hah, mates. If they were going to accept the stupidity of, Marissa’s suggestion, they were no mates of his.

Helle slept in. Her sleepless night left her feeling tired. Sonny was gone when she rose. ‘God, I hope he is sensible enough to apologise,’ she said to herself as she filled the washing machine. She got breakfast for herself and the kids, who were moping around. The kids were waiting to go off with their friends for the day. Amy was heading to a netball tournament. Kirk was off skateboarding with some mates.

That left Helle free to go and meet the girls at the wine bar for lunch. She felt terrible about the previous night. Sonny had behaved like a real arse and made a complete fool of himself. In truth, she felt embarrassed by the way he flew off the handle.

Sucking in a big breath, she walked into the bar. The girls were already there. When they saw her they all jumped up and hugged her. There were even some tears.

“God, what happened last night?” Marissa asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. I have never seen him act like that. It was so over the top. I’m sorry, Marissa. I hope you can forgive us.”

“Don’t be silly. It wasn’t your fault. Of course we forgive him. Joe said he was going to talk to him today. See if they can iron out what happened.”

“Oh god.” Helle sighed. “Thank god. I’ve been so nervous. I can’t say sorry enough.”

The waiter came and collected their order as they sipped on their wines.

“What did he say after you guys left?” Jade enquired.

“Gee, you guys saw the lighter stuff. He was like a crazy man when we got in the car. But he refused to explain, just went on and on speaking nonsense.”

“Really?” Leanne gasped. “You poor dear. The man is a dick, I mean for heavens sake. What’s wrong with him? Everybody else thought it was a great idea.”

“It’s a bloody brilliant idea,” Renee, gushed. “I was so looking forward to it. I guess it’s all over now though.”

“Why?” Jade gasped. “Why should he spoil it for the rest of us?”

“It would hardly be fair, leaving Helle sitting on the sidelines.”

“Girls, nobody has to sit and watch. I think that we should proceed as if nothing has happened. Come on, Sonny is a smart guy. I don’t know why he’s so upset, but the boys’ll straighten him out. I think he will get over it once he gets over his fit of whatever that was. I think he’ll enjoy it.”

“I don’t know.” Helle sighed. “Last night, god he was so crazy.”

“I think he totally got it wrong. He’s not that sort of guy. At least I never got that vibe from him,” Renee added.

“He’s not, he never gets angry like that. It took me completely by surprise,” Helle replied.

“Then we should just go ahead. He can’t tell you what to do, Helle. He doesn’t control your body,” Marissa stated firmly as the food turned up.

“Yes, even if he doesn’t want to get in on it, you can still enjoy a few dates. The boys will look after you.”

“Do you think?” Helle sighed. “He was so angry.”

“Honey, I think he was just caught off guard and letting off steam. I don’t know why he would be so upset over going on a date with us, we’re bloody delightful,” Leanne said with a giggle.

“I think it was more me going with the guys. He thinks it’s some sort of sexual thing,” Helle said sadly.

“Sex? Oh, god no. No disrespect, girls, but I’m not banging your husbands,” Jade said with a loud laugh.

“Amen to that,” Leanne added. “I’m not looking for sex. If you girls are, then I’m out.”

“No, if that’s what he thinks, then hopefully the boys’ll put him straight. This was never meant to be sexual, just some fun.”

“Sweet,” Renee said. “I was sort of hoping the boy’s would make it a bit competitive and try to out do each other.”

“Oh, hell yes,” Jade said reaching across and high-fiving Renee. “That would be so choice. Think of the dates we might get.”

The mood lifted quickly as they all got into the spirit of it.

Even Helle enjoyed the joking. “It will be just like our early dates. They’ll be doing all the hard work, showing off, and still getting nothing.”

“Oh, that’s just dumb. They will get their rewards. Just not with the sweetie they took on the date. I’m hoping you ladies will get my man all excited, and I’ll enjoy the benefits…” Marissa said with a sexy giggle.

“I just want them to make a fuss,” Leanne added.

They all headed off home to get dinner. Helle considered her options. She was so pissed off at Sonny. The afternoon had been full of the girls making fun of him, and it was embarrassing. “Why did he do it?” she said to herself, turning into their driveway.

As she walked inside, she was surprised to see Sonny getting himself a beer from the fridge. “What are you doing home so early?”

“I didn’t golf, I went for a run. I’ve been home for ages. I suppose you met up with the girls?”

“Yes,” she said curtly. “Why didn’t you play golf with the boys?”

“Didn’t feel like it. Look, last night, I may have overreacted. I feel a little embarrassed by some of the things I said,” Sonny said quietly.

“Babe, it’s okay. I think I understand. I could see how shocked you were. I’m sure if you apologise, the guys will forgive you.”

“Helle,” he said. “I’m embarrassed because of the way I vented, but I stand by the comments. Marissa was way out of line to suggest I would be okay with you dating anybody other than me. I don’t know what her game is, or why she suggested it. I’m telling you here and now. I am not okay with it. Not now, not ever.”

“Sonny, there’s no hidden agenda. It is one hundred percent not about sex. If that’s what’s worrying you, then stop, because that’s not what it’s about.”

“Then tell me, what the hell is it about, Helle?”

“God, I can’t believe how rigid you’re being about this. It goes back to the other night, when we were all talking about dating. It was Marissa’s idea that we could recreate some of the excitement of dating. Bring some spontaneity and excitement into our lives.”

“We can do that without including others, Helle.”

“Sonny, it was just a harmless suggestion. So we go out with our friends rather than our husbands. What’s the big deal.”

“You’d be happy telling your folks you went on a date with another guy?” Sonny could feel the shame rising like an angry horde of ants racing up his oesophagus.

“Yes, once I explained what it was all about, Mum would laugh her tits off,” Helle said gayly. “Come on, honey, you’re making way too much of this. Surely you would enjoy spending an evening with any of the other girls. They’re attractive, smart funny women. If you let yourself go a little, you would enjoy it.”

“My parents would have a flying fit. Mum would die of embarrassment.” Sonny sighed.

“We don’t have to tell them. I know with their religion it might seem weird.”

“Don’t you get it, Helle? If I’m to embarrassed to tell my parents, then it shouldn’t be happening in the first place. What if our other friends see you on a date with Clive, for instance.”

“For gods sake. We just tell them. They’d be bloody jealous that they didn’t think of it.”

“I don’t think so. I hate to play the bad guy, but I absolutely forbid it. We are not getting involved, and if they go ahead with it, then I think we should seriously reconsider our group of friends.”

“You forbid it!” Helle said flabbergasted. “You can’t stop me, Sonny. You might not like it, but you can’t bloody well stop me. So pull your fucking head in.”

“Helle, I’m warning you,” he snarled. “I am still your husband.”

In total shock at his draconian stance, Helle shook her head in utter disbelief. “You cannot tell me what to do. We are a partnership. We both work, we are supposed to be equals here.”

“We are, at least that’s what I always thought,” Sonny gasped in outrage. “Being an equal means, if either of us doesn’t like it, we don’t do it. I absolutely hate the idea of you getting dressed up to go out with another man. I bloody hate it.”

“For heavens sake. It’s dinner, a movie, or dancing. That’s all it is. We all go home to our spouses at the end of the evening. Hopefully, all stimulated and refreshed. Then we all share in it. Think about it, Sonny. You enjoy a wonderful evening, eating good food, enjoying sparkling conversation with one of our closest friends. You find out things about her you didn’t know. Share little secrets, enjoy the intimacy of another woman’s company in a totally safe warm environment. All fun, with no risks.”

“No, you can try to make it sound like that, but the truth is, somebody will say something stupid, and there are risks. What if while you’re dancing, Clive comes on to you? What if he wants more than just a friendly date. What if he wants sex?”

“Oh come on, really… Clive. Jesus, Sonny. You’re being preposterous.”

“It could happen. He has too much to drink, forgets about the rules. Maybe it’s not Clive. Maybe it’s Nolan.”

“Nobody’s going to risk their marriage for a feel of my bum, Sonny.”

“I don’t care. It’s not happening, I won’t allow it.” His firm stance, hands on hips, jaw set firmly, really pissed off Helle.

“I have already told them I’m in. I’m actually looking forward to it,” Helle said firmly.

Just then, Amy rushed in through the door screaming. “We won. We won!” She jumped into, Helle’s arms and hugged her. “What a day, Mum. I don’t think I have ever played as well as I did today.”

She turned and reciprocated with her father, and it was then she noticed the tension. Standing down, she spluttered nervously, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, dear. Your father and I had a little disagreement. You go and shower. I want to hear all about the game.”

As Amy walked off, Helle snapped, “The kids don’t have to know why we’re fighting?”

“Don’t be bloody daft. They’re going to find out when they see you going off on a date with another man.”

“Idiot. I wasn’t suggesting we keep it a secret. I’m just saying that they don’t need to know their fathers an arse.”

Sonny stormed off out to his man cave. He was happy to bury himself in his latest project: rebuilding the turbo for his Triumph TR6.

The call for dinner brought him out of his deep mood. Ever since Helle drew her line in the sand he had been trying to figure out what his options were. If she followed through and actually went on the date, what should he do?

Inside, Amy wanted to talk about nothing but netball. At least it raised the spirits. Kirk as well, had a good day, and they had a very pleasant dinner.

That night, Sonny and Helle may have shared a bed, but it was cold, and there was definitely no intimacy.

Sonny wasn’t looking forward to work. He wondered how Joe and Phil would approach it. His reservations were quelled as he made himself a cup of tea. Joe walked up and lifted a cup down from the cupboard. “Where were you yesterday? We waited for the best part of an hour. The least you could have done is messaged us to say you weren’t coming.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think you guys would want me there,” Sonny stated curtly.

“Oh don’t be a fucking dick. Jeez mate, we’re all adults. We had a disagreement. No big deal.”

“Cool, I’m glad you can see my side.”

“Mate, don’t get me wrong. There’s no grudge, but I don’t for the life of me see why you got so bloody angry. If you didn’t like Marissa’s idea, that’s all you had to say. The way you went about, that was fucked up, bro.”

“Sorry, but I see it differently. I was totally blind-sided by it. Scared the bejesus out of me.”

“You weren’t alone, mate. We were all caught off guard, but your reaction was way over the top.”

Sonny sipped his tea. “You guys aren’t going ahead with it are you? I mean shit, you can’t be bothered to take your own wife out. Now you want to take mine? What the fuck?”

“Sonny, we have all dropped the ball. You, me and the others. We all take our women for granted. This actually makes sense. We can treat them a bit special. Okay, I take Helle out, and you take, Marissa out. We all have a good night. We come home, our wives are happy, and we finish the night in the sack. If you treat Marissa nicely, she will be all excited. You do all the hard work, and I get the benefits. The same goes for Helle. Trust me mate, happy wife, happy life.”

“Sorry, Joe, but it isn’t happening mate. No fucking way. I have nothing against Marissa, but I don’t want to take her on a date. It would be bloody uncomfortable. I wouldn’t know what to say. Christ man, I hardly know her.”

“That’s the point. I don’t know Helle either. Yeah, we chat at the parties, but I don’t really know her. We can all become better friends. We will all know more about each other.”

“Nope, not happening. I’ve already told, Helle. We are not getting involved.”

“Oh man, don’t be like that. Fucks sake, what harm is there in it? There’s no bloody sex involved. Marissa already said, if I so much as hold hands with any of the other wives, I’ll be dead by morning. This is purely friends having fun.”

Just then, Phil arrived. “Hey, arsehole. Why didn’t you fucking call? We stood around for bloody ages waiting.”

“I already said sorry to Joe.”

The conversation quickly degenerated. Tempers were rising. It was only the presence nearby of other employees that stopped it getting completely out of hand.

A cold truce was formed. Usually the three sat together for morning tea and lunch. Now, they didn’t even share the same table. It created a lot of gossip. Sonny was further angered when the boys told their work mates what was going on.

‘Didn’t they have any shame?’ Sonny thought to himself as he heard Joe telling one of their colleagues. Then it wasn’t just that others knew, it was the scornful glances from people who knew.

He had to listen to men and women giggling about what a fool he was. That hurt even more. It seemed like he was the only one who had an issue with it.

Since moving to Christchurch, he had worked hard to establish a reputation for being a hard worker, somebody people could rely on, trust. Now they treated him with a certain amount of disdain.

At home, things were cold. Polite, but cold. Even the kids were bemused. True to her word, Helle told them what was happening. They could hardly keep it a secret. All the kids went to the same school. Bloody hell, even they didn’t think it was weird. Sonny felt like he was totally isolated, but rather than making him want to give in, it strengthened his resolve. He was more determined than ever that he wasn’t getting involved.

It was apparent he couldn’t stop Helle, but he certainly didn’t have to accept it.

*****

The night of the first date rolled around far too quickly for Sonny. He had completely stopped talking to the guys. His conversations with Helle were perfunctory at best.

Thursday night when he got home, the kids were off at their friends places for dinner. Helle and Sony had the place to themselves. Helle had set the table, and the smell of risotto permeated the house. For the first time in over two weeks, Helle met him with a warm scintillating kiss.

He wasn’t going to fight it. He was actually in need of intimacy, some contact. Helle smiled up at him. “Hmmmm, that was nice. I’ve missed you, Sonny.”

“Yes, me too. And, yes that was lovely.”

The dining room was set, music wafted in softly, the lights were dimmed. The TV was switched off. They sat down to dinner with a glass of wine. Helle smiled across the table warmly. Sonny wanted to ask, but was afraid of bursting the bubble.

Helle, on the other hand, wanted more than anything in the whole world to clear the air. She, like Sonny, was feeling the tension. She hated the total lack of intimacy. She missed his smile, his warmth. She never once doubted her love for him. Even with this terrible argument raging, she knew he was hers, and vice versa. She had always known they were meant to be together.

She knew from talking to the girls that Sonny had been ostracised by Joe and Phil. That made the guilt even harder to bear. He was forsaken, deserted. He must feel terrible. No friends to talk to. Totally alone.

She hoped tonight she would be able to convince him to change his mind and join in. The group had already gathered together the previous evening just after work. It had been a fun evening, they had a couple of drinks as the girls all drew names out of a bowl.

Helle was going on a date with Nolan. They had included Sonny’s name in the hope he would change his mind. Otherwise, one of the girls, in this case Marissa, was going to be left at home alone.

It didn’t seem fair to Helle; it was Marissa’s idea, yet she might not get to enjoy it. All she could do was talk to him and hope upon hope he saw reason.

After their second glasses of wine, she said softly, trying ever so hard not to sound confronting. “Can we talk please, babe? I want to fix things between us.”

“Yes, things have gotten out of hand. I think we should try to clear the air.”

“Thank you,” she said, reaching across to stroke his hand lovingly. “I’m sorry for the way things have gone recently. I know it’s been hard, especially for you. Have you given the situation any more thought?”

“Of course I have. Bloody hell. What do you think?”

“Sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. What I mean is, have you reconsidered?”

This is what Sonny had been dreading. She was obviously still going ahead with the bloody stupid idea. “I’ve given it a lot of thought. However, I’ve not changed my mind. I’ll not be part of the twisted scheme.”

Her face dropped; she was stunned. Surely after everything that had happened he could see reason. “Babe, why not? This is not sexual. It’s just a bit of harmless fun.”

“No, not harmless, Helle. Look what has happened to us. Our marriage is in tatters. If you were to go out with one of them, I’m not sure what would happen. I certainly do not accept this action.”

“What do you mean by that?” she spluttered fearfully.

“I mean. I might not be able to stop you from going, but I don’t have to accept it. There are implications, repercussions. I have tried to tell you how unhappy I am even talking about it. If you follow through, then I will have to reassess our relationship.”

Helle was becoming just as angry as he was. “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know. All I can say is, I question your loyalty. You know this has upset me, but you plan to do it anyway. How does that show me any respect?”

“Sonny, you know I love you, and I’m sorry this makes you unhappy. But surely even you can see how unreasonable you’re being.”

“Actually, Helle, I think it is you who is being unreasonable. Lets shift our minds back a couple of years. I wanted to get a motorbike to ride to work on. You went bloody nuts. I saw how unhappy you were and decided not to buy it. I respected your opinion.”

She scowled, remembering his mid-life crisis. She wouldn’t have minded, except he knew nothing about motorbikes. Had never ridden one, and suddenly he wants this thing that looked like a race bike. Of course she said no. It made no sense.

This was completely different. The group were like family, and now he was cut off from them.

“Sonny, why not just give it a go? Just the once. I’m sure if you opened your mind you would actually enjoy it. Marissa is a wonderful woman. You and her have always gotten along so well.”

“How do you know she would be my date?”

“We got together after work last night to decide.”

“You went around to their house! When were you going to tell me?”

“Don’t get all upset. What would have been the point of asking if you wanted to come. You would have only said no. The point is, Marissa is going to be your date. You know you get on well together. You’re always laughing and flirting.”

“And who is your date?”

“Nolan. He is picking me up here at seven Saturday night.”

Sonny’s anger had reached overflow, and he exploded, “I wouldn’t touch that slut with Phil’s cock let alone mine. The skanky bitch can get fucked, but it won’t be by me.”

Helle was shocked at his vitriolic outburst. “Sonny, you take that back. We have all tried to tell you. There is no sex. Marissa is a wonderful person, and she genuinely likes you. I don’t know how you can say such disgusting things.”

“Bullshit, Helle. There’s no way this isn’t about sex. You complained yourself about feeling cheated because you never dated anybody else.”

“Dated, idiot, dated. I don’t want sex. I just want to know what it feels like to be taken on a date by somebody other than my husband. No kissing or smooching. Just a nice night out of the house.”

Sonny, pushed aside his empty plate and stood quickly. “I’m sick of talking about this. I’m not fucking interested in that slut, or any of the other filthy bitches. They can all fuck off. That goes for the guys as well. They are no friends of mine. They can suck shit and die.”

He turned and stormed outside. He tried to focus on a few jobs in the workshop, but couldn’t. Being a warm night. He decided on a walk. His strides were long and purposeful as he stormed off up the road. There was a track that led between some houses down to the Avon river.

It was a nice night, and as he walked, the anger slowly dissipated. His stride shortened, and it became more of a stroll. There were other couples walking hand in hand. Lovers, enjoying each other’s company. Just an hour before, Helle had met him with a kiss that promised so much. Now he realised, it was just a bribe to get him to change his mind.

Well fuck her…

Helle sat at the table, her head in her hands. That had gone terribly, and she had probably made it worse rather than better. What she couldn’t understand is why he was being so obstinate, so rigid. To her it sounded marvellous. A night out, a chance to glam up, wear something nice, enjoy some different conversation.

What made it more confusing was Sonny’s anger toward Marissa. They really were the closest of the group. They had always enjoyed a closer connection. Marissa used to do martial arts, just like Sonny. They had that in common. Marissa was a die hard Crusaders fan and went to most of the games with the boys.

To hear Sonny using such hateful language shocked her. When she thought about it, she had never heard him speak like that about anybody.

Sonny was trying to scare her, she reasoned. All that talk about consequences. He wasn’t serious, he was just venting, but why? She just wished she knew why.

The house was in darkness when Sonny arrived home. It was late, but he had expected her to want to reopen the war.

He grabbed a beer and flopped on the sofa. With the beer emptied, he put his feet up and stretched out. Sleep actually came easily.

He rose early and left for work without even talking to Helle. He took his bicycle and let the residual anger burn off in a frantic race to work.

Racing dangerously through the traffic, he worked himself into a frenetic pace.

He arrived at work happier, but exhausted.

As he sat at in the lunch room, Phil walked over to his table. “Mind if I sit with you?”

Glancing up, Sonny muttered, “Do what you want.”

They sat eating their lunch, but the tension was thick. Sonny saw Joe staring at them.

“Listen, mate. This is bloody crazy. Can we talk without you getting your tits in a tangle? Have an adult conversation?”

“Phil, I’m not interested in your little wife swapping group. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a bunch of fucking perverts. Do what you want, but leave me out of it.”

He said it loud enough that those sitting nearby could hear, and Phil’s face reddened as he snarled. “You stupid little prick. I guess I was wrong. We can’t have an adult conversation.” He stood and walked away to the stifled sounds of giggles from the nearby tables.

“Bugger,” Sonny said under his breath. He didn’t want to say that. He did actually want to try and talk them out of it. He thought that if he could just reason with them. But no, he couldn’t control his anger. It just erupted out of nowhere. He sighed deeply as he watched Joe and Phil talk. They glanced over from time to time, shaking their heads.

“Damn it,” he muttered and stood to go back to work. This thing had really gotten under his skin. It affected his work, as well. Phil had been his closest ally. They always worked together on projects. Now he couldn’t even do that.

Helle sat with Renee and Leanne. “What the hell am I going to do? He refuses to even listen. I can’t get him to discuss it sanely. He explodes and we start yelling at each other. I think I better pull out for Saturday night. I wouldn’t be much company anyway.”

“Don’t you dare,” Leanne snorted. “That’s exactly what he wants. He’s behaving like a bully. He thinks by yelling and screaming he can break you down. Don’t let him do that to you. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“That’s easy for you to say. It’s not your marriage on the line.” Helle sighed.

“Sweetie, Leanne’s right. I don’t know what Sonny’s problem is, but he’s behaving like a mad man. He’s totally lost the respect of the boys. They think he’s a joke. He’s blown it with them.”

“I know. I can see that.” Helle said. “Where the hell does that leave me. We obviously can’t come to the dinner parties anymore. I’m going to lose my best friends.”

“Oh don’t be silly. We will always be friends,” Leanne replied quickly. “You can still come along. It will be hard for Sonny. He will have to eat shit for a while, but the boys will eventually forgive him.”

“No, it’s not that simple. He won’t go. I know that now. From what he said last night, he won’t have anything to do with the group,” Helle said mournfully.

“God, the man’s insufferable. Look, I think the best thing you can do is go through with the dates. Hopefully he will see there’s nothing improper going on and see the light. Once he sees it was just fun, he might open his mind.”

Helle was unconvinced, but as her friends continued, she realised there was probably no going back anyway. He was such a pigheaded bugger. What irked her the most was the pettiness of Sonny’s attitude. He refused point blank to enter into any really helpful dialogue. He just kept saying no without really explaining his position. If they were talking about sex, then she could understand, but his refusal to even talk it through, or even bend a little, it frustrated the shit out of her.

Friday night was horrific. Sonny stormed around like a bull in a china shop. He was angry and exasperated by Helle’s resistance to consider his perspective.

Helle felt her anger swelling as the night progressed. She wanted to talk to him, but he was obviously in no mood.

She had arrived home convinced the best thing for her to do was just cancel the whole thing. She tried to open the doors of dialogue, but Sonny exploded again. By the end of the night, she had changed her mind. She was going to go ahead with the dates.

The cards would fall where they did. Christ, it wasn’t like she was doing anything wrong. All the other husbands saw it for what it was, and the previous evening seeing the excited banter as they each taunted the others with how fabulous their dates were going to be was so much fun. Everybody was so into it. If only Sonny could open whatever dark door was closed inside his head, he would be able to join in.

Reflecting, she pictured Sonny and the boys laughing and provoking the others. All of them got on so well together. They spent hours slinging shit at each other. Now he was alone, he didn’t even have his mates to lean on.

Saturday morning, Sonny took Kurt to his basketball training and Amy to gymnastics.

He got home to find a note from Helle, she had gone to the hairdressers.

The kids rushed off to shower and get their own lunches. Sonny decided if he was going to be stuck home alone, he would order in the Hobson – Jacobs fight on pay per view. At least watching the fight would keep his mind off what was going on.

Amy was going to have a sleep over with Jocelyn, Leanne’s daughter. Kurt was also supposed to be spending the night with a friend, but when he heard his father ordering the fight, he decided to stay home and watch it with his father.

Recently both kids had tried to spend as much time away from their parents as they could. The arguing was driving them crazy, as well. The house had been so uncomfortable lately.

At the hair dressers, Helle and Marissa were getting their hair styled “What are you going to do tonight, Marissa?” Helle asked.

“Well, I was going to cook up something and take it over to your house. If Sonny is going to be home alone, I thought I’d take the opportunity to visit. I wondered if he might open up to me if we were alone. I always thought we were mates. We used to be able to talk. What do you think?”

“Sounds good, you’re right. You were close with him. If he is going to talk you’ve got as much chance as anyone. As far as I know, he isn’t going anywhere or doing anything.”

“He said some nasty shit to me, but I’m sure he didn’t mean it. I actually feel sorry for the dumb arse. I just don’t understand what is driving his insanity.”

It was late when Helle walked in to find Kurt and Sonny on the sofa talking and watching TV.

“I thought you were going to Dylan’s house for the night,” Helle said.

“Yeah, nah. Not when I found out Dad booked the Hobson – Jacobs fight on pay per view. No way was I missing that.”

Helle frowned. “But they are expecting you?”

“I’ll call them later. We weren’t doing anything special. Just playing Fortnight.”

“But his mother will have already started dinner. That’s not fair, Kirk.” She turned to Sonny. “You can record the fight, can’t you?”

“Yeah, I suppose so. Seems pointless. He can just call Dylan.”

“No!” Helle snapped. “I know Carol will have already started dinner. They’re expecting him.”

Seeing another argument brewing, Kirk said, “Cut it out, I’ll go to Dylan’s. You can record the fight for me can’t you, Dad?”

“Yeah, buddy. I can do that.”

Helle sighed. “Thank you, Kirk. Sorry for being so short.” She was thinking, ‘Phew, crisis averted.’ She was hoping that Marissa could talk some sense into Sonny.

She went up to the bedroom to prepare for the evening. She loved the thought she was going on a date. For the first time in her life. Nolan had already told her to dress casually and to wear something she could dance in.

She spent an age trying to figure out what to wear. Casual, but for a date, and something she could dance in. Nolan had said it wouldn’t be ballroom dancing, so she was expecting a dance club.

She finally found something she felt looked good. She finished her makeup and proudly walked out to face Sonny. She decided to be bold. As she walked into the lounge, she did a twirl. “What do you think?”

Sonny shrugged. It wasn’t overtly sexual; it was a lot more casual than he had expected. He couldn’t resist taking a shot. “I’m sure your boyfriend will enjoy it. Looks easy to get off.”

“Oh, for fucks sake, Sonny.”

Nolan was due in a few minutes to pick her up. She was surprised to see Sonny heading for the door. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get a burger for dinner. I can’t be bothered cooking.”

“I’ll be gone when you get back. Do I get a kiss?”

“Not a chance in hell. I can’t stop you going, but I most certainly don’t accept it.” Without further ado, he walked out the door.

‘Fuck!’ Helle snorted. ‘This isn’t going to be any fun at all.’ She mused, ‘How the hell am I supposed to enjoy this, with him acting like that?’

She was almost ready to call it off when Nolan turned up. She met him at the door, and he escorted her out to the car. As they drove off, Nolan said with a wolf whistle, “Damn, you are looking sexy as hell. Real pretty.”

She blushed a little, enjoying the compliment. Not for the first time, she gave Nolan an appraising look. Hmmm, very nice. He had dressed casually, but still looked nice. He was about five or six years younger than she was, and he was fit as hell. He did triathlons, so was pretty ripped.

“Where are we going?” she asked, curious to at last find out whether she had dressed appropriately.

The conversation flowed really well. Nolan was a nice guy; he never let the conversation slip into awkward silences; he more than carried it. It took Helle no time at all to feel comfortable.

As they drove past Orangetheory Stadium, Helle commented, “Holy shit, look at the crowds over at the stadium. Wonder what’s going on there tonight?”

“Six Sixty are playing a double header with LAB.”

“Wow, no wonder the crowd’s so huge. Both of them on the one card; god, that’d be sweet as.”

Nolan laughed. “Yeah, I heard it sold out weeks ago. It’s going to be mega.”

“I would love to see them live. I love LAB as well, loved their latest single.”

They pulled up at Koji, a Japanese restaurant on Lincoln road. Nolan scooted around and opened her door, offering his hand to help. Inside it was lovely, and as he had in the car, Nolan made sure the conversation flowed. He filled the date with stories of his overseas travel. He had taken a big OE opportunity straight after graduating Uni. Helle listened intently to his hilarious tales of his adventures.

It made her aware of how little she knew about him. It was just like Marissa had said. Although they had been friends for five years, none of the group knew their friends’ spouses that well.

Helle was, in fact, a little envious of, Nolan’s travels. It was something she and Sonny had never yet achieved. Their family arrived so quickly they didn’t have that chance. They did, however, have plans. They hoped that by having their family young, they would have opportunities before they were too old.

The food was delicious, the conversation uplifting and the evening flowed so wonderfully. Nolan had made her feel special without making it creepy.

It amazed her how different it was to be with somebody else in this type of environment. It felt very elucidating to her.

It didn’t help her wondering how Marissa had got on with Sonny. ‘Oh god, I hope she has made him see sense.’ She thought to herself.

Just at that moment, Sonny had finished his burgers and was just sitting back enjoying his third beer. The burgers had been delicious, and he rubbed his stomach as he prepared for the main event. The lead up fights had all been excellent, and the crowd was abuzz as the ring announcements were being made.

He was dragged from his reverie by a knock on the door. Swinging it open, there stood Marissa, a large pot of something that smelt pretty damn good. “What do you want?” he snapped caustically.

Taken aback by his venom, she said defensively, “I thought seeing as how we were both going to be home alone, I would bring over a little something for dinner. Perhaps we could enjoy each others company, rather than moping around by ourselves.”

Sonny glared at her. “I’m busy, Marissa. If you’d called, I could have saved you a drive over.”

“Sonny, please. Just talk to me, I thought we were friends?”

“So did I, at least up until you organised dates with other men for my wife.”

“Sonny, you’re being overly dramatic. They aren’t dates, as in dates. We are all friends. This is just a chance to spend some one on one time with our friends spouses, get to know them, lavish compliments on them and try and enjoy a little affection from somebody other than their partners.”

“You’re an idiot, Marissa, a complete fool. I don’t want to spend time with you or the other wives. When I want affection, I get that from my wife. This hair-brained scheme is all about sex, okay? It might not happen on the first date, or the second, but that’s what it’s about. You are just using smoke and mirrors to create a situation where we all become accustomed to being around each other, then whammo. You have us in your trap.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I said from the outset this is not about sex. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. Just friends, being friends.”

“No, fuck that, Marissa. I can see what you’re up to. The others have been fooled by your carefully chosen words. I haven’t. I see right through your paper-thin facade. You might be unhappy in your marriage, but that doesn’t give you the right to destroy ours.”

“Oh, for the love of god. You’re the fool, Sonny. We don’t live in the dark ages anymore. Members of the opposite sex are allowed to spend time together. It doesn’t have to involve sex. If you can’t allow yourself to be alone in the company of a woman without thinking about having sex with her, then I think you’re the one with the issues.”

She held out the pot. “Do you want the food, I’m leaving.”

“I don’t know what poison you put in the food, Marissa, but I have eaten already.

She turned and walked away, cursing under her breath. ‘The man’s a complete idiot. Where the hell did he get the impression this was about sex?’ She wondered whether he had some secret desires towards one of the girls.

As Nolan and Helle finished their meal, he said, “We better get a move on, or we’re going to be late.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“That’d be telling. You’ll figure it out when we get there.

Mysterious, thought Helle. She knew some of the clubs in the area, and none would require casual dress. When he turned the car into Orangetheory stadium car park, she shrieked, “Oh my god. Are we going to the concert?”

“We are indeed,” he said with a smile. The look of sheer surprise on her face made the expense all worth while. “Ha, beat that, losers,” he said under his breath. The other guys would never be able to top this.

He flashed the VIP tickets as they walked past all the normal ticket holders. They eased through the gates into the arena. A local band was already warming up the crowd, and they sounded pretty good. Nolan stopped at the bar and they had a couple of quick drinks before wandering down to the VIP area.

The sound hit them in the face, their bodies vibrating with the driving bass-heavy sounds.

When LAB walked out onstage, the light show started for real and they quickly started playing. Helle, who was delirious with excitement, dragged Nolan into the mosh pit where they danced wildly, enjoying the powerful rhythms of one of her favourite bands.

She sang along, lost in the moment, her hands waving wildly over her head as she got down and dirty, bumping and bouncing off of the bodies all around her.

Nolan was into it, as well. They danced together, Nolan careful not to let the stumbling bodies surrounding them spoil her night.

At the end of their set. Helle hugged Nolan tightly. “Wow, thank you for tonight. It’s been awesome.”

“It’s only just getting started. Six Sixty haven’t played yet.”

“I know, god what a night. Sonny will be so envious; he loves these guys. They are his absolute favourite band.” She hoped Marissa had more success at talking sense into Sonny than she did.

Six Sixty were amazing, the volume went up a couple of notches, as did the intensity. By the end of their set, Helle was exhausted.

Nolan led her off to the bar area where they got a couple of drinks. “Let’s let the crowd ease. It’ll save us battling queues to get to the car.”

For the next hour they talked about the show, the highlights and memorable moments.

The drive home was fun, and Nolan again kept Helle entertained, not by talking, but by encouraging her to talk. He prised her stories out one by one.

As they pulled up into the driveway at Sonny and Helle’s place, he quickly scooted around to open her door and then escort her to the front door. “Would you like to come in for coffee?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I’d love that. Hopefully, Sonny will be in a better mood than the last time I saw him.”

Helle felt the pangs of concern. Not seeing Marissa’s car in the driveway meant she had already left. ‘God, I hope it went well,’ she thought pensively.

She swung open the door to hear the TV roaring loudly and Sonny yelling at one of the fighters. He looked up when he saw Helle and Nolan walk in. He turned away, trying to ignore them.

Helle, however, had other ideas. She was in such a state of euphoria she missed his sullenness. “Hi, babe, I’m just making Nolan and I a cup of coffee. Would you like one?”

Sonny waved his half empty beer at her without saying a single word.

Nolan saw Sonny’s dark mood, and thought, ‘I have to try.’ He walked over, and said, “Hey mate, haven’t seen you for a while. Hows things?”

“Piss off, Nolan. I’m trying to watch the fight. That is if you can move your fat arse.”

Nolan tried to laugh it off. “Sorry, mate.” He moved aside. “Hows work been?”

Sonny glared up at him angrily. “Mate, I’ll say this one more time. Piss off, I’m trying to watch the fight.”

Nolan sighed sadly. “Yeah, whatever mate.” He walked over to where Helle was sadly making coffee. “I’m gonna hit the road, Helle. Good luck.”

She hugged him as she had done a hundred times before. “Thanks for a wonderful night, Nolan. It was amazing.”

With the door closed behind him, she walked into the lounge where Sonny was doing his best to ignore her.

“Why the hell were you so rude to him? Two months ago, you were as thick as thieves.”

“Yeah, that was before he decided it was okay to take my wife on a date. Now I see him for what he really is a slimy dog.”

“Good lord, Sonny. We just went to a concert. It was nothing more than a great night with a friend.”

“So you say. Excuse me if I don’t believe you. You reek of booze. He was just priming you for a sleazy fuck in the back seat.”

“Oh, for the love of god. I don’t know where your head is at the moment. Did Marissa come over?”

“Yeah, I gave her the same fucking message. Filthy slut.”

“Oh my god. To hell with this, I’m going to bed,” Helle growled, as she absolutely stormed off. “Sonny, I don’t know why you think it’s okay to speak like that about Marissa, but she came here tonight with her heart open. All she wanted to do was talk to you. She felt sorry for you. You have no friends, you’ve insulted everybody. “I hate to say it, but if this is who you really are then I’m sorry I married you.”

“Yeah, well ditto that, bitch.” Sonny slung back at her.

The slamming of the bedroom door was like a knife slicing through their marriage. Helle felt nothing but confusion. Sonny had changed; in just a short few months he had flipped. Once a warm loving caring man, he had somehow been replaced by this crazy man. He seemed to have lost all ability to think clearly. He openly slandered his friends. She felt sorrow for her once friendly and outgoing husband.

In all the time she had known him, he was surrounded by friends. People loved and respected him. Now he was so bitter and twisted, it was like he was a different man. He was now cast adrift in a friendless ocean. Joe and Phil said their colleagues at work mocked him.

In the lounge, Sonny paced like a caged lion. He snarled and cursed as his temper worsened. He hadn’t meant to say those things. He just couldn’t stem the anger. It oozed out of every pore of his body.

It started with Marissa and her visit. What a bloody bitch. She hid behind this mask of friendliness, but underneath she smelt of deceit. Why in gods name had she started this stupid game? He couldn’t figure out what was in it for her.

Was she just unhappy? If their marriage was in trouble, Joe had never said anything. Did she just have some sick desire to destroy all those around her?

He flopped onto the sofa, the TV buzzing, the pay per view finished. He laid back with his feet up, the tears streaming down his face. What was happening to him?

Sleep, he didn’t get much of it. When he awoke, Helle was dressed and getting ready to go out. She gave him a very cold glare. “I’m going to meet the girls for brunch. I’ll be back later. I think we need to talk.”

“Whatever,” he yelled at her back as she slammed the front door.

The girls were already gathered together. They giggled and laughed, welcoming Helle into their fold. “Well, looks like you won, girl. Holy snapping duck shit, girl. Six sixty and LAB. I mean, I got a nice dinner and some dancing, but damn it, girl. Nolan threw everything at you,” Renee stated loudly.

“It was wonderful. The night was incredible. You know, that’s the first time in my life I have been out with somebody other than my husband. It was remarkable. Nolan was a real gentleman as well. He made it nice. I learned so much about him last night.”

“Yeah, it was the same for me,” Jade added. “Phil was lovely. The restaurant was fantastic, the music was great, but it was the conversation. In all the time I’ve known him, I was unaware about who he really was.”

“It was nice. Joe took me to that Mexican place, then we went to Blue Smoke. There was this really cool punk band rocking it out. I never even knew, he was into that music. We had a blast. I think the good thing is, we know stuff about each other. He was so expressive,” Jade gushed. “He’s a really cool guy. I always thought he was a bit stand-offish.”

“It was finding out some more about a friend. I loved that part of it. I wasn’t really into the old time dancing thing, but I discovered stuff. I think it will deepen our friendship. That’s the sweet bit,” Leanne whispered.

“Marissa, I’m really sorry about Sonny,” Helle sighed apologetically. “Sounds like he was pretty nasty.”

“It’s okay, Helle. It wasn’t your fault. I just feel for the guy. Something has snapped. He was never like this. He was always pleasant, fun loving. I thought we had a real friendship. I think he needs to see a professional. He may have a serious problem.”

“I agree, Helle,” Jade interjected. “He was never like this. In fact, on what I know of him, I thought he would be the one most into it. He seemed so in touch with people. You know, empathetic and caring.”

“It’s definitely out of character. That’s for sure,” Leanne added.

Sonny became the major topic of conversation as they giggled their way through, recounting their dates. Laugh as they did, the conversation kept going back to Sonny.

Driving home, Helle was trying to figure out how she could raise her concerns with him. How did she tell him she wanted him to see a therapist, or even a phycologist?

Sonny was in the workshop when she got home. He had finally finished the turbo rebuild for the TR6. The big Nissan motor was a tight squeeze, but it was going to have some get up and go.

He loved the TR6; it was the compromise he and Helle arrived at when she threw her hissy fit at him buying a motorbike.

Helle stood in the door way watching him. “Sonny, can we talk later, after the kids have gone to bed? I’m really worried about you.”

He looked up, the sound of her voice aroused so many emotions at the moment. He still loved her. He always had. Now, though, her voice raised other feelings, anger, distrust, disbelief.

“We can talk, Helle, but don’t try to make this about me. You’re the one fucking around with other guys.”

“Oh my god, will you let that go? We went to dinner. Then went to a concert with twenty thousand other people. We had a couple of drinks after the show. That’s all there was to it. Why won’t you believe me?”

“Because normal people don’t go on dates with other men. You’re a clever woman, Helle. You know that.”

“Sony, you’ve got some twisted thing going around inside your head. Why are you so fixated on sex? Is it you just passing your insecurities onto me?”

As she pulled the door closed, she said, “Dinner’s going to be in about ten minutes. You might want to wash off some of that grease first.”

Dinner was pleasant. Kirk and Sonny talked about the fight. Amy asked how her night out went. When she found out she had been to see the concert, she flipped out. Kirk was pretty impressed and asked about what songs they played, what the light show was like. They were both envious.

Sonny had to listen to Helle recounting the whole show. His anger slowly bubbling away. They all pitched in with the clean up, the kids then scurrying off to bed.

Sitting together in the lounge, Helle asked, “How are things at work? It must be tough not having Phil and Joe to help out?”

“It’s okay, I just talk to different people. They were never much help anyway.”

“That’s bullshit, and we both know it. Be honest with me, Sonny.” Little tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke. “I have asked Phil and Joe. They both told me you’re struggling at work, and not just with them.”

“That’s their bloody fault. They told everybody what was going on. Everybody knows about this stupid dating game. They think I’m some weak dick head for letting you get involved.”

“That’s bullshit, as well. They told everybody because they thought it was cool. If people thought that way about you, they’d think the same things about Phil and Joe. But they don’t, do they?”

“God knows what the bastards have been saying. All I know is they have turned people against me.”

“No they haven’t, Sonny. You did that all by yourself. Those people were your mates, as well. I’ve been to your work functions, people there liked you. If they’re saying shit now it’s because they, like the rest of us, think you’ve overreacted.”

Sonny couldn’t answer; deep down he knew what she said was true.

Helle reached for his hand. “Babe, could we go and see a marriage counsellor, a therapist of some kind? We really need to sort this out.”

“A counsellor… What would we tell them?”

“The truth, everything. It would be pointless to speak to somebody and not get it all out in the open.”

“We tell it exactly as it is?”

“Absolutely.”

“What are you going to do if the counsellor says you have to stop going on these fucking dates?”

“If the counsellor thinks what we’re doing is wrong, then I’ll stop.” She stared at him, concern flooding her mind. “Sonny, if I thought your concerns about it were valid, I would stop now. It’s just a bit of fun. If you could explain to me why it upsets you, I would stop, I just don’t get it. We have all told you there’s no sex involved, and yet you keep saying that’s what is worrying you.”

“Of course there’s sex involved. Nolan didn’t blow over a thousand dollars on your date last night if there’s nothing in it for him. He’s just playing a sneaky game. He’s grooming you for later. Eventually, you’ll have to pay for that date.”

“You’re a dummy.” She sighed. “It’s a bet the guys are running. Marissa told me, they’re all trying to win the best date award. They have all wagered to see which one of them is chosen as the best date. Read my lips. There is no sex.”

“Then why not stop? I’ve told you I don’t want you doing it.”

“Because you don’t own me Sonny. I’m not a possession, I’m your wife. If you had talked to me sanely and if you could give me a sound logical reason, I would never have gone on the damn date. You telling me you forbid me to do it… Bloody hell, man. That just made me want to do it to piss you off.”

“Well, mission accomplished there,” he sneered.

“Would you go to a counsellor with me?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’re not making any headway here.”

She stood up. “Lets go to bed. We need to make love. It’s been far too long. Come on.”

She led him by the hand, and for the first time in over a month, they made love. It was a bit awkward, but as they eased into it, the passion of times gone by returned.

In the morning, the smiles were back. They talked warmly as they both got ready for work. The kids zoomed off to school, and they were left alone. “Shall I call a counsellor, or do you want to organise it?” Helle asked.

“You do it, but see if you can find a guy. I would prefer that. He might understand my position.”

“Yep, okee-dokey. I’ll try.”

“Helle, will you stop going on these stupid dates until we’ve seen the counsellor?”

She nodded. “Yeah, if it makes it easier for you.”

“It sure as hell wouldn’t hurt.”

They shared a warm kiss as they parted for work. He took his bicycle. He’d found it helped him get rid of the anguish.

That night after dinner, she told him, “I managed to find a counsellor who can see us on Wednesday afternoon. Could you get off work by three?”

“Yeah, I think I can do that,” Sonny replied. “Is it a guy?”

“No, it’s a woman. The only male ones I could get couldn’t see us for something like two months.”

“That’s okay. There’s no rush is there?”

“Sonny, this isn’t just about you and me. We have a group of friends who are invested in this, as well. I rang Marissa today, and she was disappointed. Apparently, Joe has something planned for Saturday night, which was supposed to be the next date night. Now he’s trying to reschedule.”

“Did the counsellor say how long this would take?”

Helle sipped her glass of wine before replying. “No, she said it would depend on us. She won’t know until she’s seen us.”

“Then it could take months?” His mind felt lighter. At least there would be no more shenanigans until the sessions were finished. It felt like a win for him.

She nodded. “Yes, it could take months, then again, it might be over in one session. Who knows?”

They snuggled together on the sofa, Helle’s hands roaming over Sonny’s chest and his hands caressed the bare flesh of her shoulders. Intimacy seeped back into their relationship. That night they made love again, and this time it was filled with passion, both letting their worries and concerns ebb away.

Joe and Phil tried to talk to Sonny. Phil rocked up to Sonny’s office, popped his head in, and said, “Hey, Sonny, just wondering if you wanted to talk?”

Strangely, Sonny felt the bile in his stomach do a flip. “No thanks. I’m busy.”

Phil slammed the door and walked away, frustrated. “How’d it go?” Joe asked.

“Don’t waste your time. He more or less told me to fuck off,” Phil complained.

“Man, what a fucking arsehole. What is his problem?”

“I dunno, mate. Maybe he was playing a part before. Maybe this is the real him. If it is, I don’t like him.”

“Roger that, me old mate. He’s been a real dick.”

Wednesday, Sonny wandered nervously to the address on Blenheim Road. He waited outside for Helle. As usual, she was running late.

“Sorry,” she gushed as she tried to run in her heels. “The traffic was shocking.”

“Yeah, but I got here on time,” he moaned.

“I said I’m sorry. I was with a client, and I couldn’t get away.”

Ngaire called them both into the office together. She directed them to the sofa, where they sat side by side. “Coffee, tea?” she asked them.

“Yes please, coffee, white with two, please,” Helle said.

“Same for me, thanks,” Sonny replied.

Ngaire pulled up a chair, armed herself with a notebook and sat directly in front of them. “Right, let’s get started. Helle, you said to me that there has been some problems in your marriage. That you were worried about Sonny?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Sonny frowned. “Hang on a minute. Yes, there’s a problem all right, but it’s not down to me. I’m not wearing all the blame for this.”

“Whoa, easy tiger,” Ngaire said in a consoling tone. “This isn’t about blame, or accusations. You have to cut me some slack, Sonny. I don’t even know what the problem is yet.”

That’s when Helle let it all come flowing out. Ngaire could barely keep up with her note taking. Once Helle started, she couldn’t hold it in. Sonny just sat there listening. It took a few minutes, but Helle finally got it all out. At the end, she felt exhausted, like a giant weight had been lifted.

“Wow…” Ngaire sighed. Focusing her big grey eyes on Sonny, she asked, “Is that how you see it?”

“Those are the facts. My take on it is a little different, but yep. That’s pretty much it.”

“Let me make sure I understand and have it all correct.”

They both nodded, Helle sipping her coffee.

“The facts, and I am just repeating what you said, I’m not accusing, or blaming. This is just for my understanding.

“You are friends with a small group. Very close friends you have known for between five and ten years. Correct?”

Again, they both nodded.

One of your friends suggested it would be fun for you to all go out on dates, with the others’ partners. Although, and this is the important part, there was absolutely no sex involved These were to be platonic nights. Correct so far?”

“Yes,”Helle responded, and Sony nodded his agreement.

“Everybody in the group, including you, Helle, thought it sounded like a fun idea. Correct?”

“Well, everybody except Sonny. He blew his lid.”

“Slow down, Helle. We’ll get to that. At the moment, I’m just gathering the facts and getting my head around it.”

She continued, “This created a problem, because you were the sole unwilling participant, Sonny. All the others wanted to go ahead with it?”

“Yep,” he replied.

“How did you voice your displeasure, did you talk about it as a group, did you talk privately?”

“I told them all they were crazy. That they were playing with fire and we wouldn’t be participating.”

“When you say ‘we,’ you meant Helle and you?”

“Yes, exactly. I mean the whole thing was ridiculous. Normal people don’t go out on dates with other people. It’s not natural.”

“Slow down, Sonny. We can get to that. How did the group react?” Ngaire asked.

“It didn’t happen like that,” Helle interrupted. “He flew off the bloody handle. Used foul and abusive language. Called one of our friends a skanky slut for suggesting it. Said we were all perverts and degenerates. He went insane.”

That’s when it got nasty. Sonny jumped up, spilling his coffee, snarling viciously, “What the hell did you think I was going to say. Yeah I don’t care. You can fuck my wife? What the fuck, Helle?” He stormed around the small office. “Normal people don’t get into swinging, especially when one of them is against it.”

Ngaire stood up and walked up to Sonny. She put her hands against his chest to stop him, then she pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay, Sonny. Relax. Take deep breaths, breathe.”

The feel of her warm body against his calmed him, and he felt his breathing return to normal levels. Once he was calm, she escorted him back to his seat beside Helle.

For her part. Helle just sat there, her face red with embarrassment.

Once he was seated, Ngaire went back to taking notes, before she stated. “I thought there was no sex in this arrangement?” She glanced at Helle. “You did say there was no sex, right?”

“Yes, there was to be no sex. Everybody in the group agreed. It was purely platonic.”

Ngaire turned back to Sonny. “You have a different understanding. You think sex was a motivating factor?”

“Yeah, of course it was. Why the hell else would they want to do it? I know those guys. They don’t even take their own wives on dates. Why the hell would they want to take mine?”

“Sonny, slow down. We are just talking. I am not your enemy, okay?”

He nodded.

“You just said you know these guys. They’re your very best friends, is that right?”

“Yeah, up until that night they were.”

“Did you trust them?”

“Yeah, we were mates.”

“They agreed there wouldn’t be sex, is that right?”

“Yeah, that’s what they said, but I know them. It’s the only reason they’d do it.”

“You think they were lying to each other?”

“Yeah, well, to me anyway.”

“Why would they only be lying to you?”

“Because I was the only one unwilling to get involved.”

“So you think they already knew they were going to get sex, and they conspired against you? They were tricking you to get your approval?”

When she said it, Sonny felt his face redden. When he heard it, he realised how stupid it sounded, but he nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“What about the other women. Did they know sex was the driving motivator?”

“I guess.”

Ngaire turned her attention to Helle. “Is that your understanding?”

Helle shook her head vigorously. “No, that’s preposterous. We all agreed. There was to be no sex. Marissa told her husband if he so much as kissed another woman, he would be getting divorced. There was no sex.”

“Have any of you been on a date yet?” Ngaire asked.

“Yes, we all went on a date last Saturday night,” Helle replied. “Except Sonny, that is, and because he didn’t want to, it meant one of the other women had to stay home alone, as well.”

“Was there any sex?” Ngaire asked.

“No, of course not,” Helle rasped laughingly.

“Sonny, what do you think happened on these dates?”

“I don’t know. I don’t believe anything Helle says to me anymore. I’ve totally lost faith in anything she says.”

“So you think she’s lying? You think she had sex with the man she dated?”

He glared angrily at Helle. “I don’t know. What I do know is, I don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth.”

Ngaire chewed busily on her pencil. “Has Helle ever lied to you in the past?”

“No. I don’t think so. But now, I guess it brings our whole marriage into question.”

“Do you still love your wife, Sonny?”

“Yes.”

“You love her, but you think she’s lying to you, and you don’t trust her. Don’t you think that is a bit of a problem? How do you love somebody you have no respect for, no trust in and you think is lying to you?”

Sonny scowled deeply. She was right, it didn’t make sense. Trying to gain some territory, he asked Ngaire, “Are you married?”

“Yes I am,” she said happily. “Fifteen years in January.”

“What would you say if your husband said he wanted to go on a date with another woman?”

“I would be shocked. I would ask him who with, why and what for?”

That wasn’t what Sonny was expecting. “You’d be angry though, right?”

“No, not immediately. If it was with somebody we both knew, and trusted, there was a legitimate reason for it and they both guaranteed me there would be no hank panky. Then I could live with it.”

Sonny shook his head in confusion. “You think I’m over reacting then?”

“No, I never said that,” Ngaire stated firmly. “At this stage, I don’t have an opinion. I’m still gathering facts. Did you make your reasons for your reluctance in private to Helle?”

“Yes, I did,” Sonny snorted. “Not that it did me any good.”

“What happened?” Ngaire asked.

Helle jumped in. “He started yelling and screaming like a man possessed. Then said he forbade me from getting involved. He used those exact words, like he was my owner, or boss. Bloody forbid me.”

“That didn’t sit well with you?” Ngaire said.

“Absolutely not. It made me damn angry.”

That was it for, Sonny. He slammed his fist down heavily on the edge of the leather sofa. “What the hell was I supposed to do? You told me you were doing it. I had no alternative. You gave me an ultimatum. Did you actually think I was going to let you sleep with those guys?”

“Nobody was sleeping with anybody, you flaming moron. There was no sex. Why can’t you understand that?” Helle gasped, the utter frustration in her voice reverberated around the room.

“I think we have uncovered enough for the day. Once tempers get raised, there’s no sense carrying on.” Ngaire glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Time’s up, anyway.”

“What happens now?” Helle asked.

“That depends on both of you. Do you want to continue?”

Helle replied immediately. “I do.”

“What about you, Sonny?”

“I don’t know, we didn’t really achieve anything.”

Ngaire nodded agreement. “The first session can seem like that. We air our grievances, it gives me a chance to get my head around the issues. See if we can get to the core of the problem. You have to understand, this is my first chance to listen to you both, see how you feel.”

“How many sessions would there be?” Sonny asked. “I mean, how long is this going to take?”

“That is not something I can answer here and now. It will be down to both of you. Be warned though, it may not be n easy fix.”

“What about the dating?” Sonny asked. “Should it stop until we get this resolved.”

Ngaire glanced from one to the other. “Do I take it the dating has stopped?”

“I agreed not to go on anymore until we were comfortable with it.” Helle sighed.

“Are you all right with that?”

“No, not really. I enjoyed the date and was actually looking forward to the next. I only agreed not to go because Sonny was so angry. I feel like I am being manipulated. He thinks he can just stamp his foot, yell and scream and he gets what he wants. I hate rewarding bad behaviour.”

“Helle, I think you have done the right thing. I can see already that Sonny feels like he is trapped and doesn’t know how to respond. If you both agreed, I would like to see you individually next week. Would that be acceptable?”

Helle glanced quickly at Sonny and nodded. “Yes, I would like that.”

“Sonny?” Ngaire asked.

“Yeah, I guess so. At least it’s put a stop to the dating.”

Ngaire frowned. That seemed like a strange response, and judging by Helle’s expression, she wasn’t happy with it either.

After they left, Ngaire leaned back in her chair. ‘Wow, now that was intense. Those two have some deep seated issues.’ She looked out the window and watched as they obviously argued, standing beside their cars.

It was a cold night for the pair, and the argument raged in silence. Angry glares, hooded brows. The recently rediscovered intimacy evaporated.

At least Helle had the girls to confide in. That was her saviour; they supported her, even though it put the plans on hold, they all agreed it was worth it.

Sonny, though, was so isolated, he had nobody and he started to feel it. He could use a friendly word of advice.

It was Helle who had the first solo session with Ngaire. Once settled in, Ngaire asked, “How have things been at home?”

“Terrible.” Helle sighed. “Before the first session, we did actually manage to put some of the angst behind us. Now we’re back arguing.”

“Yes, once you start to uncover what’s really at the heart of the issue, nerves can become frayed. It can become very uncomfortable.”

“It was always there. We pushed it back, but that was only because I agreed not to go on the next date.”

“Yes, I wanted to ask why you did that.”

“I was just sick of the fighting, and I saw how upset Sonny was. I was genuinely concerned that he hadn’t had some sort of psychotic episode or something.”

“His behaviour, would you class it as out of character?”

“Yes, completely. I have never heard him say things like that before. It was like he became somebody else.” She tried to find words to describe. “At the party when Marissa first suggested it, he just flew off the handle. Called her some horrific names. I mean, those people are our family. When we moved here, they accepted us into their circle. They are more than friends.”

“And yet Sonny seems to have no problem with walking away,” Ngaire said softly.

“That is what scared me the most. Those boys were so close. They helped us paint the house, helped us move, and we reciprocated. We did everything together. They were more than mates.”

“It seems strange that he was able to burn them so completely,” Ngaire noted as she scribbled in her pad.

“Do you mind if I ask a personal question?” Ngaire probed.

“Not at all.”

“All right, and remember, this isn’t judgemental. You seemed to be very interested in this dating game, even although it was so obviously causing issues with your marriage.”

Helle scowled. “Yes, that’s fair. I guess it goes back to our early relationship. Sonny and I have known each other our whole lives. We, and by that I mean both of us, have never even held hands with anybody else.”

“Never dated anybody else?”

“Nope, we went from school to married and having kids. I guess once Marissa and I started talking about it, I realised that I resented that fact. We don’t have a lot of money, and we’re trying to save money for the kids education. We promised ourselves that we would try and save them taking out student loans. On top of that, we’ve had a lot of unexpected financial stresses this year. House repairs and what not.”

“Can we go back a little, please,” Ngaire said. “You mentioned you felt regrets, resentment?”

“Yes, When Marissa talked, she touched on it. I had never gone on a date, not one. Sonny and I never have time, or the money. Marissa is such a good friend. She got me to open up about it. I only then realised that I was resentful. When she suggested the date thing, I’m sure she did it for me. I totally loved the idea.”

“Even although it wasn’t sexual?”

“That’s the only reason I agreed. I love Sonny. I never wanted sex with anybody else. I just wanted a chance to experience going on a date. Being able to do it with such close friends who we both loved and trusted. That was part of the attraction.”

“Yes, that makes sense. Did you explain that to Sonny?”

Helle sighed deeply. “I tried, but he kept turning it into an argument. He kept accusing us of wanting sex. It was all about sex with him. I don’t know where that comes from. Marissa thinks he’s got some deep rooted sexual issue or something.”

“Yes, he certainly seems hooked on the sexual aspect of it. Have any of the guys hit on you or said anything that would make him feel some level of insecurity?”

“God, no,” Helle spluttered. “The guys are like my brothers. The date I had with Nolan was incredible. I felt so protected. Those guys are my family.”

“You say you have known each other since you were children. Was there something from his childhood that might have caused this? He mentioned his family are refugees.”

“They were very poor. Never had any money and there weren’t a lot of Iranian families in Nelson. They had to assimilate into our culture. Sonny never seemed to have issues with that. He wasn’t religious. I think that hurt his mother. She missed that aspect. She seemed a little lost, she was a wonderful woman though.”

“Were you, or are you close with her?”

“Yes, very much so. We talk on the phone regularly, and she comes to stay during school holidays. She loves spending time with the kids. We go back to Nelson every chance we get.”

“That sounds great. How does Sonny get on with his mother?”

“Oh heck, they’re so close. He was always a bit of a mummies boy. He was her life.”

Ngaire frowned. “What about his father?”

“They were close, but sort of drifted apart a little. I’m not sure what the problem was, but they don’t talk as much as they should.”

“I see, and you have no idea why that was?” Ngaire tried to probe. She sensed that there was something unsaid, and Helle did know. Helle, though, shook her head. If she did know then it was staying hidden.

At home, things were tenser than ever. It didn’t matter what they talked about, it ended in an argument. Helle tried to soften the fighting, she tried to get the intimacy back. Sonny, though, was wound tighter than ever.

Sonny was not looking forward to his session with Ngaire. During the initial session, he was left feeling exposed and embarrassed. It was with great trepidation he walked into Ngaire’s office. As she always did, she offered coffee and they sat together while she prepared to dig a little deeper.

“Sonny, today I was hoping to pry a little, to try and get a better understanding of why the dating game troubled you so deeply. Secondly, and I see this as a secondary issue, your anger, this appears to be a new manifestation. Would that be okay?”

“Yeah, I figured that’s where we would be heading today. If I’m being honest, the anger scares me. I try to catch myself, I know I shouldn’t be saying some of these things, but the words are out before I can stop them.”

She glanced at him quizzically, “Are you saying you are aware some of what you have been saying is unacceptable?”

“Ngaire, I’m not an idiot. I know right from wrong. Some of the things I have said are out of line.”

“I never for a minute thought you were as you say, an idiot. What concerns me is you were unable to control your anger. Some people who say things out of spite, or anger, are totally unaware that their actions are socially unacceptable. You’re not like that, you know they’re unacceptable.”

Sonny cringed, her words echoing his own thoughts. The lack of control scared him, as well.

“I did speak with Helle about the anger. She said that in all the time she has known you this has never happened before. These are her words, not mine. She said she has never witnessed you saying a word in anger to any other person. Is that true?”

He nodded in agreement. “I have never felt this loss of control before. This is so different, I’ve had problems I can’t solve, but this is like a whole different level of torture.”

“Interesting, so throughout your life, you have never experienced this… lack if control?”

“Never, and it’s so frustrating. I told Helle I didn’t want her involved in this damn game, and she just told me to butt out, and she was going to to it anyhow.”

“What is it about that situation which angers you? Is it the act itself, or that she ignored your orders?”

“Orders…” He grimaced. “I didn’t order her. I just said I didn’t want her to do it.”

“Sorry,” Ngaire said softly. “When Helle told me what occurred, she said you had forbidden her. That sort of means an order.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so I suppose I did use those words. Jesus, what else was I going to say. I was angry and didn’t want her to be involved.”

“Sonny, did you explain your reasons why?”

“No, not really, we started talking and I lost the plot. We started yelling at each other. I have never felt anything like it before. It just erupted out of me. I was livid.”

There was a moment of silence as Ngaire tried to gather her thoughts. This wasn’t her field of expertise. Sonny had something driving his anger. There was something from deep within him that brought out this venom.

“Sonny, why is this situation angering you so deeply? It seems your reaction far exceeds the situation.”

“You think I overreacted?” He sighed.

“Yes, I’m sorry, but to totally burn all bridges with your friends, risk the loss of your family. I’m not saying you should have agreed with or gone along with it. All I am saying the way you dealt with it seems so out of character for you.”

“I know I handled it badly, but they disrespected me, all of them. Especially Helle.”

“It’s not about blame, or shame, Sonny. I would just like to get a better handle on why it outraged you so much.”

“Ngaire, I know you aren’t supposed to take sides, but honestly. You can’t tell me you’d be okay with your husband going on a date with another woman.”

“We already covered this. As I already told you. If it was in the right environment with somebody I trusted implicitly, I would be all right.”

Sonny just sighed and gave her a sullen stare.

She saw his pain; it was etched deep into his features. “What say we start there. your friends.”

“Ex friends,” Sonny snarled.

“Sonny, I got the impression that you had a very close friendship with the other husbands. Is that a fair statement?”

“Yeah, we were pretty close, I guess.”

“Would you say you trusted them?”

“Yeah, as I said. We were close.”

“So what changed your mind? Something must have happened for those men to go from close trusted personal friends to a group you saw as capable of lying to you, attempting to trick you. What happened, Sonny?”

Shrugging confusion written all over his face, he mumbled, “I can’t explain it. I just couldn’t understand why they would want to go on a date with somebody else’s wife. It had to be sex.”

“Why did it have to be sex?”

“What the hell else is there? They weren’t doing it for fun.”

“I thought that’s exactly what this was all about. My understanding is, everybody in the group understood that there were rules, there was no sex on offer. It was just for fun.”

“That’s what they said, I just don’t believe it.”

“You think all of your best friends, male and female, plus your wife, lied to you?”

“Yes. I don’t know why, but yes.” Sonny felt stupid. He knew it didn’t make sense, he knew, but didn’t.

“This is what I don’t understand,” Ngaire said softly. She had to try and make it less confrontational. “Sonny, You have an absolutely fabulous group of friends. One day you are best friends, and the next you think they are trying to hoodwink you. It just doesn’t make sense. Not on any level.”

“What’s your point, Ngaire?”

“There’s no point, I’m just trying to understand why you think that. Did one of them say something, infer to you that they were looking for something sexual?”

“No, it was just a feeling.” Sonny sighed.

She shook her head.”I’m sorry Sonny, but that just doesn’t make sense. These people are your best friends, your family. Why would the wives want to do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Sonny, you say you love your wife? This is where I get confused. It’s the contradictory nature of your statement. You say you love her, but think she is capable of doing something so horrendous as lying to you so she can have sex with somebody else. ”

“I do love her, it’s why this is so confusing.”

“Sonny, love usually requires many elements, respect, trust, loyalty. How can you say you love her if you don’t feel all of those things?”

“I don’t know, maybe she’s been seduced by the others.”

With a shake of her head, Ngaire whispered tellingly, “You don’t believe that, Sonny. I can see it in your eyes. Even you don’t believe that.”

Silence surrounded them, the little clock on the wall ticked softly as Sonny focused his attention on it. Anything not to look at Ngaire.

“Be honest with me, Sonny, explain why you think she would do something like that to you?”

Again there was no answer, Ngaire tried a different tack. “Lets talk about your childhood. Did you have a happy home?”

“Yes, we didn’t have a lot of money, but my mother always made sure there was food on the table.”

“You sound like you had a close relationship with her?”

“Yes, my mother was a saint. She worked, looked after our home, loved me, cared for me.”

“You’re right, she does sound like a saint. What about your father?”

“We weren’t so close. He worked long hours.” Sonny lost her gaze, he couldn’t hold her intensity.

“You didn’t see much of him?”

“No, not really. He was very busy.”

“Busy working?” Ngaire sensed something was amiss. Sonny’s mood darkened, his brows hooded over. There was anger when he spoke about his father.

“He was a bastard,” Sonny spat out as tears started to flow. “He was a disgusting excuse for a man,” he growled between tearful sobs.”

Ngaire moved beside him on the sofa, her arm draping over his hunched shoulders. “Did he hurt you, Sonny, was he abusive?”

“What… No. Not like that. He cheated on my mother. She worked her hands to the bone. Scrubbed, cleaned. She put her heart and soul into our family, and he was having an affair with another woman. I hated him for that. She loved him unconditionally and he did that to her. He was a dirty bastard.”

“Oh, Sonny, I’m so sorry. How did you find out?”

“I caught him at it. I came home from school and they were doing it in Mum’s bed. In their bed for god’s sake.”

“Oh dear, that is terrible.”

“I wanted to kill him, I hated him so much. I found out he was giving her money, as well. Mum worked, she put all her money into our home, and he took it and gave it to that slut.”

“She was a prostitute?” Ngaire gasped.

“No, she was a solo mother. He just gave her money. Our money, Mum’s money. He was a pig of a man.”

“Did your mother find out, did you tell her?”

“I didn’t have to. She knew, but turned a blind eye to it.”

“How do you know?”

“I heard her and Carol, Helle’s mum. Carol was my mother’s best friend. I overheard them talking about it. Carol told her she should divorce him, that she would help. Mum refused. She said in our culture, family comes before anything else. She wouldn’t divorce the bastard.”

“She stayed to save the family. She must have loved you very much,” Ngaire said honestly.

“Yes, but she was ridiculed for it. That slut he was having the affair with was proud of it. She didn’t try to hide the fact. Other women mocked my mother for not having the strength to kick him out.”

Ngaire was starting to get a sense for what troubled Sonny. “Do you wish she had divorced him?”

“Yes, she should have killed him, or at least kicked him out. The man was a pig.”

“Sonny, she stayed for you. She was looking after you. She wanted you to have a father figure.”

“He was no father. He was always to busy shagging his slut. Never came to sports games, school events. All he ever thought about was himself.”

They sat together for quite a while, Ngaire’s arm draped comfortingly over his shoulder, Sonny bawling his eyes out.

When he finally managed to get control, Ngaire asked, “Is that why you have doubts about Helle? You think she’s cheating on you?”

“No, it’s the guys. Why would they be satisfied with just a date? They would want sex. Why else would they do it?”

“I can’t answer that. I don’t know them. What I do know is, they are your friends and you trust them. I think you have let your father’s actions colour your judgement of everybody. I think you’re afraid that the dates will lead to something sexual.”

“Of course it bloody well will. It’s what it’s all about.”

“Is that why you didn’t want to participate? You were worried you wouldn’t be able to control your urges?”

“No, but I worry that there is something of my father hiding inside me. Lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the right moment to destroy my life.”

“Sonny, your father sounds like a man with a lot of issues. I also think that your worries are groundless. You have suppressed all these emotions surrounding your father and they have coloured the way you see yourself and other men. You have let your fears and insecurities get in the way. I think you should be proud of who you are. The fact you think the dating game is silly, rather than an opportunity to find some casual sex speaks highly of who you are.”

“So you think it’s silly, the dating thing?”

“If you want my honest opinion. I think it’s a dangerous game to play. I would like to say it’s a marvellous idea. Unfortunately, I think human nature will get in the way, somebody will get hurt. I’m not talking about sex, I’m talking ego. With all the guys going all out to be better, somebody will get bent out of shape. If I had a group of friends as tight as yours, I would relish the chance to spend some time with somebody other than my husband. Forget about the sex aspect. I’m talking about some intimate moments with a man, safe in the knowledge we were doing nothing but enjoying each others company.”

“You think I overreacted then?” Sonny sighed.

“In a word, yes, of course you did, and you know it. I’m not saying you should do it. All I’m saying is, if you had valid concerns, you should have discussed them, explained your concerns in a rational manner. At least you would still have friends. At the moment, you have cut yourself off from everybody you love.”

“Christ, what a mess. Everything is fucked,” he cried exasperatedly.

“Sonny, you have to talk to Helle. That’s the first hurdle. You have to explain why you were unwilling to participate. I have a feeling she already knows.”

“No, she doesn’t. She’s never mentioned it. In fact, she’s always on at me to reconnect with Dad.”

“Sonny, that’s because she sees how much pain the separation gives you. When I talked to her about her childhood and about yours, she was very guarded. I suspect if her mother knew about the affair, she will also know.”

“Ah, crap, I hope not.”

“It’s nothing for you to be ashamed of. You are not your father. You are your own man. You have a wonderful family. You need to focus on that.”

“What should I do? Just tell her?”

“Yes, she needs to understand why you behaved the way you did. She needs to know there are legitimate reasons behind your anguish. She thinks you are having a nervous breakdown.”

“Why?”

“Sonny, a sane man doesn’t start calling his friends’ wives sluts and cheaters for no reason. You must see that your actions were fairly skewed, way over the top.”

“Yeah…”

“I’m not trying to say you should throw yourself into the dating thing. If it causes you so much grief, then I think perhaps you’re better off to flag it. You just have to explain your logic calmly and rationally. You have to separate and remove all the anger. Talk to her with love.”

“I tried, it just seems every time I open this subject, I lose the plot and I can’t hold back.”

“Sonny, you have to, we could practice some exercises for anger management, but I think that’s a separate issue and you need to speak to someone who specialises in anger management.”

“Oh god, really?”

“Sonny, your anger is controlling and destroying your life. You need to find ways to manage that. I have a friend who specialises in this field. I’m sure I could arrange an appointment. He is a lovely man, very understanding.”

“Jesus, it’s like my whole life has turned upside down. I have never had issues with anger before.”

“This is a very inflammatory set of circumstances. I think if you look back through your life, there would have been other times when you wanted to lash out, but you kept them suppressed. This one is just more provocative. There is no shame in seeking help.”

“I guess, I just feel like a bit of a loser. I can’t even talk to my friends, that’s what I usually do.”

“Sonny, I think you’re blessed. Friendships as solid as the ones you have with that group are far too hard to build. It must be part of getting control of your life. You need to try and repair those relationships, build bridges, not burn them down.”

With no response from Sonny, Ngaire suggested. “If you think you will struggle telling Helle, we could do it together. I can reschedule some clients and we could have a joint session tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thanks, Ngaire, but I think I need to do this on my own. I started this bloody schemozzle. I need to fix it. If you could arrange a session with the anger management guy, I will see him.”

“That sounds wonderful, I’ll set it up. When are you going to talk to Helle?”

“Tonight, I suppose. No time like the present.”

“I think that’s good, Just remember to stay calm, talk to Helle in a non-threatening, non-confrontational manner. Let her know that you love her, that you care for her. Most importantly, she needs to know the things you said to her were just words said in the heat of battle.”

Sonny walked out feeling about as low as he ever had in his life. He had completely stuffed everything up.

Helle already had the dinner cooking when he walked in. She was busy in the kitchen when he walked in. She looked nervously over her shoulder as she peeled some carrots. “How did it go?” she asked hesitantly.

He dropped his bag on the floor, walked up behind her and slipped his hands around her waist. His head nestled into the side of her neck ,and he whispered, “I’m sorry. I love you, Helle. I know I stuffed up. I love you so much.”

Helle dropped what she was doing and turned in his arms, hers circling his neck as she melted into a passionate kiss. His genuine sadness just thawed out all of the anger. As their lips separated, she said, “You have nothing to apologise for, babe. I love you, I know you didn’t mean those things.”

“No, I didn’t, I acted terribly. God I’m an idiot. I had no right to say those things to you. I let my own demons drive my anger.”

“Why, babe? That’s all I want to know. Why did something so innocent make you react like that?”

“I think it was because of my father.” Sonny felt Helle stiffen in his arms, her whole body tensed up.

Leaning back so he could look into her eyes. “You knew about it, didn’t you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I think most people in the neighbourhood knew. We didn’t say anything because of the love we have for your mother, and you. Everybody loves your mother. She is so respected. I wish she didn’t have to suffer that indignity.”

“Yes, he’s a pig of a man.”

“He made a mistake, Sonny. He’s an idiot, but he knows that. He is trying to rebuild their marriage.”

“What, how do you know all this?”

“Your mother and I talk most days. She rings to talk to me and the kids. You know that.”

“She told you about it?”

“Yes, she is very happy at the moment. She is making your father crawl over broken glass trying to work his way back into her heart, but she wants it to work. She loves him, Sonny. It’s why you have to help. It breaks her heart that you are estranged. You need to talk to him.”

Sonny was shocked to learn about his parents. It didn’t change his perception of his father. All the rage that built in him over the years wasn’t just going to flow away.

“I can’t do that, Helle. He will have to work for that. He disrespected my mother for all those years and it’s supposed to just be all better? The world doesn’t work that way.”

“All I’m asking is you try. He’s trying, Sonny. He really is. If your mother can accept it, surely you can soften your stance a little.”

They kissed again, his arms crushing her to him. “Oh, how I’ve missed this. It’s so nice to talk and not fight,” Helle sighed.

“Yeah. I’m sorry I got so messed up. That whole situation caught me off guard and I didn’t know what to do. It scared me that without even talking about it, you were suddenly more than enthusiastic about dating other people.”

“Sonny, I tried to explain. I wasn’t looking for sex. I am completely satisfied with our love life. I just wanted a chance to experience what it would be like to spend an evening with somebody else. I figured you might enjoy it, as well. You never saw any other girls.”

“It never crossed my mind, you’re all I ever wanted.”

“I feel the same way, babe. I wasn’t looking for romance or sex. Just a little innocent fun. The other girls all dated other guys. I just wanted to experience a little of that in a safe environment.”

“Sorry, I still don’t get it, but I know I over reacted. For that I apologise. I should have explained.”

“It’s okay, babe.” Helle whispered. “You’re going to have to eat some humble pie with the others, though. You will need to apologise.”

“Yeah, I owe them that much. I’d understand if they never want to speak to me again.”

“Don’t be daft. They know that wasn’t the real you. To be honest, we all thought you were having a breakdown.”

That night they made love, and the passion that had been lost returned with a vigour long since forgotten.

Lying together enjoying the afterglow, Helle whispered, “We could host a dinner party this weekend. Get the gang together.”

“If you think they will come, then yeah. Lets do it,” Sony replied.

Helle smiled, her fingers stroking his face softly. “It might be a little cold at first, but it’ll work out.”

At work the next morning, Sonny arrived early. He was at the coffee machine making a cup when Joe walked in.

Joe went to walk out when he saw Sonny there, but Sonny said, “Joe, can we talk?”

It was obvious from Joe’s demeanour that it wasn’t going to be that easy. “I’d like a chance to explain. I know I’ve behaved badly and you have every right to be angry. All I’m asking for is a chance to explain.”

Joe sucked in a deep breath. “You said some bloody nasty things to Marissa, Sonny. You must realise you’re not in our good books.”

“I know that, mate. I want a chance to apologise to everyone, including Marissa. If you’re not keen then I’ll understand.”

Joe nodded, he leaned back against the bench top and chose his words carefully. “Mate, Phil will be here soon. You make the coffees, bring them down to my office and we’ll talk. No promises, mind, but we can talk.”

Joe walked off leaving Sonny to make the coffee. When he got to Joe’s office, Phil was there, as well. He handed over the coffees and was about to make his apology when Phil said, “You didn’t spit in these did you?”

Joe started chuckling, and Sonny couldn’t help but laugh, as well. “Nope, no spit, no poison. Just a big dollop of I’m sorry for being a jerk.”

They sat together, drinking the piping hot drinks, and Sonny apologised. He tried to keep it simple, but as the words flowed out, the emotions got the better of him and he had to stop to wipe away a few tears.

Phil was the first to speak. “Jesus Christ, man. Why didn’t you say something. Fuck me, we would have understood. You didn’t have to go all ballistic on us.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what happened. Helle shocked me by diving in. I was scared and I just started saying stupid shit and I couldn’t stop it. I know how stupid it sounded, but I didn’t care, the bloody words just kept flowing out.”

Joe came around his desk and wrapped Sonny in a brotherly hug. “It’s okay, mate. You should have told us what was going on. We are mates, we could have helped.”

“I know that, I feel like a dick.”

“So you bloody should,” Phil said mockingly. “Scared the crap out of us. Renee was really worried. She thought you went to the dark side.”

It was slow, but as the coffee cups emptied, the friendship seeped through the coldness and the anger slowly evaporated.

That night as Sonny walked to his car, he was intercepted by Phil. “What are you doing now, me old mate?”

“Nothing much, just heading for home.”

“Not anymore. I just got off the phone with Nolan and Clive. We’re meeting up at the pub for a beer. Oh, and by the way, it’s going to be your shout.”

Sonny laughed loudly, and it felt good to have some joy back in his life. “Okay, you bloody skinflint. I’ll wear that.”

It turned out to be fun, although by the time they were on their third beer their phones were running hot. Angry wives trying to find out where their recalcitrant husbands were. When Sonny explained to Helle, she just laughed, and said, “Thank god for that.”

The boys were on their fourth beers when the girls all walked in. Helle and Sonny shared a hug, then it was Leanne, Jade, Renee, and last but not least, Marissa. She didn’t fall into his arms like the others. She stood back and waited. She still carried a lot of resentment towards him, but as she watched the others, she stepped forward. “Am I going to get a hug as well?”

Sonny sucked it up, his chest swelling as he built the courage. He opened his arms and she walked into the embrace. “I’m sorry, Marissa, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I was a jerk and you have every right to hate me. I hope I can win back a little of your friendship.”

She squeezed him tightly. “It’s okay Sonny. It’s just good to have you back. Buy me a mojito and we can chat.”

Of course it meant he had to buy another round. The group started talking, and slowly the laughter returned. Friendships that solid can’t be broken that easily. Yeah, it took a battering but the foundations were strong.