When I walked into the bar on Friday, I spotted Jack almost immediately and went over to hug him in that awkward way that men do.
"Damn, Jack," I exclaimed, "It's been ten years and I still recognized you immediately -- you haven't changed a bit."
"Neither have you," he replied. "I heard you got married. It looks like married life agrees with you."
We found a booth in a quiet corner and ordered a couple of beers.
We'd been roommates and good friends in college, but after graduation we'd both gone our separate ways. Jack had taken a job in another city; I'd stayed in Chicago. We'd pretty much lost touch with each other until I learned by chance that he had moved back here a couple of years ago to take a job in commodities.
"So what about you," I asked, "why haven't you gotten married?" I recalled that Jack had played the field pretty actively back in college. He never had trouble finding girlfriends but he never seemed to keep them for long.
"I guess I'm not lucky like you," he said, with a smile, but I thought I detected a hint of pain in his eyes when he spoke.
I tried to lighten the mood. "That's the trouble with you playboys," I kidded. "Once you start playing the field you can't stop."
It was clear from his expression that my teasing touched a nerve. He shook his head glumly. "Oh, I've tried to find a wife alright, but when it comes to that I've had the worst luck in the world."
"Any close calls?"
"Funny you should ask," he said.
I could tell something was really eating at him so I settled back in the booth and said, "Why don't you tell me about it."
He signaled the waitress to bring us another round, and after she had done so he began his story.
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It all started about a month ago. The day started off crazy, which is normal in the commodities market. But around mid-morning my boss walked in with a woman in tow. "This is Carla," he said. "She's going to be working in your area. I'd like you to show her the ropes, help her get started."
I have to tell you, something happened to me when I looked at her. I've dated a lot of attractive women, but not one of them ever had the impact on me that she did. It was odd: she wasn't model-quality beautiful and her clothing wasn't particularly revealing, but something about her just bowled me over.
I've never believed in love at first sight or the idea that there's only one woman for a man. But Carla made me feel like a teenage boy smitten for the first time. It was amazing and disconcerting, and I felt completely helpless.
I sat down with her to go over some of the things she needed to know about working here. It didn't take long for me to see that she was very bright as well as outrageously attractive. That's a combination that's always been appealing to me. As I talked to her, I tried not to stare but I don't think I always succeeded. It didn't seem to bother her: she just listened intently to everything I had to say, making notes on her pad.
After I'd spent a little time with her, I suggested she work on her own a while. "Then we can grab some lunch together and I can answer any questions you may have," I told her.
Normally I don't date in the office -- that's just inviting trouble. But I already knew I was going to break my rule in Carla's case.
I hoped to learn more about her over lunch. I'd already checked: she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Iit looked like she might have done so in the past, however, so I figured she was divorced. But I didn't learn any more about her while we ate because all she wanted to talk about was me and what I did at work. When an attractive woman keeps asking questions about you, it's hard not to feel flattered, and before I knew it lunch was over. Even though I hadn't gotten to know Carla any better, I'd enjoyed being with her immensely.
Things started going sour that afternoon when Hank Malone walked in. Hank is my biggest rival at work. We were hired at the same time and our careers have moved in parallel. But Hank doesn't see it that way. He's always bragging about his accomplishments and he always has some big deal working that's going to earn him a fat bonus. His egotism isn't limited to work, either. He likes to boast about his sexual conquests, and he has no qualms about dating people at work. From what I can tell, he's cut a swath through the women in the office and left a few broken hearts in the process.
So I wasn't happy when Hank suddenly showed up and introduced himself to Carla. "Anything you need to know, just come to me," he boomed in his big voice. "I'm in tight with senior management, so if you need anything, I can arrange it."
I ground my teeth at his obvious ploy, but I couldn't think of anything I could say that wouldn't make me sound like a jealous schoolboy -- which is about how I felt. What's worse, Carla seemed to eat it up. She thanked him profusely and promised to call him.
Trading commodities can get pretty intense, and it's common practice for many of us to stop in at a nearby pub after work to unwind before heading home. I mentioned it to Carla, and she agreed to come along. So after we'd reconciled our trades for the day, I led Carla to our favorite watering hole and introduced her to the rest of the gang.
Everything was going fine until Frank showed up. He forced his way through the group, sat down next to Carla and proceeded to monopolize her attention. Even with all the noisy chatter in the pub, it was easy to hear Frank boasting about himself and his rosy prospects. To add insult to injury, Carla seemed to be hanging on his every word.
But before she left, Carla did lean over and thank me for making her feel so welcome on her first day at work. That made me feel a little better.
The rest of the week went on much the same way. Carla and I didn't eat lunch together every day, but we'd often take a coffee break together. Likewise, some days Carla didn't come to the pub with us, but when she did she was an avid listener, interrupting only to ask an insightful question.
Of course Hank continued to hover around her like a bee around blossom. It had to be evident to Carla what he was after, yet she made no attempt to discourage him. I was the one who was becoming discouraged.
He and I happened to use the restroom at the same time one day, and he didn't miss the opportunity to assert his claim on Carla to me. "I've got her eating out of my hand," he crowed. "It won't be long before I'll be giving her a tour of my bedroom, if you know what I mean," he said with a leer.
In an odd way, I found Hank's boasting reassuring. The way he talked made it clear that Carla hadn't yielded to his persuasive abilities, and that made me think I still had a chance with her.
In fact, I felt like my relationship with Carla was progressing, though it did so in an odd fashion. For example, at first she showed an intense interest in me, my work and my lifestyle, always encouraging me to talk about myself. She probably knew more about me than some old girlfriends I'd dated for months. Yet despite her interest she seemed restrained and cautious around me, as though she couldn't let down her guard. I drove myself crazy trying to figure out what I had said or done to cause that response.
But after a little while, much to my relief and delight, her attitude seemed to change significantly. She began to relax and appeared to feel much more at ease with me. I started to pick up some of those little signals a woman uses that say, "I'm interested; I like you."
All that would have been very encouraging, except for the fact that she continued to devote way too much attention to Hank. I couldn't understand it: we'd be having a great little conversation and then Hank would show up and she'd drop everything to listen to him. Of course Hank never missed an opportunity to rub my nose in how much time Carla was spending with him. "Face it, buddy boy, you may be her work pal, but she digs me! I'm going to have my nose up her skirt in no time, just wait and see," he boasted. I didn't believe him, but I couldn't deny that Carla seemed to divide her time between the two of us.
I'm not inept when it comes to women. I know how to make them laugh, to flatter them without being obvious, to flirt without being crude, and in general how to interact with them in such a way as to keep their interest. I don't mind admitting that I used all my techniques on Carla in an effort to build her interest in me. In the past when I've done that, it has been sort of a game to me. But with Carla it was deadly serious. Before I hadn't cared that much whether I won or lost; now it felt like a matter of life and death, and I desperately wanted to keep this relationship alive.
What made things even more confusing was that all the usual signs I picked up from her told me that my efforts were working, that she was responding positively to my romantic offensive. But she still wouldn't give up on Hank.
One day I learned from my sources in the office that Hank had asked Carla out and had been turned down. I decided that it was time for me to take my own shot. If nothing else, I hoped I could get a read on whether Carla really had any interest in me or not. So late one afternoon I wandered over to her workstation. "Hey, Carla," I said casually, "why don't you and I go grab a bite after work?"
"Like with the gang at the pub?" she asked.
