Chapter 9

Susan walked into the restaurant looking like a million dollars. She wore a short, body-hugging blue dress that barely reached down far enough to cover her crotch. Her long, shapely legs, comprising over half her height, were fully revealed. There was a saucy step in her stride that immediately attracted the eyes of male diners and made their wives or girlfriends jealous. Howard groaned inwardly as that fine package walked confidently over to his booth and sat down opposite him. He knew he was in danger of losing Susan and her awe-inspiring body forever.

Susan stared at him with eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses and said nothing. Howard studied her face intently, as if seeing it for the first time. He got the impression that he did not really know this woman, even though he had been married to her for thirteen years. Her mind was a complete mystery to him.

"You look nice, Susan."

Susan nodded, accepting the compliment as a statement of fact. She knew she looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Would you ...would you like to order now?"

"You can order something if you want to, Howard, but I came here to talk, not eat."

Though Howard loved food, he found that he did not have much of an appetite right now. When the waiter came around, he ordered two drinks, a beer for himself and a cherry coke for Susan. As he sipped his beer, he let his eyes roam around the restaurant. He recognized the place, of course, and marveled that it had changed very little in fourteen years.

"I remember the last time we came here," he said.

Susan nodded. "This is where you proposed to me."

"Yes."

The restaurant was an elegant and high-priced dining establishment, where food was served by waiters, not waitresses. Situated high in the hills of Orange County, it had a glorious view of the city down below. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and street lights were coming on as the sky turned deep purple. It was a beautiful and romantic sight, yet it was also a troubling one for Howard. He knew his wife had chosen this place for a purpose.

"Why here?" he asked. "Why did you want to meet here of all places?"

"I thought it would be a fitting place to end what we began."

Howard took Susan's hands. "What went wrong between us? Is it just sex you want?"

He expected Susan to withdraw her hands from his, but she did not. "No, Howard, it's more than that. I want to be heard when I speak. I want to be seen when I'm there. I want you to know that I exist."

"I'm sorry if I've taken you for granted. Its work, you know. I've been so focused on climbing up the corporate ladder. I promise I will pay more attention to you from now on. I'll call you from the office more often. I'll stop watching television so much when I'm home. We'll go out to eat every night—you'll never have to slave over a hot stove again. We'll have more time to talk, much, much more time."

Now Susan took her hands away. She looked down at them and sighed. "It's too late for all of that. I've been ignored for too many years. I've fallen out of love with you, Howard. It's just that simple. I don't think I'm even attracted to you anymore. The man I married is not the man you are today. You don't even look the same."

Howard was shamefully aware of his distended gut. "I can change," he said lamely.

"I came here to talk about our divorce, not about continuing our relationship."

"Is our marriage so broken now that it cannot be repaired?"

"Yes."

Howard felt that word like a knife in his heart. He had a sudden urge to throw aside his pride and get down on his knees and beg her to stay with him, just like he had begged her to marry him, but he knew the situation was vastly different and he restrained himself. Instead, he swallowed the tears he felt welling up inside him and forced himself to be strong. He was no dummy. If he was a dummy, he would still be a low-level salesman and not the president of a multi-million dollar corporation. He knew his wife had come here to talk and he would impress her by listening. It was the only thing he knew he could do at the moment.

"Okay, tell me what you want."

Susan laid it out for him. Surprisingly, she did not want much in the way of material possessions. She would keep the money she took from their savings account and her car and leave him the house. She planned to work to earn her living and not seek alimony. The main sticking point was the furnishings. In the mood he was in, Howard would have been glad to give her everything inside the house she wanted except for his sofa and television set, but he felt for the sake of form he had to raise some objections somewhere along the line. The truth was he wanted to keep his wife talking to him. He had forgotten what a sweet voice she had. Her soft pitch tickled his eardrums and sent pleasant chills down his spine as he listened to her.

Howard handled the negotiations like a true businessman, utilizing all the skills he had acquired over the years, but he did not hide the sadness that he felt. Susan must have empathized with him, because her tone became increasingly gentle even as they argued point by point. In the end, though, Howard gave her everything she wanted, because what she wanted was not even half of what she deserved, at least by California's community property standards. But Howard knew he was losing the only thing in the world that he really cared about, and that was Susan. Too late he discovered his attachment to her.

"Well, I guess it's all settled then," he said. "No need to hire expensive lawyers to battle it out."

Susan smiled, satisfied. "I'm glad you reacted to this so well. I was hoping we would part as friends."

Howard shrugged, not returning her smile. He was not happy at all. His heart was broken and it showed.

An awkward silence ensued. Susan twice attempted to say something, perhaps to console him, but could not frame the words properly. Finally, she grabbed her purse and rose to her feet. "Well, I have to be leaving now. I have to get up early in the morning and go hunting for a place to live."

Howard rose with her and took her hands. "You take care of yourself, honey. I wish you all the happiness in the world."

He bent down and kissed her gently on the cheek, a kiss she did not flinch away from.

"You too," she said after a long pause, and suddenly, she seemed like she was going to cry. She turned around and quickly walked away.

Howard watched her leave. He continued to stare after her long after she had disappeared out the door. There goes the most beautiful woman in the world, he thought. How on Earth could I have just sat there and let her get away?

Looking down, he noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor. It had obviously fallen out of Susan's purse during her hasty flight. Curious, he picked it up and unfolded it. His eyes went wide at what he saw. It was a flier advertising the grand opening of a new sex club. The words "Planet Erotica" were printed in big, bold type at the top. Below it were pictures of men and women in various lewd costumes, engaged in various lewd acts. My God, he thought, does Susan need sex that badly?

Abruptly, Howard smiled as an idea entered his brain. His wife always thought him prudish about sex, but he had his fantasies. This flier was a blueprint for how to win his sweetheart back. For the first time all night, he had hope. His wife was insane if she thought he was going to give up on her so easily.

In addition to the name and address of the club, a time and date was also printed on the flier. Was six weeks enough time to whip himself into shape? Was his name not Howard Keller, terror of the PAC 10 for four years before his knee injury?

At heart, Howard was an athlete, a competitor. Six weeks was nothing to a man of his steely determination. He carefully folded up the flier and put it in his shirt pocket for safekeeping.