Author's Note: This story is set in the fictional country of Nordland, a small island nation in the North Sea between the UK, Norway and Denmark.
This story is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places described in this narrative are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All comments and feedback are welcome.
HF
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"Sigi! I'm home..." Magnus called out as he closed the front door. He could hear the sounds of cooking emanating from the kitchen along with a delicious aroma. 'Dinner smells nice', he thought to himself. "Just in the kitchen..." he heard the reply.
Sigrid was busy at the stove, when he entered. She was still deeply concerned over the phone call she'd had with Marcus several hours earlier. Turning to face Magnus, she did her best to hide her emotions under a warm smile. "Hey Mags..." she said.
He ambled over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How was your day?" he asked.
"Not so bad...was stuck in some training courses. Not sure why I needed to do them, I'll be transferring out of the crew pool next week."
"So, they've confirmed your start date?" he asked as he moved to the fridge to get a beer. She nodded in reply. "Yep, Monday," she replied. "So, no more flight attendant uniforms?" he asked with a grin as he sat down at the table.
She gave him a wry expression as she stirred the food on the stove. "Sorry, I'm afraid so...looks like you'll just have to settle for plain, old me..."
"I'm sure I can manage," he replied with a grin as he took a sip of the beer. Sigrid turned her attention back to the stove, swallowing nervously as she pondered the best way to ask the next question.
"So...how was the rest of your day?" she asked. Magnus cocked his head from side to side. "So, so...the Telemark project is hectic...we had a consignment of repair parts arrive today that were incorrectly labeled. Took most of the team all day to try and sort them out. Henrik wasn't happy with that..."
Sigrid nodded as she continued to prepare the food. "Didn't you say you were going through a new computer system rollout?" she asked, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.
"Yeah...that's right," Magnus said with a touch of surprise that she'd remembered. "It's a new enterprise resource planning tool. It looks pretty good; in fact, we had a presentation by the owner of the firm. He flew out from America to help plan the implementation process. I actually had a good chat with him about it after the presentation. He seems really nice, very smart. The data structure he's developed looks pretty revolutionary."
Sigrid's fingers tightened on the wooden spoon she was using to stir the food. "Oh, sounds like you got along well then..."
"Yeah, his name's Marcus something...I think I have his details around here somewhere in my notes. Anyway, yeah...I was really impressed by his work. The system should help us get back on track with our projects."
Sigrid continued to probe. "So...how long is the rollout going to go for?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Magnus.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Overall, a couple of months. I think he's here in town for a week or so. My team is scheduled to sit down with him on Wednesday to discuss it further. I'm keen to see what he says about our production backlog; his approach is quite revolutionary, actually."
She turned to look at him. "It sounds like he made quite an impression on you."
"He did, he came across as smart, very savvy about what we do...quite a friendly guy too...I bet he pulls plenty of girls..." Magnus joked with a grin.
"Oh...why do you say that?" Sigrid asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "Well, he doesn't look like any tech guy I've met in my career -- he's tall, pretty good looking, dresses well...he's black too. I bet women are throwing themselves at him," Magnus replied.
Sigrid paused, her grip tightening on the spoon. "Just because he's black?" she asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"Maybe...maybe not, he's certainly not a typical techbro. I took him down to the cafeteria for lunch after the presentation...I could see a couple of the other girls checking him out..." Magnus said with a grin, not noticing the slight clenching of Sigrid's jaw.
He took another long sip of the beer. "Maybe I should invite him over for dinner, give you a chance to check him out too..." he said jokingly, unaware that his wife already had an intimate understanding of Marcus's face and body.
Sigrid did her best to smile back in a joking manner. "Maybe...you know what they say...once you go black..."
Magnus laughed as he finished the rest of the beer. "I didn't know you liked black guys..." Standing up, he placed the bottle in the recycling bin and turned to leave the kitchen. "Let me just get a shower...I ended up climbing all over the Telemark this afternoon..."
"Ok...don't forget your boots..." Sigrid said, automatically. "I won't..." came his reply from the corridor as he made his way towards their bedroom.
As Magnus started the climb up the stairs, Sigrid's faΓ§ade fell away and she leaned against the bench, sobbing softly as the guilt and confusion threatened to overwhelm her. She felt like she was leading two separate lives; one, the loyal and loving wife, the other as a woman reaching out to embrace her inner desires. She was being pulled in both directions, split between her love for two men.
For several moments she stood there, trying to control her emotions. Eventually, she picked up her phone and sent a quick message to Marcus before turning her attention back to the food on the stove.
*****
The beachfront was relatively deserted as it was a Tuesday morning. Magnus was at work and Sigrid had a rostered day off from flying. She was walking along the boardwalk that ran along the beach, her mind deep in thought.
The object of her thoughts was the tall, black man walking next to her. Marcus had been able to slip away from his project and client meetings for a few hours. Like Sigrid, he knew they were treading a fine line, especially after he met Magnus the day before. Her message the evening before, requesting a meeting, had been both welcomed and troubling at the same time.
"Do you think he knows?" Marcus asked softly. Sigrid shook her head as they continued to walk together. "No...at least I don't think so...he didn't say anything last night..." she told him. She paused and they gave a soft, little laugh. "I actually think he likes you...you must have made a good impression during your presentation yesterday. He said you don't look like any techbro he's seen..."
"I get that a lot..." Marcus said with a faint grin. He was silent for a few moments and then asked, "So...what would you like me to do?"
Sigrid turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"Do you want me to leave? I can, if you want..."
"Is that what you want to do?" she asked.
Marcus shook his head. "Of course, not...I want to be with you...but I know the situation you're in...and how me being here is causing you concern..."
"But...your work..." she replied.