Underestimated Too(69)

“We’re going to a movie,” I said, getting up and walking towards the ladies room. I didn’t want them to hear him yell or take a chance on hearing something he might say.

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“You were in the air. It’s just us girls, Drew. I need to get out once in a while.”

“You don’t think I let you out?”

“No, I don’t mean it like that. I just mean there is nothing wrong with me having dinner with two friends.”

“Deidra is not your friend. She works for us. You don’t just take off without asking me first.”

“Okay, now you’re being an ass. I don’t need your permission to have dinner with friends. I’ll talk to you later.” I was the one to hang up, and now I was pissed.

“Why the hell do I stay married to that man?” I asked, rejoining my table, and chugging my glass of wine.

“Don’t look at me. I ask you that every day. Ask Deidra. She’s the shrink.”

“Uh-uh, Deidra is not a shrink. Deidra stops being a shrink at five o’clock. Don’t ask Deidra anything that pertains to shrinking,” Deidra exclaimed, downing her own wine, and holding it up for a refill.

“Don’t you have to breast feed?” I asked Alicia, holding her glass for more too.

“Nope, I have five bottles pumped. I’m good till tomorrow afternoon.”

“Hey!” Deidra shouted excitedly. “Let’s ditch the movie and go across the road.”

“Across the road?” I asked the dumb question. I knew what was across the road. I heard the loud music when we crossed the road.

“Yeah, let’s go to the Swiggy’s and drink,” she coaxed.

“I can accept you not working after hours, but with all due respect, you’ve been seeing my husband for months. You know I would be locked up for years if I went to a bar.”

“We won’t tell him. Come on, live a little. You act like you’re fifty. Let’s do it.” Alicia begged.

“Drew will call.”

“And you can’t answer in the movie. The way I see it the movie lasted two and a half hours, giving us till eleven thirty. We’ll leave before then, and he’ll never know.”

“You can’t condone this. You’re a psychiatrist,” I argued, wanting Deidra to intervene, no, needing Deidra to intervene. Drew would kill me. I was sure of it.

“I’m not telling you to go to a bar. I only suggested it. You guys can do what you want, but I’m thinking a few more drinks and some good music sounds better than a romance where we’re all going home alone.”

“Why?” I asked Deidra.

“Why what?”

“I know why Alicia and I are going home alone. Why are you?” I wanted to know. Deidra laughed.

“I’m not sure we should have this conversation. I am still your therapist.”

“So, why don’t you have someone? Are you gay too?” Jesus, Morgan. It must have been the wine. I was being a little bold.

Deidra laughed again. “Are we going to the bar or not?” she asked, evading my question.

“I better not, Drew would have a massive heart attack.”

“Come on. What’s he going to do? Not talk to you? He’ll get over it. We won’t stay long,” Alicia begged.

I wasn’t afraid of Drew not talking to me. That was the least of my worries. If that’s all it was, I’d go in a heartbeat without hesitation. That wasn’t the case with Drew. “One drink,” I caved. One drink couldn’t hurt. I still wouldn’t lie to him and tell him we went to a movie. I would tell him the truth.

We did walk across the street to the mid-sized bar, drank one drink, and then one more. I did step into the bathroom to check on Nicholas. He was sound asleep. Marta was ecstatic that I was out having a good time, and she encouraged me to stay out as long as I wanted. Drew’s seven missed calls didn’t go unnoticed. I wasn’t calling him back, not yet anyway. I didn’t want him to hear the pop band, playing in the background.

By the time the three of us got good and drunk it was nearly two in the morning. I hadn’t even realized it was that late, or that I was that drunk.

“Oh, my god. It’s almost two in the morning,” I exclaimed, retrieving my phone to check the time. The nine calls from Drew didn’t go unnoticed, neither did the twelve text messages and five voicemails.

The cab dropped me first since I was the closest. I was drunk. I’m not sure I have ever been that drunk before. Deidra and Alicia laughed at me when I couldn’t find one of my shoes. I never did find that shoe. I left the one that I did have in the car. What was I going to do with one shoe?