Just an Average Romance

Thus began the next chapter of Mark's life. In four to six months he was expected to find problems in various stores. Some were blatant, like the first store, and needed new personnel and a new attitude in customer relations to sort out the problem. Others were vague and related to thefts both of money and inventory. These sometimes took longer to solve but eventually the thefts became controllable. A few employees found themselves out of a job suddenly but another group also found themselves in legal trouble with law enforcement. Mark shook his head at the thought that an executive who stole thousands would just be discharged but an employee that only stole hundreds was turned over to prosecution.

During this time he was finishing his masters' degree online at a prestigious university. He received a large pay raise when he graduated.

His social life improved slightly. There were actually women who were invited out for three or four dates before he dropped them. A couple actually got to the ten date mark before Mark seemed to lose interest and ended the budding relationship. Sometimes it just because there was no spark. Other times there was a spark of interest and compatibility but then something else would happen. Usually he would find that the woman was also sexually active with others. This was an immediate deal breaker for him. He wasn't expecting to find a virgin at his age of twenty-seven but he at least was hoping she wasn't being a public playground.

There was still the trust issue. When he would start to get close to a new love interest the nightmares of Stacey, Thad, Mary and Jeff would start again. He could hear them laughing at his gullibility. A couple of nights like that and he would end that relationship. Of course he always let them down and told each that it was a problem with him and not them.

Jeff would text occasionally and ask when he was coming back for a visit. Mark ignored these. He had no reason to go back. He was not part of the alumni organization and had not heard from those kind folks at all. He figured his mailing address changed too often for them.

Jeff texted and informed Mark that he and Mary were getting married and he wanted Mark as his best man. Mark declined as he figured Stacey would be maid of honor. He sent a nice gift without a return address.

Chapter Eleven

Mark did go home to his family events. His parents respected his wishes to not discuss Stacey. Since his siblings had not met her they really didn't have any questions or comments. A quiet word from Mark's mom before the first family gathering made sure that no comments came from his brother or sister.

Mark lavished his affections on his young nieces and nephews. He played the uncle card to the hilt. He brought expensive presents to each gathering and made sure that he took them all out for ice cream and candy multiple times. It was a good thing he liked kid movies as they made sure he took them to the local theater for as many showings as possible.

Mark's parents were saddened by the fact that Mark needed to expend such affection on his nieces and nephews but had no children of his own and didn't seem interested enough in any woman to change that status.

After the last such family gathering Mark returned to his latest posting. He was wrapping up a few last loose ends before his next move. He was already anticipating what he would find. At least now most of the issues were small ones and just involved suggestions to the manager about changes that would positively affect the bottom line. Corporate was actually agitating for him to return to the head office and assume duties there but he had resisted that. Mark was actually contemplating changing careers and going back to school rather than return to the scene of his personal debacle. Since he had never expounded on why he wanted the change in venues his superiors did not know why he was so resistant to a promotion and return to the corporate headquarters. Even a site visit by his manager had not gotten the full reason why Mark would not even visit the home office.

This day though was different. Instead of management coming to see him a familiar but unwanted face came into his field of vision. Mark had taken a few minutes from his final paperwork to go out onto the sales floor to clear his head. He was helping a customer when he caught a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. It couldn't be. He turned his head away. By concentrating he was able to finish helping the customer.

After that customer was headed off to the cashier he looked around but didn't see her. Maybe it was just someone who had borne a resemblance to Stacey. It must have been, he thought, since no one had any idea where he was located outside of the upper management of The Brass Lamp.

Relieved he turned to go back to the small office space he was soon to vacate. Stacey came out from behind a tall rack so suddenly Mark almost screamed in surprise and distaste. He stopped suddenly and could feel the blood drain from his face. He was immediately sweaty and staggered back in almost an unmanly swoon. It was his turn to say, "No, no, it can't be. Get away from me."

Stacey put out a hand to steady him. "Please, Mark, can we talk for a moment? I have been searching for you for a long time."

"No, not now and not here. This is my work place. I didn't come into your father's place of business to try and talk to you at any time and you cannot do that to me. Is your phone number still the same?"

She nodded and took her hand back. "Then I will call you after I am through here. It will be about ten tonight. Is that too late?"

She shook her head. "Okay, that is a plan. Now, unless you are interested in purchasing something, I would suggest you leave. If you don't I will call mall security." He abruptly turned and went through the door marked "Employees Only".

Mark sat down at his desk and looked at his shaking hands. He didn't know if it was from anger at seeing Stacey, anger at her audacity to actually track him down, both of the above, or fear that he was too weak to resist her. He had no idea why she was here but maybe it was time for some closure so he could move on and put his nightmares behind him.

He wasn't kidding when he told her that he would not be done before ten. Since the first posting he had found solace in cleaning after everyone else had left. He would tour the store and put things right, fold clothes, adjust hanging items and then pick up trash and empty the containers outside in the dumpster. It was good honest work that made the whole store look nicer.

At 9:45 he was done so he called Stacey. It was a short conversation. He told her to meet him at a pub about six blocks from the store. It was a quiet place, one of the many that he had found in the various cities he had been posted to. He could still only have a couple of beers before getting too wasted and risked a hang over the next morning but a quiet place to play a game of billiards or throw a few darts was the bulk of his seeking companionship outside of work.

He arrived before Stacey and took a seat at a back booth. She would be able to see him when she arrived but they would have some privacy.

When she entered he could take a good look at her as she looked for him. She didn't seem much different even though it had been two years. Her weight seemed the same but her hairstyle was slightly different. She wasn't wearing much makeup but, what the hell, he wouldn't have known anyway with the new womanly skills of minimal makeup.

When she came up to the table she bent as though to give him a kiss but his raised hands stopped her. He nodded towards the other side of the table and she nodded her head as she went to sit down.

"Okay, Stacey, you are here and it is quiet now. Why are you here and what do you want?"

She looked into his eyes. "I thought that would be self explanatory. I am looking for you."

"Okay, we have dealt with that. You found me. I don't know how or why."

"I guess I really wanted to find out how you are doing. I also wanted to apologize for my actions on my birthday. I had been warned by family since I was in high school that some would want me just for the money I would inherit. I ignored them mostly but there were the occasional person that seemed to want me just for the money. I thought you were different in spite of the crap Mary was feeding me. I thought it was just sour apples. You know, whenever Jeff would cool off their relationship she would bitch about him and you and every other male. Then came my birthday, the day I inherited the bulk of my grandmother's trust fund and then you suddenly asked me to marry you. We had never really ever discussed marriage or children or anything permanent and then suddenly, on the day I became rich, here you were asking me to marry you."

He didn't answer or comment but waved for her to go on. "I really didn't intend to speak right then. I was so surprised and, I guess, disappointed that you might actually be after my money I was speaking what I was thinking. I really don't remember saying anything but everyone who was present heard me very clearly just like you did."

Mark kept his face as placid as possible. He knew he wouldn't succeed for long as he never had a real poker face. He kept his silence and let Stacey try to fill the silence whenever she stopped to see how he was taking all of this.

"Of course my dad knew exactly what I was thinking. You left before he jumped me and told me off in no uncertain terms. I think he actually contemplated disowning me. Some of my other relatives told me how disappointed they were. They felt that if I wasn't in love with you then I must be some kind of old fashioned harlot, just in it for the sex kind of thing."

"Mary, my old friend, took me aside and told me I was doing the right thing. She yelled at Jeff and called him all sorts of names but I think she was really talking about you. Jeff stood there for a few moments and then started to rip into me and Mary. He told her that just because they weren't an item that it didn't mean that you didn't love me. He told us story after story of how you guys used to hang together through thick or thin. He talked about how money didn't make your heart go pitter patter. He even told us about how you were saving money for a down payment on a house for us both."

She started to tear up and reached her hands out to Mark but he wasn't ready to touch her yet. He kept his hands in his lap. Seeing his disgust made her start to openly cry and she didn't seem able to stop.

Mark started to speak. "I can see how you would listen to your old and dearest friend. Mary probably had your best interest in mind. But, we had something that I thought superseded old friendships. I thought we were in love and trusted each other. We had taken the time to get to know one another. I never asked you for money. Hell, I never even asked for any favors from your dad whenever I needed my car to be serviced. As far as the money goes, you didn't even trust me enough to tell me about the trust fund. If I had know that it was worrying you then I would have asked you to marry me at some other time or had started to talk about something permanent instead of trying to surprise you like I did. I never even told Jeff what I was planning. I wanted it to be a complete surprise. The real surprise was on me."

"Jeff told me about the trust fund the day I left town. I could care less about your money. If you had been at all serious about our relationship and been honest I would have gladly signed a pre-nuptial agreement to keep your money yours. But you didn't have faith or trust in me."

He stood up. "You found me, how I don't know. You have explained what you were feeling that night. Thank you. Now maybe the nightmares will end and I can get on with the rest of my life." Mark turned away but stopped. "I will ask the bartender to get you a cab back to wherever you are staying."

He stopped at the bar for a few moments and then was gone. Stacey was still crying when the bartender came over to tell her a cab was waiting. She nodded and blew her nose and thanked her. "For what it's worth dear, that man comes in here about once a week and never seems to have any female companionship. You are the first woman we've seen him with even though it doesn't seem like it went well tonight."

Stacey nodded her head and went out to the cab and went back to her hotel. She had hoped that Mark would forgive her and accompany her back to her extremely nice suite. As she entered it she became despondent again. What was she thinking? Was she trying to impress him with her money? Was she flaunting it? She could see him enter the suite and just stand there and laugh at her before turning and leaving. After all, hadn't everyone except Mary told her that Mark wasn't interested in her money?

She wandered through the opulent rooms aimlessly. What a deal. When this whole ordeal had started she was in love with Mark and ready to start a life with him. Mary was in an on and off relationship with a guy who wasn't mature enough to make a commitment. Now Mary and Jeff were married and soon to have their first baby and Stacey was just a third wheel, seldom welcomed into their household. Jeff made no secret of how he felt about her so Mary only saw Stacey when Jeff wasn't around. Their Girls' Night Out was usually a quiet glass of wine at Stacey's after a shopping trip for the new baby. Stacey was slated to be the baby's godmother in spite of Jeff's objections. She intended to be the mentor and the doting aunt since she wasn't going to have any of her own yet.

Mary had to be constantly reassured that Jeff loved her. She had gained more weight with her pregnancy and she now felt even more unlovable despite Jeff's constant protestations of love. Stacey had to also keep telling her that she was beautiful in her pregnancy. Stacey had even gotten Mary a personal trainer so that the baby weight would come off while also making sure that Mary was in good physical shape to have the baby. She fervently hoped that the personal trainer would also be helpful after the birth so Mary might actually start having a more positive self image.

Right now, though, Stacey's self esteem was taking the hit. In her romantic dreams when Mark saw her he was overcome with passion and would immediately take her in his arms and make her world right again but she had never had the nightmare she was living right now. He had seemed open to talk but didn't react like she thought he would.

No, actually he had acted as though she was an acquaintance that he really didn't want to interact with. What had he said? Something about trust and faith but not one word about love. Didn't he love her anymore? Was she afraid to face up to the reality that he didn't love her anymore?

She sat down and had a serious discussion with herself. She finally faced the reality that relationships had been relatively easy for her. She had gone along with Luke in high school until her fucked her. She had casually dated after that until meeting Thad. As long as he was in charge of what they did together and when they would have sex then things were just fine. She had conveniently ignored the gossip about how he went trolling for sex on nights when she was busy or not really wanting to have sex. He had never challenged her to experience anal sex or any kinky stuff since he could get it from others. She was just the nice girl on his arm in public.

Trust had never been an issue as she wasn't that serious about him. In his own way he was a safe harbor and a perfect way to get over Luke but he wasn't the one she wanted permanently in her life.

No, she fell in love with the man she wanted but she let her own insecurities, compounded by Mary's constant negative comments, keep her from having faith and trust in Mark. He had never done anything to make her doubt him. He had been an open book with her, telling her about his previous relationships and how he wanted to go slow and become friends first before becoming lovers. He had shown her his work ethic by going to school full time and working full time. She didn't really blame Mary. Stacey knew she could have shut Mary down at any time she was slamming men and Jeff and Mark in particular. She could have pointed out how Mark wasn't like Jeff. She could and should have trusted Mark.

She was beginning to see and understand what Mark had talked about. Love wasn't enough. That actually was kind of easy when you think about it. We all love things. We love our pets, our house, apartment, car, clothes, shoes, handbags, whatever. And we all love them until the next thing comes along. But to have faith in someone, to trust them with your life, your happiness, your sorrows, disappointments, and even your dreams, that was the true measure of a loving relationship. And Stacey had fallen short. She had neither trust nor faith in Mark. She had, on the one and only occasion where there might have been a doubt in his intentions, fell far too short. She had publicly humiliated him with her denouncement of his proposal.

Instead of having some faith in her own judgment, or her father's judgment, or any trust in Mark she had let her own fears and Mary's biased comments decide her future.

She drew herself a hot bath in the luxurious tub in the bathroom and let herself sink into the mounds of bubbles. She turned on the jets and the mounds of bubbles grew until they almost overwhelmed her. It helped her need to hide from herself and her bad decisions. She could let the mounds of suds keep her from looking at herself in the mirror.

Instead she tried to think of a way to sit down with Mark again. Maybe this time they could start to build that trust that now she knew they desperately needed. But her doubts surfaced. What if he had a new relationship? After all, the bartender only saw Mark occasionally in the pub. Was there someone sharing his apartment?

After the water became cold she dragged herself out of the tub and dried slowly and then put on a simple tee shirt and panties. The tee was an old one of Mark's that he had left in her apartment. Surprisingly it had one of the graphics he had come up with. Since he had not attempted to get anything of his from her apartment she had decided any of his clothes were fair game. At first they still held his scent and were a way to stay connected. Later she wore his things as a way to castigate herself as the months slowly passed by without any word about him or from him. She suspected that Jeff still maintained some kind of connection but he never spoke about it. Of course Jeff never spoke to Stacey directly if he could help it.

The next morning she woke somewhat refreshed. Her dreams were interrupted by various scenes where a faceless female would twine her arms around Mark and laugh at her pitiful attempts to reconnect. There wasn't any conversation, just arms around Mark and laughter.

Finally she dragged herself out of bed and took a shower. She knew the store didn't open until ten so she had time to get ready. She sat down and penned a note to be given to Mark if he wouldn't see her. She was asking for another meeting at his convenience.

She was the first in the door at the store and looked around for Mark but didn't see him. When she approached a sales person about Mark she was informed that he took the day off to get his belongings packed and ready to go. Stacey was speechless but the girl told her that Mark was scheduled to be gone by the end of the week to a new posting. Stacey let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't running away again just transferring.

She left the note and headed out to explore this new city. Hopefully he would call soon.

Late in the afternoon he did call. Stacey was just about ready to give up on him and confront him in the store again when he did call. Mark didn't really know what else they had to talk about but agreed to meet for supper this time. He texted her his number so she could contact him if necessary and they made arrangements to meet in the lobby of her hotel and eat in the hotel restaurant. It was reported to be a good place to eat and talk.