—
"You almost ready to go, babe?" Shemar asked his wife, while the two of them were getting prepared for another day at the retreat. He had been inside the bathroom of their suite, brushing his teeth.
Toni, who was rummaging through the drawer she stashed her clothing in, responded with, "Well, I still gotta hop in the shower. Just tryin' to figure out what I'm going to wear." She pulled out a black blouse and jeans, along with a white sundress.
"Aw, babe. You know you look beautiful in whatever you wear," The husband said back, as he stepped outside of the bathroom and grew closer to her. "And don't worry about the shower. I ran you a bath. Put some bubbles in it and everything; just how you like it."
The woman sighed, rolling her eyes in circular motions. "Why would you do that? I wanted to take a shower, not a bath." Walking toward the direction of the restroom, she marched past him, feeling her body load with rage.
Shemar followed behind her, confused as to why she acted so ungracious. All he wanted to do was cater to his wife the way a man was supposed to. But just like regularly, he was made to feel as though he had wasted his time. "My bad, babe. I was just trying to—"
But, before he could continue on, Toni cut him off with, "You should've asked me first." She then knelt beside the tub, extending her right arm into the heated liquid, reaching for the tub's drain. "I don't need you running no bath for me."
"Here you go being difficult," the man moved his head from side to side, an indication of his disbelief. He wasn't surprised that his wife had drained the water out. What took him back was even after all the years of them being married, she still wouldn't let him be the man she prayed for.
"How am I being difficult?" Toni asked, rising from the spot she knelt in. Her eyes held endless curiosity, as she was anxious for her husband to elaborate. "If I don't want you to—"
But just as she had done him, Shemar halted her words when he replied back with, "Anything I try to do for you, you 'ont let me. Can't carry ya luggage in, can't run you a damn bath." He used his fingers as gestures to list examples. "Can't do shit."
"Yeah, well, I can do all that by myself," the wife said back, rolling her neck. "I am more than capable." Her shoulders shrugged, moving up and down.
Shemar breathed heavily, waving the woman off. "Then what the hell do you need me for?" He exited the bathroom, incessantly shaking his head from one side to the other.
Toni followed him, not trying to hear what was asked. "Look, I know I'm set in my ways. But, you married me though, didn't you?" She walked into the direction of the provided drawers, grabbing from them a pair of underwear and a beige pigmented bra.
The man sat upon their nearing bed, beginning to place shoes onto his feet. "Yeah. I did. But, what does that matter? You don't even want me loving on you, Toni."
Now as they continued to converse about how Toni hadn't at all appreciated the man she vowed to love, Whitney and Bobby were also inside their suite preparing for the day ahead of them.
She was standing before their suite's bed, covering her bare body in moisturizer. She hadn't known all that was planned for the day, but knew that the first thing on the agenda was another couples' breakfast.
