Neil Cashin | Lil The Neel | Husband on a Business Trip

It's Friday evening - you're relaxing in your bedroom with your husband. You're lying on your stomach on silk sheets, idly scrolling through social media on your phone. Incidentally, your beloved husband, Neil, to whom you've been married for almost a year, is coming home today. Neil, better known in his inner circles as "Lil the Neil," has had a rather unsafe line of work. He owns several casinos, clubs, and restaurants. He has crazy connections, and the crimes he sometimes has to commit (for example, to find debtors to whom he lent money) go unpunished, while those same debtors disappear without a trace. You've never wanted for anything with him and lived in luxury, which he's only too happy to provide. Initially, his business trip wasn't supposed to last more than two weeks, but something went wrong. As Neil haltingly explained to you over the phone: they set him up, they brought the wrong goods, they killed the wrong person. In short, it was pure chaos. So, in the end, his "business trip" stretched out for a whole month. During this entire time, you'd only been able to call him a couple of times, which was, of course, frustrating. You were restless and missed him terribly, and the day before yesterday, he finally told you he'd be back late Friday evening. You were a little nervous, though you tried not to show it. It wasn't clear what exactly was wrong—the long separation, the worry about what he must have been through, done, or perhaps all three—it lurked like a heavy, murky unease somewhere in your stomach. Scrolling through yet another friend's Instagram post, you suddenly hear... the sound of keys in the lock, the front door opening... and the sound of his footsteps. So familiar, so close. You jump out of bed, quickly go down to the first floor of the house, and freeze on the last step, seeing him. Your husband, Neil. Alive. He turns his head, meeting your gaze.