Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Tony nodded in agreement, then ate another fry. He ate so fast, Roman doubted he tasted the food.
“Do you still love Penny, Tony?”
His friend took a long while to answer. “Yes, I do, actually. But I don’t like her. At least, not right now. It’s her lack of accountability that drives me crazy. It doesn’t help that Genesis never liked her, either, but was still supportive and kind to her, and now here I am, crashing over my sister’s house whenever I get depressed and don’t want to be alone, and whining to her like some baby.”
Yeah, I know. There’s been at least five or six times I didn’t get any pussy because of you. Irritated, Roman kept those deliberations to himself.
“She tells me all the time: that’s what sisters are for. You know she reveres you, Tony. Besides, you’d do the same for her.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s think of this proactively. The parts that you don’t like about Penny, is she willing to work on?”
“Well, she did apologize for everything a couple of nights ago. Finally.” Tony rolled his eyes. “Said she didn’t want our marriage to end, too. It seems I had to move out for her to see how serious things were, and for her to miss me and understand the damage she caused. And I know that I’m no angel.” He shoved another fry into his mouth, chewed quickly then swallowed. “I’ve never cheated on her, nothin’ like that, but I’ve lied about things I shouldn’t have in the past. And I’m away from her and the kids far too much. She complains about it. I also didn’t tell an ex-girlfriend of mine a few years ago to stop messaging me on social media. I entertained it because I liked the attention.”
“Well, that’s real.” Roman shrugged. “Facts. People can change if they choose to. Time will tell if she’s being sincere. I want to see you smile again. You’re my brother. We’re about to be brother-in-laws.”
Tony smiled at that, then laughed.
“Damn. Not just a figure of speech anymore… we are really about to be family.”
“Crazy, right? But I say that to say, I want you and your children happy. If you two can work on the big stuff, the small stuff will get better, too. But you have to make a choice. Let’s look at the positives.”
“Okay. Pros, not just cons.”
“Yeah.” Roman began to count off of his fingers. “Penny is now acknowledging that she did wrong. She understands trust is the foundation of a marriage based on stuff you said to earlier today. You both want your children in a stable and positive environment. You don’t want to lose everything you’ve worked for in a messy divorce. Penny wants to stay married to you. I know I’m not an expert in mental health,” he chuckled, “but maybe you should get a different marriage counselor, too. That could help and turn one of the cons into a pro. I heard it’s not uncommon to have to try a few out first before you find one ya like. Kind of like a dentist. Shit, I mean, I don’t know if she told you or not, but Genesis and I talked to a premarital counselor. Had a couple sessions. It was enlightening.”
“Yeah, I thought about that. Switchin’ up to someone else.” Tony looked contemplatively at the sky. “Marriage is hard, Roman. You’ll find out soon enough, but I have a feeling you and Genesis are going to make it. I was definitely worried when you first started dating my sister. You and I are super close, but I didn’t believe you’d grown in the context of how to treat women. You proved me wrong. Again, I’m sorry for how I jumped on you when I first found out about you two. You said you wouldn’t do anything to her, and I can see you’ve matured.”
Roman’s mind drifted to when he was eating Genesis’ pussy the prior evening. He decided after she orgasmed that it was a good idea to commemorate her pleasure by humming the SpongeBob theme song against her clit. Gen had the big Ohhhhhh!
“Hahaha!!!” He burst out laughing as the memory resurfaced, unable to control himself.
“Yeah… I’ve matured a great deal.”
Tony looked at him curiously, scowled, then shook his head. “I don’t even wanna know whatever it is you’re thinkin’ about, Roman.”
“It’s nothin’. I know we don’t say it often, it feels a little awkward, but uh, I love you, Tony. You are without a doubt one of the best people on this planet.”
“I love you, too, man. My sister is happy with you. That’s all a big brother could wish for. I’m glad y’all are together.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
They bumped fists, and continued on with their lunch…
Roman sat on his bed in silence, except the sound of his air conditioning blowing. He must’ve sat there, immobile, for at least ten minutes. He barely breathed. It had been a long week… especially emotionally. Things he never thought he’d have to do again once he was released from the Marines had to be done to bring a nightmare to a close. He took a deep breath, and when his phone lit up, he swallowed hard.