After hours

Chapter Thirty-two

                Daniel was late to work, and not like his normal ‘I’m the boss and I can come in whenever I want to come in’ sort of late, but late late. He never missed a day of work, even after losing the baby, even when Victoria got appendicitis, he always made it in. So when lunch passed over and he still wasn’t around talk stirred up around the office. I was the first to call him, but his phone was shut off. This, of course, didn’t stop me from trying again every twenty minutes.

                When he finally did wander into the office he didn’t acknowledge anyone. He had a 5 o’clock shadow and his shoes didn’t match. One black and one deep blue. He looked spent. He walked directly into his office and shut the door. A few moments later his voice rang out over the intercom asking his assistant, Macy, to hold all his business calls for the day.

                It was killing me. I should be in there, talking to him, figuring things out. But we had a cover to hold up. Talk had already started since I had slipped into his office a few times for support after the loss of our daughter. Everyone knew I was just looking for support and someone to talk to, but found the source a little surprising.

                It would be the longest three hours of work ever waiting for the day to end. It would also be one of the only days since I had started where everyone was able to leave work on time. Everyone that is, except for Daniel who stayed holed up in his office long past five o’clock. I reluctantly left the office along with everyone else.

                I sat impatiently on my couch. Something was going on with Daniel, and I should be there for him! What if his mother was sick? What if someone passed? Would I be able to attend the funeral? To hold his hand and support him? What if it was Victoria? What if she was sick and dying? We could be together soon then. I shook those horrible thoughts out of my head and hated myself instantly.

                I heard keys in the lock and quickly turned the TV to entertain the charade that I wasn’t just sitting in the dark eating a TV dinner by myself moping. I threw the TV dinner under the couch. Daniel opened the door and stood in the doorway. He looked drained.

                He came in and sat down on the couch and sighed heavily. I tucked my lips together trying to contain myself from attacking him with questions. I granted him a few painstakingly long minutes of silence before finally reasoning with myself that I could at least greet him. “Hey stranger.” I said faking casualty and confidence. He didn’t need to know that there were a few hundred other things I wanted to attach to that simple hello.

                “I told her.” He said flatly.

                “I’m sorry?” I must have heard him wrong. I tried to shake the fog from my head, my fantasies and reality were beginning to muddle together.

                He turned to stare at me with a hollow gaze. “I told her.”

                I felt my heart both leap with excitement and stop dead in its tracks with panic. “You told her? About…us?”

                He sighed heavily and ran an unsteady hand through his hair. “I told her I was having an affair. She didn’t want to know who it was with.”

                I let out a short breath. “Wow.”

                “I know.” He agreed.

                “So that’s it then?” We could be together.

                He turned back to me hastily. “That’s it?” He snapped suddenly on his feet. “What the hell is wrong with you?”