Chapter 6

At work the next day, Howard stared at his computer screen but did not see a single word or graph on it. He was still thinking of the odd behavior of his wife last night. She had finally come home around two in the morning, just as he was giving up waiting for her and going back to bed. He was somewhat surprised at her state of dress.

"How come you're naked?" he asked.

Susan was startled to see him sitting up in bed, but she recovered quickly. "I got a sudden urge and went skinny-dipping in the ocean."

"You went down there without clothes?"

"No, silly, my clothes got washed away by the surf."

"Oh."

The explanation seemed logical to him, so logical that he was stumped for any more questions to ask. He dismissed the whole subject of his wife's nudity from his mind. Susan had always been a strange one, prone to doing strange things. Yet, his wife continued to stand there in the doorway and stare at him as if she expected him to say more.

"Are you coming to bed?" he asked.

"Would you like to have sex?"

Howard looked at his wife's beautiful naked body. Particles of sand clung to it everywhere and her hair was a wild mess. There was no question that she was appealing in this raw state, yet he found that he could not muster his earlier libido. His eyelids were already starting to droop from staying up too long. "It's late," he said, "and I have to get up soon and go to work. How about we plan it for this weekend? Does Saturday sound good?"

Susan did not answer him, but turned off the lights and walked out of the room. The next morning, Howard found her sleeping on the sofa without a blanket, still naked and getting sand all over it. Yes, he reflected as he sat there in his office, his wife's behavior had been very, very odd.

A knock sounded on his door, yanking his mind back to the present. "Come in!" he said.

The door opened and admitted Steve Johnson. Steve was a tall, heavy set African-American man in his forties, with penetrating eyes and a commanding presence. He also happened to be the company president. Though Howard, a vice-president, was on semi-casual terms with him, he nevertheless sat up a little straighter in his chair.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I, Howard?"

Howard blinked. This was an unusual question coming from a man known for storming into his underlings offices yelling at the top of his lungs. It was rare for him to even knock.

"No, Steve, not at all. What can I do for you?"

Steve sat down heavily in an empty chair and let out a sigh. He remained silent for a long time, staring down at his folded hands. He seemed to be working up the courage to say something, and this perplexed Howard. Steve was known as a very strong and forthright person, who never hesitated in his speech or beat around the bush.

"How's that market report coming along?" Steve asked.

"Good," Howard said. "I'm putting the finishing touches on it right now. It'll be on your desk by this afternoon."

Steve nodded, expressing no real interest. He again lapsed into a long silence. Howard got the impression that he was not here to ask about the report, though it was vital to next Monday's meeting. His perplexity turned into sudden foreboding. Steve had come here to deliver some very bad news, he determined, perhaps relating to corporate downsizing. A chill went down Howard's spine. Finally, Steve looked up to meet Howard's eyes for the first time.

"Howard, do you have a wife?" he asked.

Howard's foreboding reversed itself back into perplexity. If he was going to get the axe, this was an unusual way for Steve to go about it. "Uh, yes. You know I have a wife. You've met her before at company functions."

"Oh, yes. Susan. Beautiful woman, Susan. Very, very beautiful. Like Rosie, my wife." He fell silent again, musing for a very long time, and then abruptly asked, "Is she happy?"

"My wife? I suppose she is."

"Happy with you?"

Howard fidgeted. This was a very strange conversation to be having with one's boss. Steve never talked about personal stuff, not even in social settings. He was all business right down the line, which was perhaps a secret to his success. Howard always tried to emulate him.

"I haven't heard any complaints," he said. This was true despite the fact that his wife complained to him all the time. He had become adept at tuning her out. "Why do you ask, Steve?"

"Because my wife is leaving me."

Howard stared at Steve. This was a startling personal admission from him.

Suddenly, unbelievably, Steve began to cry.

"I've been married to Rosie for fifteen years," he balled, "fifteen glorious, happy years. At least I thought they were happy. This morning, out of the blue, my wife told me she wanted a divorce. She said I took her for granted and she was tired of it. I had no idea it was coming. No idea at all."

Steve buried his face in his hands. Great, choking sobs wracked his big body. Howard, not knowing what else to do, reached out and patted him awkwardly on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said. It was the only thing he could think of to say. He was acutely uncomfortable to have the president of the company, his boss, crying like a baby in his office. "Do you want a tissue?"

The president shook his head and continued sobbing. "I thought I provided her with the best of lives. We had a nice house in Newport Beach, a fleet of cars, a yacht, lots of little luxuries. I've worked hard over the last fifteen years to put bread on the table and build up a nest egg that we could retire on. Yes, I worked hard! And I did it all for her. But no, it was not good enough. She had to have more—much more! She had to have sex."

Howard sucked in his breath. "She's an ungrateful woman."

Steve looked up at him sharply. "Don't criticize my wife!" he snapped.

Howard zippered his mouth. Steve began a fresh wave of tears.

"A cruel, cruel woman she is," he wailed. "I begged her not to leave me. I got down on my knees and begged her. I told her I would do anything to keep her, anything at all. And do you know what she did then? Do you?"

Howard shook his head. His mouth was still zippered.

"She sighed and told me it was too late. She said I spent too much time working and not enough time fucking her. She said that I had become a stranger to her and she had fallen out of love with me. Like I said, a cruel, cruel woman."

Howard said nothing, could say nothing. He was red-faced with embarrassment. Office workers were pausing to stare as they passed his open door. Howard waved them away, irritated at their curiosity. Give the president of the company some respect, his eyes told them. Yet, beyond that, he was at a loss as to how to deal with the situation. Then Steve made a request which really flustered him.

"Hold me, Howard. Hold me."

Howard hesitated. "Uh ...uh ..."

"Please, Howard, hold me. Hold me."

"Uh ... okay."

How could he refuse his boss? Steve could fire him for not providing such a simple human comfort, no matter how awkward it might be to a grown man. He opened his arms and immediately found himself in a crushing bear hug. He gasped for breath as Steve poured out his grief.

"Oh, Howard, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? I love her so much!"

"I don't know," Howard said. He wished he did know so that Steve would let go and leave. "I don't know."

"Ah, it feels so good to be held. I haven't been held like this in a long time. Please rock me now, Howard."

Howard rocked him. He was now too amazed to shoe the gawkers away from his door. The only thing he could think about as he rocked his boss was that he was glad that his own relationship with his wife was rock solid. Susan, he felt confident, would never betray him.