The German Triangle

by Carl Messinger

  Margaret knocked softly on the door, walked in and told Ron that it was five o'clock and she was leaving and would see him on Monday. “Natalie is still here,” she said and would take care of whatever he needed. Ron smiled and nodded in appreciation of her efforts that day and said “Have a quiet evening and a restful Sunday, we have another busy week ahead of us.” With that she turned and quickly walked out of the office to head home.

  Ron worked diligently without looking at the clock. Natalie would come into the office periodically to bring in new updates and pick up the reviewed ones for incorporation into the proposed final document or to return them to the Regions for their review and approval. During one such visit she reached to deposit reviews into Ron's in-box as he absentmindedly reached for the next one and for the first time their hands touched. Natalie quickly spoke up and said, “I'm sorry.” They both looked down at the touching hands, neither in any hurry to move them. “No problem,” Ron said. “Your hands are nice and soft.”

  “Thank you,” she said, slowly withdrawing her hand. “Well back to work. There is a lot to do.” She turned headed back to her desk.. Barely out of Ron's office, she raised the touched hand and gave it a little kiss and resumed the trek to her desk. Soon she was hard at work doing what she was hired to do.

  Ron watched her walk away, her hips causing the loose skirt to sway and her heels clicking as they touched the floor. She exited the office and returned to her desk. He returned to his task at hand, his mind in a completely other place.

  And so it begins.

  He remembered that afternoon when he met his now wife, Lannis. He remembered her standing there just to say hello and welcome home. He remembered the glow in her eyes, the softness of her hand as he took it, and the smile on her face as he suggested meeting sometime in the future away from the crowd. He remembered the joy of their wedding, the thrill of the honeymoon, and the happiness of knowing their first child was soon to be. And the magnification of that happiness upon hearing the news of the second child.

  And he also remembered the strange and somewhat unknowing erosion of that happiness slowly drifting away. Why, he had asked himself many times, but he came up with no solid answer. And while he thrashed about in the uncertainty, he could sense his wife going through the same conflict. Soon there was little communication other than that about the children and their schoolwork. Lannis would spend her time with her friends, leaving Ron alone at night, which prompted the building of the office bedroom. As time went by, he used it more than the house. And soon, they were living an empty existence, fueled and kept together only by the two kids they both loved.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Acouple of hours later he released his mind from the papers on his desk and looked around the office. He got up and walked around his desk to the outer office and saw Natalie still hard at work there. He walked over to her desk and stopped in front of it.

  “I think it's about time to call it a day,” he said. She looked up at him. “Why don't you give it a rest and go home and---, wait,” he continued. “I know of a little place around the corner that serves real good pizza. If you have no other plans, perhaps you would like to join me and we can relax together?”

  Natalie thought for a quick minute. “That sounds like a plan to me. I have no other plans and a slice or two of pizza sounds appetizing.”

  “OK,” he said. “Let's wrap things up around here and I'll meet you by the front door.”

  Ten minutes later they met by the front door. Ron activated the security system, held the door for Natalie, and locked it behind her. “Let's drive in my car. I know the way and since I will be coming back here tonight, you can pick up your car after we eat.”

  She looked at him with a questioning look on her face. “Why are you coming back here?” she asked.

  After a pregnant pause Ron said, “It's a long story. We can talk about it over pizza.”

  Ten minutes later they pulled into the parking lot and five minutes later were seated at a booth near the back of the tiny restaurant. They ordered drinks and agreed on a pizza and settled in to wait for its delivery to their table.

  “Well,” said Natalie, “what's the long story?”

  He stared intently into her eyes and tried to remember the last ten years and how best to explain it, something he had never done before. “About ten years ago,” he started, “my wife and I started to grow apart. I don't know why or even how that happened, but it did. It was after the birth of our second child and it seemed like the magic was gone. Oh we were cordial and polite to each other but the spark that drove us together in the first place seemed to have extinguished itself. Her interests were centered around the kids, which was a good thing. My interests became centered around the growth of the company which was a not so good of a thing. I justified it as being responsible for the well-being of my family and for the families of those working for me and anything less would be irresponsible. I kept plugging away and she kept taking care of the kids, taking them to band practice, soccer games, school activities, all of which I missed because of work. This continued on for years and she was getting frustrated at me because of it. Our intimate moments became far and few between and it became apparent that our togetherness as a family was being split. After years of trying to figure out what was happening and even going to some counseling, she asked me if I wanted a divorce. I said no. I was not going to admit to failure so I decided, we decided, to stay together to ensure that the kids were cared for. Even now that sounds stupid as I had not been there for them for years. But that was the reasoning we used for ourselves. In reality, it may have been the desire to maintain our social standing, our friends, or whatever. In any event, we stayed together. After that discussion, I told my wife that I was moving into the spare room so as to not have her feel that she had to be intimate with me. We have not had sex since that evening. When the new building was being built, I had a small room added to my office with a closet, bathroom, and small bed that I could use on those nights when I worked late and did not want to go home. It was just sometimes easier than trying to deal with the reality of the situation. Last week we discussed and agreed on arrangements for a divorce. It is interesting how discussions with a wife swiftly turn to negotiations when a divorce raises its ugly head. We decided to keep it quiet until it is completed. That should be in a couple of weeks as we know some people who can push it through. After that, there is no more hiding it.”

  Ron paused, and paused some more. It was the first time that he had tried to verbally explain to anyone what had been and was happening at home. He was not even sure that he had explained it correctly, just that is how he recalled it at the time.

  He leaned back in his chair, let out a painful sigh and stared at Natalie, trying to guess what her reaction would be.

  Natalie had leaned forward while Ron was talking, listening to every word and trying to understand both the words and the meaning behind them. When he was done, she reached across the table and gently rested her hand on his. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I should not have been so intrusive.”

  “No sorry needed. I needed to hear it myself.”

  The pizza came and their conversation turned to other things which continued during the ride back to the office. Ron parked next to Natalie's car and walked her to the door. She got in and rolled the window down to say good night. Ron bent down to give her a kiss. With a pixie-like smile, she raised her hand and with one finger turned his head sideways. With that, she leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.

  “Later,” she said, put the car in gear and drove off. Ron watched as she drove away, smiled and went to his office and to bed remembering that word “later”.

  Natalie walked into her apartment, sat down, picked up the phone and dialed a number. An older woman answered on the other end. “Momma,” said Natalie, “I think I found the one,” began the two hour conversation.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Why,” said the elderly voice. The w
ord resounded through Natalie's brain as if it were a gunshot.

  “Why” is a funny word,” she thought. It is small, only three little letters, two close together in the alphabet both divided and joined by a third which lies somewhere near the beginning. But it is a strong word, causing people to think, to reason, and to articulate a purpose for doing something. It causes one to dig into the mind, not with a shovel or even a big heavy machine scratching the mere surface. It is more like a huge boulder crashing its way through the emotional ocean till it reaches the bedrock of thought, revealing the truth. She was not there yet.

  “Momma,” she said,” you taught me to judge people not only by the things they do and how they do them, but also what they don't do, and how they don't do them. I have only known this gentleman for a week, and I don't use that term “gentleman” lightly. I have seen him work around people, seen him interact with employees from vice presidents to maintenance personnel, to janitors. He treats them all the same, respecting them for the jobs they are doing, praising them for the work they are doing and encouraging them to extend themselves and be the best they can be. On the other hand, I have seen him quietly take an employee aside and counsel him as to how to do better, not in front of others, but rather one on one. And I have seen employees after such a session return with tears in their eyes for having failed this man, and redouble their efforts to do better. People don't do that for others who don't care for them.”

  “This man is smart and confident,” she continued, “and believes he can make a difference, not only in the business world, but also in the lives of those who work with him. I told you before that my position is a temporary one, helping put together a proposal which would be a big step in the growth of the company. The primary admin and I have worked out a schedule where she comes to work in the morning and leaves around five o'clock in the evening. I come in around noon and stay until the day is done, usually around nine in the evening. It works well, and since most of the employees leave around five or six, I have several hours working directly with this man. During those hours he is usually on the phone with people out west, offering suggestions for improvement, congratulating them on their successes, asking about their families, and generally checking on them. That is something he does not have to do, but he does it.”

  “Earlier this evening, when things had quieted down, he asked me if I wanted to go for some pizza before we closed for the day. He drove to this little place a couple of miles away and we ordered pizza and a pitcher of coke. We chatted for a while before returning to the office, where he was staying that night. When I questioned him about that, he openly told me that he and his wife were and had been going through a bad time but had decided to stay together for the sake of the children. That time had passed and they had filed for a divorce. He had moved into the spare bedroom, but spent most of his nights at the office, which included a small apartment-like space. After that discussion, I drove home alone and we are talking now.”

  “As for what he doesn't do, I am at a little bit of a loss because of the short length of time I have known him. I know he doesn't drink, at least he didn't when we had pizza. I know he doesn't smoke as there is not even an ashtray in his office. He doesn't swear, well, not much anyway, and only very quietly when alone. I have not seen or heard him belittle anyone, though it has only been a week, but others I talk with seem to confirm that. Even when someone goes into his office with a question, the answer of which he already knows, he doesn't preach to them when they should know. He uses the Socratic method of teaching by asking questions of the person in such a manner that the person figures out the answer themselves without being told. The result is that both the knowledge and confidence of the person in need comes out of the meeting feeling that they have solved the problem and just needed a little direction and prodding. As a result they will never be afraid to ask for help again. And that is a good thing.”

  The elderly voice cautioned Natalie to go slowly, take the time to get to know each other in different situations.

  “Time reveals many things, both good and bad and while you can't get it back, it is best to use it wisely to help make better decisions. So, no rushing my Dear. Take it slowly as this is something that has many facets, not the least of which is his marriage. Let things sort themselves out and if it is meant to be, it will be. I have known both sides of that and experienced both the joy and the sadness of them. It is part of life. Now, my Dear, it is late here and I need to get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow after you have had a little time to think about it. So, sleep tight my Dear. Love you.”

  “Good night, Momma. Love you too.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Ron woke around seven with two things on his mind, “later” and “proposal”. But it was soon the latter which came to the front. After getting dressed, he walked directly into the conference room and studied the status boards. Margaret was busy updated the boards with the latest from the week-end. He happily noticed that most of the reds had vanished, replaced with yellows and some greens. One region was done, all its parts covered with green stickers and a smiley green face stared out from the region header. It was a good start for the second week of proposal preparation.

  Margaret looked at him and said, “Looks good. We should be wrapping more of the regions up this week. After that will be the actual assembling of the package and the delivery. How do you plan on having it delivered?”

  Ron thought for a minute. “We will make three sets of the package,” he replied. One will be hand-carried to them on one of our planes. A second will be hand-carried on a commercial flight, and the third will remain here, so we can refer to it if there are any comments or concerns from the other side. That way we should be covered. I'll have Dick pick the people to hand-carry the proposals and set up the flights. You continue to do what you are doing now and remember to use Natalie when you need her. Oh, and thanks for the job you are doing, Margaret. We all appreciate it.”

  Margaret smiled at the compliment, nodded her head, and turned back to her task.

  With that, Ron turned and walked back to his desk. “Later” surged to the front.

  The week moved ahead like a roller-coaster, some ups and some downs, but always on the move. Each day started with a quick review of the prior day's results and the determining of the current day's goals. A break was taken when lunch arrived. Ron was successful in sitting near Natalie a couple of times but caution dictated that nobody realize the interaction between the two. As a result, other than eye contact, there was little communication between them.

  As Friday rolled around and people began to make plans for the week-end, believing that there would be no work on Saturday or Sunday, Ron took a late lunch after most of the others were done. He sat next to Margaret and they chatted about things other than work. Things like the new buildings that Rutgers was building on the river. They talked about the old neighborhood and what had become of the hardware store. They laughed and shared stories about the old Italian and Hungarian restaurants that used to reside in the area and the corner bars where the old men would spend their afternoons before heading back up the street for their daily nap. They talked about the local Catholic Church where the Mass was said in Latin and the sermon in Hungarian. No one under the age of twenty understood a word the priests were saying. But that was all right as there was nobody at the Mass that was under twenty.

  As they were chatting, Natalie walked by the conference room and Margaret motioned her to join them. She said something about work, but Margaret would not take no for an answer and insisted she join them. So she did. The three of them enjoyed the banter that ensued for the next fifteen minutes, until Margaret got a call she had to answer, leaving Ron and Natalie there alone.

  “Got any plans for the weekend?” Ron asked.

  “The usual stuff one does on free days,” Natalie laughingly responded. “Washing, cleaning, shopping, etc. Oh, and I am tinkering with going for my Masters and will possibly visit schools in the area tha
t could offer me what I'm interested in.”

  Realizing the incorrect syntax in her last sentence she giggled and continued “it probably should be English but that's not my cup of tea. Most likely it will be an MBA with some concentration in a particular business area, like finance or quality. I think both are important and there should be opportunities in either of those fields.”

  Ron looked quietly at her. “Have you thought about staying here while you go to school. We could use someone like you and we do have an education program that could help pay for some, if not all, of your school expenses?”

  Natalie stood up, saying “I would like that if possible. Now, I have to go back to work before the boss gets upset with my incessant chatter.” She turned to leave the conference room and go to her desk.

  “One more thing before you go,” Ron said. “Would you like some pizza again this evening. I know this little place around the corner,” he asked, with a sly grin on his face.

  “I wondered if you would ask again,” she replied, with an equally sly grin. Turning to leave, she seemed to float back to her desk, anticipating another good pizza and pleasant company. “A great way to start the week-end,” she thought.

  Chapter Thirty

  What was anticipated to be a quick pizza soon expanded to last the better part of three hours, with each of them telling the other of their life to that date. Ron explained about his desire to fly, the training he went through to get his wings, his terrible accident that resulted in his hospital stay. He talked fondly about his parents, how proud they were about him and how his Dad wanted him to take over the hardware shop only to be told that he wanted something that involved flying. He explained about the welcome home party where he had first met his wife. And he explained how his longing for a successful company had overrun his longing for a successful marriage and how it led him to the position in which he now finds himself, staying together with his wife to benefit the kids, sleeping in separate rooms, and finally his anticipated divorce. And there was his utter devotion to Condor. Not exactly the life he had envisioned for himself but as he grew older, it was the life that was given to him.