In the Closet

by Glen Benison

           Leona couldn’t bear to look at the top, left-hand shelf of her closet. Not anymore.

           When she first bought the sexy garments, she was all excited, certain that her plan would resurrect her stale marriage.

           Surely, such a romantic enticement would arouse her Joe. She tucked away her new purchase onto the top shelf of her closet and counted down the days to February 14^th.

           At some time during the sixth year of their marriage, romance between Leona and Joe began to fade away and now well into their seventh year, it needed much resuscitation. Joe was more committed to his Netflix series than he was to his marriage.

           Leona had grown to become worried and even perturbed with Joe’s reluctance to indulge in what once were their normal, even if predictable, romantic endeavours. She couldn’t understand how he could be more hooked on fictional television than on the reality of their relationship. She wanted to change that. She needed to change that. She had given so much to Joe to let him slip away.

           She sometimes stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror, admiring her curves, wondering what had changed to make Joe become so distant. She pinched a titch of excess skin around her waist. There wasn’t much to get at.

           “What’s wrong with this?” she asked her reflection. “Almost as good as the day we were married.” She reminiced about how wildly aroused Joe was that honeymoon night with the moonlight splaying across their satin bedsheets. And she just as high on love. She shook her head wondering what went wrong and she would attempt to revisit that very mood.

           Just days before Valentine’s, Leona designed her plan to slip into her newly purchased items and entice Joe away from the television. She couldn’t imagine how he could resist. She became excited just thinking about how things would turn out.

           On the night of the 14^th, Leona came down the stairs in her new see-through negligee. She swayed towards the family room, moving as slowly as a cougar upon its prey. She was sure that being so scantily dressed would be enough to lure Joe away from the television and up to their bedroom.

           Aromatic candles, a chilled bottle of wine and two long-stemmed glasses sat on the edge of their ensuite Jacuzzi. A small box of mint chocolates sat to the side of the wine. Soft music drifted from the opened bedroom door.

           Leonna dimmed the light as she entered the family room. Only the glimmering light of the television screen cast a glow throughout the room. It was a nice, mood-setting radiance.

           The sheers, drawn across the front window, only partially obstructed the street view and any dog walker who might be passing by, could look in from the roadway and be able to distinguish Leona’s curvaceous silhouette as she crossed the room towards Joe.

           The possibility of there actually being a voyeur out there, turned Leona’s libido up a notch. She figured Joe would be pleasantly shocked at what was about to hit him.

           Leona moved seductively towards the couch. Her bare feet quietly caressed the hardwood floor. She stopped and stood between Joe and the television and, like a trained stripper, she removed her camisole, letting it slowly slide down across her naked hips until it lay on the floor at her ankles. She lifted both her hands and released the blue velvet band that held her hair in place. She shook her head soflty and her auburn hair fell down across her shoulders.

           Joe was unresponsive. He didn’t react to Leona’s seductive theatrics. He craned his neck to look around her and get a view of the television.

           Leona was crushed. Her shoulders dropped in defeat and she tucked her chin into her chest. Her full, moist cherry red lips turned from a sexy pout into an inverted arc.

           “What’s the matter with you, Joe. What’s happened to us?” she cried. “What have I done wrong?”

           “I’m sorry. It’s not you, it’s me,” was all he said while not making eye contact.

           Leona bent down, picked up her gown and, still naked, walked quietly out of the room. She climbed the stairs, alone again, and returned dejectedly to her bedroom. She turned off the romantic music and went into the ensuite to blow out the candles. She pulled the drain plug in the Jacuzzi tub and its groaning as it emptied matched her mood. Her joy was being sucked away.

           She opened the bottle of wine and, while sitting cross-legged on the side of the tub, she took several long swallows. Each swallow was followed by a deep breath.

           She then stepped into the bedroom, folded the lacey garment and repackaged it into the original box. She sighed as she placed the package on the top, left-hand shelf of her closet.

           She pulled on her long, woolen sleepers and crawled, defeated and wounded, beneath the duvet. She didn’t have to turn out the light. The room, as she had set it up, was already in darkness, broken only by the soft beam of the full moon shining through the window. Her heart was pierced in pain. She was destroyed.

           She was still wide-awake when Joe climbed into bed an hour later. He did not reach over to touch her or to even whisper the most simple ‘night-night’. Leona lay motionless, her back towards Joe, her eyes wide open and still moist. She remained silent.

           In the morning, Leona left for work and did so without returning to the bedroom to lean over to give Joe her usual good morning kiss or to say goodbye.

           Once Joe heard the front door close and Leona’s car accelerate out of the driveway, he climbed out of bed.  He walked to the bedroom closet and opened the door. He reached up to the top, left-hand shelf and pulled out the Victoria’s Secret package.

           He removed the petite garment, laid it out on top of the bedspread, and looked at it closely. He ran his fingers over the satin fabric. He smiled.

           He picked up the negligee, pulled it over his head and down across his slim shoulders. He moved across the room and looked at his reflection in the mirror. First the front view and then he twirled around for a back view. Not bad.   ~ ~