“I said, I can’t talk about it,” he hissed. “You’ll find out when it’s your turn — after you and Marissa are married.” Marissa’s mother caught up to me afterward.
“Don’t ask about things that don’t concern you,” she said. “You will come to know all soon enough.” She smiled as she said it, but her eyes scared the hell out of me.
It was late June, a few days before their next “time out,” when Greg, Marissa’s oldest brother-in-law, came by the house. He looked scared as I ushered him into the house. I wondered why he seemed scared. From what I knew, he had served in combat in the Gulf War and nothing scared him.
“Is Marissa here?” he asked.
“No, she’s doing some shopping for their trip out,” I said.
“Good,” he said. “Listen, you didn’t hear this from me, but if you’re smart, you’d dump Marissa as fast as you can.”
“Why?” I asked. “She’s always been good to me and we love each other.”
“It’s these time outs,” he said. “There’s nothing innocent or good about them. At all. Do yourself a favor and get far away from this entire family as fast as you can.”
“Why?” I asked. “Have you gone with Adeleine?” Adeleine, or “Addy,” as she preferred to be called, was Marissa’s oldest sister.
“Yes,” Greg said. “I can’t tell you what I witnessed, because I was sworn to secrecy and frankly, you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Is it really that bad?” I asked. “What, do they all go wild and get naked or something?”
“It’s worse than anything you can imagine,” he said. “Spouses aren’t allowed unless they’re invited or it’s their turn.”
“Their turn?” I asked. “What the hell does that mean?”
“If you marry Marissa, you’ll find out soon enough. I just want you to know, because I’m next,” he said. “And there’s a real possibility I may not come back. At least, not as me.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “Are you in danger?”
“I’ve already said too much,” he told me. “I’m just warning you. It’s already too late for me. Cut and run now, while you can.” He looked out the door before speaking. “I have to go, but I just had to let you know. Don’t say anything to anyone, not even Marissa. Got it?” I nodded my head, confused.
“Yeah, sure,” I said. “Is there anything I can do?” He shook his head.
“I hear you’re a church-going man,” he said. “So please, pray for me. Other than that, there’s nothing you can do. My time is up. But you still have a chance. I have to go now, before they get back. Bye, my friend,” he added, shaking my hand. “It’s been good knowing you.” With that, he left and headed back home.
As promised, I said nothing to Marissa, but I noticed that she was eyeing me closely.
“Are you alright?” she asked me the morning she was set to leave.
“Yeah,” I said. “I just have a lot on my mind.” She smiled and stroked my cheek.
“Well, you just enjoy your time off,” she said. “When I get back, we’ll go to bed and have a grand old time. Okay?” I nodded my head.
“Sounds good,” I said, giving her a kiss. Her eyes flashed for a moment and soon, she was out the door. I knew I had a few days to myself and since my class was getting ready to graduate in a couple weeks, there was no need for me to study.
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