Damaged Beyond Repair?

"My parents treated me fairly but made it very clear that I was at fault and I was the one to set things right.

"H.A.T wouldn't help me because of the company policies. Now do I understand how deeply Bart was hurt, witnessing his reaction yesterday. And only since this afternoon do I know that he was hiding and didn't want to be found."

Martin nodded that he understood. "I still have one question. You have two boys, how old are they?"

"Marc is seventeen and Bart is sixteen. They have less than a year between them."

"And the father of the boys?"

Linda sighed deeply, "That's another one of my success stories. When I met their father, Marc Sr. I thought I was in love again. He was a handsome and exciting bad boy, just the opposite of Bart and initially we had a very good time. After I had Marc, he soon became more distant and was away from home more and more.

"When I became pregnant again, he was downright angry and demanded that I terminate the pregnancy. When I refused, he just walked out on me. During the divorce I learned that he was gay and only wanted a son to maintain his family name and had always planned on divorcing me. His own twin-brother had to tell me that Marc Sr. had a fair amount of money stashed away as an egg nest for after the divorce.

"After being married for the second time in three years, I was a single mother of two boys. My in-laws are doting on the boys and they keep my ex in line. He must pay for the boys' tuition and some maintenance but needs reminded each and every month. As a father he is barely in the picture. Too busy playing the field. After that fiasco I stopped dating and tried to become the best mother I can be.

"Enough of me. Are you going to tell me more about Bart?"

Martin coughed and said thoughtfully. "Bart is for most employees at H.A.T somewhat of an enigma. After his time in Zaragoza, he became and is still the man to go to with logistical problems. He is really a jack of all trades. He knows all systems in use as the back of his hand. He is certified for calculating weight and balance for all types of aircraft HAT uses. He is IATA certified to check dangerous goods on proper packing and can open them if need be. He is also one of three people within H.A.T certified to arrange ad-hoc landing permits for other countries worldwide. These rights are needed when we need to divert a flight."

"And he is still working shifts? Linda wondered, "Why?"

"Because he doesn't want to be a duty manager, not even a supervisor, even though he has more influence on the younger people than most managers.

"He states that he can't lie well enough to be a proper manager and that he hates politics.

"But he is collegial and knows how to motivate his colleagues to rise above themselves.

"Everyone wants to be on the same team he is on and when a new roster is due, the supervisors are bickering about who gets Bart on their team. He makes their work so much easier."

"That sounds a bit like he has been canonized, to me."

"Oh no. He also is the thorn in the side of that same management. If something isn't arranged properly or they are in the wrong, he'll let them know loud and clear. They accept that just because, on the other hand, he also is such a team player. He, for instance, always cooks for the team on the Sunday late shift. And if someone has problems, he is the first to help.

"He is single so he is the one that always fills in the blanks in the schedule with holidays and/or sick leave. That's why he can take 6 weeks. Because of all the extra time and overtime, he accumulates in a year. And even after these six weeks he still has a reservoir of days."

Carlos looked at his lover and to Linda and asked, "So how do we handle this. Martin and I are between a rock and a hard place. I witnessed how Bart reacted towards you. He wasn't even remotely friendly. We considered both of you friends and don't want awkward, or worse, hostile situations in our house."

Linda looked sad, "I'll stay out of his hair if he's here. Bart's too polite to make waves."

Martin stopped her abruptly, "Nope. Not going to happen. The result is two unhappy people on too many happy occasions. Think girl, think! What would you like?"

Linda thought deeply and with some dread in her voice, afraid of how her words are going to be received, she said, "I would like to have Bart back in my life. As a friend at least. My dream is to have him in my bed again with everything that it implies."

"Then that's what we're going to focus on."

=====

Somewhere in the Vosges, north-east of France an ugly Unimog was rumbling along a narrow road on its way to the first camping site. Bart thought he had traveled enough for one day. He found a small municipality in Le Val-d'Ajol who were willing to accommodate the RV for a few nights.

He made camp. Had a chat with another camping enthusiast and went to find a super Marché to do some shopping.

Sitting in front of his Unimog, having a glass eau de vie with his coffee. He had enjoyed a good meal in a restaurant but found it becoming a bit too crowded for his liking.

His thoughts went back to yesterday evening. The shock of seeing his ex-wife again. He thought that he was over the feelings of humiliation and pain that shattered his ego.

He lashed out without thinking when frustration got the better of him and now, he found himself thinking why he did that after all that time.

Being brutally honest with himself he thought he, himself was partly to blame too. After that last confrontation, he almost literally signed off and disappeared. From his parents and his ex-in-laws he heard that Linda was beside herself from remorse and was looking for him.

His hurt ego prevented him from revealing his whereabouts. Even his parents only had his phone number and the knowledge that the weather was warmer than where they lived. But still....

=====

As usual when he was on the road with his Unimog, Bart was up early in the morning. With his trusted insulated coffee mug filled to the brim with a strong, dark bitter brew he called coffee, what his colleagues called asphalt, and fresh croissants he was looking eastward enjoying the sunrise.

A peaceful hour went by and Bart started to think about what he would like to do. He decided to try out one of his new toys. Strapped to the back of his RV there hung an electric motorbike. A small, relatively light one. Complete with saddlebags for shopping. It had very limited range but would suffice.

He winched it down and checked if the battery was fully loaded. He installed the charger and the socket together with the cameras.

Convinced that he was good to go he wanted to grab his helmet when his phone chirped the ring tone of Martin and Carlos.

Bart answered, "Good morning, you're up early. Something wrong?"

"Yes. You were very rude to one of our guests when you left the party." Carlos replied.

The fact that Carlos was the one doing the introduction of this call was telling Bart much. That meant that they had something up their sleeves and that he wouldn't like it but hardly in the position to refuse their request.

He sighed, "Yes, you are right. I was rude and I apologize for that. I was taken by surprise, being confronted by Linda. I thought I was over her and all the frustration and pain the divorce caused, but it seems that isn't the case. It suddenly got the better of me. Please apologize to her on my behalf."

It was exactly what Martin predicted to Carlos. He could read Bart as a book. Now he took his cue and over the speaker he said, "No. That will not do. You are going to do that yourself. We'll give you her phone number and you can call her yourself. If you don't it will make for very awkward situations in our lives and we can't condone that."

"Martin, I myself have no desire to meet, or speak to this lady ever again. I still find that too painful. She ripped my soul to shreds. So, on your social occasions I will spare you the awkward situations threatening to arise by being absent. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to enjoy my holidays. See you in about six weeks." Bart angrily answered and immediately thereafter he disconnected.

Six hundred kilometers northwards two men looked at each other. Bewilderment was written on their faces. Slowly Martin said, "That went spectacularly wrong. Shit, now what?"

"Call him again and offer apologies?" Carlos advised.

Martin pushed the speed-dial for Bart time after time. After a while it was obvious that Bart wasn't going to answer. With a deep sigh Martin tossed the phone with a heartfelt "Shit!", on the side table.

At that same time an angry Bart got on his bike and went to find a Super Marché. Suddenly he was furious about the meddling in his life and the raking up of the pain from that time.

Luckily the awkward ride on that strange bike brought him back to his senses. It reacted differently to the gas handle than other bikes, it immediately engaged the brakes when he throttled it back, it went through corners differently. It took all his concentration to keep it on the road.

When back from shopping and was having a drink, he thought about what had happened this morning and in compliance with his character he shut down his phone, thinking; If they are angry at me, I'll cross that bridge in about six weeks. I'm on my bloody holiday after all.

=====

Six weeks later.

A tanned and relaxed Bart showed up in the morning shift. Habitually he was early and had sent the night-shift home. He started a pot of coffee and installed himself at his favorite desk.

Working in shifts meant that no one had a designated desk except the duty supervisor, but everybody had a favorite work spot to work from. It was; first come, first served.

After the phone call from Carlos and Martin he closed his phone and threw it in the glove box.

He resented meddling in his life to the extreme and wanted to have nothing to do with his two friends for the time being.

He knew they didn't mean to and wanted to solve an awkward situation between two friends of theirs. But when he saw Linda, all the hurt surfaced again. During his long solitude he decided to seek counseling to address the problem.

Lastly, he looked into his mailbox above his locker and found an envelope.

Inside the envelope was a note telling him that he had an appointment with the COO today at 9:30.

While he was mulling over the reason as to why Martin entered the office. He walked over to Bart saying, "You're looking good. How are you doing?"

"Let's have coffee in your office," Bart replied.

When seated Martin started, "Sorry, we shouldn't have pushed you. You found the invitation?"

"Yeah, you ought to know I react badly when forced into something like that. Remember that blind date you set up? Anyway, I reacted badly over something I should have left behind a long time ago. I decided to do something about it. And, yes, I found the invitation. What's it all about?"

"I don't know. Rumors say it's big, but nobody in the uppermanagement talks."

Martin looked at his hands for a moment and asked, "Bart, are we still friends?"

"Of course, you moron. We were never 'not' friends. But friends may get mad at each other now and a while just for meddling in each other's life. Sorry I got mad and dropped off the face of the earth. It just turned out to be good for me. It gave me time to take a good look at myself. Some introspection wouldn't be amiss. I know now that I need help."

Martin was taken aback. He and Carlos were convinced long ago that Bart needed help to wrestle himself out of his shell, but they never expected that he would take that step.

"I'm so happy that you took that step. Come here." Martin jumped out of his chair and hugged the now standing Bart.

An hour later Bart entered the office of the COO of Heavy Air cargo Transports. The COO looked over his half-moon glasses and gestured to him to sit. "It'll be a minute; I have to handle this first". He spoke.

"Mr. Verbeke, welcome back. I trust you had a good vacation and are well rested?"

"Yes sir. I had a wonderful time. Thank you."

"Good. Now, to business."

And without any preamble the COO told Bart that H.A.T decided to take certification of their employees into their own hands. After the obligatory training in the classroom the new employees had to put their training into practice under a certified supervisor who must show them the practical side of the theory they had learned in the classroom. Also, they decided that they were going to collaborate with the schools in the surrounding area and take on apprentices.

"I want you to head that department and if possible, coach the apprentices yourself. You will have to be certified and for the rest you get carte blanche. You answer to me directly, but your positive, or negative assessments will be discussed with the head of HR."

Bart didn't see that coming. He had some tussles with the COO and the man knew that Bart was a stickler for procedures and safety. He asked, "Considering our past, are you certain that I am the one you want, or need?"

The COO smiled, "Yes, I certainly am. You are not afraid to speak your mind. You are the super all-rounder in this company. We know that you are able to break people in, in almost every specialty there is. You don't do 'politics'. I learned that the hard way and I admire you for that and I expect that in this new job you don't change your behavior towards the management. We need that badly."

Bart thought furiously. He was quite content with his status quo and this new job would bring a lot more responsibility and he would probably lose being able to go on long vacations.

It was as if the COO could read his mind and rumbled, "You're coaching just like always. The people you coach will follow your roster. The trainees will work alongside you. We are aware that you always fill in the empty slots in shifts. You can still do that but can't ask that of your wards. I promise you that your vacations are guaranteed. On top of that you will be promoted to management level three. The HR manager was not amused. It never happened before, normally one starts in M1. She stated that skipping more than 2 salary scales wasn't allowed according to company rules, but Legal had no problem with it. Initially that is a raise of €300 a month after taxes. Please take the job?"

=====

Bart took to his new job as a duck to water. He reveled in it. Next to the employees he had to introduce to their new jobs after their training he also had some interns to attend to and loved to see those young people grow into their roles. He spent a lot of his free time with them too. Trying to advise them and slowly, but surely, he started to become something akin to a nice uncle one can talk to without being judged.

At the end of the school year Bart thought it was a good time to throw a farewell party for the 5 who had finished the two years internship.

=====

There was a knock on the door and Bart called out to enter. He looked up, "What can I do for you, Marc?"

Marc Scheerlin was one of his brightest protégés and he liked the young man immensely, while taking care not to show any favoritism.

"Sorry Bart, I need to decline your invitation." The young man, barely nineteen, stammered."

Bart looked up, "Is that so? How come, or don't you want to tell me?"

Marc was hesitant. It was a private matter, but on the other hand: Bart had never betrayed anyone's trust and he desperately wanted to share his burden.

Bart patiently waited for the young man to make up his mind.

Marc softly said, "It's personal and uhm, difficult."

Bart motioned Marc to close the door. As a rule, Bart's door was always open, literally. Everyone knew that a closed door was the equivalent of a do not disturb sign.

When Bart motioned to close the door and to take a chair, Marc let out a sigh of relief.

"It's my mother sir. She's not well and my brother has other obligations that evening and I, we, don't want to leave her alone the whole evening. "

Bart smiled, "That's easily solved, invite your mother too. I don't mind."

Marc's eyes went wide, "Really? Can my mum come too?"

"Of course, I will have an adult to talk to. Besides watching you lot."

=====

Saturday, early afternoon.

Marc promised to be early to help with the preparations for the party. Linda first objected and tried to find excuses not to go. Finally, Marc threatened to stay at home if she didn't accept the invitation.

Linda buckled but made Marc promise that she was allowed to help with the preparation.

The address was easily found with the help of GPS. Marc parked their car in front of a fairy like, two stories brick house with a slate roof. The front covered with wild roses. A big garden with, just visible, a greenhouse at the back. At the other side of the garden, a huge ginkgo biloba. All fenced with a wooden half open 4 feet high fence. A wrought iron gate was guarding the entrance.

Today it stood invitingly open.

Marc used the door knocker. It had the shape of a wolf's head and reverberated throughout the house.

Soon the door opened, and Marc noticed Bart blinking rapidly a few times before he said, "Hi Marc, hello Linda, welcome and come in.

Linda, however, stood as if nailed to the ground. Eyes wide from shock and anxiety.

Bart told Marc to go inside and when the boy was out of view and hearing distance, he took Linda's hand saying, "Linda, I invited you not knowing that you are Marc's mother, but you are welcome. I promise that I won't bite your head off. I will be polite and even try to be friendly. Now please come in. We can talk later, if you like."

Linda, led by Bart's hand, obediently stepped inside and took the interior in.

The house inside was almost the opposite outside would make believe. It was modern, decorated with a light touch. The hallway only had a little seat, a coat rack and a shoe rack.

The walls from the living room were painted in a 'just off' white. One wall was occupied by an antique bookcase with stained glass doors crammed with old books. A couch, a recliner with a sid table occupied by an e-reader with a remote lying next to it and a music center. No visible television though.

Bart showed his guests the rest of the house and finally sat them down in the kitchen.

Linda looked around and noticed that the kitchen was an exercise in efficiency.

"I can see that you still like to cook." She observed.

"I still hate ready-made meals." Was the simple reply from Bart

This made Marc pay attention and he asked, "Do you know each other?"

Much to Linda's relief Bart's only answer was, "Yes, we have history but that was a long time ago."

After some last-minute shopping Marc was lugging the result of that into the house and started filling the huge fridge next to the fireplace in the garden.

Bart looked at the young man from the kitchen window and said to Linda, "That's one beautiful young man. You did very good, raising him."

Startled by the compliment she replied, I did my best, with both of them. They're the reason I live for."

"And their father? I don't want to pry so if it's none of my business, just tell me to back off."

"Practically abandoned them. His parents are keeping watch that he pays his dues for them otherwise I couldn't afford their education."

"Don't tell him yet, but Marc has a job secured if he wants it. And your other son? Marc mentioned a brother."

"Bart. Linda said, witnessing Bart's eyes widening. "He wants to be an aeronautical engineer, but I don't know whether I can afford that."

"Bart? You called your son Bart? Why? It isn't as if it's such a beautiful name."

"You know, Linda whispered, "It is beautiful to me. Especially because it reminds me of the one man I should never have abandoned. That and my second husband never wanted him and already was cheating on me.