The next morning, very early morning around 3 am, Hal fixed himself in front of the bathroom mirror, he then looked at his wife who was sleeping, he sighed feeling bad and looked back to the mirror again. He was about to grab his watch but then it fell and it made a sound so reached for it to pick it up but then Marie was awake from the loud sound.
"Hal, was that you?", she asked as she rubbed her eyes and squint from the bright light of the bathroom lights.
Hal got his watch and wore it on his wrist, "yeah, sorry, honey", he apologized. Marie got up then sat to the bed and then wore her robe and stood up.
"Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?", she asked him.
"It's fine, I'll make one myself", he responded, "you can go back to sleep".
"It's fine," she said to him, "I'll make you one, right now". Then she walked down to go to the kitchen. Hal exasperated since he knows there was still tension between them and he doesn't know how to deal with it this time. Later, he got down and went to the kitchen and saw Marie sitting at their dining table where there's a cup of coffee looking emotionless.
Hal walked to the dining table and sat across her and took a sip of the coffee she maid, "thanks," he said to her and Marie nodded at him and smiled lightly, "I'm sorry about last night and that I'm leaving later".
"It's okay", she sighed.
"Look, I don't want to leave you like this", Hal confronted her.
"I think your job needs you more", Marie responded to him coldly.
Hal was taken aback, "Don't talk like that", he said to her, "I'll be back".
"When?" she asked. Hal shakes his head in frustration.
"Marie, please, don't make me leave knowing that you're mad at me", Hal begged her.
"Hal, I just don't know how to go about this", Marie said to him.
"Me too, but Marie, I wanted to be fine between us", Hal said to her, "will you be okay?".
"I don't know", Marie responded by shaking her head. Hal was about to say something but his phone rang knows it's from work and he couldn't decide whether or not he should answer, "go-ahead, they need you than I ever will". Hal went ahead and answer the call. While taking on the phone, Marie still feels frustrated with Hal. Shortly after when the call ended, Hal turned to Marie.
"I have to go", Hal said to her.
"Okay", she responded by nodding her head.
"Come with me at the airport", Hal suggested to Marie.
"No, I'll just stay here and get back to sleep after you leave... again," Marie said with an angry tone. Hal got speechless and knows he doesn't have time to argue so he stood up and then walked to the front. He grabbed his bag and got out of the house then got to his car. Marie sighed followed to the front door and opened it and just stood there. Hal saw her there as he already opened the car door then he puts his bag there then he walked in front of her and hugged her tightly. Marie felt his sincerity but she's still hurt to hug him back.
"I love you so much," he said to her then once he pulls away from the hug, he looked at her face holds it and looked into her cold yet sad eyes, "please, wait for me". As he was about to pull himself to kiss her, she pushed him gently.
"Have a safe trip", she said to him in a very emotionless way.
"I will call when I landed", he said to her.
Hal already let her not let him kiss her, so he walked away from her and got in his car. As he turned on it on, he looked at her way and waved at her farewell and Marie waved back with a light smile. Then, he drove off. Marie went back inside the house. Once she got inside, she went straight to the bedroom again. She sat at one side of the bed and breathed and looked at her wedding photo of her and Hal looking so happy then she cried and laid on the bed in tears.
Later at the office where Marie works, she was in front of a computer typing and feeling numb. Her face looked tired since she was crying early in the morning. A brunette, wearing an officewear named Greta appeared in front of her desk, "Hey! Marie", she cheerfully greeted Marie then she noticed how she look, "Wow! what happened to you?".
"I'm just exhausted", Marie answered her.
"Please, Marie, I know exhausted and that's not it", Greta said to her feeling worried, "what's wrong? Is it Alastair?".
"No, it's Hal", Marie responded with a sigh.
"Oh my God, did he know?", Greta asked about Marie's affair.
"No, it's not that", Marie said to her, "He came home yesterday".
"Oh, okay, what happened?", Greta asked her.
"He took me out to dinner and told me he had a promotion....", Marie moaned.
Greta looked confused, "Oh that bastard", she sarcastically said.
"You don't get it, Greta", Marie said, "Hal is always away on business trips".
"That's his job", Greta reminded.
"I know that I just wish he doesn't have to go", Marie wished, "all my life, I'm always waiting".
"So what are you gonna do?", Greta questioned, "I mean let's admit it, Alastair might make you happy but this isn't fair for Hal".
"Honestly, I don't know," Marie answered, "I feel like I'm not in his dreams and goals, I don't feel like a wife".
"Well, sweetie, let me ask you this and forget what these two men want from you for a while", Greta said, "Why are you still holding on to Hal ?".
"Hal is a sweet man but he doesn't deserve this", Marie explained.
"But you don't love him anymore, do you?", Greta asked her.
"No", Marie sobbed and shakes her head lightly.
At the office where Hal works, a meeting where he was presenting just adjourned, an investor approached him, "Great job, Hal", the investor said by shaking his hand.
"Thank you, sir!", Hal said to him then the investor walked away. A coworker approached him.
"Thanks again, GM Jacoby", the coworker thanked.
"No problem", Hal responded while packing up his laptop.
"Sorry that we had to make you come here in the middle of your leave", the coworker apologized.
"Don't worry about it", Hal said but he felt aggravated that he had to work instead of being with his wife and he was trying to hide it.
"How's your wife?", the coworker asked, "was she okay about you being here?".
"She just accepted it but no happy about it", Hal answered.
"I'm really sorry, GM", the coworker apologized again.
"No, no, it's not your fault", Hal said to him, as he puts his hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "why don't you go back to work?". The coworker smiled and nodded then he got out of the meeting room. Hal then was fixing the paper on the table and suddenly his phone rang again so picked it up, "talk to me".
"Hello, Hal", a deep voice of man answered.
"Mr. Philips, is that you?", Hal asked since the 1980's phone has no caller ID.
"It's me", Mr. Philips confirmed that it's him.
"Oh, hello, boss", Hal said.
"I heard a lot of good things about what happened in the meeting", Mr. Philips said to Hal.
"Really, sir?", Hal responded.
"Yes, good job, Jacoby", Mr. Philips congratulated him.
"Thank you, Mr. Philips", Hal replied with glee.
"But that's not why I called", Mr. Philips said.
Hal had a weird look on his face, "Okay, what is it?" he asked.
"Since you're a General Manager now, I want you to travel to Vietnam", Mr. Philips answered and Hal got stunned, "We need to get clients all-over Asia".
"Alright", Hal reluctantly said, "when do you need me there?".
"Next week", Mr. Philips said.
"I see", Hal trying to hide his shock reaction since it was a bit sudden on him.
"Thank you, Hal", Mr. Philips thanked him.
"Wait, I just need to request one thing", Hal said.
"Okay, what is it?", Mr. Philips asked him.
"I was on leave, and I had to come back here in the office for an emergency," Hal explained, "can I go back home and continue with my leave, I need to see my wife, I'll be back on Wednesday".
"Oh is that so, okay, go ahead", Mr. Philips approved, "I understand".
"Thank you so much, Mr. Philips", Hal thanked him.
"Alright, have a safe trip back home", Mr. Philips said. Then Hal puts down the phone and smiles with excitement.
Back home, Marie was in a cafe and then a couple came with a kid so she felt embitter. Suddenly, Alastair came holding two coffee cups and then sat down across her and then saw where she was looking and he understood, "did you ever talked to Hal about having kids?", he asked her.
"We did talk about it, but he said that it's not the right time", Marie moaned then Alastair grabbed her hand and held it tight and looked into her eyes.
"I promise you when everything is okay, we'll get married, and have kids and grow old together", he promised her.
"I'd like that," Marie said with a smile on her face.
"I hope they get your beautiful olive-green eyes," Alastair said to her.
"Oh, you..." Marie said feeling flattered and they both laughed. Then Marie suddenly felt incongruous.
"What's wrong?", Alastair said in worry.
"I can't help but think about Hal", Marie said, "about this...us"
"I know what you mean," he responded, "I feel bad too, for betraying my friend".
"I'm honestly scared, I don't know what will happen," she said, "I don't want to hurt him but I don't want to hold on to something that leaves all the time".
"Don't worry", Alastair assured her, "no matter what happens, I will be right by your side".
"Thank you, Alastair", she replied to him then they kissed each other and looked at each other eye-to-eye and went on drinking there coffee.
"I love you", she said to him.
"I love you too", he replied and they starred at each other for a while, "I'll buy muffins".
"Okay", she responded then Alastair left. Suddenly, Marie's brick cell phone so she checked who it was and it was Hal's number then she immediately rejects the call not wanting to talk to him. Back in the office, Hal felt worried that Marie was not answering his calls ever since he came back to work. Hal was not just worried but he was getting irritated from Marie's cold shoulder then he groaned but then his coworker saw him.
"Wow, you okay, GM?", the coworker asked him looking concerned.
"It's my wife, she's not answering", Hal answered feeling upset, "I want to tell her that I'll be in town tomorrow".
"Maybe she's busy", the coworker thought.
"No, her work hours should end", Hal said then he relaxed a little bit, "I think she's still mad at me".
"Why don't you surprise her again?", the coworker suggested.
Then Hal felt a lot better and smiled, "Yeah, you're right", Hal agreed, "I'll buy a bigger bouquet and book us a romantic mini-vacation from my remaining leave".
"Awesome", the coworker commented, "she will love that".
"Thanks, Craig", Hal thanked.
The next day, Hal went back to town on a Friday and excited to see his wife again. He was driving on his way home and there was even a bigger bouquet of fresh red roses at the backseat and his phone rang so he answered it while driving. "Hello", he greeted.
"Hey! Hal, it's Craig", Craig greeted back.
"Oh hey, why'd you call?", Hal asked.
"I forgot to ask, where was the document again for Mr. Philips", Craig asked sheepishly.
"Oh, it's in the first drawer on the right of my table", Hal answered.
"Ok, thank you!" Craig said, "so are you on your way home?".
"Yep, almost", Hal said cheerfully. Craig was still talking to Hal and he was already at his block and as he got to his house, he saw an unknown car parked right in front of it. Hal had a weird look on his face and so he parked right in front of the unknown car. "Never seen this one before," he said forgetting he's still having a conversation with Craig.
"Sorry what?" Craig said confusingly.
"Sorry, I just saw another car in front of my house," said Hal.
"Maybe, it's a friend of hers", said the coworker.
"Maybe," he said in a worried tone, "anyways, I'll see you on Wednesday, call me if you need anything".
"Alright, Bye GM," said the coworker.
He finds it odd but didn't think much of it so he parked right behind the unknown car. He got out then he walked to his house he feels the silence around him. He was about to open the front door but he noticed that it's slightly opened. He entered and still feeling the silence around but he knows that Marie was still there. Suddenly a murmured sound coming from upstairs and he puts down the bouquet on a coffee table. Went up the stairs quietly then the murmur was getting louder but not clearer as he still wonders what was going on as he came to the second floor the murmur got clear it was a giggle by not one but two people. Hal started to feel more anxious he walked toward his and Marie's bedroom and notice that the door is also slightly open but enough to see what's happening. He peeked then he saw something, he saw a man on top of his wife kissing half-naked on their bed. His vision turned red then pushed the door so hard that the two lovers stopped to what almost an intimate scene and his wife and Alastair looked at Hal in shocked.
"Hal!," The wife gasped. Then they grabbed their clothes and put them on in a hurry.
Hal looked at her in anger and in disbelief then at the face of Marie's lover and his eyes got wide, "you!", he gasped looking at him. He yelled, "How could you do this?" and push things off his cabinet.
"You weren't around," Marie shouted.
"So what? you had to find someone like my friend," he shouted back at her loudly. Then he looks at man supposedly his close friend," and you", looking at him in a fury.
"I'm sorry," Alastair said not knowing to say or do next then Hal grabbed him and push him on a wall and was about to punch.
"Hal! don't!", Marie screamed.
Hal punched but not at the man but at the wall yet Alastair flinched thinking it was him. He released Alastair yet he still can't wrap his head on what just happened. " Why?" he cried to Marie.
"I felt lonely and Alastair has been there all those times," she cried.
"You're unbelievable," Hal said upsettingly then glaring at them, "both of you ".
Hal walked out the room enraged but Marie followed him and the lover stayed inside feeling guilty, "Hal, I'm sorry that you had to found out this way but please understand me". She followed him and keep on apologizing.
"Understand you?" he asked sarcastically and stopped walking then turning at her. They stopped at the coffee table where he left the bouquet and then grabbed them. "I bought these for you and now I understand that it's the biggest mistake of my life next to coming home to surprise you ".
"You've been away all the time and I've been miserable," she explained.
" You think I want to be away from you?" he asked yelling at her.
"No one asked you to go on a business trip," she said continue crying.
"You told me to understand you and I did," he said seriously, " whenever I'm away I missed you, I worry for you and I admit maybe, I was too busy providing for us to see how you are doing and then I thought you're fine because I know you'll call if something happens and now you are more than capable of taking care of yourself," They stared at each other in tension.
"Get out," she said firmly at him.
"Gladly," Hal said with a blank look, "for now".
The wife suddenly looked confused and kind of shocked, " what do you mean?". Hal did not answer the question and just left
The next morning, Hal stayed in a hotel and spend the night there. There were dozens of glasses and a tequila bottle on the nightstand beside the table obviously to numb the broken heart. Suddenly his phone rang, he woke up from his heavy sleep and a headache yet he grabbed his phone and see who was calling in the morning, and saw it was his coworker. He decided to answer it, " Hey!"
"I just want to ask if the trade report is with you?", askedCraig.
"I'm sorry, let me just really wake up for a while," Hal said sounding tired.
"Oh! you don't sound good," Craig noticed, "Right, what happened yesterday with your surprise to your wife?".
"I was the one who was surprised," Hal answered.
"What happened?" Craig asked feeling worried.
"She had an affair with my friend," Hal answered loudly.
"Oh my Gosh," exclaimed Craig, "you know what? don't worry about the document, we don't need it right away".
" It's fine, I will send them right away", Hal said.
"Don't stress yourself, we can handle this," Craig assured.
"It's okay, I will book a flight tomorrow, I'll go back to the office early," Hal said.
"Well that's truly up to you, see you then, GM," said Craig.
"you too," Hal replied then he puts down the phone then put it back on the nightstand. He got up and sat on the side of the bed then rubbed his eyes. He stood up and then got a shower. When he got out, his phone vibrates which meant he received a text.
He looked at his phone while drying his hair with a towel and to his surprise it was Marie who left a voice message saying, " I understand that you are mad at me but please let's talk through this, meet me at Roscoe Cafe at 12".
Hal reluctantly decided to accept the invite and called her to confirm. Hours later, Hal went to the cafe where they should meet, he found Marie there. Marie smiled at him when he approached her. Hal sat across her with a blank look on his face, "I'm happy you came," she greeted, "I ordered your favorite coffee".
"I'm good," he responded still looking emotionless then Marie's smile slowly disappeared, "So I'm here, what do you want to talk about?".
"I'm sorry that you had to found out like that," she explained," I was going to tell you about Alistair and me....".
"Never mind, I'll go," Hal said frustratingly and was ready to stand up.
"Hal, please, wait", Marie cried out and reached and hold his sleeve, "please, hear me out". Hal still feeling he'd regret that he should've left chose to stay.
"Okay, what?" Hal asked still maddened.
"I... I mean we didn't mean to hurt you," she explained.
"Okay," Hal responded sarcastically and he rubbed his head in disbelief on what his wife just said and do.
"Alistair has been there helping me, listening to me," she continued to explain "he's been around so much..". After five seconds of her hearing her side, Hal had enough.
"So do you love him?" Hal interrupted.
"Hal, I..." she stuttered.
"Just answer, Marie," he urged her.
"Yes," she answered. Hal felt a sudden bolt, his mouth was open with disbelief and tears are forming in his eyes, "I want a divorce".
"Fine," he responded collected himself and looked at her with resentment, "I gave you everything anyway and I had to go out of town and even the country just to give you that, so yeah, why not a divorce. For this, I worked hard".
"I'm sorry, Hal," she apologized.
"I'm sorry that I'm the man that you're not happy with," Hal said, "goodbye, Marie". Then he got up and left without getting the coffee that Marie ordered for him. As for Marie, she didn't say anything when he walks away with tears on her eyes feeling very guilty about what she did. Later on that day, Hal was drowning his sorrows in a bar at the hotel where he stayed, drinking vodkas and whiskey feeling all alone and dark and gloomy.
Later on that day late at night, Hal was drowning his sorrows in a bar at the hotel where he stayed, drinking vodkas and whiskey feeling all alone, dark and gloomy and he cried loudly disturbing other people. " vodka please," he said loudly then the bartender noticed his condition.
"I think you had enough," the bartender said.
"I want another," Hal demanded.
"Calm down, sir, people are leaving, I suggest you call it a night," the bartender suggested.
"Hey, I'll pay whatever, just give me another," Hal insisted. Then a manager came and had to intervene.
"Sir, excuse me but you need to leave," The manager requested.
"I'm fine," Hal still insisted.
"Sir, I'm going to say this one last time please you need to get out, you are disturbing the other customers," the manager explained.
Hal was about to say anything but he suddenly passed out and fell on the ground.