A Small Indiscretion Ch. 03

Many thanks to Greowulf for his wonderful editing.

*****

Hours away from the warmth of his home, Dave stood staring into the darkness of the night. He was on the second floor of the building under construction. He and Scotty had visited all the floors, carefully scrutinizing the work in progress. He had spoken to the supervisors and was satisfied that they had a good grip on their responsibilities. Tomorrow was Sunday, but there would be no respite. Fred would be coming over and they would go through financial numbers to properly explain any cost overruns.

He looked at his watch. Almost four o'clock. Just then he thought he caught some movement from the corner of his eye. He peered into the darkness. There was a pile of electrical wirings and other assorted items. Nobody was supposed to be working on this wing in the night.

Gingerly, he stepped closer. His footsteps echoed softly in the stillness of the night.

"Hello, anybody there?" he called out. He switched on his torch and swung it around.

There was no reply. The sound of men working at the other wings came floating back to him on the night breeze. The beam of the torch lit up the construction material lying on the floor, but there was nothing out of the ordinary to arouse any suspicion.

He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe just a figment of my imagination, he thought.

Dave thought he had time to catch a few hours of sleep before Fred arrived with his accounting numbers, so he made his way down the staircase. The Ford pickup parked a couple of blocks down the road turned a corner and slowly vanished from sight.

A few hours later Dave was aroused from his deep sleep by the sound of his mobile ringing. He glanced at the flashing screen. It was his wife. He became alert immediately. This was the first time she had called since that fateful day.

"Hi Sherry."

"Hi Dave," she replied with a little hesitancy in her voice.

There was a momentary silence, then Sherry spoke.

"How's the work going?"

"We have those inspectors coming over tomorrow morning. I'm trying to make sure they don't find anything to write home about." The two continued to talk about his work for some minutes.

"Hmm, Dave, would it be possible for you to come over tomorrow evening after you are done with the inspection? DJ is missing you a lot and it would be nice if you could spend some time with him and ... and your medical report has also arrived."

Dave pondered for some moments. If he travelled back to the city to take a flight to Seattle, he would reach home late in the night. Because the flights were available only in the late hours, he would be wasting time at the airport. But if he left immediately by road after the inspection was over, he stood to reach home much earlier.

"I will drive down immediately after the inspection is over. It should take me about three to four hours ... should be there by seven or so."

"Okay, Dave, we will be waiting for you."

Dave felt a strong sense of relief. At least they were moving toward talking terms. The road ahead was bumpy but he was never one to shy down. He got up and made for the changing room. It was time to get ready for the marathon session with Fred.

Back home, Sherry put down her mobile and went over to DJ.

"Daddy will be home tomorrow young man," she cooed softly into his ears.

DJ clapped his hands and then rushed into his mother's open arms. He looked into his mother's loving eyes and began speaking in his childish language which he and perhaps the woman who gave birth to him could understand and decipher without a doubt in mind.

His mother hugged him, pulling him close to her chest. She felt his little heart beat against her bosom.

Her heart ached with a longing she could not fathom or did not want to acknowledge for what it was. As a mother she wanted to give all the happiness in the world to her child. She kissed her son's forehead, fervently wishing that the turbulence in her life—a turbulence that would naturally reach her young charge—would recede and disappear forever.

The day wore on for both Sherry and Dave, separated by distance and the emotional rift brought about by the repugnancy in the actions and deeds of one of the mates. But each had a duty and responsibility to perform, especially for their son. Life goes on, as they say, leaving behind only the memories of happier days gone by or a bitter past.

Back at the worksite, Dave watched Jake Newman examine the quality of the electrical wiring being installed. He was trying his level best not to show the anger building up inside him. The two inspectors, Jake Newman and Mike Callaghan, had spent the last three hours carefully inspecting the quality of the material being used for the construction of the mall. They had even gone through the report on the quantity of iron rods used in the pillars.

"You guys obviously don't care much for the safety of your workers, so how do you expect us to believe that the building you are constructing will not come falling down like a pack of cards," Jake had said with an accusatory sneer at the very outset.

The inspectors were out to get them, that's for sure. This was no ordinary visit. But so far they had been unable to come up with any concrete shortcomings. Dave had given them all the proper answers, which were backed by the superior quality of the work in progress. They had not used any substandard material, even if that meant that it would lead to budget overruns.

"Just look at the cost you guys have incurred," ranted Jake, "Don't expect the City Council to agree to any sort of upward revision in estimates and fund allocations. If you guys can't prepare a proper estimate then you may as well close shop," he bellowed, waving the reports he had been given in the air.

"Jake, cost escalation clauses are invariably put in all contracts to cover this kind of contingency," replied Dave. Despite his calm demeanour, he was seething inside.

"Don't you dare tell me what can be done and what cannot be," Jake shouted, pointing one bony finger towards Dave. "I will put in everything I have seen in my report. Then we will see who goes for the cost escalation clause," he said with pure venom in his voice.

The rest of the meeting continued in the same vein. The inspectors invariably conjured up something bad or not up to the mark in just about all the construction, even though Dave's team was meeting or exceeding specifications in every area. The inspection ended with them barely on talking terms with each other.

Dave watched them finally take their leave with a grim look on his face.

"Don't worry Dave, that fellow doesn't have anything hard on us. He can't convince the City Council against agreeing to the cost escalation clause," said Fred.

"That's right, all the material used has been as per the technical specifications given by them," said Ron, "He's just one of those guys who has never had a good thing happening in his life so he keeps going after others."

"I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of him," replied Dave thoughtfully. He too was aware that the inspection had actually gone off pretty well. Any other person would have given a clean report, but Jake was trying his level best to throw a spanner in the works.

Tomorrow he would be having a video conference with the Head Office. They would want to know how the inspection had gone. He looked at his watch. It was almost four. If James did some fancy driving, they should touch home by eight. The last few days had been hard, real hard, and now he wanted to be home, albeit temporarily.

* * *

Sherry gave a perfunctory knock on her Editor's door and walked in. The parental child abuse story was ready and she was all set to present the work to her editor.

"Hi, Ed," she called out as she made her way in.

"Hi Sherry, c'mon in," called out Ed, giving an appreciative look at her.

She smiled at him. He gestured to one of the chairs in front of the desk. Sherry sank gracefully into it, crossing her legs, revealing a good length of scrumptious leg encased in sensuous nylon, something which her editor could not fail to notice. She looked at him from under her eyelashes. He was a well built man in his early forties with a long and pleasant face, his head of hair a perfectly swept back mane of black with some gray around his temples.

Even in jeans, a light blue Oxford shirt, and a gray cardigan sweater he looked through and through a man used to leading the way in everything he did. The greying side burns and deep piercing eyes added to his charm. He had just come out of his third marriage. Office gossip had it that he was a pretty well hung guy with a difficulty in keeping it inside his pants and marriage vows. And now he was once again single and on the lookout. Not that it was a matter of concern to her. He had always been a well behaved, gentlemanly type of boss.

"So we are all set to hit the stands with that new story?" he asked in his deep authoritative voice, his eyes looking intently into hers.

"Sure Ed, we have rechecked the stories with the tape recording we have of all of them. The interviews with the government people were also on record and we had no problem in doing a quick once over. No glitches in the story line as far as we are concerned."

"Good, I know I can count on you and your team to come up with some good solid facts," he replied.

"Thanks for the compliment, I will pass it down to the team members," replied Sherry with a flush.

She reached into her slim briefcase she had set down beside her chair and pulled some papers out and leaned over to hand them to him. As she leaned forward Ed was lucky enough to get a nice view of her bosom. His eyes remained still, savouring the feast for some moments.

Sherry looked up to see Ed admiring her cleavage. His gaze shifted to meet her eyes. He smiled, as though complimenting her on her looks, and then busied himself with the papers.

Sherry smiled to herself. The way he had behaved did not make her feel angry. She was beginning to understand why her editor was jumping in and out of marriages.

Ed carefully went through all the papers, reading again and again, giving her his value additions wherever he felt it necessary. Finally he leaned back with a satisfied look on his face.

He continued to look at her for a few moments with that deep smoulder in his eyes.

"A penny for your thoughts?" inquired Sherry with a sweet smile as she collected the papers spread all over the desk.

"You are an invaluable asset to this press," he said finally, "Never seen a better story write-up done in a short time like you had."

"Thanks Ed."

"No, no, just thank you will not suffice," he replied with a broad grin on his face, "you gotta promise me that you will have a open slot for me some time in the future for a lovely dinner at the restaurant of your wish. I would love to pick your brains to understand what makes a dynamic personality like you tick."

Sherry laughed. Ed was at his charming best. The constant shower of appreciation and attention was warming her up. She could feel her nipples hardening.

"Okay Editor, I'll have to check my little appointment book and confirm."

"I'll be waiting," he replied with a broad grin as she picked up her bag and stepped out of his office.

Oh great, just great, now it seems the word is out that I am single and available, she thought to herself. Mr Dave Harding, you have a lot of explaining to do. She glanced at her watch. There was enough time for her to stop by at the local market to make some quick purchases for the evening.

* * *

"How much more time, Jim?" asked Dave wearily. He had dozed off during the journey. The shifting of gears and the sound of the engine as the car made its way up against the winding mountain road had broken his deep slumber.

"Just over an hour or so," replied Jim affably.

Neither of them gave more than a cursory glance to the Ford pickup as it crept closer behind them on the uphill road. With a change of gears, the Ford's engine grew louder as it attempted to overtake their car round the bend.

"Hey Jim, give that fella some ..." He could get no further as the pickup swerved towards them, almost cutting into their path. Jim instantly swung the steering wheel to avoid the pickup. The pickup corrected its path and with a loud roar surged ahead and disappeared round the bend. Jim desperately swung the steering to get the car back on the road. There was a jolt as the car hit a roadside boulder and came to a halt.

The two stepped out, visibly shaken, to size up the damage. They stared in disbelief. Just beyond the boulder was a big drop of over a hundred feet!

"Dave, I think the Lord was with us today," whispered Jim reverently as he tore his gaze away from the drop.

"That bastard's bloody driver's license should be confiscated permanently," growled Dave.

"I had given him enough room to pass by," mused Jim as they resumed their journey.

"Must have been drunk," snorted Dave.

The rest of the journey passed uneventfully. Dave took a deep breath as the car swung down the lane leading to his house.

Sherry heard the doorbell ring. She gave a quick glance at herself in the mirror and went to open the door.

The two stood gawking at each other for a few moments.

Dave felt his stomach churn as he took in the changes in his wife. She was painfully thin, looking like she couldn't be more than 90 pounds. Her face was pale and gaunt, making her look half dead. There were dark circles under her eyes indicating she hadn't slept well in days, maybe weeks.

He stepped forward and placed the bouquet of roses in her hands.

Sherry accepted the bouquet quietly. She watched her husband intently as he made his way in.

He looked tired ... and old, as though he had gained ten years overnight. There were new creases on his forehead. Sherry marvelled at just how handsome he really was despite his unusually ragged appearance. Her heart missed a beat as she looked into her husband's endearing eyes ... his loving eyes... the ones she always longed to gaze into. Sherry desperately fought back the impulse to reach out to her husband, to touch him. She was quite surprised by her reaction on seeing him.

"I was getting worried that you might have got held up at the construction site," said Sherry as a way of starting up a conversation.

"Yeah, we almost went off over the mountain side," he said and went on to tell the harrowing event that marked his home trip.

Sherry didn't like what she was hearing. He had told her about the visit by the inspectors and how hard he had to control himself from having a go at them. It seemed nothing was going right for him ... for them.

Dave was by now sipping his coffee and watching the cable. She had offered him a drink. But he had refused. He had given up drinks, may be a beer now and then, socially, but no hard drinks. Sherry thought that had to be an improvement, something he should have done a long time before ... perhaps she had also turned a blind eye to his drinking habit. If only she had gotten after him to give up his boozing then perhaps their married life wouldn't be in the mess it was in ... she felt a stab of guilt.

Sherry picked up the envelope containing the medical report and placed it beside him. Dave had been busy watching the TV show. He glanced at the envelope and the colour drained from his face. Perhaps he had forgotten the purpose of his visit.

He put down his cup and opened the envelope and began reading the report. She saw the tension slowly leaving his face as he finished reading it.

"Whew, guess I came out of that mess unscathed ... physically," he remarked as he passed on the report to her.

Sherry quickly went through the contents and then let out a sigh of relief. She had been waiting to hear the results before letting Dave meet their son ... just a precaution ... life could be such a mess at times.

"Dave, why don't you bring DJ from his room? He has been missing you."

For the next hour or so she watched father and son going silly over each other. DJ had been asleep when Dave went to pick him up. But now he was fully awake and all over his dad. DJ made his dad watch his favourite cartoon, then play with his toy plane and train set. Dave went on all fours and put DJ on his broad shoulders and the two began travelling all over the house.

Sherry laid the dinner table while the two of them were busy with each other. She could hear DJ's voice full of fun and excitement as he played around with his father. Sherry stopped and leaned against the dining table. She was hurting inside. What did the future hold for them?

Sherry walked back into the living room. The room had gone silent as DJ had nodded off to sleep in his father's arms. Dave was hugging him close, singing a lullaby close to his ears. Tears welled up in her eyes. Tomorrow morning DJ was bound to ask for his Dad. What would she tell him?

"Here let me take him to his room," said Sherry as she stepped forward to take DJ from him.

"No Sherry, let me do the honours," he replied in a firm, stubborn voice.

She nodded and walked back to the kitchen. A few minutes later Dave joined her.

"Thanks, Sherry."

"For what?"

"For calling me over for dinner and letting me have some time with our boy."

Sherry continued to eat her dinner in silence.

"I really don't want it to be like that."

"Like what?"

"Having visitation rights to see my baby a couple of days in a month. I want to be there to build him into a fine young lad who will do us all proud. I have no intention of surrendering my rights and duties to a ... a step father" he continued in a firm stubborn tone.

Sherry's eyes turned steely.

"Step father? What the hell are you talking about? There is no other ..." she began to retort in an indignant voice.

"Look Sherry, the whole world knows we are living separately. This may well perhaps be the first step to the ultimate trip to the court, not that I have any intentions of starting the process. I love you and will always love you. But the hard fact is that I have made you lose your trust in me. In any marriage that is the most precious element. If the trust is there then a couple can rough out together the most adverse conditions. But if the trust factor is missing, then the smallest of incidents can pull them apart ... and if indeed things go the way I have just mentioned, then I am sure you will have a line of suitors a mile long queuing up at your doorstep," continued Dave grimly.

Sherry's nostrils flared, her Irish blood was on the boil. She stood up with her hands on her hips, her body trembling.

"Listen Mr. Dave Harding, you may be my husband, but you have absolutely no right to talk to me like that, especially after what you have been doing on your so called conferences," she hissed menacingly. "What sort of a woman do you think I am? Divorce the current man then marry another and then divorce the fella and repeat the cycle? In case you didn't notice, I am also a human being, Mr. Dave Harding, just like you ... and I have been hurt real bad by the person I adore and love the most, someone for whom I will willingly lay down my life ... and here you go on about men queuing up at my door? What do you think your wife is a cock hungry slut? The man who deserves to walk down the aisle with me should be strong, caring, with a shoulder to bear the responsibilities that come along with a marriage. I thought I had found all those qualities in you ... but here you go talking about me as though I just can't wait to get you out of my bed and life so that, so that ..." She couldn't bring about to complete her sentence. Instead she stood shivering, her bosom heaving as she took deep breaths to control herself.

Dave looked at her with steady eyes. Her verbal assault had taken him by complete surprise. But in a way it was good. She had been keeping it within herself for just too long and it was time to let loose.