What We Do on Friday Nights

You know, she doesn’t like to do anything

That’s the problem

I’d go out

I’d always go out

Back before we met

I was never at home

Didn’t even know

What my kitchen looked like

Then I met her

And we used to go out together

Especially on Friday’s

We’d go listen to my friend’s band play

Or we’d go see a movie

Get something to eat

We used to have a nice time

Just the two of us

Then one weekend

She wasn’t feeling well

And we stayed home

And that was it

I should have known too

Because my sister told me

Once you get married

And start staying home

You’ll be home all the time

And that’s just what happened

I come home

And she’s already on the couch

Telling me what she ordered

From the place down the street

It’s not so bad

When it’s cold out

‘Cause then who feels like

Going anywhere anyway, but—

When it’s nice like it is now?

Shit, I don’t want to just

Stay home

Like I’m some old man

I told her that

And she said—

We are old

I said—

Maybe you’re old

But I’m not

And she thought
I was talking about

Going off to meet

Some younger woman somewhere

She’s always gotta

Turn it around

Like that

I told her she’s only thinking that way

Because we haven’t been trying at all

You think a marriage

Is something

You can keep going

On a couch?

Come on now

Maybe once you’re ready

To kick the bucket

But not before then

I offered her things, you know

I said I’d take her out

Do whatever she wanted to do

But she doesn’t want to do anything

I think something about passion—

The thing about passion is that, uh…

Well, it’s work, you know

It’s not just there

Because it feels like being there

Maybe in the beginning

When you’re first in love

But after that, it’s like anything else

You really gotta work at it

I think she thought

She’d find the right man

And everything would just sort of

Take care of itself

So maybe it’s disappointment

She’s got going on

I don’t know

I really don’t

She talks about all the things you can do now at home

That you couldn’t do

When our parents were our age

So many movies you can watch

So much television

Everything you can have brought to you

Just by looking down at your phone

Why go out?

If we’re going to be together

Why not just be together?

Why do we have to worry

About what else there is to it?

Maybe there doesn’t need to be

Anything else to it

Maybe it can be just you and me

But something tells me

She’s worried

She’s worried

Just like I am

I know it

Because Saturday morning rolls around

And she wakes up next to me

Looking like she just opened her eyes
To a test she forgot to study for

Knowing I’m going to get that look

When she wakes up

Makes me want to get up early

And leave the house

Before she can even see me

Makes me want to just disappear

And that’s just the weekend

That’s just one part

Of it all

The rest is…

Well, the rest is hard

To talk about