We Need to Talk
This is the story of a man growing frustrated with his marriage and unable to understand why. He's a man who takes his commitments seriously, and yet his frustration grows. Despite his best efforts, the end is near. It's a variation on a familiar theme, but I hope you like it.
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It was Friday and the end of the work week. Paul sat back, made the usual journal notes recording what he'd accomplished as well as what he needed to do next, and then he began to pack his briefcase. He took to recording his daily activities years ago. There were sometimes days when at the end of the day he couldn't think of a single productive accomplishment despite his efforts, and the act of recording that in his journal had become a great motivator. Plus, on the good days it felt great to take a moment and recount his efforts and the progress that he'd made. Either way, he made notes of what he needed to do next, so he didn't lose the insights he'd gained that day. That simple exercise always helped him hit the ground running on the next workday.
Jerry poked his head through the door and said, "Paul, a bunch of us are going out for drinks and a bite. Why don't you join us?"
Paul started to beg off, but then he thought, "What the hell? There's nothing waiting for me at home but disinterest." The last month had been tough, and if Paul were honest with himself, he'd admit that the last six months haven't been great. His wife Barbara had become increasingly unresponsive. What started as excessive distraction became small acts of disregard until the past few weeks when her comments seemed downright dismissive. When Paul first called her on it, she apologized, but lately she seemed increasingly annoyed at Paul's complaints and started speaking to him as if he were a child. It seemed that respect was in short supply in his house and to say that Paul was not happy at home would be an understatement.
Still, Paul thought that perhaps it was just a passing phase and called his wife to let her know he would be late. Her response did not warm his heart: "I don't care! I'm working late anyway. Grab some dinner out or there are frozen dinners in the freezer." With that, she hung up not waiting for a reply.
"Bitch!" he muttered to himself.
Grabbing a drink with coworkers turned into dinner with friends until one by one they all had to say goodnight and head for home. Paul found himself alone and thinking that he, too, had to head out, although he had no interest in doing so. Being the sort who always had his work in the back of his mind if not in the fore, he pulled a few pieces of folded looseleaf from his jacket and began to make notes as he slowly finished what was only his second beer of the night. He was programming a microprocessor that should be twice as big, so the code needed to be compact and efficient. Paul knew the tricks of his trade and liked to describe it as pouring a liter of beer into a one-pint glass without spilling a drop.
Paul was engrossed in code details when a soft voice by his shoulder said, "Paul, mind if I join you?"
He looked up knowing who the voice belonged to; it was Jenny. Paul could not help but smile. They had been working together for over a year and Jenny was a bright woman with a good heart. He found her to be kind to everyone and just a bit vulnerable if he were being truthful. He liked that. She brought a subtle warmth to every room when she entered, and she was exactly what he needed at that time.
"I thought you left."
"Well, I went to the lady's room, and then I saw you sitting here alone."
Pointing to the chair opposite him at the table, he said, "Please, I'd love a little company."
Jenny didn't take the chair that was offered, and instead she sat on the chair next to Paul. Glancing into his eyes and then leaning over to deliberately close the gap to where she could see his notes, she said, "What are you working on?"
Paul smiled self-consciously. "I'm just working on a code fragment for that processor. We're trying to do too much in one chip."
Jenny smiled. She knew Paul's talents. "If anyone can do it, you can."
Paul chuckled for a moment. He wasn't accustomed to getting many compliments lately. "Well, we can't make it look too easy now, can we? Management needs to appreciate that we can do the hard jobs and the impossible just takes a little longer."
That's how they spent the next hour. They talked about work and shared a few unflattering remarks about the company management that they both basically respected most of the time, and then with no particular fanfare she turned the discussion to their private lives. She talked about her parents and her older brother's wedding and tried to draw him out. You see, Jenny knew more than she was letting on.
It was after eight as the discussion was winding down and Jenny's opportunity was rapidly departing. Paul finished that glass of tonic and lime that he'd switched to while not wanting to drink any further, and Jenny knew it was now or never. She was inexperienced at this and conflicted because Paul was a married man, but she was determined to try. "Why don't we go over to The Ballroom and dance a little?"
Paul gave his friend an odd look of confusion.
