WANT TO JOIN? WINDOW SHOPPING

 

Now that Sara Mae is married, I don’t see her often. I didn’t expect it to be otherwise but not seeing her leave the house, putter in her small vegetable garden, worries me.

 

Her husband, John, leaves for work punctually at 8:45 five days a week. If Sara Mae waves to him, I have missed the motion. He sees me, nods, gets in his black Mazda and is gone until somewhere about 5:30 when I hear the garage door automatically open and close. A light goes on in the kitchen. Soon after that a ceiling light slightly brightens the front room on the second floor.

 

Gloria, my wife, nags me to stop watching what is going on next door. I get indignant and tell her again and again, ‘ I am not spying. I just don’t understand why Sara Mae hasn’t called you in two months, why we haven’t seen her put the garbage cans in the alley. Do us a favor and call her. Call her NOW.’ ‘I will not intrude, Scott. They are newlyweds. Let’s respect that.’ Steam almost comes out of my nose. ‘What has being married two months got to do with anything? They aren’t wrapped around each other all day, every day. You see him go to work but where is she? Have you bumped into her at the super market, seen her shake out a dust mop?’ She answers honestly. ‘No, I haven’t. Maybe I’ll visit her tomorrow afternoon while John is away, but don’t push me.’

 

The night doesn’t end. Sleep is impossible. I put on my robe and slippers and go downstairs to get a glass of milk, glance out the kitchen window and almost keel over. John and Sara Mae are in their back yard, dancing wildly, naked as two plucked chickens. The milk slops over my glass and wets my pajama pants. I hurry upstairs to wake Gloria. ‘Don’t turn on the light. Quick, come into the spare room and look outside. Hurry up!’ I pull her by one arm and then push her into the hall. Raising her sleepy voice, Gloria cracks me over my head. ‘What am I supposed to see? I don’t see anything but yards. I’m going back to sleep.’ I know she means what she says and commands me to sleep in the spare room and not bother her again. I obey but don’t sleep. I look outside every few minutes,  Sara Mae and John have vanished.

 

Coming home from Woodmont  Lumber, where I make a decent living, as soon as I walk in the door, Gloria hurries to me. ‘I phoned Sara Mae  but she didn’t pick-up. There was no message machine either. Then I walked over to their house and rang the bell. Maybe she was hiding, I don’t know, but she didn’t answer the door. She used to wear old cloppy shoes and I could hear her coming but not today. Do you think John has killed her? When we hear his car go in the garage tonight, you call him.’

 

So far I haven’t told Gloria what I saw last night thinking maybe it was a hallucination. ‘Let’s wait one more night, Gloria. Dinner ready? I hardly slept last night. I’m going to bed early. Want to join me?

 

By 8:30 my loving wife comes in and we fall asleep, our legs twined together like banyan vines. I wait until she snores lightly and go to the spare room to see what I can see next door. The moon is high, bright. My neighbors’ kitchen door opens and there is The Odd Couple, naked except for a few leaves stuck somehow to their private parts. They drop to their knees as if to pray, look at the moon and turn quickly toward another nude couple coming down the steps. I neither recognize their faces or any other part of them.

 

It is exciting to see them close together, holding hands at times, holding other things at other times. They dance and chant too softly for me to hear. I can’t stand it and wake Gloria. ‘Come with me now, right now!’ I shout. My hard breathing frightens her. ‘Come, do as I tell you.’ Her robe is handy and she reaches for it. ‘Put that damn thing down. Hurry. Look in Sara Mae’s yard.’ Gloria looks and cusses me. ‘I don’t see anything but a dark yard. One more time and I’ll sue for divorce or have you restrained in the looney bin.’ I am left standing at the window thinking maybe I am nuts.

 

The next day comes and I can’t wait for it to go. Gloria got no answer from the phone or visit that she managed to squeeze into her busy day.
Exhausted from what, I don’t ask and am glad when she lies down on the sofa and falls asleep. She’s good for a three hour ‘short’ nap.

 

At nine, dressed in just my p.j. bottoms I go outside, into my back yard. Sara Mae’s kitchen door opens. She and John come quietly, lightly down the steps, walk to the center of the yard and wait for something. The something is a third naked couple. It is unbearably erotic. Softly I open our gate, go next door and open John’s. The three happy, dancing couples see me, look at my pajamas and clearly show me they won’t do. I am trapped, trapped, can not escape, don’t want to. I drop my pants and join in the fun.

 

Gloria sleeps thru it. I live again, am revived thru the ecstasy.  Every other night of the week I watch for the next meeting and wake Gloria when everybody leaves.