Chapter Four

Joe called Charlene on the intercom and asked her to come to his office.

Charlene took a deep breath and looked up from her desk covered in seemingly random papers ready to be placed in any n umber of envelopes and files.

An old Vogue Magazine sat neatly tucked under some of the papers up at one corner of her desk. Charlene liked to look at the fashions worn by movie stars walking on the red carpet, now and then. It was harmless fun and gave her something to do on her lonely lunches when she wasn’t talking to Joe.

She had tried to talk with the other girls in the office but most were less than friendly.

Charlene gathered up her steno pad and pen and sauntered off to Joe’s office.

Several pairs of female eyes watched her. She cut a stylish form as she crossed the office floor and entered his office.

“I need to get out of town for a while now that the engagement is over, Charlene. I need something to keep me occupied beside my work and a broken heart. I think I’ll go to Africa to get away from everything that is bringing me down.

I’ve already paid for the trip, so what the hell. I can be miserable here where it’s cold and grey or be on vacation in sunny Africa. I might even feel better if I’m on a Safari or something like that. It seems obvious to me now after a rough night.”

If I go perhaps I can still get the other half of my money back.”

“May I come back to your office to talk to you before we leave the office tonight Mr. Monroe?” I want to speak to you about something important.”

“Sure Charlene, is everything alright?”

“Yes, more or less. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes. It won’t take long.”

“My door is always open to you, Charlene, and to all of you women out there that do so much to support all of us. We’re a team.

I’m just going home to my slightly messy apartment to sit with myself, a beer or two and ponder my situation.”

At the end of a busy and trying day, Joe had forgotten that Charlene had wanted to talk to him. He sat at his desk finishing up a short report on a new author. Then the light on his intercom lit up.

“Mr. Monroe, may I come to your office now. I’m just about closing up shop her in my cubicle.”

Joe was startled by the call. Then he remembered his earlier conversation with Charlene.

“Sure Charlene, I was expecting to see you this afternoon after work.”

When ever he was alone with Charlene, even when he was engaged to Suzan, his mind often wandered off into perilous waters.

Charlene was a beautiful woman and seemed never to mention a man in her life. That seemed strange. “What was that all about?” he wondered more than once.

“She knew all about his personal life and his many failings, according to Suzan, from them talking together at lunch.

“Sure, come on in and we’ll talk.”

Charlene took twenty steps toward Joe’s office as several sets of eyes watched her head in that direction. She was very attractive woman and she had many in the office who didn’t like her close relationship or seemingly close relationship with Mr. Monroe. She smoothed her skirt and blouse and knocked.

“Come on in Charlene.”

She slowly opened the door, entered and sat down across from Joe on the other side of his desk as she had a million times before. But this time it was different. She took a deep breath and looked up at Joe’s warm eyes.

She took in every crease and crevice of his face and loved all of it.

His hair was a thick black with waves and his skin looked younger than his years. His jaw was square and his eyes reflected what she saw as kindness in them. She had loked him over closely more times than she could count.

“Here’s a thought Mr. Monroe, why don’t I go with you instead of you going alone.

You have told me so much about the trip and I have helped with the planning of your fantastic vacation it would a waste of time to go alone. I even remember the name of the company you used and the itinerary.

I think you might have a better time a friend came along with you. Why don’t I go with you? Why don’t I go along instead. Just as a platonic fellow traveler, of course.”

“Oh my goodness Charlene that might be awkward, don’t you think?”

“I had been thinking of going to that part of the world anyway, Joe. Your honeymoon plans just rekindled those thoughts of mine that had been lying dormant for a while. I have saved up the money for a vacation anyway, so why don’t I join you. I’ll pay my own way, of course.”

Joe had done very little research on this trip, on his own, if the truth be known. That was one of the many reasons for the argument with Suzan the night before.

Joe knew little of what was in store for him in Africa and seemed to have little interest in the trip as far as Suzan could tell. He had been concerned about the cost of both the wedding and the honeymoon, instead.

“Let me think about this idea of yours, Charlene. It seems risky at best on the face of it, but I’ll give it some serious thought tonight at home. I promise we will talk about it when we are back at work tomorrow.”

“Okay then Joe,” was all she had time to say as Joe stood up, grabbed his over coat and headed for the door. He was quickly near the door.

It was Friday and everyone was in a hurry to get home before the subway lines were too long or all the taxis were taken and the buses were filled.

Joe and Charlene had talked about his honeymoon at the office after work, now and then for months on end, or so it seemed. He had seemed far less excited for some reason in the last few weeks, or so Charlene thought.

The fact that Joe was marrying someone else made these conversations difficult before, but she loved talking to him. She loved the way his lips moved when he spoke to her.

Charlene knew she would be able to take time off when Joe did. He was her main priority at work, after all.

The little work she did for the other editors could be picked up by by the rest of the girls in secretarial pool, so why not leave on vacation when he did? All of the women working there shared tasks often with her and she knew it wouldn’t be an issue.

“Okay then, we’ll talk tomorrow,” Charlene said as she stood up from his desk and watched him walk away with a glimmer of hope in her heart.

She walked quickly back to her desk, put her work related items away and grabbed her heavy, yellow scarf and wrapped it tightly around her neck. She then grabbed her coat and put it on while spinning in a circle chasing one arm. Then she grabbed her yellow, floppy hat and placed it quickly ion her head. She then started her short walk down the stairs to the busy street and turned left as she did most days.

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So this this is part of Chapter four.

We are learning a little more about these two people.

More tomorrow.

Remember, if you like stories like this, read “Grandpa Ernie’s Secrets.” There’s a lot going on in that novel.

Long held secrets will be revealed and new secrets will be found around each corner.

Who is Ruby’s father?

How did Bobby’s parents really die?

These are just a few.