Single Husbands by HoneyB

time she’d go back with her best friend, Venus.
    Nikki somberly eased out of bed, dragging her feet to the kitchen in search of damiana tea, fresh peaches, and figs to reinvigorate
     her dwindling libido. As much as Nikki enjoyed the taste of soy milk and coffee, both soy and caffeine spiked serotonin. An
     elevated level of serotonin decreased a woman’s sex drive. Stimulants like ginkgo and ginseng were great for her male clients’
     sex drive but had the opposite effect on a woman’s libido.
    “What time is it?” she wondered, pausing in the living room to stretch her hands high above her head. The house was quiet.
     Good. Maybe Herschel was gone.
    Entering the kitchen, she saw him leaning against the counter in front of the appliances. Nikki exhaled a dry “Good morning.”
    “It’s way past morning,” he grumbled. “And I’ve been thinking. Nikki, seriously, I want us to have a baby,” Herschel said,
     standing tall, as if his posture would make her agree with his request.
    Silence. Everything was quiet. No usual buzzing from the huge double-door stainless-steel refrigerator. She couldn’t hear
     the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room. In the moment of not responding to her husband, life for Nikki was
     peaceful within her. Why couldn’t she be serene within all the time?
    Herschel stood in front of the fresh avocados, figs, and peaches, then folded his arms across his chest. He knew her diet.
     He knew those were three of the foods that definitely increased a woman’s sex drive, along with garlic, oysters, and chocolate
     truffles.
    Reaching around her husband, Nikki lightly squeezed a peach with her fingertips. She selected a ripe one and placed it on
     the cutting board on the island. She eased a knife from the holder and laid a pineapple sideways next to the peach. Slicing
     off the top and the bottom, she pushed them aside, then inserted her pineapple cutter, removed the center, diced it into cube-sized
     chunks, then tossed the pieces into a bowl. Standing in front of Herschel, she waited for him to move out of her way.
    His lips flattened. His eyes stared into hers.
    Nikki placed the bowl of fresh pineapple on the island, stared into Herschel’s piercing brown eyes, then said, “Please. You
     can’t possibly be serious about this baby issue. You’re not in love with me. You need to quit bringing up that conversation.
     I’m never having your baby. What you really want is for me to slow down long enough for you to catch up. It’s too late. That’s
     not happening,” Nikki said, walking away from him.
    She opened the refrigerator, scanning for the orange juice that she wanted to blend with peaches, pineapples, and strawberries
     for a fruit smoothie. She exchanged the orange juice for yogurt. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was well after three in
     the afternoon. Her late night with Lexington had left her feeling mellow and happily exhausted.
    “Herschel, move from in front of the blender,” Nikki said, nudging him in his side. “You don’t support the bastard you’ve
     got. I do.”
    Herschel’s jaw dropped. He quickly stood straight, then closed his mouth.
    Nikki continued speaking. “What? Kwan is ten years old, looks exactly like you, and the last time I went to church with you,
     Ivory and Kwan sat next to me in the pew and your stupid ass let them, ’cause what? You think you’re slick? You think you’re
     smarter than me. Never that, sweetheart. I know everything about you. Everything.”
    Herschel reached out for her. Nikki stepped back, then said, “Don’t touch me. Am I supposed to appease your ego by throwing
     up for months with morning sickness? Am I supposed to give you the opportunity to decide whether or not you seriously want
     to be a husband and father while I wobble around pregnant for nine months while you tag along as a gofer with Brian and Lexington
     to the golf course to stroke eighteen pussy holes? Or kick it with your girlfriend