Coffee in Common

by Dee Mann

"Same old, same old. I put together a two page ad for Charles Clothiers. They're having a big sale next month. What about your day?"

  "Un-be-lievable." He picked up one of the glasses of wine and took a sip. "You really are not going to believe what happened today. But the curry's ready. Let's get settled and then I'll tell you all about it."

  Jillian set the table while he scooped rice into each dish and ladled generous servings of curry over it. He set one at each place and sat down.

  She began to eat, but her attention was on Paul. She let him consume two spoonfuls before insisting he tell her the big news.

  "Remember this morning when I said it was strange Rob didn't meet us outside the subway station and didn't answer his cell when I called?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, he never showed up for work."

  "So you never found out what happened with him and Lisa?"

  "Oh I found out. But relax. All in good time. Anyway, he didn't show up for work and Tom seemed a little miffed given that he'd run out Friday morning and not come back. So he was not in the greatest of moods around noon when the call came in."

  "Not Brian again!"

  "Nope. He called a little after nine, as usual, and Priya hung up on him, as usual. This time, it was Rob. As soon as he heard Rob's voice, Tom started in on him. It really wasn't like Tom. He's usually so steady and calm. Not today, though.

  "After a minute, Tom paused for a breath and that was when Rob evidently apologized for not calling in, told him he was at the airport, and would be there with an explanation and lunch for all of us as soon as he could get a taxi."

  He reached for his wine glass.

  "The airport? What was he…"

  "Just wait. About forty-five minutes later Rob walked through the door with bags from DelFlorio's."

  He paused for a sip of wine, more curry, and another sip of wine to wash it down. Then he continued with how Rob had searched for and found Lisa.

  "Married! Are you serious?"

  Paul grinned. "Didn't I say you wouldn't believe it?

  "It seems that when she was nineteen, she spent Christmas break in the Bahamas. Three days into the vacation, she fell for this rich French kid who's also on vacation. One thing led to another and ten days later they decided to get married.

  "A week later, he told her he had to fly home so he could pick up some things he needed. She wanted to go with him, but he convinced her to stay and enjoy the sun since he would only be gone a couple of days. Then he'd be back, they could finish out the vacation together, and he would come to the US to live with her while she finished school.

  "They'd pretty much been living in Lisa's room since they were married, but most of his stuff was still in his own room. The day he's going back, he told her he wanted to check out of his room and move his stuff to her room. So he goes upstairs to pack and take a shower. While he's in the shower, someone comes into his hotel room and steals his watch and jewelry, his wallet with all his credit cards, his return ticket, and all his cash.

  "First, he makes a big scene with the hotel, then confides to Lisa that he's terribly embarrassed because he probably forgot to lock the door when he went in to shower. Plus, his father is constantly accusing him of being irresponsible and he's mortified at having to call him for money to get home. Naturally, Lisa wouldn't hear of her husband doing such a thing, so she whipped out her credit card, paid his hotel bill, bought him a first class round trip ticket, and gave him a few thousand in cash. The next morning, with the shuttle to the airport waiting, he kissed her goodbye with tears in his eyes at having to part from her for even a few days.

  "Four days later, after not hearing a word from him, discovering the phone number he gave her wasn't in service, and that the address he wrote down didn't exist, she realized she'd been conned."

  "Oh no, that's horrible."

  "True, but it gets worse."

  "She was so humiliated at having fallen for the con that it never occurred to her the marriage might be legal. She hadn't told anyone she knew, not even the friend she went with because the friend had latched onto a local guy the first day and she hadn't seen her since. So she decided to bury the whole thing. What she didn't do was file a police report, or for an annulment or divorce."

  "Okay. But all that still doesn't explain why Rob was at the airport this morning."

  "I'm coming to that. Evidently it had occurred to Lisa a couple of times over the years that she should do something about it, but she was always afraid it would get back to her parents. Last week, she made an appointment with a lawyer for this Wednesday to start the process of an annulment, if possible, or a divorce if not. The big problem was, of course, she didn't know where the guy was and if Marcel Portanier was even his real name.

  "She was hoping she'd never have to tell anyone about what had happened. If an annulment came through, it would be like she'd never been married at all. I guess that was why she sort of freaked out when Rob proposed. She knew they'd get married one day, but never expected him to pop the question so soon. And then he reacted as badly as she had and, well, you know."

  Jillian nodded.

  "Anyway, when Rob heard all this, he decided this was his chance to make up for everything he'd screwed up with her since day one. First, he convinced her she had to tell her parents about it. After all, they're both big-time lawyers with big-time connections. And those connections paid off. It took him most of the weekend to talk her into it, but Sunday morning, they drove to the Cape, met with her father and mother, told them the story of her marriage, and asked for their help.

  "In true lawyerly fashion, her dad called a friend in the State Department who put him in touch with someone in the American Embassy in Nassau who was owed a favor by someone in the Registrar General's office who promised that first thing this morning the documents needed to get the ball rolling here in Massachusetts would be ready.

  "Then her mother volunteered the company jet to go pick up the documents. She intended to have one of the her aides make the trip since Lisa would be needed here as they prepared all the legal papers, but Rob offered to go. He left about six this morning. Someone was waiting at the airport with the papers when he arrived in Nassau and Lisa was waiting at Logan when he returned. From what he said, annulment papers were filed in court this afternoon."

  "That really is incredible. So how long before she gets the annulment?"

  "Rob wasn't sure, but he figured it would take considerably less time than usual."

  Jillian shook her head, trying to assimilate it all. "I guess you did have quite a day."

  "But that isn't even the end of it."

  "There's more?"

  Paul nodded. "But not about Rob and Lisa. About Priya."

  "Priya?" Priya was her friend! "Well tell me!"

  "After Rob told us everything that happened, he took off after promising Tom to be in early and work late for the rest of the week. So it was just Tom, Priya, and me for the rest of the day.

  "We all left together about five-thirty. No sooner had we stepped off the elevator than Priya said ‘crap!' and nodded toward the front doors. Brian was waiting there.

  "I asked her if she wanted me and Tom to go break the guy's legs, but she only wanted me to make him go away. So I told Tom to take her arm and walk out with her and I would stop Brian. I walked ahead and right up to the guy, but all the time he was fixed on Priya.

  "I told him she didn't want to talk with him, but it was like he didn't even hear me. As she and Tom approached he tried to go around me but I stayed in front of him, so he said loud enough for her to hear, ‘All I want to do is talk to you. You owe me that much. You…' He never finished because she'd gone through the door. He tried to go around me again so I grabbed his arm and when he tried to shake me off I pinned him, which, in hindsight, wasn't too smart because he probably could've had me arrested for assault or something. But it got his attention. I tried to look menacing and told him again to leave her alone, but, well, who knows?"

  "Did
you catch up to Priya and tell her?"

  "Nah. I hung around near the front door for a few minutes until I figured she had time to get to the subway. I'll talk to her tomorrow and explain what happened. Maybe she should talk to him, if only to get him off her back."

  "Why don't you call her after dinner?"

  "No, I don't think so," he said, his eyes sparkling. "I have other plans for my lips tonight."

  THURSDAY, MAY 27

  9:15 AM

  When the phone on Priya's desk rang at 9:15, Tom barked at her not to touch it. Everyone in the office knew it was Brian.

  He'd been calling every day at 9:15, and every day, Priya hung up as soon as she heard his voice. They all knew about the flowers he'd sent last week, the singing telegram on Sunday morning, the candy that was waiting for her when she arrived home Monday, and more flowers Tuesday. There hadn't been a gift yesterday, but the phone calls kept coming. Paul and Rob thought it was funny the guy kept trying so hard on such a lost cause, but Tom hadn't shared in the humor. In fact, all week, he hadn't seen the humor in much of anything and had been growing more choleric by the day. Yesterday, when Rob decided to take a chance and ask if he was okay, the glare he received in response left no doubt in anyone's mind that Tom wanted to be left alone with whatever was bothering him.

  He pressed the line button on his phone, picked up the handset and said, "Hello" in a voice that was on the verge of boiling over with anger.

  As soon as he knew it was Brian, Tom erupted like a volcano that could no longer withstand the pressure of the magma boiling inside.

  "Look you asshole," he yelled, "what the hell is wrong with you?" He then spent two full minutes telling Brian what he thought of him and threatening everything short of murder if he ever called the office again. None of the team had ever before heard him use such language. Priya actually cringed at some of the things he was yelling into the phone.

  When he finished and slammed down the receiver, he sat still, glaring at nothing as his co-workers watched, unwilling to even breathe too loudly. After a few minutes they saw his eyes come back into focus. Seconds later he stood, said, "I uh, I need to take a walk," and vanished out the door.

  The three sat wide-eyed for a few seconds before Paul said, "Holy shit!"

  Leftover tension still charged the air in the room, so much so that Priya started laughing quietly in response. "Holy shit indeed! Can you believe that?"

  "Pri, I know you said Tuesday that you wouldn't see him again, and that you don't want to talk about him anymore, but maybe you really should just talk to the guy and put an end to this. Either that, or get a restraining order." Paul shrugged apologetically but could see the determination in her eyes never wavered.

  Tom returned thirty minutes later and apologized to everyone for losing it, especially to Priya for cussing as he did in front of her.

  "I've had a lot on my mind this week," he told them as he took his seat. They all started to reassure him but he cut them off. "I have to tell you guys something. She won't let me talk to any family or neighbors or anyone, and I suppose that includes you three, but it's starting to affect my work and I…damn!" He shook his head and sighed, "Patti found this lump in her breast. A big one. And we're freaking out about it. She has an appointment with the doctor this afternoon, but then they'll have to do a biopsy and, oh shit, what if it's…it's…I can't even say the word." He appeared to be on the verge of tears.

  Rob and Paul were speechless, but Priya jumped right in with words of sorrow and comfort.

  "I know the chance of it being…bad is small," he told her, recovering his composure, "especially at her age, but what if it is? What if…" He was afraid to voice the possibility, as if doing so might make it happen.

  She stood and walked over to his desk. "Tom, I can't imagine keeping that inside all week. You poor guy." When he didn't look up at her, she crouched down so she could see his face. "Go home. Go home right now and take Patti to the doctor this afternoon."

  "But she made me come to work. She said she didn't want me to…"

  "Baloney. She's just trying to be strong and not show you how scared she is. I know it's confusing, but sometimes we really don't want you guys to listen to us. Of course, you idiots invariably pick the wrong times. But think about this. If you're this upset, imagine how she must be feeling, regardless of what she says.

  "You know all the stuff you've been imagining, all the stuff you keep trying to drive from your head before it takes root and becomes real? Well she's struggling with the same things. And if she's like most women I know, she's not telling you half of the things she's imagined because she doesn't want you to worry more.

  "So get out of here before I make Paul and Rob drag you out. We can take care of things here. You go home and be with her. Be strong for her. And listen to her.

  "You can't be a guy and solve this problem. You can listen if she wants to talk and hold her if she wants to cry or scream or rant.

  "And don't even think about coming to work tomorrow. You stay home and do some family stuff with her and the kids. Have a long weekend together. Get her out of the house and do something so she won't be dwelling on all the bad possibilities. If it turns out to be nothing, you'll have goofed off a little. And if it turns out to be something, you'll have had some important time together before all the crap starts.

  "So no excuses. Go. And don't tell her you told us."

  "Priya I…"

  "I said go!"

  Tom smiled. "I just wanted to say thank you…"

  Priya blushed. "Oh!"

  "…but I'll go now." He slid some papers into his briefcase, grabbed his jacket, and started to leave, but paused at the door and said to Priya, "You know, it's strange sometimes how you almost read people's minds. Someday, you're going to make a really scary boss."

  SUNDAY, MAY 30

  5:10 AM

  Rob turned the corner onto Beach Ave as the edge of the sun peeked over the horizon.

  When he awakened at four, he rolled on his side to watch Lisa sleep while he thought about all that had transpired over the past ten days. Almost immediately, her foot reached out in her sleep to find him. They often slept entwined, but even on those nights when tossing and turning moved them apart, whenever he awoke, some part of her, an arm, a foot, or her marvelous backside, would be pressed against, draped over, or touching him somewhere.

  He felt an ache in his chest as he reached out to stroke her hair. She was so beautiful, so peaceful as she lay curled in the fetal position. At least she looked that way when she wasn't snoring.

  The memory of her indignation the morning, several months ago, when he'd suggested she might want to invest in some of those breathing strips to cut down on the decibel level made him chuckle. Then, unable to fall back to sleep, he'd decided to go for an early morning run.

  He was headed back, now. Another ten minutes and he would be in a nice warm shower. He wished he could wake her and make love, but she was funny about that. Although her parents never seemed to have a problem getting it on when Lisa was around, he discovered the last time they stayed over that she couldn't get comfortable having sex with them in the house. Even if they were sound asleep.

  "Might have to make it a cold shower," he muttered, watching the waves stroke the beach as he ran.

  He and Lisa drove down right after work Friday, expecting to have the house to themselves until Saturday morning, but when they arrived, her parents' Mercedes was parked in the drive. Fortunately for Lisa's psyche, they had been engaged in nothing more than some cuddling and kissing on the sofa in front of the fireplace when they walked in.

  All weekend, both parents had been very pleasant toward him. Not the gracious and courteous he was used to, but downright nice. It was almost as if they suddenly liked him.

  He shivered, partly from the cool air, but mostly because it felt strange for them to be treating him like…like…he couldn't find the right word and so shrugged and plodded on.

  As he approached the back
door to the kitchen, he noticed the light was on. He was pretty sure he'd turned it off when he left, but maybe not. The mystery was solved when he opened the door and was greeted by Lisa's father.

  "Good morning, Rob. Have a good run?"

  "Good morning, sir. Yes, I did. The air was cool, with a light breeze coming off the water."

  "That's great…" He was smiling. "…but, I think it's time you stopped calling me sir. Chad will do fine."

  Wow! This friendliness was getting spooky.

  "Yes, sir, I mean, okay, Chad. Do you do any running?"

  "I jog a bit, but nothing like when I was your age. Did you know I used to run track in high school and college?" Rob shook his head. "I was okay, even won some races, but I was a little too stocky to ever become a great runner. After law school, most of the running I did was on company treadmills to help stay in shape. But now…well, Lissy and I sometimes take early morning jogs. Or walks."

  "Well, walking is good, too. I hope I didn't wake you when I went out earlier."

  "No. I'm always up this early. Force of habit from too many years of having to review case files before going to court. I just made some coffee. Want a cup?"

  Oh no. He makes terrible coffee. But he obviously wants company.

  "Sure." He went to the fridge for the cream.

  Cups in hand, they sat at the kitchen table for only a few seconds before Chad said, "Rob, I want to say something to you."

  Oh-oh. What is this about?

  "I don't think it's any secret that when you and Lisa first started dating, Lissy and I were not exactly thrilled about it. No, that's not fair. Lissy was happy that Lisa was happy.

  "I, on the other hand, had somewhat stronger opinions. I always thought Lisa would someday marry a lawyer like her dad. And for years I've literally hated the men she ran with. Most of them were nothing but pretty boys or self-styled studs whose only interest in my daughter seemed to be her body and her trust fund."