My head hung after the supervisor called out my name. I knew that Melissa would be disappointed. Instead of taking the bus, I trudged home—anything to delay seeing the disdain on Melissa’s face. I didn’t know how to break the news to her, but I knew that her heart would be broken.
For the last few months, we spoke about having a baby. We planned for it, but we weren’t able to execute it. At least, not at the time because I kept screwing up. I wanted to find a steady gig.
At the front door, I saw on my phone that it was almost seven pm. Usually, I was home by half past five. As I entered, it felt like a gust vaulted at me, swaying me back slightly. It’s possible that I was slightly lightheaded. The different ways Melissa could react replayed in my head.
She stepped out of the bathroom and stopped walking. I was certain that she had noticed the trepidation in my eyes, even though I avoided eye contact.
“What’s wrong, Harry?”
My gaze remained on the floor. The different ways to explain myself to soften the blow sprinted through my mind. I didn’t know which one to pick. They all seemed ineffective.
“My boss decided to reduce the workforce because of less work on the sites, and I got called out.”
“You lost your job?”
Melissa’s question was based in disbelief, not curiosity. I nodded, avoiding eye contact. I was ashamed. It was my duty as the man of the household to provide and protect it. I failed to do both. Protection without provision seemed like an oxymoron.
She slowly sank into the dining room chair, rested her elbow on the table and palmed her chin. “So, what now?”
“I’ll find another job.”
“Harry, this is the second job you’ve lost in three months. We can’t keep going through this. How can we build a future when your work is from one day to the next? We can’t plan anything. God forbid, I have a baby and you lose your job.”
“The real estate industry has taken a hit. Construction is slow at the moment, but it’ll pick up.”
“Until then, what’s going to happen to us?”
She kept looking at me for a few seconds. I was unable to provide a reasonable solution, at least one that Melissa would like.
“Look at how we’re living, Harry. We’re in a twenty-five-square-metre apartment. We can barely move around. We can’t add another member to our family. The neighbours are constantly at each other’s throats. If not that, the guy upstairs is drilling a hole through a wall for the sixteenth time. The taxis outside blare their hooters all the time. How can our baby get any rest in these conditions?”
“I’ll figure something out. This is only temporary.”
Melissa’s blank stare revealed her doubt at my response. “Did they, at least, pay you?”
I nodded and handed her the cash.
I hoped that would repair some of the broken pieces of her heart, but she placed a plate in front of me and walked away. The days of her staring deep into my eyes while sitting next to me as I ate had long passed.
In bed, with her back to me, Melissa asked, “What are you going to do now?”
“I’ve got an idea. There’s something I’ve been meaning to get into, and I think now’s the right time.”
“What is it?”
“It’s something to do with cars. I don’t want to mention too much before I determine if it’s a lucrative venture or not.”
She raised her shoulder and tucked her head into her chest. I hoped that she would try to cheer me up by blowing me, but I figured that was out of the question.
I couldn’t fall asleep for the next hour, so I went to the bathroom and jerked off. Cumming, almost always, put me to sleep. Struggling to get hard, I thought about having a threesome with my wife and an eighteen-year-old virgin. I imagined her screaming as I stretched her tight pussy.
Her face flushed as she lay on her back, and I thrust fast and hard while Melissa rubbed my back and watched me give the virgin the time of her life. It felt amazing to be the first to enter her and the bonus reward was my wife rooting for me to offer my best performance.
After banging her in missionary, she faced her ass to me and I kneeled behind her. She clenched the sheets and gritted her teeth as I rammed her from behind, full throttle. The magical moment spurred me to go above and beyond the call of duty.
As Melissa saw I was ready to bust a load, she told the ex-virgin to flip over onto her back before they pressed their cheeks together.
I rattled my dick above their heads and then aimed my tip at their faces. My load gushed out, making me twitch and groan as more of it shot out onto their pretty faces.
I wiped the string of cum dangling from my tip with toilet paper and walked back to the bed. I stared at Melissa from behind and wondered why I had to think of another woman to get hard. Surely, imagining my wife naked should get me erect? Maybe, I secretly harboured resentment towards her because of her reaction to me losing my job.
Her disappointment was justified, but she should’ve been more supportive. My job loss affected me more than her because I was responsible for the household. I wish she had asked how I felt, as opposed to giving me the cold shoulder. Couples should work together, not turn on each other when things don’t work out according to plan.
I got into bed and fell asleep a few minutes later.
In the morning, I called the owner of an auto detailing shop and told him that I wanted to learn the trade. He was hesitant to give me a chance because of my lack of experience, but he said that we should meet.
Seeing my genuine interest in the job, he told me to start work the following day under the supervision of his best employee, Steve. I was ecstatic about learning from an expert, and I knew that it would be a matter of time before I developed my skill set.
The owner warned me that Steve had a temper and he had lost several employees because they wouldn’t tolerate it. He lashed out at me a few times in the first week, but we became closer when he saw that I could take it. After the third week, Steve’s shouting became part of the background noise.
On payday, on my way into the boss’s office, I heard Steve shouting. I refrained from stepping into the office and hoped that the quarrel would subside. It didn’t. Eventually, it reached boiling point—Steve swung the door open, slamming it against the wall before storming out.
A few minutes later, the boss called me into his office and told me that he would likely reduce his operations because Steve resigned due to a salary dispute. He felt that my skills still needed refining, and he had no time to teach me because he would take over Steve’s job.
All I could think about was Melissa’s reaction. She would be at her wits’ end. I feared breaking the news to her more than my future. Whatever venture I explored, the road always had a U-turn that led me to the starting point.
It became evident to me that self-employment was my only option. But how? Figuring that out was a task for another day because I first had to deal with Melissa.
She slumped onto the couch and shook her head, looking exasperated. She kept staring at the floor, making me believe that she was contemplating her future. I would’ve preferred a tongue lashing than the silent treatment.
Melissa went to the bathroom and stayed there for over an hour. After she stepped out, she got into bed, not uttering a single word. That worried me more than if she had an outburst.
The following morning, she remained in bed when I got up at five am. I stepped out of the apartment an hour later, roaming the street aimlessly. I didn’t know where to go or what to do, but I believed the solution to my future would avail itself.
Thinking about my brief employment at the auto detailing centre, I recalled businessmen feeling inconvenienced at taking a taxi home after leaving their car at the centre, then needing to return with a taxi to fetch their vehicle.
It occurred to me that they desired convenience and would hire me if I could cater to their needs. I realised that I needed to provide auto detailing at their address. The thought of owning a mobile auto detailing business excited me. A glimmer of hope rejuvenated me. I felt that solution had tremendous potential.
I needed to tell Melissa that I had a concrete plan for solving our problems. It would work. I was certain.
Feeling upbeat, I walked home quickly, eager to see relief on Melissa’s face.
I walked into the apartment, and Melissa wasn’t there. I thought she was in the bathroom, so I checked it. On the kitchen counter was a note.
Dear Harry.
I wish things could’ve worked out differently, but here we are. We’ve been through a lot together and tried to make it work. I’ve been a supportive wife and stood by you when you had no one.
Every battle needs a solution, and I don’t see ours ending. I feel that it’s best for us to take a break and work on ourselves. This is for the best. I’m going to stay with my mother.
I wish you all the best.
Sincerely
Melissa.
I felt like a dagger was jabbed into my throat. I couldn’t breathe, and I felt my faculties wane. Sitting on the couch, I hung my head and pressed my hand against my forehead. I reclined, slouching on the couch. I surrendered to the universe. It had beaten me up emotionally, and I was at its mercy.
A few hours later, I went for a walk to clear my head. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew that wallowing in sorrow would dig my hole further. I needed to be busy.
I went back to the apartment and took the thousand-dollar savings I had stashed for emergencies. I went to the hardware store and bought a pressure washer and a vacuum. My next stop was a detailing store where I bought chemicals and brushes. The last stop was a printing shop. They handed me a thousand fliers, and I went home to drop off my equipment before heading out to an affluent neighbourhood.
I slid fliers under windshield wipers and handed out a few to people who walked past.
Two days later, I had my first booking. The joy of having my first client shattered through the misery that had bogged me down, and a smile appeared on my face.
I packed the chemicals and brushes into a backpack, and I carried the pressure washer and the vacuum to the bus stop. A few people gawked at me, but I wasn’t phased by their judgemental stares. I was thrilled to start my business.
After detailing the client’s car, I checked every spot another three times. I wanted him to be satisfied with my service.
While inspecting his car, he smiled and then handed me a fifty-dollar tip. I was over the moon.
That night, when I got home, my phone rang. Another booking. Woohoo! My first client had recommended me to his friend.
I completed my second job at seven pm and got on the bus. On the way home, a client called and asked if I could provide a quick wash because he needed to go on a date. I got off the bus at the next stop and hopped onto the one going in the opposite direction. I was at his house by half past seven. Fortunately, he had great lighting, so I needed forty minutes to complete the job. He tipped me twenty bucks. Nice!
A month later, my operation had grown, requiring me to work weekends. Eventually, I employed a youngster, Jared, interested in car detailing. He was inexperienced, but his help enabled me to serve more clients.
Five months into running my business, I bought a small van. Having a work vehicle helped me to service even more clients.
Three months later, I bought another van and assigned it to Jared. I hired one of his friends to help me while Jared detailed cars by himself.
On the way home one night, I stopped at a red light and looked at a bus to my left. Melissa and her mother boarded it. She didn’t see me, but I was glad I saw her. I wondered about the future we would’ve had if she had stayed.
I pulled up into my driveway, and the love of my life stepped out of the house to kiss me as always.