The Executive Consultant (3 page)

It
was nearly ten and night had fallen long ago when at last I decided that I
needed to leave the café and return home. The previous night I had definitely
drunk too much and had suffered as a result. I had learned my lesson this
morning. Besides, I did not want to spend the weekend recovering from hangovers
when I was due to meet start this brand new job on Monday morning.

I
still had not been able to reach Mark and after a while I simply gave up. I
went home thinking that if even he was not at home, I would wait for him. With
everything that had happened between last night and this morning, we needed to
talk. So, many crazy things were going through my mind right now. I needed
clarity. I had been trying to stave off the thought that maybe we needed some
time apart, but now that I was alone it came back with a force. My heart
thudded at the thought that ultimately we might very well end up going our
separate ways. But even if that was where we would end up, it would have to be
done amicably. My mind was already jumping forward to sorting out the apartment
and separating our things. It would be hard but I would have to do whatever I
had to do. Already I felt like I was in the process of nursing a broken heart.

I
entered the apartment quietly and dropped my purse and my heels by the
entrance. It was dark which meant that Mark was not yet home. I sighed. I was
about to find the light switch for the living area when I heard a sound coming
from the direction of the bedroom. My heart ricocheted as all kinds of
disturbing thoughts began to race through my head. I was about to decide what
next to do when I heard laughter. My heart thundered again: this time my
trepidation was for another reason entirely. Quietly I crept down the tiny
passageway and found that the door of our room was slightly open. I peeked
through the crack but did not enter. I could not believe my eyes. There they
were in full view. I gave the door a sudden push.

“Fuck!”
Mark screamed, as he pushed Erin out of the way. She had been crouching on top
of him, teasing him, and had just been about to kiss him as I walked in.

I
looked from one to the other in disbelief. The tears came to my eyes as the
pain I had known was inevitable came crashing in.

"How could you?" I shook my head as I turned and ran sobbing. I
stopped long enough to grab my heels and purse from the floor before I bolted
out of the apartment. I slammed the door shut with a bang and bolted down the
stairs.

***

I
checked into the Hotel Pennsylvania, just around the corner from our apartment.
I knew how disheveled I must have looked, but I really did not care. I couldn't
stop the tears from streaming, and my dress was creased. To add to that I was
wearing only one heel. Running down the stairs in heels: not by best idea,
especially when you live on the sixth floor. I had broken my heel and instead
of removing the shoe I hopped along to the hotel and right up to the front
desk.

“Will
you be checking any bags?”

I
shook my head.

“How
long will you be staying?” the young, perky check-in clerk asked.

Oh
my god! How long would I be staying? Couldn’t I just live here and never go
back? Forget what I had witnessed. Forget I had a best friend. Forget I had a
fiancé. Forget everything.

The
realization that I had had an interview earlier and that I would need to go
back for my ten o’clock appointment on Monday sank in.

“Until
tomorrow night.” I nodded as confirmation. He would have all day to move in
with her.

“That
will be a late check-out,” he confirmed, and started calculating the price. If
he had quoted a million dollars I would probably have just handed over my card
anyway. I ignored all his other comments, until he handed me the key. I made my
way to the room. This was my new home until Sunday night. I sat on the bed as
the sobs came pouring out of me like there was no tomorrow.

My
phone rang a few times, so I switched it off. I really did not want to hear
anything they had to say. What happened to good old fashioned integrity? When
you get engaged, you don’t sleep with anyone else but your future wife. Your
best friend gets engaged, and you try your hardest not to sleep with the future
husband.

Erin:
failed.

Mark:
failed.

I
passed with flying colors in being the ultimate, trusting fool. I fell into a
fitful slumber, dying to wake up from what must be a bad dream. I woke up at
the first light of day. I had not even drawn the curtains and the soft morning
light shone in. As the new day began I felt totally lost.

I
picked up my phone and started dialing. I did not even check the time. I knew
one person who would be awake at this time: one person that could make
everything better. My mom.

“Mom?”

“Lea? You're awake?”

"Yes mom."

There was a moment silence. I could not do small chat. Laughing
was not an option. The events of the night before came flooding back to me and
I started to cry.

"Lea? What’s wrong?” the concern in her voice was palpable.

“I got home last night and saw Mark and Erin in bed together.”

“Oh,” she said quietly.

Oh? Was that all she had to say? I just told her that my best
friend and future husband were sleeping together and all she had to say was
'Oh'? I was about to speak to ask for a reason for the nonchalance when she
continued.

“Have I ever told you about Kevin?”

Seriously? Was this the time to be telling stories? Either my
ears were failing me or my mom had gone completely mad.

"No."

“Well, Kevin and your dad were best friends. The problem was
that Kevin had a wandering eye and your dad knew it. He said he had fallen in
love with me from the moment he had seen me, but I only had eyes for Kevin.”

“Okay.”

I couldn’t speak. I had called the one person who I could depend
on to make me feel better, the one person I knew I could rely on always, and
here she was telling me stories from thirty years ago. I sighed as she
continued.

“Well, your dad knew how much I loved Kevin. Now one day I went
to see Kevin. Normally I would only see him Saturday and Sunday. This
particular Friday I had nothing going on and thought I would go see him.”

I sighed and laid down on the bed with the phone to my ear.

“Anyway, when I was walking to Kevin’s your dad saw me and said
that I should take a walk with him. He cooked up some lame excuse about wanting
help with math and that I was the only person who could help at that time. I
was sucked in and took a walk with him while we spoke. At the end of talking he
did the most surprising thing: he kissed me. I had no idea why at the time. But
I found out later. You see, Kevin had never wanted to meet on Fridays. Thursday
and Friday were Sharon’s days with him while Saturday and Sunday were my days
with Kevin. Your dad would often pass by my house on a Friday hoping one day I
would see him. Not only did he save me from getting hurt by Kevin. He kissed
me. And then I knew I could never be with Kevin. You see Lea, I know the
meaning of true love. I've had my own encounters with guys like Mark.”

“But you wanted me to run the company with Mark. This makes no
sense. If you knew that Mark was not my true love, why make such a big
gesture?"

“Well I was never on favor of it. Your dad thought it would be a
good idea. I reminded him of Kevin. All he said was that if you felt that way
you would not be marrying Mark. I, on the other hand, knew it was just a matter
of time.”

I sighed as the tears came to my eyes once more. I exhaled
shakily.

“Bye, mom.”

“You cry your eyes out sweet child. It will do you good to cry.
Just remember one thing. He is not your true love and she was never a friend.”
The phone clicked as she disconnected the call.

I called down by the front desk and informed them that I would
be extending my stay and check out early Monday morning instead. As I hung up,
I hugged my pillow and closed my eyes and cried. I cried for my past and
rejoiced at my future.

Immediately after checking out I switched on my phone as I made
my way to Starbucks. I had showered and used the spare slip-ons I always keep
in my bag just in case I did not want to walk around in heels all day. I had
completely forgotten about them in the heat of everything that had happened Saturday
night.

As I got there the first person I called was Erin. It rang until
it went to voice mail and I hung up. I really was not in the mood as I was so
hungry after not eating for an entire day due to the constant wailing that I
had been doing. I did not even know who had upset me more, Erin or Mark. It was
probably both. This was certainly not Erin’s first time betraying me, but it
was sure to be the last. She had always seemed to want everything I had ever
had.

She called back just as I sat down to eat. I listened to her
going on about how sorry she was and that I should try to forgive her. She
asked if we could meet at our favorite café and sit down and talk about things
like adults. I had had enough. I cut off the call and switched off my phone.

I knew I should not have called. Mom had always taught me never
to do anything that would upset me while eating. I has just broken that rule
and was already regretting it. I finished breakfast and headed back to the
apartment. I needed to get cleaned up for my new job. The last thing I needed
in the middle of all this was to mess up my new position.

I climbed the stairs and opened the door cautiously. First the
stench of stale food and beer hit me. There was Mark, sitting propped up on the
couch drinking beer. He had turned the sofa around to face the door.

I ignored him completely. The place stunk. I did the typical
woman thing as I got a huge garbage bag and began to clean up. I felt my anger
rise as he sat watching me do this. I went into the bedroom and ripped the
sheets from the bed and added them to the trash.

He said nothing, until I had finished clearing up.

“Finished?”

Really? Did he just ask me if I was finished? Didn't he have any
remorse? I looked at the time and remembered why had come back and what I
needed to do. I raced to the bathroom and showered. I changed into one of my
power suits and pulled my hair back into a bun. I didn't want to stop to dry it
as the longer I was in Mark's company the more disgusted I felt.

I took up my purse and he just stood watching me, like a lost
child with nowhere to go or no knowledge of what to do next. I turned to him as
I walked towards the door.

“By the way, I want your stuff out of here by the time I get
back. And don’t forget the trash. I want it all out by the time I return.”

He rushed over to me like a gust of wind.

“Is that all you have to say?” He turned me around so that I was
facing him and slammed the door shut.

"The last time you did that you were thinking of her.” I
recalled the night after my celebration and the way he had treated me. Like a
piece of shit when in fact he was the shit. He was the one messing around with
my best friend.

“You know, with all the questions that were running through my
head as I tried to figure out how long this had been going on and what warning
signs I had missed, it all boiled down to one thing: I realized it doesn’t
matter. You cheated. You're trash. I don’t marry trash.”

He lifted my hand to check my finger.

“Oh yes! My ring. Well that’s in the trash too!”

It was the first thing I had done as I left the apartment block.
I threw it in the trash. Where he belonged. He was making me feel sick; the
smell of beer and bad food was nauseating.

“Erin seduced me. I didn’t know where you were or what you were
doing. I'm not the one at fault. It's all her. She’s been jealous of you ever
since you were kids, remember? It wasn’t me. Look at me Lea. I’m a mess without
you.”

I stared at him. I wish it was that easy to think of it as being
her fault. I had to remind myself of how he had treated me and that he could
not be trusted. The more I thought about it the more I realized they were both
to be blamed. When I had called her on Saturday I now knew that it was his
voice I had heard. I simply could not forgive him that easily. It needed to
take time. We would have to figure out where we had gone wrong as a couple. How
could two people marry if there was no trust?

He hugged me slowly and then he whispered in my ear, “I mean,
what will happen to your parents' business when they go to Aruba?”

Now I remembered why he wanted to marry me at all! I pushed him
away as his words fell like a knife through my heart.

"Be out by the time, I get back. I want all the trash out!”

I slammed the door shut and walked toward the elevator that I
had forgotten existed on Saturday night. Once bitten, twice shy.