Didja ever wonder if maybe they're secretly glad when you leave?
An example for us all!
Seriously, no harm no foul, I just know I can't possibly keep up with all the stuff that goes on in our house well enough to make that decision on the fly without asking my wife. OTOH, if I really wanted to go, she'd adjust.
Not asking permission, just making sure I'm not trashing stuff I'd forgotten I'd committed to earlier, which I, being less squared away than you, might do on occassion.
Maybe your buddy was looking for his wife to bail him out because he can't play poker for sh*t?