Yesterday was my birthday. I’m 73 now and still can’t believe it. Life has been pretty good for the most part, I must honestly say.

But what does Suzan think? What does Joe think about life right now. His fiancee has dumped him.

We continue with more of “Joe in Africa.”

“Only call me in of an emergency today. I’ll be busy all afternoon trying to get this Africa mess straightened out.”

“Okay Joe,” was all Charlene had time to say before the line went dead.

Charlene knew everything about the trip. She knew the entire itinerary. she and Joe talked about it in the officer and after work, now and then for months, or so it seemed.

“his voice was low and kind. It soothed her. The fact that Joe was marrying someone else had made these conversations difficult but she loved but she loved talking with him. She loved the way his lips moved when he spoke.

Charlene knew she would be able to take time off when Joe did. he was her main priority at work. The little work she did for the other editors could be picked up by the girls in the secretarial pool, so why not leave when he did? All of the women working there shared tasks often at her work and she knew it wouldn’t be an issue. She hung up the phone with a glimmer of hope in her heart.

At lunch she took her short walk down stairs to the busy street and turned left as she did most days. From there she walked a few hundred steps and found a bite to eat and a cup of coffee at a little diner where she usually ended up.

The service from the older, female proprietor was always quick and the food was better than most of the eateries near by, or so it seemed to Charlene. She usually sat at the same small table for two in the rear of the cafe. The furniture and the floor showed just how long this place had been in the neighborhood. Lunch time was not very long at work and she had found this place quickly, years ago on a rainy day.

“How are you today,” the wide old lady said as Charlene entered through the old front doors. They needed to be painted. They had discussed this several times over the years but nothing had been decided yet. The owner’s husband had died recently and she just hadn’t got around to getting the painting done yet.

“I’m great Martha, how about you?” “Wouldn’t do any good to complain, so I won’t. What are you having today then?” “The tuna on whole wheat I think and a coffee, thanks.” A man looked at Charlene as he walked out with a small brown paper bag lunch in his hands. He looked to be a painter or some such tradesman to her.

Martha brought the sandwich and the coffee to the back corner where Charlene sat and joined her. “What’s new sweetheart? Found a nice young man yet?” “Oh if only Martha. But I may be getting a break her shortly.” “What are you talking about honey?” “I’ll let you know in a few days. I’m working on something.” “Well, good luck to you. I had a great run of forty nine years before Benny, may god rest his soul, passed on.” “Yes Martha, he was a good guy from what you’ve told me.””He was my dear, one of the best.”

Martha got up from the table when another customer entered her shop. Charlene ate her sandwich alone and in silence and wondered if she would ever find someone like Benny. “Perhaps it will be Joe,” she mused.

After drinking a good cup of coffee and placing the remaining half of her sandwich into her purse, she found her way back upstairs to her office and looked at the calendar on her computer again. She looked it over very closely.

Charlene looked up at the grey ceiling and mulled over her chances if going with Joe on his trip. She had lots of free time this afternoon since Joe wasn’t coming in.

They usually had plenty to do with all of the writers they were working with in the last few months. She saw the blurry figure of a woman walk by her office through the frosted window in her office door. Charlene often stared at the window to day dream about Joe and other things of importance to her. She sat as the guardian of Joe in her small outer office. She saw herself as the gatekeeper of accessibility to Joe and his office. She felt protective of him, now more than ever.

Charlene wondered what the odds were that Joe might agree to let her accompany him on his exotic trip. She felt she had made it clear to Joe how important this trip was to her. She wondered if Joe even cared, just a little.

Her broken heart had began to heal since Joe’s marriage was off for good this time. There had been many false alarms for Charlene with all of the ups and downs in Joe and Suzan’s relationship, especially during the planning stages of the honeymoon. There relationship had almost crashed a few times at that time. She had heard all the details from Joe back then. Now it was official and from Joe’s own lips. Not coming up from gossip in the office. She had heard it from herself from Joe and that brought her some hope.

The relationship between Joe and Suzan was officially over.

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Chapter 3 starts tomorrow.