More of Chapter Eight

She knew Chad lived there now and if marrying him brought her happiness and an address in that area she would be very pleased with herself. She had stayed overnight in his lovely place a few times and loved the neighborhood. She loved that Chad lived on Park Avenue.

Suzan had Chad over to her place now and then. He even thought her apartment was nice, considering all. “It’s a little small,” was all he had said on his first visit over. He had other things on his mind that first night he came over.

Part of Suzan had hoped that Joe would have called her that night.

Chapter Nine

Joe was at work early on Tuesday morning. Charlene watched him enter their office. He was earlier than usual. She always kept track of his arrival at the office. She thought his early arrival might portend a positive answer about her trip with him to Africa with him.

She loved the way he looked as he walked by her cubical. She often placed a cup of coffee on his desk just as he arrived. He managed his staff with ease and kindness.

He waved at her as he walked through the large, high ceilinged lobby and past the front desk where she sat, almost as his personal body guard, or so Charlene thought at times.

Joe took off his heavy winter coat and hung it up on the old wooden pole in the corner of his office. It had been there forever. He sat down at his desk and started to work without ceremony.

Charlene finished a phone call and then got another. Her stomach was in knots. Joe was kept busy with the usual Tuesday routine for two hours. Charlene looked up from her desk often, in the direction of Joe’s office.

Joe was kept busy checking up on the people under him editing books and working on a piece himself after checking his phone messages. At ten o’clock he sat in on the prearranged meeting with his boss and two other project leaders. The meeting lasted just under an hour.

He caught himself looking out the window at the people walking past the building down below him. Joe tried to size up the people far beneath him and wondered how they lived their lives. He wondered if any of them were really happy.

They seemed insignificant from his lofty vantage point on the tenth floor of the building before his relationship with Suzan ended.

He felt that he had done well, so far, despite what Suzan had said a few nights before. Suzan had obviously thought otherwise. She had already hooked up with new male friend months before she broke it off with Joe.

He was surprised, shocked and hurt when he found out. He had no idea how long she had been cheating on him and didn’t want to know.

He had made plans for his life too, and Suzan had been a large part of those plans.

They were good plans with a solid, well thought out approach, or so he thought. Suzan didn’t seem to be buying them however, and had walked out on him.

The had argued once in a while about their future but he hadn’t seen what was coming at him like a runaway train.

That last night together he came home with an angry woman, had a few drinks and fallen asleep. While he slept Suzan filled her suitcases and left a lot more room in his closet as she closed the door to Joe and left her life with him behind her.

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So, the plot thickens.

More tomorrow.

Remember, “Atlanta,” my adult detective novel, “Kazu, son of Osheda Kamasaki,” my Asian historical fiction novel and “Sunrise, Sunset,” my book of ten short stories are now availabe on Audible.