CHAPTER 4

It happened no sooner than Cal had walked in the door. He had to admit that he had expected something but, this was certainly not it. The plump little girl with the frizzy hair was quite lively when she saw him. She practically jumped over the front counter and was running at him with her arms waiving around. Cal almost felt a need to defend himself but, then she stopped. She was still waiving her hands around and was out of breath. She had also forgotten to take off her headset and the phone was now on the floor and disconnected. The wire was dangling over her shoulder and, only then did she realize something.

“Hello,” the girl said into the mic. Then she grunted and mumbled very quickly, “damn, I hope they call back!” When she looked up at Calvin she was a bit louder and now she was practically pleading, “Mister Brandt! Please don’t do this. God I am begging you. I will do anything and I mean…” She thought about it for a second and changed that too, “well I’ll do a lot things if you just don’t talk to her, please!”

“Jeanine? Right?” When Cal got an anxious nod from the girl he told her, “I have to talk to her. I even called her and told her I was coming.”

The girl practically squeaked, “I know! That’s why I…” Jeanine noticed who was standing in the doorway that led to the back offices. She gulped and then squeaked out a cute little, “hi Miss Brandt” with a friendly wave.

Cindy Brandt was not smiling but, at least, she was calm. She nodded to her receptionist, “it’s ok Jeanine. I’ll see him now.”

When Cindy walked back to her office, Calvin noticed the evil eye he was getting and it was not just from Jeanine. Several other people, who worked in the back offices, also glared at Calvin as he walked by. Since Calvin had once been married to this woman, their boss, he could guess as to why. He tried not to let it bother him. Then she closed the door behind him when he entered her office. She stood there in front of the door, blocking his only escape route. It was kind of like she had lured him in and trapped him here. As Cal thought about that, it did seem a fitting metaphor.

Then, Cindy walked away from the door, past Cal, and right to her desk. As she passed him she rubbed a finger across his cheek too. Then she stood behind her desk, crossed her arms, and with a stern look she said, “no.”

Cal broke down pouting, “I haven’t even asked you anything!”

“But you’re going too,” Cindy said with a shake of the head, “that’s why you’re here.” She gave that a little more thought and then added, “oh and if it’s ex sex you’re looking for. I think I did mention that I’m seeing someone now.”

Cal jumped to his defense, “it is not ex-sex! I wi…” He thought about that for a second and then asked, “who invented that term? Never heard that one before.”

She leaned over the desk and pointed at him, “I knew it. You want something. Calvin, it’s about time that you understand we aren’t married anymore. Why can’t you just get on with your life.”

Cal put his hands on his hips, “I’ll have you know Cindy, that I’m doing just fine on my own.”

“On your own?” Cindy looked amused by that statement as she repeated it. “Calvin, you’re living in a dump that, by the way, Barbara Reilly is putting over your head. You’re not even making six figures a year. I bet you’re barely making five. You’re a what, a CG-4?”

“Five,” Cal protested.

“Cal!” Cindy said as she almost exploded, “you used to own your own business!”

“Yeah,” Calvin told her, “and now you own my own business.”

“What did you expect,” Cindy told him defensively. She then got very stern and pointed to herself, “I’m the one that bailed you out, remember? That was a lot of money Calvin. I had to get something or I was going to go under.”

“Yeah,” Calvin was not impressed. He gestured to the office around him. It was not the biggest or swankiest office he had ever seen but, it was a lot bigger than the one she started in. “I can see you’re hurting.”

Cindy’s voice evened out. Even when she yelled, she never seemed to get angry. That usually made Calvin angry. This was no exception, “no thanks to you Cal.”

Controlling his temper, Calvin collected himself and told her, “I was trying to do something about the problem.”

Cindy was calm but adamant, “no you weren’t, Cal.” She raised a hand and tried to be conciliatory, “look, I understand that in your way, that’s what you thought you were doing. It wasn’t. That’s all that matters.”

Cal tossed in her face, “and things like right and wrong don’t factor in to Cindy’s world I guess.”

“Oh my god,” Cindy rubbed her temples and looked down as she took a deep breath. Then she asked him, “have you even been by the Marina lately?”

Cal tried to salvage his pride before he asked his own question in return, “why would I?”

“OK,” Cindy was still trying to keep the situation under control by softening her tone even more, “tell you what. If you need money, I can do this. Go back to work at the Marina, right back to your old office. I’ll let you run the place just so long as it’s the day to day stuff. You can go play with your boats and I promise not to even drop by there. That is, if you understand one thing. I’ll let you have your old life back but, I’m not in that bargain. Are we agreed?”

Cal grunted, rubbed his chin, fidgeted, and was holding back his frustration, “let me get this straight. You want me to go back to MY marina, and work for you?”

Even if he was getting jumpy, she was staying calm, “yeah Cal, that’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

“Cindy,” Cal felt almost like he was preaching from the pulpit now, “you’ve been a lawyer too long. I’m not one of your clients.”

In a cute little voice she sarcastically told him, “yeah Calvin, I noticed. They usually pay me for my time. Now what’s it going to be?”

Calvin stepped up to her desk, leaned over it, and got in her face, “for your information councilor, all I wanted to ask you was if I could use the lifts over at the marina.”

Cindy straightened up and was a little confused. Then she asked, “what are those?” Her phone went off before Cal could answer and she still had that shocked look as she took the call. Whoever was on the line did nothing to ease her tension. She went from downtrodden to just plain melancholy. She bit her bottom lip as she hung up and put her phone in her purse instead of back on her desk. She was in deep thought as she gathered a few things. She finally managed to say, “we’ll talk about this later. I have a meeting.”

Cindy actually walked out of her office and just left Calvin standing there. She even left her door wide open. Cal yelled out the door even if she was probably long gone, “a simple yes would have done.”

Some round faced guy peeked in the office with fear in his eyes. When he saw Calvin standing there a wave of relief rolled over the man. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and just mumbled, “thank god” as he walked off.