by Leah Kay
Isha leaves the table to grab another decanter to break the barrage session and Nathan follows her to use the restroom.
“Thank you for inviting me in, your family seems wonderful.” He walks with her to the kitchen.
“They seem to love you; hope you are enjoying yourself.”
“What’s not to enjoy? Great food, great advice, and a beautiful she-hulk.” He smiles at her.
Her lips curve into a smile. “Old Man, stop bothering me!” She shows him towards the restroom.
A delicious meal and a few decanters of wine later, the family gathers around the table to cut the cake. Isha walks out onto the patio with a decadent chocolate cake topped with many candles and places it on the table. They sing Happy Birthday to Liam in unison, and he eagerly blows out the candles and cuts the cake. He raises his glass to toast his beautiful wife for putting together a lovely celebration for him and shares the first bite with her, finishing with a messy kiss.
The void in Nathan’s life flashes in front of him watching Isha smile in Liam’s arms in the presence of their loving family, leaving him desperately wishing for the same for him. I deserve it.
Walking through the aisles in the grocery store on a Saturday morning, Sarah contemplates Nathan’s latest text message. The past six months have been challenging to say the least. From having zero responsibilities to take care of, Sarah did a 180 and has inherited all of them except the financial stress. Nathan has continued to take care of the house and all of Lily’s expenses. He thought it was unfair to expect Sarah to manage the finances when she is just starting out in her new career. A gesture meant to take the stress out of her new journey has constantly reminded her of living in his shade. After many failed attempts to revive her career in the past, she got accustomed to blaming her failure on Nathan. It was easier to blame him than question her insecurities. This year of separation was meant to break that cycle and help her rebuild herself. She is starting to feel comfortable at work and is slowly beginning to take on more responsibilities. She is hoping to establish her new career and crawl out from under his shade to stand on her own two feet. The thought of living together threatens the likelihood of her independence, bringing her right back to a vicious cycle of dependency that she fears will only lead to further resentment towards Nathan. Subconsciously, she wonders if she will ever want to live with him again when the mere sight of him reminds her of all her inadequacies. A part of her has missed him, but that seedling of affection has to pass through a severe storm, brought on by years of neglect, to have a chance at revival.
Nathan gets through security and arrives at his gate around 3:00 p.m. on Sunday for his flight to Zurich, Switzerland. Sarah’s late-night response to his question keeps him up all night. “I am not ready to live together yet, I am sorry.” Reliving the ups and downs of his marriage in his mind, he tries to understand when it all started to fall apart. He questions whether they will ever come out of this phase or if his marriage is over or if he failed as a husband and deprived Lily of a family. Sitting in the lounge, he leans back in his chair and closes his eyes to escape his unforgiving thoughts.
A soft voice wakes him up. “Nathan, it’s time to go.” He opens his eyes and sees Isha. “They are boarding the flight, let’s go.” She speaks softly, allowing him to wake up from his deep slumber.
Isha notices his tired eyes and worries if he is okay. With Mark and Claire standing close to them, she refrains from asking him any questions. Nathan checks his watch and notices he has slept for an hour. Grabbing his bags, he walks over to the boarding area. Isha and Claire board before him and take adjacent seats while Nathan walks past them and takes the window seat across from them. Sitting in the aisle seat, Isha turns around towards Nathan and mouths, “Are you okay?”
With a weak smile, he nods yes to her. She can tell something is wrong and wishes she could talk to him for a bit. She looks away seeing that Mark is taking a seat in the same row across from them.
Shortly after takeoff, Claire and Isha play a game of chess on their iPad to a few glasses of chardonnay. An hour later, Claire falls asleep and Isha turns around to check on Nathan but finds him staring out of the window, leaving his food untouched. Feeling helpless, she covers herself with the blanket and tries to get some shuteye.
Landing in Zurich at 9:00 a.m. the next morning, the team takes a train to a hotel in Lucerne, located 15 minutes from the Genex site. The sight of a new city gives them a fresh dose of energy to help fight the inevitable jetlag. Isha, on the other hand, still hasn’t spoken to Nathan. There is a lonely weariness in his movements and she desperately wants to know why. An hour ride later, they arrive in Lucerne, a quaint city with medieval architecture and snowcapped mountains on Lake Lucerne, providing a breathtaking backdrop. They walk to their hotel, located two blocks from the train station. Claire suggests sightseeing and shopping with Isha to break the jetlag. Isha agrees but wants to check in on Nathan before they head out.
She waits till Mark steps up to the counter to check in to the hotel, giving her a few minutes alone with Nathan. “What’s wrong?”
Shrugging his shoulders, he replies, “Nothing.”
“Old Man, is the travel getting to you?” She tries to cheer him up knowing how much he enjoys being called an old man.
With a forced smile, he responds, “Yes.”
Watching him, Isha’s concern turns into worry. “Want to go for a walk together? I have some time right now.”
Shaking his head no, he says, “I am a lost cause. Go have fun with Claire,” and he walks up to the counter to check in leaving Isha behind.
Perplexed by his behavior, she leaves him alone to rest up before heading out with Claire.
Claire and Isha spend the day walking around and taking in the sights of old town Lucerne. Blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, they cross the Chapel Bridge, the oldest covered bridge in Europe, admiring its number of interior paintings. Passing through flocks of tourists, taking pictures of the giant swans swimming in the water, they venture out onto the cobblestone pathways to view the Lion Monument, a sculpture of a mortally-wounded lion built to commemorate the Swiss Guards who lost their lives during the French Revolution.
Making their way back into the old town, they walk through the narrow streets, taking in the beautiful old architecture and cobblestone piazzas with water fountains and settle at a local restaurant to enjoy delicious fondue. A few hours of overindulgence later, they walk it off by window shopping at the stores lining the narrow streets and ultimately settle at Rathaus Brauerei for a few beers.
Early onset of jetlag curtails their tourist activities and compels them to call it a night. Isha takes a shower and settles in front of her computer to double-check her presentations for tomorrow. Feeling content with her preparation, she logs off her computer and checks the time to see if she can facetime Liam. Noticing that it is midday for him, she sends him a few texts before going to bed.
At 9:00 a.m. the next morning, Nathan kicks off the implementation activities with the Lucerne site leadership just as he did in San Diego, giving the floor to Isha to walk them through the logistics. Having been through this exercise once before, Isha glides through her presentation effortlessly, answering the team’s questions, providing sufficient context to increase their confidence in the initiative and wrapping up with an overview of activities they can expect over the course of the next few days. Mark and Claire take them through the development of the monitoring plan for the rest of the day as Isha oversees the process and answers any questions coming up during the interactive session. Nathan keeps to himself for most of the day, keeping his conversations with Isha pretty short.
They celebrate a successful day at Wirsthaus Galliker, a local Swiss restaurant where Isha enjoys the most amazing beef stroganoff she has ever tasted in her life.
Walking back to the hotel, she wishes she could talk to Nathan, but he seems to be occupied in an intense
debate about Swiss culture with Mark, who claims to be an expert at it thanks to the Swiss travel book he read on the flight over to Lucerne.
Calling it an early night, Isha cocoons herself with the comforter and her mind drifts to Nathan. Continuing to feel concerned about him, she picks up her phone.
“I am worried about you.”
“You have your hands full. Don’t let me add to that.”
Before she can respond, he says, “Goodnight Isha.”
But I am your she-hulk…
Chapter 13
Lanterns
Next morning, Isha wakes up early to get a quick workout in before another grueling workday. Listening to her favorite playlist, she starts rowing at the hotel gym. Nathan walks in a few minutes later and notices her. She waves him hello without pausing her workout. He nods hello and steps on a treadmill with his headphones on. Starting to lose her patience with his moodiness, Isha gets creative.
Pausing her workout, she walks up to his treadmill and signals him to stop. Confused with her request, he slows down to a stop and takes off his headphones.
“I need you to make it up to me for losing my ring in San Diego.”
He stares at her in silence.
“You promised that you would make up for the two days you caused me anxiety. I finally know what I want.” She crosses her arms and does her best impression of a tough woman.
Pausing his treadmill to a stop, he replies to her. “Okay.”
Her eyes grow wide watching him yield so quickly. “Okay? As in yes, you will do it?”
Getting off the treadmill, he says, “Yes, I will do it.”
Not expecting his swift surrender, she starts to improvise.
She shifts her weight onto one leg. “When I was starving, you denied me your other half of a breakfast burrito, remember?”
His brows knit together trying to comprehend where she is going with this. “I do.”
“I want you to get me a burrito today. Not a full one, just a half, and I want it for breakfast, please.”
Raising his hands in confusion, he exclaims, “How am I finding you a breakfast burrito in Switzerland?”
“That’s your problem, not mine.”
“Half a burrito and we are even?” he asks, exasperated with her.
“This is to make up for day one. I will make my next request later.”
She turns around to storm out and catches him say, “Such a she-hulk,” under his breath.
She continues walking without looking back, concealing her grin from him.
Isha gets back to her room to get ready for work. A little while later, she gets a text from Nathan. “What room are you in?”
Smiling at his text, she replies. “Be there in 10.”
Practicing her stern face, she opens the door to his knock. “Yes, how can I help you?”
He recognizes her motives behind the feigned intimidating look on her face and adores her for trying to snap him out of his foul mood.
“One half of a burrito, She-Hulk.” He hands over the plate with a dome covering the food.
Amazed that he pulled it off, she forgets about her tough, menacing look.
“How did you do this?” she exclaims with a grin.
Looking at her fondly, he explains, “I called the kitchen and mentioned that I am traveling with a special needs companion. They were happy to accommodate my request.”
“I am not a special needs person!” she retorts.
Laughing at her, he says, “She-hulks usually are.”
“Old Man! Stop bothering me!” she shuts the door on him.
“See you soon!” he shouts from the other side of the door.
Sitting on the bed, she enjoys her half-burrito with an ear-to-ear grin.
By the end of day Thursday, the team successfully wraps up the workshops while the change of scenery does wonders for Nathan. To celebrate a job well done, he makes a reservation for the four of them at the Old Swiss house at 7:00 p.m. based on the recommendations from the folks at the Lucerne site. Isha and Claire crack open a bottle of wine, blast music on their laptops and get ready for dinner together. After splitting a bottle of wine between them, they walk down the hallway to the elevators to meet Mark and Nathan in the lobby. Stepping into the elevator, Isha presses the button for the lobby and waits for the doors to close.
Claire immediately holds the door open. “I left my phone in the room. I will meet you downstairs.” She hurries out.
Isha nods and rides the elevator down. Not seeing Mark or Nathan in the lobby, she makes her way to the bar around the corner to wait for the rest of the party. Nathan, sitting at the bar enjoying his beer, turns around to the sound of stilettos and notices Isha walking towards him. Dressed in an emerald-green sleeveless jumpsuit, paired with strappy black stilettos and her hair resting gently on her shoulders, Isha looks breathtaking. He locks eyes with her until she makes her way to him.
Pulling out the barstool for her, he says, “You look nice.”
In that moment, Isha knows very well that she looks more than just nice to him.
Facing him, she asks him playfully, “Just nice?”
He takes a sip of his beer to conceal his smile and nods his head. “Yup. Just Nice,” he replies, unwilling to give in to her charm.
Disappointed with his response, she turns towards the bartender and asks for a glass of water.
Nathan notices her disappointment and with an exaggerated sigh, says, “Alright, just a tad more than nice. And that’s it. I am not telling you anything more.”
She beams at his admittance. “Yet—” she pauses “—the night is still young.” And she winks at him. Her actions catch her by surprise. Around others, her interactions with Nathan are harmless, but when she is alone with him, her playful side comes out involuntarily. Isha also realizes her blatant flirtation could also be a result of the liquid courage she gained from the pre-gaming session with Claire in their hotel room earlier. Fully aware of the repercussions of such behavior, she resolves to skip drinks during dinner.
“You are incorrigible, woman.” He shakes his head at her, looking at her fondly.
Their banter gets interrupted by Mark and Claire who join them at the bar, and together they head out to dinner.
The Old Swiss House with its half-timbered façade and hand-carved wall panels on the inside, complete with stained-glass windows and elegant oil painting throughout the dining area, is known as one of the landmarks of Lucerne. It is famous for its popular dish, wienerschnitzel, where the traditionally dressed waiters,prepare the meal for their guests at the table side. Generous veal cutlets are dipped into a mixture of eggs, cheese and herbs, followed by a quick coating with breadcrumbs and cooked in butter in front of the guests. Witnessing the whole process is an experience in itself, which the Philadelphia team tonight is thoroughly enjoying. Nathan makes a toast to his team for a job well done before they dig into their massive portions of egg noodles and freshly cooked wienerschnitzel, combined with a good selection of wine to go with their meal.
A few glasses of wine later, Claire asks, “What should we do next?” and polishes off the last bit of her chocolate mousse.
Mark clears his throat and suggests, “How about a game of blackjack at the Grand Casino?” raising his brow at his own suggestion.
“I love poker,” says Claire.
“I’d be down for some blackjack,” Nathan adds, finishing his wine.
Anticipating their excitement over gambling, Isha says, “I will join you for a bit and, Claire, we need to go dancing after that.”
“As long as you don’t drag Nathan and me dancing, we have a deal,” Mark states, rising from his chair.
After a pleasant walk by the shores of Lake Lucerne, they make it to the Grand Casino, boasting an opulent façade offering a mix of trendy Monte Carlo meets dazzling Las Vegas. Ma
rk and Nathan settle at the blackjack table, and Isha follows Claire to the poker room to keep her company. Isha’s resolve to stay sober for the night weakens as the time goes by. Indulging in a few cocktails herself, she gathers the courage to try out her luck with the table games. Withdrawing cash from the ATM, she makes her way through the casino finding the right game to start with. She comes across an empty roulette table and takes a seat, betting a 10 on black. The dealer spins the wheel and Isha waits anxiously for the ball to land on a number. Unable to deal with the suspense, she looks away as the ball starts to slow down; she hears the dealer say, “Winner,” and turns around to see the ball landed on black 11. She shrieks in excitement and collects both her chips. An hour and a few more cocktails later, her winning streak continues and she is up 500 francs. The table is now full, with men following her every bet. Isha asks the dealer to color up, fumbling with her winning chips in her hand, and with an adrenaline rush she starts to bet higher chips.
“You do realize you have a fifty chip on red?” Nathan asks, leaning down to Isha, propping his elbows on the back of her chair.
“Nathan! Look!” Isha points to the stash in her hand.
As Nathan takes a moment to count her chips, Isha wins again, adding another 100 to her winnings. She loses all interest in roulette the moment she sees Nathan. All she wants is to get away from everyone and spend time with him. Even in her slightly intoxicated state, she quickly realizes that her cocktails were to blame for such a bold wish. Engaging full self-control, she leaves the table to cash out and go dancing with Claire.
“Where’s Mark?” Isha inquires, looking around for Claire.
“Blackjack wasn’t kind to him tonight. He is trying out his luck at the poker tournament,” Nathan responds.
