His Guiding Light

Upon finishing the day, he knocked on Sam's door and was pleased to see his wife was there with him. "Sam, Mrs. Ortiz, do you have a second?"

"Sure, Zach come on in. What's on your mind?"

Rather than sitting across from Sam's desk, the three of them moved to a more comfortable couch and chairs surrounding a coffee table. Zack loved watching Mrs. Ortiz move. Simply observing her sitting was like watching poetry; every move had a purpose and precision. Today she was wearing a midi-length dress, with an equally long duster and three-inch stiletto heels. Her accompanying scarf and jewelry added to her refinement.

Zach said, "I'd like to show you something." He then proceeded to pull the ring box from his jacket and handed it to Mrs. Ortiz who stiffened, even more so than normal, immediately.

Her momentary inspection of the ring was perfunctory. She handed it to her husband, who, after a few seconds said, "it's very pretty, Zach. Are you sure Lisa's the one?"

Zach smiled at both of them and said, "Well, the woman I would most like to marry is already taken and sitting in this room, so Lisa's my next best choice."

Momentarily breaking decorum, Gabriella guffawed at that comment and stood. "Congratulations, Zachariah." She always called him and Sam by their full names. She continued, "I'm...I'm happy for you." She turned and quickly left the room.

Zach looked at Sam with confusion and asked, "Did I upset her with what I said? I can go and apologize."

"No, Zach. It was a very nice compliment, and coming from you, it meant a lot to her. I promise. You know she thinks very highly of you."

"Then why do I feel like I just did something wrong?"

"She's just emotional. Don't worry about it. She's happy for you. We are both happy for you."

"Thanks, Sam. Your opinion and her opinion mean a lot to me."

"Well, you mean a lot to us. She's always liked you, ever since the first day. That's probably why you and she get along so well. Not everyone understands her the way we do. Some do, but most think she's too pompous and snooty."

Zach harrumphed, "Those are the people that prefer to meet their future wives in strip clubs."

Sam laughed, "Maybe not quite that bad, but I see your point. Tell me, what do you remember about the day you interviewed with us? You spoke with three managers, and at the end, she and I interviewed you together."

Zach replied, "I remember being scared shitless. I really wanted the internship, but there must have been ten of us here that day, and I was told there was ten more the next day for a total of three spots."

Sam interrupted him, "That was because the price of oil was starting to fall at that time, which meant all of the local oil companies were not hiring as much. A lot of the top talent interviewed with us when we usually wouldn't see them. As you know, we hired four interns that year."

Zach said, "I know, and I was competing against all that top talent. I remember Mrs. Ortiz didn't ask a single question, nor say a single word during the interview. She simply sat next to you and took notes. At first, I thought she was your admin. At lunchtime, all of us candidates were standing around at the table waiting to be seated, and she put out name cards to assign where we would sit. You and the managers were at one end of the table, and Mrs. Ortiz was at the other, and she sat me next to her.

"The other interviewees were trying to get all of your attention. I presumed if I was at the end of the table, away from you, I wasn't likely to be offered one of the openings, so I focused on having a good conversation with her. She was a little cool at first, but after a while, we were enjoying ourselves, and I had completely forgotten about the rest of you."

Sam replied, "I can promise you I would have preferred to be at your end of the table."

Zach said, "When we finished, she thanked me for a lovely lunch, and said she hoped she would be seeing me around the office. I thanked her for lunch and the interview, shook your and the other managers' hands, and left, knowing that I didn't have a chance in Hell of getting one of those slots. Now, nine years later, would you mind telling me what happened that day. I'm still not sure myself."

Sam said, "She assigned those seatings herself. The other three managers were interviewing for skills and competence. She and I were interviewing for how well a new hire would fit into the company. Every person we interviewed had the resume to be hired, and I couldn't care less about an extra point or two on your GPA. When you walked out of your interview with us, Gabby said, 'hire him," which we did.

"There was no need for you to have to engage in the mosh-pit of candidates fighting for our attention during lunch. You were already in. Of course, you could have blown it while sitting next to her, but you charmed her even more. I still remember what we had for dinner that weekend, because of you - Manicotti.

"She told me you were telling her stories about helping the parents of the girls you dated in their kitchens. She was so impressed with your tip to use a baking sleeve to fill the manicotti tubes, she couldn't wait to try it. So she did that weekend. On our drive home that night she was still laughing about how you and one of your ex-girlfriend's father liked to go mud-riding for months after you broke up. I was in stitches when she told me about how the breakup was harder on you and him than you and her.

"My memory from that day was watching her laugh and engage with you. You know her by now and know that is quite unusual for her. I tell you all of this because I want you to know how much she cares for you. You and she have a special relationship."

Zach asked, "How did the two of you meet? Before she became THE Mrs. Gabriella Ortiz."

Sam snickered at that, "I don't know about 'THE' Mrs. Ortiz, but when she and I met, she was just a girl...or a young lady, emphasis on the lady. Like my parents, she didn't have much when she was little, but they taught her manners and to try to always do what was right. She and I met at a local food bank while we were in college.

Two Sunday afternoons each month she volunteered her time because like me she didn't have any money. My parent's church encouraged some of us to go, and I bumped into her, literally. I won't say it was love at first sight, but like now, she had a presence, which has grown ever since. I may be responsible for the running of the company, but there isn't a major decision in my life that we don't discuss together prior to the decision being made. She truly is my partner, and I'm better because of her."

Sam continued, "Do not worry about her. I can promise you that she hopes you are happy. That's what she wants for you."

"Thank you, Sam. I appreciate that. Please tell her that I hope I didn't upset her. I value our relationship, too."

"I know you do. Now..." Sam stood and so did Zach. "Let me know as soon as Lisa sets a date, so we can make sure your vacation for your honeymoon gets booked."

Sam slapped him on the back and wished him a good evening.

_________________

Zach thought about waiting until Valentine's Day to ask Lisa but thought that was just too cliché. Besides, he wanted to get married as soon as possible, so the longer he waited, the longer until they were married.

The following weekend, he took her back to Arturio's, and in a private corner of the restaurant, he asked her, and she enthusiastically said, "Yes."

It was a late May wedding with plenty of family and friends. Her parents seemed very happy. Sam and Gabriella came, and Zach even shared a couple of nice dances at the reception with Gabriella. Zach and Lisa honeymooned in the Caribbean for a week, before returning to blissful lives.

Mindy and Robert were engaged and married shortly thereafter, and the two couples spent many weekends together. Occasionally, Daniel and Gina would join in, and the weekends when Zach was in town were always good.

At the larger Davis family get-togethers, Mindy and Robert were invited, and Lisa acquiesced to playing, occasionally, and they discovered that Mindy had a beautiful voice to accompany Lisa.

The first three years were a wonderful time for Zach and Lisa, especially the time they spent together after he returned from his trips.

_______________

Just after their three-year anniversary, tectonic shifts began taking place in their lives. The first tremor was Lisa's promotion at the hospital. It was a bump in position and salary. The company for which she worked had hospitals all over Texas, and she said she would have to travel occasionally to Austin. Zach hoped they could align that with some of his travel, which had started to become more predictable.

The reason it was more predictable was because of the next quake which was Sam wanting Zach to oversee the manufacturing and testing of two new types of ultrasound transducers. MCDI designed them, and they were being prototyped in Vienna and were to be manufactured for them in Munich, Germany.

The first transducer was a new design and was supposed to be more sensitive than existing sensors. When combined with the improvements in computer and graphics processing power, 3D images of soft body tissue that rivaled MRIs for a fraction of the cost could be produced. The second transducer was much smaller and would go into a portable handheld device that would work with the newest iPhones and tablets to be used for imaging in ambulances, field hospitals and other remote locations. MCDI would be taking on the giants in the field.

It was a lot of responsibility, but a good opportunity for Zach and the company. The testing schedule made his calendar much more predictable.

Sam also hired his daughter, Cassandra, or Cassie to most people, into the company. She would be in research and development, but nobody was certain what she would be working on. The consensus was that she and her younger brother would be trained to take over the business at some point in time, which was met with much skepticism by the lower-ranking staff.

The final seismic event was Mindy and Robert announcing that they were expecting and were five months along. Mindy had only just begun showing.

Suddenly, that emphasized a timetable for Lisa, who continued to say that she wanted children, but that she wasn't ready yet. With her best friend's announcement, Lisa struggled with whether she was ready for them or not.

She told Zach, "I do want them, and soon, but if we are both traveling...I don't know. I don't want us to be away from the baby."

Zach understood. He said, "I'm with you. Let's see how your travel goes. If my travel gets reduced more, then maybe we can make it work."

Lisa liked that idea and shared her happiness with Zach in the bed that evening.

_____________

A month later, Lisa had her first trip to Austin, while Zach had to return to Germany for a week. They both had good trips, and Lisa was more than happy, again, almost relieved, to reunite with her husband in the bedroom.

A couple of weeks later, Zach had another trip to Germany and a few overnighters in the US. Two months after Lisa's promotion, unexpectedly, he had to fly to Los Angeles to fix a broken MRI. As soon as he landed, Daniel called him.

Zach answered, "Hey bro, what's going on?"

"Uh, Zach, I need you to do me a favor while you are there."

"Sure. What do you need?"

Daniel said, "I need you to call me as soon as you start to make plans to come home."

"What? Why? Are Lisa and Gina okay? Do you need me to come home now?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No. Nothing like that. There something I need for you to do for me before you plan on leaving there, that's all."

Zach said, "Okay, Daniel. I'm not sure I get the mystery. All the parts I need are already at the hospital, so I should have the MRI back up and running in less than 24 hours. Expect me to call you sometime tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Zach. Thanks. I love you."

"Uh, love you, too." He thought, "What the hell?"

Around lunch the next day, Zach called his brother. "Hey Daniel, I'm almost done and making plans to catch the red-eye home. What do you need?"

"Have you told Lisa that you are coming home yet?"

"No. I called you first. What's up."

Daniel asked, "Can you call or text her and let her know it's going to take you an extra day or two? Then go ahead and catch the red-eye home and drive straight to my house. Gina and I need to talk to you."

"Are ya'll okay? Are mom and dad? Why all the secrecy?"

Worried that his brother was about to freak out, Daniel told him, "Everyone and everything is fine. You're asking too many questions. I just need you to do this favor for me one time. Okay?"

"All, right. My flight gets in at 5:00 am, so I should be at your house before 6:00."

"We'll have the coffee and breakfast waiting for you."

Zach replied, "Sounds good."

To Lisa, he texted: "I need to stay an extra day, maybe two. I'll let you know. Sorry."

Lisa replied: "Aww, that's too bad. I was looking forward to welcoming you home. I'll grab Mindy, and we'll go baby shopping."

He replied: "I'm glad it's you and not me. That baby will lack for nothing. Love you."

Lisa replied: "Love you more."

It was a good thing that all he had left was the paperwork because Zach could barely concentrate the rest of his time at the hospital. He took a cab to the airport, flopped into a chair in a lounge and took a quick nap since he didn't get much sleep the previous night due to his working on the MRI.

His three-hour flight left at midnight, west-coast time, arrived at 5:00 am, and he knocked on his brother's door just before 6:00 am.

Gina and Daniel were waiting for him. The kids were still asleep.

Once at the kitchen table with coffee in hand, Daniel asked, "what time does Lisa usually try to get to work?"

"A few minutes before 8:00. Why?"

"Don't worry. You'll see."

"Daniel, the two of you are being awfully secretive. Just spit it out."

"I need you to trust me, brother. Just this one time, be a little patient. We all know how hard that is for you to do."

Zach picked at his breakfast but drank his coffee, and soon they left in Daniel's car. As they drove, Zach asked, "why aren't we going to mine and Lisa's house?"

"Shhhh. We're almost there."

"Daniel! Just what the fuck is going on?"

They pulled onto a residential street in a much older but upscale neighborhood with nice homes and large lots about ten minutes from the hospital where Lisa worked, which was near Rice University. "Shut up, Zach. For once in your life just sit and watch. I need you to keep your eyes on that house," he said pointing to a house across the street and one house down. "And no matter what, keep your mouth shut and sit on your hands if you have to." Daniel locked the car doors.

"Daniel, is it Lisa? Am I about to see her come out of someone's house? She's probably visiting a friend."

Daniel replied, "I'm sure that's all it is, Zach, but I need you to see it."

Only a few minutes later, they did. They watched the garage door open, and Lisa's Audi backed out carefully onto the street, then she drove away from them, towards her hospital.

Zach looked at his brother and said, "I trust Lisa. That house probably belongs to some old friend of hers from college." He didn't want to believe it could be something else.

Daniel said, "I wish that were the case. Read this." It was a recent entertainment section from the Austin newspaper.

Zach looked at the paper and saw a picture of Lisa and a strange man, probably mid-forties, on a sidewalk going into what looked like a theater or concert hall. The man was wearing a tux and Lisa was wearing a long evening gown. She had her left hand on his right arm and while her engagement ring was easily seen, her wedding ring was missing. The caption read, "Austin's own Reginald Alderidge, celebrated music critic, and Lisa Jennings, his long-time girlfriend, attend the evening's performance." Jennings was Lisa's maiden name.

Daniel could see the confusion on his brother's face. He said, "Miriam sent this to me while you were in Germany and Lisa was in Austin. There is an article in there about him. Read it. All of it. The article is still online, which has a picture of the two of them kissing. I have a PI report at my house that will give you more information than you want to see. It's an affair Zach. This isn't a one-time thing."

Daniel watched as his brother deflated. He could tell that he was hoping it was an innocent visit, but the truth was beginning to set in. Daniel began the drive back to his house.

Zach read the article which told of Reginald's career as Texas' premier music critic who provided reviews to several Texas newspapers. It seems he was a Professor of Music at Rice University, where Lisa went to school but was soon taking up a new position at the University of Texas in Austin, his hometown.

The article was a puff piece allowing him to explain many of his views and activities. Why was he so harsh in all of his reviews? He demanded perfection, and he expected the other audience members did as well. What were some of his interests? He has been restoring his older home that he purchased last year and loved cooking Italian food on the home's original custom-built stove. He spent a lot of time preparing for upcoming concerts by listening to the best examples he can find in his home listening room. His love life? He was very happy with his girlfriend, and he sees no reason to change it.

When they arrived at Daniel's house, Gina was gone, taking the kids to preschool. She would be back soon.

Zach said, "Let me call work before I look at your PI folder. No way can I work today." He called his manager, Frank, and told him he was having some serious family problems and needed a few days. His manager asked him if he was okay and where he was. Then he told Zach to do what he needed to do and keep him updated. After they hung up, Zach began to tackle the folder.

He said, "Daniel, I cannot believe you hired a PI for me. He must be really good to get all of this so quickly."

"We keep a few on retainer and this one is really good. He owed me a favor too, so he did it quickly. Unfortunately, it was all pretty easy for him to get. If you were out of town, she was usually spending the night with him. Don't you guys have a security system? If it tracks activity, I'll bet you won't see any when you are out of town."

Zach sunk into his chair, stunned by his own stupidity. "I never checked it. Why would I? I never suspected a thing."

"I know man. You've been blindsided. We all were. We all like her. Except for her reluctance to play music, she seemed just like one of us. You never noticed anything, anything at all?"

Zach thought for a moment, "In hindsight, maybe the only unusual thing was that the longer I was away, the more she seemed to miss me; almost like she was anxious. I thought it was just her missing me, but clearly, she didn't, since she had someone else. So, I don't know what is up with that."

Daniel just shook his head.

The folder was very thorough. It was more background info than he ever knew about Lisa, and also Reginald, or Reggie. The info on Lisa was depressing. Lisa was the first chair violinist for the Houston youth orchestra until she started college. She stopped playing around the same time she became a student of Gerald's. No explanation was given.

The PI had also accessed Reggie's house, and it seemed that she had set up a second residence at Reginald's place with a collection of clothes and various items, so she rarely needed to go home when Zach was out of town. She would simply drive from work to Reginald's, open the garage door, and drive in.

Reggie's neighbors all thought she was a live-in girlfriend. In the Houston music community, they were aware of his having a long-time girlfriend, though the PI didn't speak to anyone that knew her by name.