Why? Ch. 01

Now, he was well diversified, having holdings in just about everything, from airlines to amusement parks, to companies dealing with weapon research and just about everything else inbetween. I could now understand what Melissa had meant in her warning to me. But, what would a guy like that, who could have any woman, be wanting with my wife? It didn't make sense. His own wife, Diane was a gorgeous woman, as least based on the few blurred photos of her I'd seen on the web. Melissa was no slouch in the looks department, however, she wasn't in the same league as Conrad's wife.

Something didn't make sense. Well, nothing made sense. My elation evaporated quicker than it came, leaving me feeling lost and utterly confused. What do I do now? I'd been thinking a millionaire. Or even a multi-millionaire, but a billionaire?. How do you approach those kind of people. None of the company's clients were that wealthy, most being multi-millionaires, which isn't anything to sneeze at, but billionaires were a different breed of animal.

They had hard case security personnel surrounding them 24/7 for pity's sake. Contacting Conrad's wife no longer seemed possible. Hell, what had Melissa gotten herself, and me, into?

Feeling more dejected than I had since Melissa had left, I went to bed truly at a loss.

The rest of the week was pretty much the same, the feeling of uncertainty stayed with me, and for some reason, a apprehensiveness tended to come and go, almost as if my subconscious knew something and was trying to keep me from finding out. Shit, it was the story of my life, first my wife and now my own subconscious.

By the end of the week, I was tired of how I felt. Which I attributed to being stymied, adding to my indecision of contacting Diane Miller. The weekend was more of the same until Sunday night. I sat watching the idiot box, when one of those one minute news briefs was shown at the end of one show and before the beginning of another show. I wasn't paying attention to what was being said, until I saw the face of Conrad Miller as big as life on the screen.

I'd missed most of what was said, but I managed to get an idea of what the news item was about; Miller was in Africa to set up a school and helping to get an independent local economy up and going. They'd been interviewing him, but before the camera cut out, in the background, I swear I saw the figure of someone resembling my wife, talking to a few small children.

What the hell?

I stewed over what I'd seen for several minutes, before I checked it out on the web. I was shaking from the effects of both the excitement of the find and the trepidation of what more I'd find. Sure enough, there were a few news items concerning Conrad Miller's trip to Africa. Apparently he was there to jump off his newest charity. One in which he was to take an active hand in. I guess so, he'd been there for the last five months --with my wife.

Whatever compulsion had overcome me the past week, was broken. Just like that. My thoughts had been haltered too long, and they burst loose. All sorts of ideas and plans came to the forefront of my mind, overwhelming me. I suppose some part of me had continued working on the problem of contacting Diane Miller, and this was the result. One plan stood out among the rest, and I was going to implement it come first thing Monday morning. I was filled with an abundance of nervous energy, which I put to good use. I finished off the master bedroom and moved my things in.

It was with a strange feeling I lay down that night, in a new bed, in a practically new bedroom. I'd even repainted the master bath and installed new fixtures. I didn't know what would await me after tomorrow, it was a brave new world I was about to enter, and I knew there was no going back. Yet, for the first time since Melissa left I was at peace with myself.