Broken Dream

Laura came in through the front door and immediately the house took on a whole new atmosphere. I was laid up with a sprained ankle, the result of my love of rock climbing. I had spent the entire day inside and by the time Laura got home from work the place had become dark and dismal. Normally Laura would have been home during the day. She had just started a new job that week.

Laura did not need to work since mine paid well enough but she wanted to more or less have something to do. We had moved here only nine months previously and it was hard to make friends. We lived in a condo rather than a neighborhood like we had before moving. I guess there is nothing like a neighborhood where people got to know people who lived near them. In our present condo setting it was next to impossible to get to know the neighbors.

Laura was lovely as she walked in the house. I was amazed each day at her beauty and bubbling personality. She told me all about her first week at work and it seemed that my wife had just won everyone over with her friendly and genuine smile. She was about an hour late that day.

" We all went to Barney's for drinks before going home, I wanted to hurry home but they just insisted that I stop off too."

I knew the club they went to. It was a well known watering hole in town. I had been there for liquid lunches with a client several times.

" I told them that I needed to get home because you were hurt, But they said that you were a big boy and could get by for a little longer. "

I hugged her to me and we kissed. I felt like telling her not to fix anything to eat and that I had rather make love. "You know that we need the food for our strength," she said pushing away and heading for the kitchen.

Later that night I was glad for the energy as we totally wrecked the bed covers. It was like we were still newlyweds instead of being old marrieds at three years. We lay in each other's arms and I mentioned that perhaps it would be a good time to start that family that we both wanted. I had talked to Jerry, my boss, earlier and was given the promotion news.

"Now we can afford that little addition," I told her.

"What about my job,I know that I just started but they have made it clear that I am definitely an asset."

Laura was so sincere in what she said that I had to admit that she also need the boost in confidence.

"Well honey, I guess we can put the family off for a year but after then I think that I want my wife back."

I got ok from the ankle and was able to go back to work. The weeks went by as I got used to my new position. At five every day I put the job away and hurried home to be with my wife. Jerry had told me that he felt that a job was just a means to an end and not the end as some high power companies tried be to the detriment of their employees home life.

"I have found that people stay with me and are better workers when we consider that they have a family life to live." Jerry had once told me.

I pulled into the driveway. My commute was about a half of an hour longer than Laura's and her car would be in the garage by the time I got there. It was empty again for the third time this week. I started dinner for us and had it almost ready by the time she got home an hour later.

"Oh honey, " she said apologizing for not calling me, " I stopped off with Gladys, her department head, and a couple of the guys from advertising, we had a quick meal while we discussed a project we have to finish,"

I had lost my appetite but decided to eat while Laura had some coffee with me. The telephone rang and Laura had to leave the table to talk to Gladys. My food got cold and I just packaged it up and put it away. Laura finished her call almost a half an hour later. By then I had went to the living room and started to watch a show on the TV. She saw that she had missed the beginning of the show and told me that she might as well call Gladys back

In the meantime at work I was able to get a very important contract. It was worth millions over the next few years. That contract placed our small company in the financial news and put us even with some of the big boys. Jerry's ideas of how to run a company was paying off. He wanted us all to have a celebration drink after work but said that we should take off that extra hour for it. We went to Barneys for our drinks and I looked around to see if Laura was there. As the clock struck five Jerry said that we all should head home. " I never want to cut into your family time."

I hurried home expecting to see Laura's car in the driveway but it wasn't. She had gotten off work at four thirty and had plenty of time to be there. I worried that she might have had an accident or something but it was probably another case of her work taking up our time together. She got home at seven thirty. "Honey...please please forgive me," she started with what was getting to be a regular thing with her, " But we had a schedule to meet so we all went to Barney's about four and had something to eat there.

I thought," Did my wife just lie to me?" I mentioned that I was at Barneys at four and there till five and that I had not seen her or her co workers there. She immediately got a funny look on her face.

"Oh did I say Barneys," she corrected, "I meant Carstairs down the street...I guess we go to Barneys so much I got confused." It really didn't matter where she was at since she had already eaten. I was out of luck about having a dinner companion again and decided to drive to Mc Donald for a quick meal. When I left she was on the phone again and didn't miss me when I left. Of course I was pissed and didn't say anything when I left.

When I got back an hour later she was still on the phone and had not even noticed my absence. I took a ride and drove back down town. I had a good friend that was a bartender at Carstairs. I went in and had a drink. Tommy was glad to see me "Hey Jim," he greeted me warmly, "You don't get by too much this time of evening." I had lunch several times there. I told Tommy that the restaurant had the pleasure of Laura's company that evening. He looked at me "You mean that pretty little brunette that you came in with a few times earlier.

I told him that she had come by there with some people from her work around four and had some dinner and stayed till after six thirty. Tommy looked at me funny then. "Couldn't have been here mate...Our kitchen had a fire around three and it was closed till just a few minutes ago. I took a sip of my drink then to try and cover up the knot that had just made an appearance in my gut. All the way home I wondered what was going on. What had Laura been up to all these times. How many times had she lied to me before. I was a pretty easy going guy and I trusted laura. Was she betraying that trust.

The next day I went and had a talk with Jerry. He listened, concerned. I was his top contract manager and he was observant to anything that would interfere with my work. " Jim," he said thoughtfully, "The main reason that I feel that this company is so successful is because my dad thought that happier employees were good productive employees." He went on to say that perhaps I should take off early and find out what was going on at Laura's job. "To be honest," he said, "I have heard that they aren't quite as solvent as they pretend to be."

I felt like a fool waiting around Laura's work for her to exit the building when she got off work. I was all set to say that I had taken off early so we could have dinner down town since it was a Friday. By five she still hadn't come out and I was ready to go in the building when I spotted her. She wasn't alone. She was with a man a little older than us. I did a double take because they were arm in arm and talking animatedly with each other. I followed.

If she had just been with a bunch of female co-workers I would have simply went to her and taken her away with me. The man with her made me want to follow and see where they were going. It wasn't hard to do. They looked just like a couple that belonged with each other. I noticed a couple of people smiled at them. They seemed like a Very happy couple. For just a minute there I had the feeling that I was a stalking them. As if they were the married couple and that I was the outsider. I took a hold of these thoughts and fought them away.

Across the broad avenue there stood the Ransom Hotel. The most modern structure of the entire city. I had been there months ago for a business meeting in one of their many conference rooms. Laura and the man were headed toward the hotel. My heart sank. Was this a simple case of infidelity on my wife's part. The blood rushed to my head as the thought came to me. It was the first time since Laura had started the job that I even considered such a thing. The thought was like a dark cloud on my soul. Here was the woman that I loved above all and it looked like she was cheating on me.

I was right behind them as they entered the hotel arcade. I think I could have walked right beside them and I would not have been noticed. They seemed so wrapped up in each other. They proceeded into the cocktail lounge. "So my wife is having a drink with another man," I thought. The large lounge was divided in the middle by an opposing row of booths divided by a four foot wall. The side with the long ornate bar was the only side open at that hour. The man steered my wife to one of the booths and I carefully and un-noticed slipped around and into a booth just opposite them. No one saw me.

"I was here with my husband..., "Laura started to say, but was silenced by her escort.

"Now don't start talking about your husband," he said, "I think that your husband is the main problem have."

"What do you mean?" Laura said a little defensive, "I don't think Jim's a problem at all." Good for her.

"No...I'm sorry," he corrected, "What I mean is that you never seem to have any fun and I think he is the one that is doing it."

"No he isn't," Laura defended me, " WE want a family and a house and we just don't think about spending money on what you call fun."

I smiled as I listened to her. I also listened as he spun his web of little remarks and innuendos. "I'll bet that Jim has a little fun without you around," he said. I wanted to go around and punch his lights out. I had never heard so much trash coming out of anyone's mouth. So far Laura had kept him at bay. Then he changed his tack, "Listen Laura...I know that you want to be an equal partner in buying your house and I think that's admirable. You have to understand that you can't have that and stay within narrow concepts." I tried to figure out what he was saying here. I kept listening as they had another cocktail. I knew that Laura's threshold was very low.

I was getting cramped and wanted a drink myself but I had to remain hidden till I found out just what was going on. I heard Laura tell him that she had better get on her way, that her husband would be home soon. The guy that I found out was named, Chaz Waldron, Laura had kept referring to him as Mister Waldron till he stopped her and said for her to call him Chaz. "Look Laura," he told her, "I have a meeting with some big people in the company coming up in Denver next week and I need you to come and meet me there. " He went on to explain that some people at corporate had heard of her good work and wanted to discuss moving up in the company with her.

"Oh I can't go and leave my husband like that," she said but I could hear the excitement in her voice. He told her that I did not have to know the details. She could say that she was going there with Gladys and a couple of the other girls from the office. I heard them order another drink. That made three and I knew that laura's judgement was impaired after just two. I decided to let her go on drinking and see where it would lead. I knew that this guy had a mile long line and I knew what he was up to. I just wanted Laura to see it too.

Then Laura started talking as she drank. She became looser and soon was telling Chaz that she did feel a little left out of things. She mentioned the way I seemed upset when she had drinks with Gladys and the girls. "He really was suspicious when we went to Carstairs...you know the place that I met you." So that was it. This guy was on a schedule of how to get into Laura's pants and was going slowly. That was when I noticed the long mirror mounted at a downward angle above the bar. It gave me a perfect view of them in the booth. All I had to do way to look up slightly. My side was pretty dark so I was sure that they couldn't see me. I thought that they were opposite each other but I saw that Laura was against the partition and that Chaz sat close to her on the outside. She was trapped.

Chaz sat to the side almost facing her and casually moved his arm on the back of the booth right above her shoulders. It was a classic entrapment move. This guy was good, that is if being a good creep was good at all. Then he had let a hand fall down and was twirling a finger in her hair, real nonchalant like. It worked as Laura didn't seem to take notice of it. His next move was to place his arm lightly across her shoulders. Laura still didn't object. This guy was smooth, smooth like a snake. Then before I was aware of what was happening he was kissing her. He had moved his mouth over her's as she was talking to him, facing toward him. I know her mouth was open since she had been talking when he made his move. She was so startled that her mouth remained open and this gave Chaz the opportunity to insert his tongue inside her mouth. She was either too scared or too tipsy to fight him and soon she relented and kissed him back.

I saw his hand come down to cup her breast. Laura placed her hand over his to move it but only succeeded in trapping the offending hand to her breast. "God you feel so womanly laura" Chaz said softly. I half rose , intending to go plant a good one on him right then and I didn't mean a kiss either. Laura finally succeeded in pulling away from him. She was out of breath and said, "Wow I didn't expect that." I knew that it was the first time that she had kissed another man in the years that we had been together. With dating and being married that was over five years. Chaz was slick and he became very emotional then.

"Sorry Laura...it won't happen again...it's just that you are so..." Like the master he was he let it hang there. Instead he bent down and kissed her again. Laura was more eager this time. I knew that I had a real problem here. I needed, first of all to get her away from him and then deal with him later. Then I heard him tell a very breathless Laura that they will go up to his room and meet Gladys that was waiting for them there. Now I didn't believe for a second that the girls were there waiting for them. Laura was a little drunk and vulnerable and he knew exactly what he was doing. They got up to leave with Chaz doing the leading and laura reluctantly following. Then I could have hit myself, I remembered her cell phone. They were headed toward the elevator at one end of the bar. I punched her speed button. I could hear her phone ring as they headed to the elevator.

Laura's voice sounded tense when she answered. " Hi love," I said, then without giving her a chance to reply, "Listen I'm at the Ransom Hotel right now and I thought you could meet me here for some dinner before we head home."

The elevator door opened and Chaz was trying to pull laura in. She pushed away "Oh that would be great Jim...I'm just leaving work right now...I'll meet you in the restaurant."

"Great," I told her and watched her speaking to Chaz. I clicked the phone shut and watched as she was telling him she had to leave Chaz was a bad looser and I could see him trying to save his situation. Laura let him kiss her again and pulled away. She started to leave and then to my surprise she went and threw herself back into his arms and kissed him. This time she was the aggressor. I saw her head to the women's restroom so I got up and went to the restaurant to await her. It was about a ten minute walk from her building. In fifteen minutes she was there. She was out of breath.

"I hurried," she told me. I could see that she had repaired her makeup and straightened her clothes out. I raised up and kissed her and was surprised when she flinched. I asked he what was wrong. She said that nothing was wrong that she had just had a trying day. "You know you don't have to work...Jerry told me that a promotion was in the making today and that will mean more money," I told her.

"But I want to work...I want to be a part of us getting a family," she said. I didn't tell her that the way she had been acting lately had made me have second thoughts about a baby. To bring a child into a world that both parents were not one hundred percent was a bad thing. We ate our dinner almost in silence. I wondered what would have happened if i hadn't interfered with her in going to his room. During the meal a couple walked through the restaurant holding a small baby. I mentioned the baby to Laura to call her attention to it. I just wanted her to see it. "Why are you always harping on me about a child for... I thought we had settled that," she snapped. I couldn't respond to her because I was speechless. What had brought on such a reply from her.

That night the thought of what would have happened if she had went to his room kept bothering me. I told laura I would be back in an hour. I went to the see a guy I worked with that was a part time private investigator. I remember him telling me about a bug he had that could pick up voices from a hundred feet away and was small enough to hide in a wallet. I told Ed that I had a little problem and wanted to know where to purchase one of the bugs. He said that he had several and that he could let me borrow one. he did not want to know what i wanted it for. He probably figured I had a good reason. he had seen Laura a couple of times and remarked to me back then about what an extremely attractive woman she was. At home I found the perfect time to place the bug in Laura's wallet. She liked to soak in the bathtub for a long time and read. I slipped it in and almost felt guilty. Ed had also lent me the receiver and I knew that I had to keep it turned off when the bug was close by or it would make a shrill sound. Not a good thing for stealth.

The next day at work I activated the receiver and listened through a small ear piece while I worked and only took it out when someone came in to talk to me. At first there was just a lot of noise and distant voices. Her purse was probably in her desk. About noon she must have taken the purse out and went to lunch.

" Chaz was very upset with you running off yesterday, " a female voice said.

"I didn't have any choice... Jim was at the hotel and I couldn't take a chance being seen," Laura replied. I listened to the two walk and then the noise level changed. I guess they had went into a cafeteria next door. There was the usual sounds of people selecting food and then a cash register being rung up. Small talk. Then silence. I could picture her and the woman looking for a place to sit.

"OH look there's Chaz...let's join him," the female voice.

"Well hello beautiful, " Chaz speaking to Laura. Then a sound and Laura quickly said.

"Please not here...this is too public," Chaz must have kissed her in the cafeteria.

"Oh look there," it was the female voice again, "There's Donna, why don't you two carry on while I go and talk to her about something." There was noise of someone pulling a chair away.

After a short silence, "Laura you left me hanging yesterday... I had a rough night because of it."

"I know...but I couldn't let Jim find me there," Laura said softly, "I'll make it up to you...I promise."

What. She would make it up to him. I seethed to the boiling point. Why soul she owe him anything?