The office furniture was supposed to be replaced during the remodeling. Charlie knew he could put up with this place until then; he’d gone this far and it was just a few more weeks of construction. He leaned back and stared into the distance; the river sparkled just under the horizon line which made him forget he sat on the fiftieth floor. He’d called Rebecca that morning and left a message. It was a beautiful sunny day, he felt his skin dry as he walked to work, he’d taken a shower at her place.
Rebecca didn’t check her messages when she got to work; she was trying to block the previous night out of her mind. The last time she picked up the phone there was a man from the bank telling her that her father had died. The phone left her uneasy. Charlie laughed when he heard this, not because their father had died, only that the bank manager had called him first. Charlie wished Rebecca would call. Then the donut wagon stopped outside in the hall and the man wheeling it poked his head into Charlie’s office.
“Charlie. Can I get you something?” The man’s voice was shallow but casual.
Rebecca and Charlie met for the first time in Rome, they were just teenagers. Charlie’s father had married Rebecca’s mother. As a surprise his father Vincent had flown Rose and Rebecca over to Italy for a holiday. They spent the day walking around the city, and browsing the outdoor markets. The smoke from the fires hung on Rebecca’s coat.
Charlie stuck his hand out to greet Rebecca at the airport. She was thin and flat-chested, no curves, hidden behind make-up and fine grooming. The collar of her fur coat stood up around her neck and greasy shoulder length blonde hair spilled out. Charlie saw it first; something Rebecca had, a look, maybe a stare, it was a moment that lasted longer than a handshake. She had the face of a child, like it was still trapped in her. Charlie followed Rebecca for two weeks, pulled her chair out at dinner, held doors at the museum. Rose thought it was polite, Vincent thought it was something else but never said it out loud.
One afternoon Charlie stood alone at the Fountain of the Four Rivers, Rebecca was supposed to meet him there, they were all meeting there, but they showed up late, Vincent, Rebecca, and his new mom, Rose.
Several years later Rose would get cancer and die, Rebecca would cry, Charlie held her hand at the funeral.
Rebecca stared at the receiver, she was still worried someone would find out, but she couldn’t stop her self from picking it up. When Charlie spoke she started talking. “Listen, shut up, this morning was a mistake, or was it last night? Either way we never planned this, right? What happens when people find out?” Charlie waited a long time before responding; so long, in fact, that she thought something was wrong. He told her nothing was going to happen. This wasn’t a problem. Charlie promised to take her out to dinner and a show.
© 2009 Jason Rice
