The Anchor

Chapter 5

Margie sat in the midday light streaming in from the windows of her house. It was cool and cloudy out, the fog from the morning was beginning to burn off. She was waiting to eat until her husband came home so she could eat lunch with him. She was a petite woman with strawberry-blonde hair, styled into a Dorothy Hamill bob cut. She looked at herself in the mirror. The new blouse that she had bought with her employee discount at JC Penny's looked really good on her. It was something Lauren Bacall would wear. "Maybe Bob would notice this time." she thought to herself. She turned from the mirror and continued to set the table for her and Bob.

She had made meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes and peas. It was one of his favorite meals when they had first met. He still loved it. He still loved her. He seldom came home for lunch. He seldom came home for her. His work in an accounting firm had taken over the Bob that she had fallen in love with.
He was now Mr. Robert Nelson, the accountant and he had multiple clients that Robert said that they needed him at the office for an important project or some other reason that kept him there.

At first, Margie had her doubts that he was really that busy. With all of the late nights and time away from the family, she wondered if he could be having an affair? The signs were definitely there. Margie had gathered her emotions and confronted him about it one day, but Bob was very hurt that the thought had even crossed her mind.

"Marge, everything I do, I do for you and the kids." Bob said as he tried to calm his voice.

"Bob, why don't you do just half the things that they want you to do so you can actually be with the family occasionally?" She asked weakly. She knew that was not going to hold up.

"Margie..." Bob said calmly with a sure grin. "You know that is not how this works. I am making money for the kids and us. We will retire on some tropical beach when the kids go off to whatever college they want and we will be able to do anything you want to do."

Margie looked into his sincere gaze and she knew he was telling her the truth. Bob could not lie to Margie. They both loved each other too much to disrespect the other. That did not mean that he was perfect. Far from it. When they had first moved to town, he wanted to buy a house downtown. She had wanted to get a big place on "The Hill". It was where all the other families lived that worked at his accounting firm. Bob had reasoned with her that he wanted to live close by the office so that he could come home for lunch and see her anytime her could.

"...and anytime you want to go shopping downtown, stop by the office and show me what you got. Anytime you want to drop in, you are always welcome." The memory of what was said and what had actually come to pass were very different things. At first, he would come home at lunch. She would start cooking right after the kids left for school. They were meals that most families might have for dinner. He would come home, kiss her on the mouth, and be so impressed with the spread before him. They would sit and talk about what had happened so far that morning and then what was planned for the rest of the day. Margie had always taken a keen interest in what Bob did and would actually have made a decent accountant, if she'd cared enough to take the exam. He would look at his watch and realize that he was late or getting ready to be late and he had to run. He would bring his plate to the kitchen and start to help her bring the leftover to the kitchen, but Margie would stop him.

"Bob, I can handle this. Go back to work. I will see you tonight" Margie would say confidently.

He would sadly pick up his suit jacket and slowly put it back on, knowing that Robert was about to reappear.

Robert would softly kiss Margie on the cheek, while Margie would softly squeeze his hand as he walked out of the front door.

This scene played itself out for a few years. After a while, he was entertaining clients at the best restaurants in town, trying to keep their business or trying to earn new business for the firm. The firm always rewarded hard work and they rewarded Robert handsomely. They also recognized the strain on the family that hard work often took. When Robert was recognized as the accountant of the year in 1979, the firm had also created an award for her having put up with the long hours and time away from home. People thought it was funny and Margie laughed when she accepted it at the awards banquet. That plaque hung on the wall by the clock as Margie saw that it was now 1:00pm and Robert had not come home for lunch. She'd made a plate Bob as well herself, so she wrapped his in foil and put it in the oven so that it would stay warm. She ate and then readied herself for work.