We Take this Man by Candice Dow, Daaimah S. Poole

torn between staying at work or coming out for a drink.”
    Andrea said, “That was an easy decision.”
    “Basically,” he said.
    I felt it was necessary to let them know that Dwight was my manager in hopes they would pipe down their conversation.
    Gina exclaimed, “So!”
    Dwight seemed to be getting a kick out of them so I eased off. He was rather impressed that we were all good friends and that we’d maintained our friendship since college. Three or four times over the period of an hour, he said, “It’s amazing to meet four women that all know enough about each other to finish each other’s sentences.”
    I concluded that he must have been married to one of those chicks who has no girlfriends. Finally, Gina said, “Whatever, we’re all we got. Shit, I don’t have a choice but to hang out with y’all.”
    We laughed. Dwight checked his phone and a series of uh-ohs rippled around the table. His smirk questioned our responses.
    Gina said, “I guess your wife is telling you to get your ass home.”
    He shook his head and stuck his phone back in his pocket. I said, “Go ahead and answer. We’ll be quiet.”
    “Nah, I’m cool.”
    “We don’t want your wife to come in here and start spraying,” Tammy said from experience.
    He laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. She’s in Jacksonville.”
    “What’s there? Work?”
    He said, “Family.”
    Andrea said, “Family? Aren’t you family?”
    Gina said, “When is she coming here?”
    He slightly hung his head. “I don’t know.”
    A bombardment of questions followed as they tried to rationalize a situation that I reckoned to simply let go. It was absolutely and unequivocally senseless. A few nods and a few ohs later, Dwight looked at his phone again. I said, “I think you better get that.”
    Tammy leaned over the table, as if to expose her nonexistent cleavage. “Dwight, does your wife know that the most beautiful black women in the country live in the DC area?”
    “You guys are something else.”
    Gina said, “Nah, for real.” She pursed her clear-glossed lips, which always accentuated her high cheekbones. “Does she know that?”
    “I’m not sure. I certainly didn’t make it my business to let her know.”
    Although both Gina and Tammy were putting their selves on display, he couldn’t keep his eyes away from Andrea. I wasn’t sure if it was the simplicity in her little curly ponytail or the slight resemblance to his wife, or that she didn’t have a Post-it note on her forehead stating that she was single. I said, “Dwight, I understand. There is no reason to make your wife insecure.”
    “She really doesn’t have a reason to be. She’s a beautiful, secure woman.”
    Just as he said that, his phone rang again. Gina said, “I’m not so sure about that.”
    He looked at his phone and for the first time I noticed some discomfort in his face. He seemed slightly apologetic as he scooted his chair back and slid a fifty from his wallet.
    “Alright, y’all. Wifey is a little impatient tonight. We’ll definitely have to do this again.”
    Tammy said, “Wifey better act like she know and get her ass up here.”
    He pointed at her, stood up, and said, “Exactly.”
    Just seconds after he said his good-byes and left the restaurant, I said, “Y’all hookers are so crazy.”
    Tammy said, “How you gonna just send your husband to a new state alone with all of us up here?”
    We burst out laughing. I said, “But y’all didn’t have to say anything.”
    Andrea said, “If you haven’t noticed, we have two recovering adulterers right here.” She was referring to Tammy and me. “So if she knows like I know, she better get here and get here fast.”
    I said, “Exactly. I’m an adulterer, not a mistress. There is a difference. I have fun with married men and then send them home to their wives and I never have to deal with them again. I don’t want to do that with a man I work with. Plus, he’s not even cute enough to take the