In the smaller office outside, the young man stopped by his secretary’s desk. The middle-aged woman behind the desk looked up and smiled. “Leaving for the day, Mr. Chandler?” she inquired.
“That’s right,” the man replied. His eyes landed on the stack of papers piled upon the woman’s desk. “Don’t tell me you’re working late again, Evelyn.”
“Afraid so,” she replied, “but I don’t mind. So where are you off to this evening?”
The man smiled. “I’m meeting Denise for dinner at the Chateau Amante.”
Evelyn gave a low whistle. “The appetizers there would eat up my whole month’s salary. And I hear it takes forever to get a reservation.”
“Well, Denise is worth it,” the man said, suppressing a blush and ignoring Evelyn’s knowing smile. “Well I’d better get going. Good night, Evelyn.”
“Good night, Mr. Chandler. Don’t get in too much trouble,” she said with a smile.
The young man took the elevator down to the parking garage and drove his silver Porsche Boxter back to his apartment building. He dashed upstairs to the penthouse and quickly changed out of his black Armani suit. He decided to wear the white Valentino dress shirt with dark slacks. He then rushed out of the building and sped off to the restaurant. Don’t want to keep Denise waiting he thought.
The man ended up arriving at the restaurant before she did. The waiter escorted him to his usual table next to the window, which afforded a view of the busy street outside. While he waited, the man pondered his choice of food this evening. The veal cutlets with fois gras was excellent. However the venison filet, perfumed with a hint of thyme, was delicious as well. Another tempting choice was the filet mignon in a bordelaise sauce. So many choices.
The man’s thoughts were interrupted by the scent of perfume; he recognized it immediately. He turned around to see Denise walking up to the table. Her long, dark hair seemed to flow into the black dress she wore. The man’s heart, as usual, skipped a beat as he gazed at her beautiful, delicate features. She smiled warmly as he stood up and gave her a kiss.
“Sorry I’m late, Calvin darling,” she said. “The office has just been so busy lately,” she added, sighing.
Calvin smiled. “It’s alright, I just got here anyway.”
The waiter arrived at their table. “May I get you some wine this evening?” he asked.
The couple glanced at the wine list. “I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay,” Denise said.
“Hmm,” said Calvin. “I think I’ll go with a red Burgundy. I’ll have a glass of the Pinot Noir.”
The waiter nodded and jotted down notes in his notepad. “And have you two decided on what you’ll be having this evening?”
Calvin waited as Denise briefly consulted the menu. “I think I’ll go with the sea bass tonight,” she said at last.
“Sounds good,” said Calvin. He then looked at the waiter. “I’ll have the Beef Wellington. Medium rare.”
The waiter nodded. “Excellent choices. I’ll be right back.”
Then the waiter left, leaving the couple to themselves. “So how was work today, sweetie?” asked Calvin.
“Pretty busy. Mostly boring paperwork, though. Oh, and I think I might be finally getting that promotion soon.”
“That’s great!” Calvin grinned. “So now you’re a top executive. This calls for a celebration!”
“Well it’s not final yet. It’s just that old Brukenmeyer’s retiring, and they’re looking for someone to fill his position.”
“I’m sure you’ll get the job, no problem. This is great! You’ve wanted this promotion for a long time. And you definitely deserve it.”
“I suppose,” said Denise softly.
“What’s wrong? You do want the promotion, don’t you?”
Denise shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m just a little tired right now. I guess work took a lot out of me. So how was work for you today, hon?”
“Hectic, but manageable,” replied Calvin. “I’m getting used to the new position. You should see my new office; it has this gorgeous view. I’m sure you could make a beautiful painting of it. You were always so good at that artistic stuff.”
“It sounds terrific. Feels like an eternity since I’ve painted anything.”
The food arrived, and the fragrant smell of Beef Wellington greeted Calvin’s senses. He waited until Denise was served before he began eating. The couple ate in silence for a while. The Beef Wellington was delicious. Calvin quietly relished the flaky pastry surrounding the beef. The filet mignon within, smothered in truffles and a delicate wine sauce, was delightful. Great job, great home, brand new car, wonderful food, and Denise thought Calvin. Life is good.
Halfway through his steak, Calvin noticed that Denise had barely touched her sea bass. “What’s wrong, dear? Is something wrong with the food?”
“No, no, the food’s fine. It’s just... well...”
“What is it, darling?”
“I think we need to talk.”
Warning sirens went off in Calvin’s mind. Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound too good.
“Sure, hon, what is it?” he asked as casually as he could.
“Well, remember my old job before I started working for the firm? The one at the museum?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, my old boss there put in a good word for me at an art museum in Boston. The museum called me today and offered me a job.”
Calvin looked into her eyes. “What did you say to them?”
“It’s always been a dream of mine. It’s just that it was always out of reach. But now they’re offering me a curatorship! Can you imagine that?” Denise was talking animatedly now, but then she saw the look in Calvin’s eyes, and her tone suddenly became less jubilant.
“What did you say?” he asked once more.
“I said I’d take it.”
“What!!” Calvin’s heart began to race. “Why didn’t you talk to me about it beforehand?!” he demanded.
“The opportunity was closing fast. There were others lined up for the job. They couldn’t wait for a decision. I’m so sorry, Calvin. I should have told you, but I had to decide then and there.”
“You can still change your mind right? It’s not too late is it?!”
“No, it’s not too late,” said Denise softly. Her voice had begun to tremble, and she bit her lip slightly. “But I want this job, Calvin. I’ve waited my whole life for it.”
“Why Boston? Why not a museum here in Los Angeles? Why all the way across the country?” Calvin’s heart was racing rapidly; he felt as if his heart would burst out of his chest.
“There aren’t any openings at the museums here, much less a curatorship. This is the only chance I’ll ever have.” By now, tears were welling up in her eyes, and Calvin could see she was fighting them back.
Calvin was speechless. It was all happening so fast.
Finally Denise continued, “It won’t be so bad, dear. We can call each other everyday. The relationship doesn’t have to end. I still love you, Calvin. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Calvin remained silent.
“Please, Calvin, don’t make it harder than it already is. You know I’ll never be happy working at the firm. There’s nothing for me here.”
“I’m here,” Calvin managed to say. His voice was hoarse, and he fought back the tears with all his might. “I love you.”
“You could come with me,” she cried. By now the tears were streaming freely down her cheeks. She turned away. “But we both know you’ll never do that. You have your job, your home... you'd never leave all that behind would you?”
Calvin remained silent, unable to return her gaze. Denise looked down. "That's what I thought," she said quietly. Calvin closed his eyes, and bit down hard on his lips. "Please... don’t go,” he said weakly.
“I’m so sorry, Calvin,” weeped Denise. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m so sorry. Please, Calvin, if you love me, please, let me go.” Sobbing, Denise ran out of her seat and out the door, leaving Calvin at the table, speechless.
Calvin looked down at the half-eaten steak. It now seemed bitter as poison; he pushed the plate out of the way. Nothing mattered to him now. In an instant, his life had been turned upside down. All other thoughts left his mind. The job, the money, the car; none of them brought him comfort anymore. He sighed, and thought of a life without Denise in it. He nearly came to tears thinking about it. He sat there, alone, in the nearly empty restaurant, fighting back the tears. He closed his eyes and began to think...
Finally, he reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone, and dialed a number. “Hello, Evelyn? This is Mr. Chandler." His voice was still trembling slightly
“Good evening, Mr. Chandler,” came the voice on the other end. “What’s wrong? You sound distressed.”
Calvin took a deep breath, and tried to steady his voice. “Evelyn, I need a favor. I need a one-way airline ticket to Boston, tomorrow morning if possible.”
“Boston?”
“You have the airline’s phone number don’t you? Please, make the call. I’ll explain later.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Chandler. I’ll make arrangements.”
Calvin sighed. “Thank you, Evelyn. If anything comes up, I'll be at home... packing. Good bye.”