They were on
their way to the same restaurant where they had dined earlier. The waitress
graciously inquired about their menu, after warmly wishing them a good evening.
She was evidently under the assumption that they were a couple. Norman was
well-known in that town’s community and commanded respect and admiration due to
his successful firm. Martha was also quite well-known due to her lucid and
authoritative writings in several reputed magazines and the magazine published
every month by Norman’s publishing house.
Martha and
Norman kept their conversation confined to ‘safe’ topics like the weather and
the movies, while they ate. Afterwards, Norman dropped her home and went home.
His light farewell kiss didn’t evoke any response in her. She realized that her
motions were also rehearsed as she said “Good night” and waved to him from the
porch. She also realized that it would be very easy to get accustomed to this
routine if she ignored how boring it was! She needed some adrenaline rush from
her relationship with a male and only one person could invoke that heady
feeling in her. John D’ Costa.
Though she
felt like immediately calling him up, she voted against it. She would give him
space instead of acting like a besotted teenager. She however kept hoping and
waiting for his phone call. She was slightly disappointed when he didn’t call. Didn’t he miss her as much as she missed
him? She saw her cell-phone. “I miss you,” it said in a message on the
screen-saver. She knew who the sender was and was instantly elated, her heart
dancing with joy.
The next day
passed uneventfully and sooner than expected as Martha worked feverishly to
complete all her pending work. She was sure that Dr. Hussey would call Norman
to ask him permission for Martha’s leave the next week and she knew that Norman
would agree. Throughout the day, she was on tenterhooks, waiting for Norman’s
call to tell her about her leave being sanctioned. As evening neared, she
couldn’t contain her restlessness any longer and sent a message to the Doctor.
“Did you
call Norman, Doctor, about my leave next week?” She received an equally terse
message from him. “Yes, spoke to him and he agreed.” She was chagrined that
Norman hadn’t yet bothered to brief her about her leave. Was he angry? Did he
suspect that she had already connived with the obliging Doctor to ask for and
get her leave sanctioned? Then he would surely be hopping mad. He would have
expected her to have the decency to ask him directly for the leave instead of
firing the gun from the Doctor’s shoulders! No wonder, he had kept her
guessing! She felt guilty and ashamed. But now there was hardly anything that
could be done about it. She could just wait and watch.
After the
staff called it a day, when only the two of them remained in that quiet office,
Norman called her over the intercom. “Martha, please could you come to my
cabin?” With great trepidation, she knocked the door and entered his cabin. He
was having his back towards the door and appeared lost in deep thought. He
whirled around when he heard her light footsteps. His shoulders appeared stiff
and his expression was inscrutable as he offered her a seat.
He couldn’t
help admiring her poise and elegant sense of dressing even then. She wore a
crème colored dress with pale peach flowers patterned on it. The dress had wide
collars and a belt. She wore nude flat sandals and very light make-up. Her face
appeared fresh and beautiful even after working the whole day. He was sure that
he appeared tired and haggard to her! Seeing her had removed all the irate
thoughts from his mind.
“Martha, Dr. Hussey
had called in the morning. He told me to grant you leave of absence the next
week, so that you could complete your novel in his house. I think that it is an
excellent idea. Please go ahead and get the vexed story out of your system.
It’ll do you a world of good. But I am sorry that you didn’t confide in me. Trust
me Martha. I want you to get well soon.”
She
graciously said, “Sorry Norman, this was the Doctor’s idea not mine. So I just
put the ball in his court entirely by asking him to do the needful. I didn’t
know that it would upset you so much. I’m sorry, once again.”
Pleased with
her apology, he shrugged and urged her to show him what was pending on her desk
so that he could have someone else on the job. She smiled and said “Nothing is
pending Norman. I wound up everything neatly. Here are the keys to my desk’s
drawer. All the files are neatly arranged therein.”
He
guffawed as he said, “You are very smart and efficient Martha. I can’t help
admiring you. You were certain about my granting you leave, hence finished all
the work, didn’t you? Well, I’m pleased that you are having so much faith in me
and can read me so well! Thanks!”
On that
happy note, they went and had dinner. Then as usual, Norman left her home,
kissed her and drove away. Now he was confident that she could look after
herself as she had proved that she indeed had her wits about her! He was
delighted at her progress! Dr. Hussey’s counseling was having the right effect
on her! The week after the next, she would be as fit as a fiddle, he had no
doubt. Then he’d propose to her! Wow, just 7 days to go!
Then he sobered as he remembered
Nancy. He’d phone her tonight. She had forced him to return to work and he
hadn’t been regularly keeping in touch with her. He was a workaholic who
couldn’t remember anything personal, once he was in his office. Even at home,
he perused the files that needed his urgent attention, which was of course,
daily! So he had neglected his ailing wife altogether. Now he felt lousy. Shame on him!
To be continued....
The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
