Lisa's Husband

Trey was glad as well. He felt he had a home there and he could think of worse things than retiring from there, but if that happened he would always wonder how far he could have gone in the commercial field. In a way he thought that must be how his wife felt. The difference was he would still always put family first.

*****

Lisa was walking back to her office with a new list of people for potential interviews. She stopped at one of the names and walked back to her producer's office. "Barry, have all these people actually agreed to an interview?"

"Yeah, of course; like always, it's up to you and Dar to get them tied down to a time and a place but we'd never just give you a list of random names, why?"

"There's one on here I'd sincerely like to do. I'm really hoping we can make it happen." Lisa almost ran back to her office and pointed out the name to her assistant. "Dar, I really, really, really, want to interview this guy. Do whatever is needed to get it nailed down. I'm going to get Brenda started on the background stuff. I want this to be the best interview I've ever done."

He was a very busy man so it took some doing but Lisa was on her way to interview Gerry Newman, world famous and favorite photographer of her husband's. Several times over the preceding month she almost let it slip out to Trey but she really wanted to surprise him. After the interview she'd hopefully be able to arrange for her and Trey to watch it together. She fantasized about the two of them snuggling on the couch before she says, 'surprise,' when the show started and they announced who she was interviewing.

By the time Lisa got to Newman's massive photography studio, the crew had chairs and lights already set up. They told her Newman was in another room somewhere finishing something up but would be out in a few minutes. She sat on one of the chairs to wait and was surprised to see her hands shaking. After all the interviews she'd done over the previous eight months, this one was special. She and her staff worked hard to make sure she asked the right questions. She wanted to make her husband proud of her.

He wasn't as tall as she thought he'd be. His tightly cropped white beard went well with the wavy white hair on his head. He had a wonderful smile and projected it with warmth as he reached out to shake her hand.

After the introductions, Lisa took a big breath and started the dialogue. The professional attitude she'd developed over the months took hold and the interview was conducted with confidence and expertise. By the time it was over she'd grown to like the man.

"I thank you so much, Mr. Newman," she said as they shook hands at the end. "I have to tell you, I was a little nervous at first. You're my husband's very favorite photographer."

"Oh, is he a photographer?"

"Yes, he works for a newspaper back home but you actually interviewed him for a job once."

The elderly photographer thought for just a moment. "Van Heusen, yes of course, Gordon Watts young protégé. So you're the reason he turned me down. Well, I can't say I blame him," he chuckled.

"Turned you down?" she queried. "No, you must have him mixed up with someone else. This was a few years ago. You gave the job to someone else."

"Uh-uh," he said while shaking his head. "I know exactly who he is. I interviewed him at the college when I went down there for a lecture."

"He told me he didn't get the job. You mean you were actually going to hire him?"

"Oh yeah, you bet. I've known Gordon, his professor, for decades. Every time we'd talk he'd brag about Trey, so when we set up the lecture, I made sure Gordon scheduled an interview with him. I needed a new assistant at the time and based on what Gordon told me, I knew before I got down there that I'd probably offer him a job. When I saw his work he didn't disappoint me at all. Your young man could be a star in this field. I told him I'd have him as my second camera inside of a year. That's almost unheard of. It usually takes three or four years at least."

She was astonished. "I don't get it, why would he tell me you wouldn't hire him?"

"Love," he said with a smile. "He told me he was engaged, so I was brutally honest with him. Working for me can be a real romance killer. I do a lot of overseas traveling. I can be gone for two or three months at a time, sometimes longer. Obviously, that can be pretty hard on a relationship. I'm pretty sure he saw it as a choice between you or the career." He smiled again. "After meeting you I'd say he made the right choice."

"But why tell me you hired someone else? Why not tell me the truth?"

"He probably didn't want you to feel guilty," Newman replied.

She graciously thanked him for his kindness and his time. She explained that the thirty-five minute interview would be edited down to fit her eight minute time slot and would air the following Sunday.

Later that night, Lisa lay in bed thinking about what Gerry said. She thought back and remembered how scared she was when Trey was talking about living in New York and how relieved she was when he told her he didn't get the job, but there was something else.

She remembered other feelings she had, feelings that maybe Trey wasn't as good as everyone thought he was. After all, they were just college students. When a real pro looked at his work it turned out that he wasn't good enough. At least that's what she thought.

She realized that was the moment she started to feel superior. After-all, she got the job with The Tribute right out of the gate when Trey couldn't find work. She felt empowered when she was the one who got him his job with the paper, even if he didn't really want it. Looking back on it now, she realized she developed an attitude. She was the one with the real talent.

Now with hindsight, she knew that wasn't the case. She chuckled to herself when she examined how she got where she was. She didn't get the job with the paper on her own merits, she got it because of her dad, and the reporter's job at WGBO; she got that because of her looks, not her talent. Then there was her present job. That was the biggest fluke of all. With the amount of hero worshiping she received, she'd almost forgotten what really happened that day in Saint Peter's Square. She knew damn well, if it hadn't been for accidently hitting that guy with her mic, she'd have been fired.

She felt tears run down the sides of her face as she stared at the white ceiling. She remembered what he said about making all the sacrifices. At the time it sounded like he was making excuses but now she could see he was right. If he was as good as Newman said, he would have found a studio job if he had stuck with it, but instead, he took the job with the newspaper. It was another sacrifice on his part. He did it for her and the family they were planning.

Her stomach was twisting in knots. She felt sick as she turned on her side and curl into a fetal position. Tears flowed freely with each sob.

The next day she told her staff she was going out of town for the weekend and would be late on Monday then asked Dar to get her on a flight to O'Hare sometime Friday night.

About thirty minutes later Dar walked into Lisa's office with printed tickets in hand. "Here you go, Lisa. You leave from LaGuardia at ten and get into O'Hare at eleven thirty. Is that okay?"

"That's perfect, Dar, thank you. What about coming back?"

"You leave O'Hare at six in the morning. It gets you back here about nine."

"Perfect," responded Lisa with a smile. "Thank you very much." The two talked about the following week's show before Dar left and Lisa called Trey.

He told her he would be happy to pick her up and was looking forward to spending the weekend with her.

It had been weeks since they were together but from the moment they hugged and kissed at the airport, it was like they'd never been apart. They made love Friday night. That Saturday they visited the folks and took them out for dinner. Saturday night they made love again.

As hard as it was, Lisa managed to keep her secret. Sunday evening they had a pizza delivered and was cuddled up on the couch with a couple glasses of wine when they heard the music for "What Matters." Trey started to say something but she shushed him.

"I want you to hear the introductions, honey."

"Okay," he said, then sat and listened.

The announcer called the names of each reporter along with a brief synopsis of what each segment would be about as the anchors appeared on the screen one by one. Lisa's interview was always last to be announced. "And tonight, Lisa Van Heusen interviews world famous photographer, Gerald Newman."

Trey almost choked on his wine. "You interviewed Gerry Newman and didn't tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you," she chuckled.

"Was he a nice guy? I mean, I didn't really get a chance to talk to him much."

"Yes, he was an extremely nice man, nice and honest too; more honest it seems than my own husband."

Trey looked at a little shocked. "What do you..."

"Why did you tell me he didn't hire you?" she growled. "He told me he offered you the job but you turned him down."

Trey had almost forgotten about his little white lie. Oh well, time to come clean. "I didn't want you to feel guilty," he admitted. "I didn't want you to think you were holding me back."

"So instead you led me to believe you weren't good enough for him," she snapped.

Trey had never thought about it in those terms before. "Just because I didn't get the job doesn't necessarily mean I wasn't good enough."

"No? What does it mean then when somebody doesn't get the job they've wanted all their life?"

"Well..." he couldn't really think of an adequate answer.

"I really am pissed at you for lying to me like that. Please don't ever do that again."

"Okay, never again," he promised.

She leaned forward, lightly placed her hand behind his head and gently pulled his lips to hers for a long, tender kiss. When they pulled apart she looked deeply into his eyes, "I love you, Trey Van Heusen, I love you so much."

That night they made love for the third night in a row.

Monday morning, Lisa was feeling on top of the world when she walked into her office a little after eleven. She had made a surprisingly easy decision on the plane, coming back. Both Dar and Benda commented on her broad smile during their first weekly meeting where she got caught up on plans for the next show. Because of the late start, the meeting ran into the lunch hour so she treated both girls to a wonderful lunch at a trendy little Manhattan restaurant. When they got back she called her executive producer.

About the same time Lisa was sitting in her boss' office, Trey was on his way to an assignment when his phone rang. He glanced at the number displayed on his car's radio but didn't recognize it. He still had another fifteen minutes of driving before arriving at his destination so he went ahead and connected the call. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm calling for Trey Van Heusen, please."

"This is Trey, can I help you?"

"Trey, my name is Walter Abrams. I'm an ad exec for an agency here in Chicago. We've been working with a couple other photographers but frankly we'd like to see a little more creativity than they've been giving us. I've been asking around and your name has come up a couple of times. I understand your studio is in Chicago."

"Uh...um...ah, yeah," he had no idea what to say. This could even be someone's idea of a joke but he didn't want to take any chances. They called him on his cell so he could always look up the number and see if it really was an ad agency. He had to buy time. He had to think fast. "Mr. Abrams, you caught me at a bad time. I'm out of town and right now I'm driving on an unfamiliar expressway. Could I call you back next week?"

"Ah, yes, that would be okay I guess. We really would like to get together with you as soon as possible though. I'd like to come by your studio with a couple of associates and look around."

"Ah, well, like I said, I'm out of town at the moment. Let me call you next week and we'll see what we can arrange."

"That would be fine, Trey. I'll wait for your call." With that the line went dead.

Shit, he cursed to himself. He didn't mean to lie but the call came from so far out in left field, he had no idea how to handle it. How the hell did they even get my number, he wondered. He didn't have time to think. He was pulling up to his assignment.

Later that night he called Mr. Watts again and explained his new dilemma. He had already checked the number and found it was indeed an ad agency in Chicago.

"Trey, I hope you're not thinking about trying to bluff these guys. That could be a real career killer."

That was exactly what he expected to hear. "Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that, professor. I was just kind of hoping this could be my ticket. I'll give that guy a call tomorrow and tell him I can't do it."

"I never said you can't do it. I said don't try to bluff them. Be honest with them. Tell them you're interested but that you don't have a studio for the moment. Tell them you'll rent space for the time being just like you did for that fashion shoot."

"Yeah, but professor, that fashion shoot was big deal. I doubt if these guys are talking about that kind of work. They're a smaller, local agency. It wouldn't pay to rent the space and all the lights and equipment I'd need, and I sure as hell don't have the money to buy everything."

"Do you remember Bezan's Studio here in town? In fact, didn't you shoot for him, part time?"

"Yeah, that's where I shot Britney's photos. He let me borrow the studio."

"Well he's retiring. He's closing up shop and selling everything; cameras, lights, backdrops, stands, booms, radio triggers, tethering equipment, computers, monitors, he's got two, three roller wall mounts for sweeps, the whole ball of wax. I just talked to him the other day. He's going to put it all up for sale on line but he told me he'd take ten grand for everything if he got an offer. I was thinking about getting it for the college but it's a lot more than we need and I don't think the board will go for it."

"Jesus, professor, after all the expenses I cleared almost twenty-three grand from that fashion shoot."

"There you go, Trey. Find yourself some cheap space in an industrial area and you're in business. I'd tell that guy from the ad agency exactly what you're doing and ask for a verbal commitment to give you a try once you're up and running. All you really need is one or two decent clients starting out and you can build the business from there."

It was a lot to think about but he knew he could it. This time it was he who was going to make a major decision. He'd call Lisa and let her know, of course, but this was something he was going to do with or without her blessing. Later that night he got the shock of his life when he called his wife.

"Oh, Trey, DO IT, DO IT!" she shouted with enthusiasm. "You can't pass this up. Please tell me you're going to do it."

"Yes, I am going to do it. I'm a little surprised though, I thought you'd be against it. This is a pretty big gamble. It'll be a long time before there's a steady paycheck in it."

"I don't care, Gerry Newman said you were a genius, that's good enough for me," she acclaimed. "This is what you've wanted. It's what you were meant to do, go for it."

The next day he called Mr. Bezan and made arrangements to buy his entire inventory of studio equipment except for two cameras and two speed lights the old man said he wanted to keep.

Next he sat down with Lee, his boss, again. He explained the situation and said he'd give the paper a month's notice instead of the traditional two weeks.

"I'm not really surprised," he told Trey. "When you came in here last month and told me commercial photography was your first love, I could see the excitement in your eyes. I sure hate to lose you but I wish you all the luck in the world."

By the end of the week everything was falling into place. He had called the ad agency back and leveled with them. They weren't too happy but gave him a verbal commitment to try him out with a couple small jobs as soon as he was in business. He rented a truck and got a few buddies to help him move all the studio equipment to a storage facility until he found space to rent.

It was a tough week and the added stress didn't make it any easier. He was dragging as he got home Friday after work. His plan was to throw a frozen dinner in the microwave, call Lisa, then go to bed early. He had to meet the guys and pick up the rental truck at seven the following morning.

As he stepped inside the apartment he got a whiff of something that smelled delicious. Damn, he thought, I should go over to the neighbors for dinner. Whatever they're cooking sure smells good.

He rounded the corner to the living room and thought he'd heard something in the kitchen. He hurried to check it out. There, stooped over the open oven was the naked ass of his wife sticking out from behind an apron. She turned and gave him a big smile.

"Hi, honey, hungry?"

He stood there with his mouth open.

"Like my new apron?" she asked with a devilish grin.

He was still too shocked to speak. He just nodded his head while she wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her breasts into him as they kissed.

"I...I didn't know..." he started to stutter.

"Yes, I know. I didn't tell you I was coming. I wanted to help with all the moving this weekend so I thought I'd surprise you. Judging by your reaction I'd say I was successful," she said as she gave him another peck on the lips.

"Yeah, well your cooking attire might have had something to do with it too," he joked.

"Listen, after dinner you and I need to talk. I made another unilateral decision..." She saw him roll his eyes. "But I think you're going to like this one."

Rather than sitting naked at the table, Lisa threw on a pair of sweats while they enjoyed their meal. Afterward she led him into the living room where they cuddled up on the couch with a glass of wine. She waited until they were both comfortable.

"Last week I gave my two week notice."

Immediately, Trey wondered where she was going now, Paris? London? "Okay," he questioned in a flat tone of voice, "where to now?"

"Chicago."

He wasn't sure he heard her right. "Chicago?"

"Trey, I am so sorry. I can't believe you've stuck with me all this time, but no more long distance romance. I'm coming home."

"You mean you're not going back?" He now had a grin from one ear to the other.

"Well, I have to go back but it won't be for much longer. When I told Barry I was quitting I thought he was going to have a heart attack, no kidding. I got worried. Anyway, a couple days later he called me into his office and made me an offer. They're going to give me my own half hour news talk show right here in Chicago."

She watched Trey's face but it looked like he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. "For the first time since quitting the paper, I think dad would be proud, honey. "It's going to be a local show centering on local politics." I'll be going after dirty politicians, wasteful city spending, and politically connected sweetheart deals. It's the best of both worlds, hon."

He still hadn't said anything so now was the time to deliver the caveat. "There is one catch. I had to promise I'd stick it out with, "What Matters" until the end of the season, but that's only six weeks away, honey—six weeks and I'm home for good."

He still wasn't totally convinced. "Or..."

"There is no or this time, honey, I promise. When I told Barry I was quitting I was all ready to go crawling back to The Tribute on my hands and knees, and if something falls through with the show, I'm still ready to do it if necessary. Having your children and...oh yeah, I also told Barry I'd be pregnant most of the time for the next three or four years."