by Leah Kay
“My family hasn’t moved, Jim. It’s just me here,” he responds humbly and continues with his lunch.
An awkward silence falls over them as they try to comprehend the meaning behind his revelation.
Claire feels bad that the team broached a sensitive subject unintentionally and tries to help. “So guess what Isha and I are doing this weekend?”
Looking up from his plate, Nathan welcomes the distraction with a smile.
“What are you two up to now?” Daniel asks, equally welcoming the change in topic.
“We get to witness Mother Monster’s miracles tonight.”
With a quizzical look, Nathan asks, “Is that what you call your mother?”
Claire laughs. “No! It’s Lady Gaga.”
“Good to know. Having dinner with her?” Nathan teases her.
“We wish. Liam works in marketing at the Well Fargo Center, and he has free tickets to the show. Since he will busy with coordination, Isha and I plan to enjoy his hard-earned tickets.”
“That’s a resourceful friend to have,” Nathan says, only to hear Claire reply, “Tell that to Isha. She is the one married to him.”
He finds that information oddly discomforting. However, he assures himself that it is better that Isha is married. He doesn’t need any more complications in his life at this point.
Before he can stop himself, he says, “I didn’t know she was married.”
“For five years now. They just celebrated their wedding anniversary last month,” Claire adds, feeling good about the successful change of topic.
On their walk back to work, Claire catches up to Nathan. “This is a great tradition, thank you for doing it.”
Pleased with her feedback, Nathan replies, “And thank you for staging that major distraction. Poor Isha was the scapegoat.”
Claire laughs. “She can handle it. And if she were here, she would have done the same thing for you. She thinks very highly of you.”
“I wouldn’t know. She barely talks to me,” Nathan confides in her.
Shaking her head at the chaos Isha kicked off, Claire comforts him. “Give her time, she will come around.”
Claire arrives back to her cube to find Isha in deep thought. “Easy there, tiger!”
Isha shrieks, “You are back! How was it?”
Claire fills her in on Nathan’s accidental revelation. Isha’s anxiety returns hearing there is trouble in paradise for him. It was difficult managing her nerves when she assumed he had a healthy marriage, but knowing that may not be the case shoots her into a state of paranoia.
Wrapping up for the day, Nathan takes a pleasant stroll down Market Street to explore Old City before meeting with Laura Ingram, his relocation agent. Known as America’s historic square mile, Old City oozes with rich historical and cultural heritage. As he walks past Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Old City Hall, Betsy Ross House, the historic Carpenters’ Hall and many other national treasures he is transported to a different era. The neighborhood’s cobblestone pathways and art galleries remind him of Lily. She would love this! He takes one of the cobblestone pathways, passing a few street performers providing live entertainment to the locals, and ultimately walking into Old City Coffee to meet up with Laura. She lines up a few appointments for him to check out available properties in the area.
“Hello Nathan!” Laura beams, taking in the sight of the attractive man in front of her.
Nathan flashes a polite smile. “Hi Laura. Thank you for taking care of things today on such short notice.”
Taking pleasure in his company, she replies, “Of course! I have some great places for you to check out. I have to say I am surprised you decided to rent and not own. This is a buyer’s market; you might be losing a great opportunity.”
Nathan is very well accustomed to sales tactics. “I think renting suits my lifestyle at the moment,” he says, leading the way out of the coffee shop. What he doesn’t want to admit to her is that he is at a strange crossroads in his life and making a long-term commitment doesn’t seem like a wise choice.
Walking on the busy side streets in Old City, Laura can’t help but notice the attention Nathan is commanding. Dressed in jeans and a crisp white shirt paired with aviators, he looks striking. His long-legged stride matched with a fitted body is an alluring sight to many. She takes him to a condominium building, which was once a warehouse that was later flipped into trendy lofts. Located on a cobblestone street, it resembles quintessential Philadelphia. They take the elevator to the 5th floor, and exit to make a right, and enter the unit.
Natural light pours into the street-facing loft unit lined with a wall of windows on one side. On the other side, the walls are covered in exposed brick with a traditional structural arch entryway into an updated kitchen. The living room is spacious with tall ceilings, with an open kitchen and dining area concept. Two good-sized bedrooms with attached baths complete the loft unit. She takes him through the elevator to the rooftop deck that is accessible to all residents, with fantastic views of the city. Nathan immediately falls in love with the loft and can picture Lily loving it as much as he does. Thirty minutes later, he fills out an application, drops off the deposit at the office located on the first floor of the building, and walks out with keys to his new place. Barely containing his excitement, he calls Lily to share his latest news with her on his walk back to the hotel.
At 7:00 p.m., Isha and Claire enter Wells Fargo center after a successful pre-gaming event at Isha’s place, which included jamming to Lady Gaga’s essential hits and a bottle of rosé . Thanks to Liam, they make themselves comfortable in great seats. The crowd is anxious to see Gaga, and there are enough handmade signs in the arena to make the Monster Mother proud. Liam stops by briefly before the show begins. “You both look great!” He leans in and kisses Isha. “I have a few things to take care of with the sponsors, and as soon as I am done, I will join you guys.” He introduces them to a few other folks sitting in the same area. Like them, they are friends and family of other Well Fargo employees who are there to enjoy the fruits of their families’ labor.
Subtlety is the not the name of the game when it comes to Gaga’s performances. Extravagant sets, bright costumes, bridges descending from the sky to form pathways for her to perform on, along with perfectly choreographed moves to her larger-than-life voice—a born performer. Claire and Isha enjoy many drinks as they sing and dance to each one of her songs. Isha pictures herself being there with Nathan and is immediately struck by the oddity of that visual. They are from two different generations, and she wonders if he even knows who Gaga is. Her curiosity towards Nathan’s life piqued with the latest revelation, and she can’t help but wonder what led him to move out on his own. As the night progresses, she loses her trusted self-imposed control to cocktails as Nathan consumes her thoughts and the more he occupies her thoughts, the more she begins to feel anxious as to why she can’t shake them off.
Adamant to prove that she has ultimate control of the situation regardless, she texts Liam. “I need you tonight…” She is sure that an intimate night with him will kick Nathan to the curb.
“Babe, you have no idea… I need to hang back for a bit to baby the sponsors, but I will see you at home before midnight.”
Giddy with excitement, Isha drops off Claire and hurries home. She stumbles her way to her closet upstairs and pulls out a stash of sexy outfits. Picking up a black baby doll outfit and a pair of black strappy sandals, she undoes her modest concert clothes and slips into her chosen attire for her hot night with Liam. At 11:50 p.m. she dabs some perfume behind her ears, freshens her hair and lies in bed seductively awaiting Liam’s arrival. He should be here any minute.
An hour later, the sound of her phone jolts Isha from her deep slumber. She awkwardly wipes the embarrassing drool on the pillow and squints at her phone to read her text. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry. These sponsors are heavily intoxicated and I can�
�t leave them. Please don’t wait up,” Liam texts her.
The exaggerated highs she experienced earlier match the energy of the melodramatic lows now. With a shred of self-pity, she undoes her racy outfit impassively. Donning a sleep shirt, she manages to slip under the covers while leaving a pile of clothes on the floor.
“Goodnight,” she replies to Liam. While fumbling with the charging cord, she notices the last text message from Nathan earlier in the day and her disappointment suddenly turns into baseless rage. She feels as though her plan from earlier to prove that she is in control is mocking her.
“It’d be nice if you would choose your wife once in a while, Liam.”
Chapter 6
Young Love
Nathan could barely sleep all night over the excitement of finally moving out of the hotel and into his new loft. He checks out of the hotel first thing in the morning and moves in with two suitcases. Taking in his new place with the warm morning light pouring in, he facetimes Lily to show her the loft. To his pleasant surprise, she absolutely loves it and begs him to let her decorate it. He could never say no to her and happily obliges to her request. With the relocation company scheduled to deliver his belongings later in the day, he sets off about town to pick up a few pieces to furnish his loft. Lily helps him with his selections while he delegates the designer job to her without a protest. Signing up for an end of the day delivery, he stops at a grocery store to stock his refrigerator. His mind wanders to Isha and he wonders how her night went at the concert. He contemplates sending her a casual text but dismisses the thought instantly, believing she has better things to do than talk to him on the weekend. Except a part of him wishes she would reach out to him. Letting out a hopeless sigh, he walks back to his loft with the groceries.
By noon, Isha is beyond furious with Liam. Not only did he completely ditch her last night but he showed up at home in the wee hours of the morning and is sleeping away their Saturday. Even in a state of agony, she knew better than to pick a fight with an intoxicated man. She pretended to be fast asleep while he slid into bed next to her. After fussing for a while trying to fall back asleep, she gave up and went for a run along the Kelly River instead. A part of her understands the demands of his job, but she is tired of coming in second routinely and worn out of constantly playing the part of an understanding partner. She questions his maturity, his affection towards her and his overall priorities in life. After stopping by a café to grab a coffee and a chai, she walks back to her place.
Stepping in, she notices an exhausted Liam on the couch relaxing to mindless TV with some Advil and a water bottle close by. He notices the coffee in her hands. “You are an angel, thank you.” He gives her a lazy smile.
She walks over to hand him the coffee and takes a seat next to him. Neither of them a say a word and Isha is starting to lose her resolve.
“This coffee is a life-saver.” Liam casually ignores the elephant in the room.
“Yup.” Isha cuts him off.
“Is everything okay?” Liam chooses the wrong words at the wrong time.
“Are you seriously asking if everything is okay?” Isha fumes at him.
“Come on, Isha bear, you know this is my job,” he pleads with her.
“What about the job of being my husband?” she retorts.
“What about it? I did not come home one night to make love to you and I am the bad guy?” Liam defends his turf.
“Don’t you dare tell me it is one night … this has been our life for as long as I can remember,” Isha cries to him.
“You are right. This has been our life since we have known each other, except you were out there having fun with me. At some point, you decided this wasn’t for you and I adapted to it. Expecting me to do the same is unfair.” Liam feels righteous.
“A quiet night with you is far more important to me than a bar crawl with twenty of our friends. Making a meal together trumps extravagant box seats. I grew up, Liam, and I am waiting for you to do the same.” Her eyes follow him wistfully while her words make a sizable dent at his consciousness.
Isha’s words cut deeper than Liam expected. After a sincere apology, he promises to be who she needs him to be. At some level, he has been aware of his choices lately, except Isha never protested until today. Mistaking her patience for nonchalance, he continued to figure out a way to have it all but now realizes what a poor job he has done. Cancelling his dinner plans on with the guys for a movie night in with his wife is one of the many choices he intends on making in the future. Isha, on the other hand, feels guilty for bruising Liam’s feelings as the day goes by. She wishes she had been a bit more understanding with him and more sensitive with her choice of words. Her mother’s advice from their wedding day helps her to set her priorities straight. “You will be forced to say goodbye to many in your life as their chapters come to an end, but only one of them comes into your life with a promise of a lifetime and you must do everything to protect that.”
Monday morning, Nathan kicks off the day with a Project Nexus announcement to targeted site leadership. He spends all morning in back-to-back meetings to get up to speed on the several initiatives his group is responsible for this year. He takes time to meet with all the project leads understanding progress to date and provides informed suggestions to cut out the non-value added work and help them reach their timelines more efficiently.
At noon, he takes the elevator up to the 22nd floor to grab a bite. He waits in line to pick up a sandwich and reload on caffeine to get through the rest of the day. He watches Isha and Claire walk in a few minutes after him, engaged in what appears to be a very entertaining conversation. Isha seems to be narrating a story animatedly to Claire who is in fits listening to her. Other than routine emails, Isha hasn’t initiated any conversations with him and that has left him feeling blue. Unbeknownst to him, he mildly craves her attention.
Claire notices him and waves a big hello. “How’s it going?” Isha remains calm as he approaches them.
“Doing well. How are you guys?” he asks, hoping Isha will answer as well.
“We are doing great! Isha was just telling me how she had trouble winking in high school.”
Nathan looks over at Isha and she quickly turns away pretending to check on her order.
“Hope that isn’t a problem you are still experiencing?” He teases her, hoping to have a conversation with her.
“Not at all. Claire exaggerates. We don’t want to keep you long. I am sure you have a busy day.”
Her message is as clear as day. He takes the hint, wishes them a good day and takes off. Claire is shocked by her dismissal of him.
“Do not start with me.” Isha gets defensive noticing a look of disapproval on Claire’s face.
The truth is Isha blames her dream about Nathan for her big blow up with Liam. If she hadn’t had the dream, she wouldn’t have had to come up with ways to distract herself, which in turn wouldn’t have left her feeling disappointed and picking a fight with Liam. A twisted logic, yet it is hers to hold on to now. This isn’t the first time Liam has taken her for granted, except it stung more this time around. She is desperately seeking security in her marriage to fight her connection with Nathan.
Claire chooses her words carefully. “Nathan is not the guest star in your story, you are making him one.”
Looking to put the weekend behind her, Isha swings by the market to pick up some ingredients for dinner with Liam. She is excited to turn things around with him. Dropping off the groceries on the kitchen island, she runs upstairs to change into something more comfortable. Minutes later, she comes down in a pair of gray drawstring shorts and a white tank top. She ties her hair up in a top knot, but a few strands miss and frame her face. She walks up to her record player in the living area and puts on a Michael Jackson vinyl and does an awkward zombie move into the kitchen to thriller. With an hour to go before Liam comes home, she pulls out two bowls from one
of the kitchen cabinets, one for the apple mixture and one for blueberry filling. She washes her fruit, cuts it up and places it in the bowls. Walking over to the pantry she picks up the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and carefully carries them to the counter, balancing them between her arms and chest. She swings by the refrigerator to pick up butter, pie crusts, and lemon juice, contemplates for a bit and grabs an unfinished bottle of chardonnay from the weekend.
She walks over to the chestnut bar unit in the living room and picks up a wine glass. Listening to Billie Jean, she moonwalks into the kitchen with the wine glass in her hand and helps herself to a heavy pour. Sipping it, she begins working on the pie fillings. Fifteen minutes later, she pulls out her brand-new EZ pockets from the kitchen cabinets and does a hip swing to turn around and place them on the counter. After rolling out the pie crusts on the pan, she carefully spoons three sections of apple filling and three sections of blueberry filling and covers it with another layer of pie crusts. With a fluted pastry cutter, she carefully follows the indents in the EZ pockets pan and finishes with little heart piercings on each pie piece to allow steam to escape while baking. Transferring them to the pre-heated oven, she finishes by setting the timer.
Walking back into the kitchen, she attempts another MJ dance move—the anti-gravity lean—and almost lands on her face. Laughing at her absolute lack of grace when it comes to dancing, she heads up to the rooftop through two sets of staircases. The first set takes her to the floor with the master suite, guest bedroom, and small study. A spiral staircase towards the rear of the floor leads to the rooftop. The rooftop is not too large but offers a fantastic view of Philadelphia’s skyscrapers. A round daybed with dark wicker base and cream cushions sits in one corner. Wicker tables with a glass top flank either end of the daybed with succulents and a few candles as accessories. She arranges the colorful throw pillows and dusts off the cushions. Across from the daybed, the walls are lined with terracotta clay pots filled with healthy jasmine vines, all of them crisscrossed into the white trellis behind them. Standing in front of the blooming jasmines and taking in their heavenly smell, she feels quite pleased with her green fingers. Two lines of string lights extend from the awning at the entrance to the rooftop, over the daybed, and are tied against a pole on the parapet wall. She waters her plants, deadheads the vines and spritzes the succulents. Content with the ambiance of the rooftop, she turns on the string lights and walks back downstairs.
