My heart thuds in my chest. “Why wouldn’t I bring up the agency? It’s been a part of our lives since we’ve been together.”
“Oh, Paul. I know you must be embarrassed, but isn’t it time you told me?” Mia asks. What is she referring to?
“What are you talking about, Mia?” I ask. I take a sip of my champagne. I don’t really enjoy champagne, I remember now, but the alcohol is welcome. “Are you not feeling well? Is something wrong?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.”
“Then no, of course nothing’s wrong. And I’m never embarrassed, honey.”
“Ha. Well, I guess that will make this conversation easier. Do you want to know what I’m talking about, Paul?” she says. “Okay, then. For starters, when were you going to tell me you don’t have a job?”
Boom. There it is. I wonder how long she has known. I suspect John told her, but it doesn’t matter. I have been ready for this. “It’s a temporary situation, easily fixed. I didn’t want to worry you for no reason. I’ve been interviewing and expect an offer any day,” I say. See, easy question, perfect answer.
“That’s not the point. You didn’t even tell me you’d been fired,” Mia says. She dropped her voice at the word fired, thankfully. Such lies.
“For your information, honey, I wasn’t fired, I left,” I say. I focus on exuding an air of superiority. No one would fire me.
“They let you resign, but they fired you. I know all about it, Paul. And about your real issue with Caroline.”
The waiter appears and hands a menu to my wife before offering me one. He refills our champagne flutes, both somehow empty in such a short amount of time. They must hold hardly anything. The menu is impressive, heavy, perhaps the weight of a hammer in my hand. He bows and leaves the table. I take a long sip of my champagne.
“What issue might that be?” I say. She is stirring up things she shouldn’t. Mia is not part of Thompson Payne anymore, hasn’t been for almost a decade. Mia doesn’t know what did or didn’t happen with Caroline or anything else. Whatever she’s heard, it’s gossip. I hate gossip. Mia was just a lowly copywriter assigned to technical manuals. She knows nothing about the advertising world anymore. Nothing.
“Paul, you’re going to make your wife discuss your obsession with a young woman at work? Really? Maybe we should just go,” Mia says. She closes her menu and puts it on the table.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. No matter what Mia has heard, Caroline is not an obsession. Not at all. She’s a problem, was a problem, but now everything is fine.
“This romantic dinner is part of our best day ever. Of course we aren’t leaving. I’ll overlook the fact that you, for some reason, have automatically taken the side of someone you’ve never met over your husband? And you believe what John says, someone who’s jealous of me and my success, over what I’m telling you? I see where I stand,” I say. I am exuding righteous indignation as I take another big sip of champagne.
I stare at Mia and she meets my gaze, our eyes locked across the table. Who will blink first? My menu is flat on the table now, too. I feel my hands become fists on top of the menu. “This is ridiculous. I will not sit here while my wife spews out baseless accusations. There is nothing further to discuss about my situation. Let’s talk about John, his big mouth and his ridiculous job offer that you will not be taking!”
Mia’s eyes flash at me, defiant. I look away, turning my head to scan the restaurant. I see the waiter hovering, watching, his pale blue eyes accusing me of being a jerk. And so I am. I flick my hand and shoo him away. He disappears.
“This isn’t about John. He’s not even the one who told me. You know who did? Doris, Doris Boone, of all people,” she says. Her hands are folded together now on top of the menu, as if in prayer.
Doris Boone? How did Doris know anything about my life? And if she knows, who else does? My mind flashes to Doris hiding behind the plant in the mall; I see Doris gossiping on her Lakeside front porch, I see her coming to my house to talk to Mia after I’ve left for work. Doris Boone was in my brother Tommy’s class growing up. She knows the Strom family, it seems. She’s always been a problem. Fortunately I excel at solving problems.
“They say the wife is always the last to know about these things,” Mia adds. She says this quietly, without anger. I watch as a tear slides down her cheek. That single tear softens my heart, douses the flame. I’m not a monster. She wipes the droplet away with her fingertips and takes a drink of her champagne.
Poor girl. “Oh, honey, Caroline was obsessed with me and it got out of hand. It was embarrassing for everyone involved, especially me. If anything, I was the victim here. She needs help. And as for the job, it was time to go. I’d been there forever. I didn’t tell you because I was just trying to protect you and the boys until I made my next move. It will be a great job, better than anything at old Thompson Payne. Probably one of the greatest jobs in Columbus, actually. And I promise, I’m about to announce great things,” I say. Slowly, I reach across the table and cover her hands with mine. She doesn’t pull away. “Everything is going to be fine. Haven’t I always taken care of you? I have several job offers I’m weighing. I just want it to be perfect and great. The best. And we have your trust fund.”
Mia’s eyes burn into mine. I see fire there. That worries me, and I try to take a breath. I tense my hands, push down against hers on the table. But I can’t stop what she has started. Why is she bringing all these topics to light? Tonight, of all nights. She may have fire in her eyes, but she has now reignited my flame.
But why is she crying? Her tears seem real. Mia looks directly at me. She doesn’t blink. I don’t like what she sees, I don’t like how she looks.
She is making a big mistake. Challenging our very foundation, our fabulous life. It’s a shame, really. Now more than ever, she should focus on everything that is good between us.
Next to us a four-top is seated. The women are laughing in loud staccato bursts. The men give each other a high five. Don’t they know this is a romantic place, a quiet place? I want nothing more than to silence them.
8:15 p.m.
14