The Cruise, The Choice

When Spencer arrived, the introductions were easy, and the conversation started well. When she handed Wilcox her resume, he took a quick look at it and smiled. From what he had seen on LinkedIn and from the conversation he had with Donald, he didn't need to try to pick apart her work history. He could get what he needed from how she had approached the deal with Donald and how she ran her teams to know if she would be a good fit. He did appreciate her being prepared on such short notice, which showed him something. He also told her to call him Spencer.

After thirty minutes of talking about work and the markets, he asked, "So, Monica, what is it that you would like to get out of your next position?"

"Honestly? I like my current level of responsibility. I like managing a good team. I even like my level of seniority. What I would appreciate the most is a manager that has and appreciates a good work-life balance. I've not had that for some time, and I allowed it to hurt my marriage. Also, I'm letting you know that I would like to have children one day, hopefully soon, so if that scares you off, then I'm telling you upfront. I think those are the high points."

Spencer leaned back and smiled. He liked her frankness. He had been hoping that she would be a good match. Now he was hopeful that she would come on board.

"Monica, I appreciate your laying that out for me. Donald had advised me that your family situation is, um, ... up in the air at the moment."

He saw her snicker at that understatement of the obvious.

He continued, "However, you need to know that if you are expecting a typical forty-hour week, this position probably isn't for you. You are expected to keep a certain amount of office hours, but you could be on the phone some days at 6:00 am or 11:00 pm, or both on some days, but those are pretty rare. We have some people that you would inherit into your team, but we could hire a few more, and even afford to move one or two of your better people from San Antonio, should you choose to go that route. Frankly, I expect you to get things done, in the manner that you see fit.

"If the client requests are unreasonable, then come talk to me and we'll get that worked out. Donald already likes working with you, and if you're coming on board secures his company's business returning to us, then that is already a big feather in your cap. You've accomplished a lot in your short career. Why don't we take the rocket boosters off of you for a while and let you settle into this position? I think you would like your team and would like working for us. You don't have to give me an answer today, but why don't we plan to talk in a week. I know there are a lot of little details to be worked out, but trust me, we can get those taken care of."

She said, "I'd like that, Spencer, and thank you."

"Well, if you come on board, I'll be thanking you. We are in rebuilding mode, and I hope you'll be a part of that."

"I think I would like that."

They finished their lunch and said their goodbyes. It was what Monica needed. Then she wondered, "Okay, now how do I get my husband to take me back?"

________________

At 6:00 pm she arrived at John's parents' house. She was greeted at the door by John's father, Jason, which was a disappointment. He gave her a big hug and told her that John was sitting on the patio, waiting for her. She could see Beverly working in the kitchen. His parents had always been so loving towards her. She didn't want to lose them, too.

When she walked outside, John didn't rise to greet her. He was sitting at the patio table with a beer in front of him. Someone had poured a glass of red wine for her, which is what she preferred. At least someone was thinking about her.

She started, "I'm sorry, John. I don't want a divorce."

He replied, "You didn't want a husband, either. Did you? It seems to me, what you wanted, towards the end, was just your job plus a roommate with benefits."

Though true, she still wanted to pick apart that statement, but she didn't want to start an argument. She went for a softer touch. "I'm sorry I acted that way. I know you've given me lots of second chances, but can I beg you for just one more?"

"What would be the point?" he asked.

"The point is that we love each other and want to have a family together, soon. I know you still love me, or you wouldn't have ensured that I was taken care of after you left me on the ship. I bet it was even you that poured this glass of wine for me." She saw the edge of his mouth move at her saying that. Not quite a smirk or a smile, but close.

He replied, "I do love you. That's taken quite the hit over the last week, but I do love you. But as the saying goes, sometimes love isn't enough." She was about to speak when he spoke over her. "Monica, how can we have a family, when you aren't around? Can you imagine trying to go to obstetrician appointments with Linda hanging work over your head? She would probably want to be in the delivery room working on project details while you are in labor.

She was about to respond to that, but he continued, "The real issue is your being absent from our marriage for most of the last several years. You would never treat a client the way you treated me."

She hung her head because she knew that was true. "I know. It's true that I haven't been a very good wife recently. I CAN be the wife you want. Do you want me to be a stay at home mom? I can. I would."

He shook his head. "No. That's not a good idea either. We've talked about that a long time ago, and it isn't something you would want to do."

"I would do it, if it would keep us together."

He said, "It wouldn't make sense to replace my being miserable with your being miserable, just for the sake of keeping us together. One of us would still miserable."

She replied, "We're both miserable right now."

This was very true. He said, "But in time, we'll heal. In time."

"What do you want from me, John, besides for me to go away. I won't accept that, yet."

He looked at her and thought. What he had wanted for the last several days was to get away and start over. Being with her was killing him.

"Monica, I want the pain to go away. I want someone that wants to be with me as much as I want to be with them, and for her to be willing to say 'No' to ensure that happens. Neither me nor our marriage, has been a priority to you. How does that change?"

Having him tell her that was painful. She knew it was accurate, and it was all her fault, but hearing the man she loves tell her that he wasn't important enough to her was nearly fatal.

She asked, "Would this make a difference?" She opened her phone and the message stream between her and Linda, starting at "I quit."

He quickly read through them and asked, "You've quit? Why? You loved that job."

"Never as much as I loved you. I just haven't shown you that for far too long." Neither of them said anything for a minute. She continued, "I may have a new job that would be more family-friendly, but I'll not take it if it keeps us together."

He shook his head, "Monica, I didn't have a problem with the work you did. I had a problem with how much you worked. You could work at a convenience store, and if you want to be there more than you want to be with me, or if you are unwilling to tell them 'No' from time to time, then nothing will change."

She asked, "Is there any way to convince you that I've changed. I promise you, getting left on a boat in the western Caribbean will get your attention."

He said, "I do feel a little guilty about that, but I needed to get away. Talking wasn't doing any good. I'm not sure that it's doing any good right now."

Monica didn't want to force him into a corner. "How do I convince you to give me one more chance?"

"I don't know. I'm still hurt and angry. Honestly, even if I agreed to give you another chance, I don't want to be in the same apartment with you right now. I still love you, but I hate the situation you've put us in."

"I know." She thought for a second, "What can I do? I've quit my job. I think I've found one that works better for us. I'm promising to put our family first. I even told my prospective employer that I hoped to have children soon, and he was okay with that. It's even here in Austin, so we and our kids would be near your parents. Please tell me what you need for me to say or do."

That was interesting. He asked, "You quit yesterday and have a new job lined up by today? Here in Austin?"

She smiled and said, "For the first time in a long time, work was good yesterday."

Clearly it was.

John finished his bottle of beer and wished he had another. He asked, "If we agree to try ONE more time, what keeps us from landing right back here? More family-friendly can mean a lot of things."

"If you will give me ONE more chance, I'm approaching this with the idea that we are going to have a family, soon. Give me a few weeks to get settled into the job, and I'll get home at a more normal time, and then I'll limit my work at home to a limited number of hours which we'll determine, together. Then, you and I will figure out how to begin working our schedules, with the idea that we'll have kids soon."

John was considering this.

Monica added, "One more thing. If you need to get my attention, because I seem to be losing focus on what's important, I'll give you a 'safe word' to use which will tell me that I'm slipping, and we need to talk. Use this word, and you will have my undivided attention."

"Are you saying that if we had this agreed-upon word previously, we wouldn't be here now?" questioned John.

"If I knew then what I know now? Yes."

He asked, "What's that word?"

"Andrea."

"What? Why 'Andrea?"

She replied, "While the ship was sailing towards Miami, she and I had a good discussion about what I'm willing to do to get my husband back. It was attention-getting." She was remembering the "just-in-case" comment.

"I see." He thought for a moment, "I do love you, and only you. I hope you know that."

She said, "I know you do. Even though I haven't always shown it, I love you too. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either. You know we still have a lot of work in front of us. We need to find better ways to communicate."

She smiled, "Leaving me on that ship and giving me divorce papers were quite communicative."

"Let's make sure we never have to use those methods again."

"I promise." She hesitated and then asked, "John, can you hold me, please? I desperately need that from you right now."

John walked over to his wife, pulled her from her chair, and wrapped his arms around her. She squeezed him back, was overcome with emotion, and began crying -- deep sobs. "I was so afraid that I had lost you. You are my rock. The only reason I've climbed so high was because I always had a good base from which to start. That base, or rock, was you. It's always been you."

He hugged her back, wishing they could have had this conversation a couple of weeks ago. "Shhh. It's okay. Let's just be there for each other going forward so that we don't end up back here."

She would do that. She knew she hadn't been much of a spouse for a long time, but she would from now on. She would keep her priorities straight. It had taken his leaving to get her attention, but she would NOT screw up again.

___________

Even though the marriage was saved, the next several weeks were not all roses and sunshine. While John did invite her to move out of her hotel and sleep in the bed with him that night, there was no sex for a month.

John had already committed to a consulting engagement that would see him traveling for many weeks. Because of John's travel, on the nights that they did sleep in the same bed, it was just a scared couple clinging to each other hoping for a better future, which slowly came.

He hadn't been in any hurry to find a place to live, because he planned on traveling with his job and would just spend the weekends with his parents, which they liked.

Monica's meeting with Spencer the following week went very well. Spencer gave her a sign-on bonus, which made up for the bonus she lost when she quit working for Linda. She poached a couple of her old team from her previous company and rounded out her team at Wilcox, which she did like. The lunch date with Donald and his team did occur, but in Austin, with Spencer, who was very pleased to have regained a healthy piece of business and to have taken another step towards rebuilding his firm.

With Austin's hot housing market, John's travel and her new job, it took them a while to find a place to live, which may have been the best thing for them. Living with John's parents for a couple of months was a stabilizing presence in their life. Once they found a house, Beverly helped to coordinate much of the move out of their San Antonio apartment and into their new home. She was thrilled to have the two of them back together and in the same city as her and her husband. Unannounced, but expected, grandchildren had her eager with anticipation.

Finally, after John's consulting engagement ended, and their new house was ready, he and Monica were ready to start the next phase of their life, where Monica's priority was their marriage. They prioritized dinner together every night and a date-night at least once a week. They also visited with his parents often, since they were in the same town.

As John reconnected with old friends from where he grew up, Monica and John integrated into a new social structure with friends and families that had enough fun and activities that Monica was less focused on work, and more focused on her life outside of work. It was a good time for them and less than a year after their move, they announced that they were expecting twins.

They kept in touch, distantly, with the Suttons, who were happy they had worked things out. Even Andrea was pleased for them, hoping that her "chat" with Monica had helped her see the light.

They never had to use the safe-word, "Andrea," thank goodness. Actually, they had to change it, because Andrea eventually landed in Austin, thanks to their help in matching her with someone they knew.

A year after the twins were born, they decided to take another cruise, but in the Mediterranean, as Monica had mentioned. There was no laptop taken on that cruise, by either of them. It was simply a happy couple appreciating their place in life, and no longer letting anything but their family come first.

Well, there, that's it. Not sure why I feel the need to write sometimes, but this is what came out. This whole story started when I thought about a LW getting left behind on a ship. There have been other good stories about that where it was because the wife cheated, and I wanted to do something a little different.

Wilcox Capital Bankers cleaning house was part of The Halloween Party. Give it a spin if you have a few moments.

I'm still reading all the great stories from the highway song stories, but laptopwriter has yet another great one with Little Bright Eyes. I highly recommend it. Though not part of that series, but also great, is SemperAmare's Nurse Penny. They are both worth your time.