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CHAPTER – 39: A Face from the Past (1)
The dinner was at a French restaurant, quite well known, located not too far from the city center. Despite its reputation as an upper-scale joint, it still retained a sense of comfort and homey feel, instead of being as stuffy as some of the other French restaurants. We took Sarah’s sedan, and she guided me through a maze of streets to the restaurant. After I parked the car, we walked the short distance. We checked our coats at the coat room and were met by the Maitre d’. I wasn’t sure if Mark had used our name, but since we had discussed this was going to be my treat, I expected he might have.
And if he used his name, then I guess I’ll look like an idiot!
“Tanner. Table for five,” I said.
He checked his book. “Your friends have already arrived,” he said, before leaving his station to take us to our table. “Right this way, Sir.”
He tried to keep his eyes peeled to my face, but Dana and Sarah were very difficult to ignore. Dana chose that particular moment to brush something from my shoulder. I caught Sarah smiling knowingly, and I knew the poor guy had an interesting but short-lived view. After that she quickly hooked her arm to mine, while Sarah took my other arm and the Maitre d’ turned to guide us to our table.
“That was naughty,” I whispered to Dana.
She shrugged and with a straight face she said, “I was just trying to ensure we would have good service, and attention.”
“Really? The service is supposed to be very good. And you have my attention,” I retorted.
“Jealous?” she teased.
“I’m not, but it’s not nice to tease the poor guy.”
I didn’t realize I was being subtly maneuvered into a corner.
“You’re right, of course. What do you suppose I should do?” she asked with a mischievous smile.
Shit! And I walked right into it!
She laughed, and whispered, “Don’t worry. I just wanted to see the expression on your face.”
Finally, we were at our table, and Mark stood up, helping Kathy with her chair. I thanked the Maitre d’, before he had a chance to seat the ladies. Taking the hint, he left to bring the wine cards. After the greetings were over, I helped Dana and Sarah with their chairs.
Before I could take my seat, Kathy said, “Mitch, can you call Mom? She called and told me she received a call from your office. It might be important.”
“Did she mention who it was or anything else?” I asked, slightly annoyed at the interruption.
There was always the off chance that something might have happened, requiring me to return early. The emergencies were usually short lived, not more than a week at the most, and they were compensated with extra time off, but nevertheless they were irritations. She shook her head in the negative, indicating she didn’t get any details from Mom. Excusing myself from the table, I went to look for a phone. I saw the Maitre d’ on the way, and he showed me to the phone. I dialed the number, while trying to imagine what might have prompted the call from the office.
“Hello,” Mom answered at the third ring.
“Ma, Mitchell. Kathy told me you got a call from the office.”
“Hold on a second, Son. Let me get my glasses,” she said. After a few seconds of silence, she was back on the line, and probably reading her notes. “A Mr. Matthews called. He wanted to get in touch with you. He said he was calling from the rig.”
“That’s my counterpart. What else did he say?”
“Nothing. He said he needed to get in touch with you.”
“Nothing? No urgency or any other explanation?” I asked.
“No. He asked if I knew where he could reach you, but I gave him the standard line,” she said.
I could hear the smile in her voice. Even though she might have been smiling, she didn’t like what she was doing, but that was what I had asked her to do. The standard line was what the people from the office got when I was on vacation. Basically, Mom told them I was away, traveling, and she didn’t have a number or address where she could reach me, but she would take a message in case I called. More or less everybody who knew me knew that I traveled a lot. I had lots of pictures from my trips. And I let them know I didn’t keep in touch with my family very regularly, so the whole arrangement and the response were reasonable.
To tell the truth, I didn’t really want to list my parents as the contact point to get in touch with me when I was off-duty. My main concern was that the people at the office would make a mistake and contact my parents if I were to be involved in an emergency or an accident while at work. For such situations, I had left strict instructions; they were supposed to contact the family lawyer first, and failing that, Kathy next, and under no circumstances, they were supposed to contact my parents. I didn’t want my parents worried, and certainly, I didn’t trust the people in the office to break bad news to my parents. I knew the family lawyer would be able to do a better job of gently breaking the news to my family. Neither my parents nor Kathy was aware of this little detail, only the family lawyer knew about it, because I had discussed with him my concerns, and he agreed with my reasoning. We both decided Kathy would be the logical choice if he weren’t available, but we didn’t inform Kathy. Considering the constant arguments I had had with my parents regarding the instability and danger where I worked, I knew I couldn’t talk about it with Kathy; that would have given more ammunition to my family about the subject.
Hell! It had been as difficult as it were at the time, when I signed the contract. And last year... the attack to that rig...
I’m glad they aren’t aware of the particular arrangements!
When I was on my days off, I didn’t like to disturbed, except for real emergencies, such as when somebody got injured or had a family emergency they had to attend to. If it was something like replacing somebody in the office, I didn’t care. They had plenty of people who could take the extra work. I was rarely called for something like that, but once it had happened. Since then, I had come up with the standard line for Mom and Dad. I didn’t want to be stuck in the office, and that particular time the so called ‘emergency’ turned out to be a case of somebody attending a seminar, with nobody willing to pick up the extra work.
Those seminars are announced several months in advance. They should have planned for it as they did when they are scheduling the vacations and technical courses! It’s not my problem, and I’m not going to let anybody make it my problem again!
Needless to say, I was very irritated. Of course, I hated the office work, mostly paper pushing. My irritation turned to resentment when they compensated the week in the office with only half the time off. Perhaps that was reasonable since it wasn’t 24/7 work as it was on the rig, but on the other hand, I had to cut short four weeks off duty time. Even though I took the unused portion of my off duty time, it wasn’t the same as the full four weeks, and with the break, it hadn’t been enough to fully recuperate, physically and psychologically. If it had been a real emergency, and I had to work on the rig, it would have been different. Some people might say work is work, but for me, the essence of the problem lay in the fact that there hadn’t been a real emergency or a real need for me to do that particular work. If they hadn’t been able to get in touch with me at the time, they would have made do without me. What’s more, we—rig personnel—weren’t obligated to be available at their beck and call when we were off duty.
As these thoughts ran through my mind, I wondered what Tim wanted, before I stumbled upon...
Does he want to...
Last year, he was off during Christmas and New Year, and the previous year, we had shifted our schedules, so he could be with his family during the holiday season, as he knew I didn’t celebrate either Christmas or New Year in the past. Since it wasn’t a major hassle, and it was a personal favor to him, I didn’t mind working an extra week. He compensated by working an extra week during his next tour. I remembered when I was doing my hand-over he hadn’t mentioned anything, but at the time I was running on adrenalin, very tired, and we were discussing the operations that he would be busy with. I did a quick mental calculation and realized he would be missing Christmas and New Year this year.
Does he want to shift schedules again?
“Mitch, are you there?” Mom asked.
While trying to figure out what prompted Tim to call me I had forgotten about Mom.
“Sorry, Ma. I was wondering why Tim would call,” I replied, absentmindedly.
“Maybe you should call him,” she suggested, and her tone carried more than a little disapproval.
We had had a discussion about the standard line; why I did what I did, and I told her about my reasons. She understood my point of view, but she still maintained I should be loyal. My answer didn’t make her any happier. I told her there was a big difference between ‘being loyal’ and ‘being stupid’—especially when loyalty was being used to take advantage of people. I always gave more than 100% when I did my job, and they knew it; it was in my personal evaluation reports. So, the bottom line was, I didn’t owe them anything. Not one bit. On the other hand, I had lost count of the times they tried to fuck people, including me. The whole deal, more than half a year ago, was still fresh on my mind. I didn’t have to do what I did when there were labor problems, when they needed people to do the work on the rig floor. I did my part, in fact, more than required, and they had tried to screw me (trying to use the legal loopholes), but I had beaten them in their own game—Loyalty is a two way street, not one way!—I even gave her a full account of what had transpired and still, she insisted loyalty was important.
Sometimes, Ma, I don’t understand you. Not at all!
On the other hand, she reluctantly agreed to follow my instructions. In the end, it was the example I gave her that convinced her. I argued that people had to go through secretaries to make appointments, and she wasn’t a secretary, but an intermediary who didn’t have any means of contacting me. That was pretty much the reality of the situation. I kept in regular touch—that was the part I lied to my colleagues about—when I was traveling, but never left a telephone number or address where my parents could reach me.
“I’ll call him,” I replied, and on second thought, I added, “in my own good time,” receiving an exasperated sigh from the other end of the connection. “Thank you, Ma. Kathy sends her regards.”
“Enjoy yourselves, Son. And don’t forget to call him,” she said before closing the connection.
I asked a passing waiter to put the call on my tab, but he told me it was courtesy of the establishment. After thanking him, I made my way to our table, while chuckling at my idiocy. Of course, it was courtesy of the establishment, what was I thinking?
Back at the table, Dana asked if there was a problem. I told her it wasn’t an emergency, and I would deal with it tomorrow. I was planning to call Tim tomorrow night at Dana’s place. I didn’t want the telephone records to show he received a call from my hometown, nor did I want to return his call so soon. My mind was busy with what I wanted to do this year. Now, I had a girlfriend—correction, two girlfriends!—and they might want to do something special during the holiday season.
“Do you celebrate Christmas?” I asked Dana.
After a puzzled look, she replied, “Yes, I do.”
“Would you like me to join you this year? I’m off duty during the holiday season.”
She raised an eyebrow, then with a smile, she said, “Yes, Mitch. I’d like that very much.”
“Umm... Maybe this isn’t the right time to talk about it, but I might disappoint you.”
“What do you mean, Mitch?”
“I’m not a very religious person,” I said. When she didn’t react, I continued, with a hesitant tone. “In fact, I’m not religious at all.”
“Do you mean that as having no faith or belief in religion, or not practicing,” she asked.
“I... I don’t believe in anything, Dana. I think the closest belief system I can agree with is perhaps, Buddhism,” I replied. I was worried about her reaction.
She patted my arm, and said, “I’m not much of a practitioner, and I respect others’ choices in that matter. You’re forgetting my parents’ marriage wasn’t only intercultural, but they were of different religions.”
Oh, yeah! Of course! Her father and mother...
I smiled with relief at the thought. “I respect others’ choices, too. It’s just... I’ve never felt comfortable with faith or religion, or abstract things. Maybe that’s why I’m confused and a bit skeptical about the differences in religions. In the end, don’t they try to arrive at the same point?” I tried to explain myself, still feeling a bit nervous about what I said, but hoping she would understand.
She laughed at my comment. “I guess they do. At least that’s what I learned from Mom, and she should know it, first hand.” After a momentary hesitation, she asked, “Haven’t you ever wondered about how things came to be?”
“I guess. I mean apart from the scientific hypotheses and explanations. There might be something out there, but... to me it’s too abstract. I don’t know, Dana.”
“I was curious, Mitch. You have a sense of right and wrong, and you’re passionate about things, and feel very strongly about them. I was wondering where you got that.”
“Good indoctrination by parents? A basic belief in human frailty? I don’t know... Pick any one of myriad things you can think of.”
That drew more laughter and I noticed the others were watching us, catching parts of our little talk.
“Sorry,” I said to them, but Kathy, being the most curious of them all, wasn’t ready to let me get out of it.
“Interesting topic. What prompted you?” she asked.
“Nothing specific. I realized I would be off duty during the holiday season. This year I want to take advantage of the opportunity.”
“That would be nice, Mitch,” Kathy replied, and from her tone, I knew she was urging me to spend the time with the family, but she wasn’t going to come out with it, especially when Dana was there. Still, it was obvious what she meant.
I was caught between a rock and a hard place; I didn’t know how to respond. She must have realized her gaff, because she said, “We could all be together for New Years. All of us.”
That was a solution, but it meant introducing Dana to the family. I wasn’t against the idea, but it was too early. The problem was Kathy didn’t know that we weren’t committed to each other, and that the future of our relationship was yet to be defined. Then there was Sarah, although she could join as Kathy’s best friend. I was sure that had happened before. I knew it would probably be just a few hours with my parents, only the dinner, after which we would all go out. That was what we did when we were in college; going out with our friends after dinner. Still...
If I say no, then Dana might think I’m not serious about her, but if I say yes, then...
“That’s why I opened the subject,” I replied, looking at Kathy. I wasn’t saying I would or I would not, and what ’s more, I had already asked Dana first, and I tried to remind Kathy of the fact with a pointed look. From the expression on my face, Kathy realized what I was doing. I was a bit irritated at her, for what had been an impulsive suggestion. She should have been a bit more careful.
“It’s too early to make plans,” Dana said.
I wasn’t sure if she had sensed my irritation, or was coming to my rescue, but I was still feeling uncomfortable. I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. I decided to bite the bullet, now that it was almost inevitable.
“I think that was—” I was saying when Dana interrupted me.
“Mitch, honey. It’s too early to plan for the holidays. Let’s say, we’ll make arrangements to get together, and free our calendars accordingly.”
I was going to add my two cents, but her eyes were telling me to drop the subject, and I acquiesced to her silent request with a nod.
While I had my attention on Dana, I almost missed Mark and Kathy. From what I caught from the corner of my eye, it looked like Mark was telling her to drop the subject, but Kathy responded with an irritated look, flashing her eyes at him. Mark’s eyes tightened for a moment, but he quickly busied himself with inspecting his napkin, instead of responding to Kathy.
Shit! That’s what we need, now! It’s supposed to be her night, but that doesn’t give her the right to...
I was going to let it go after Dana’s suggestion, but seeing Kathy give Mark the evil eye, made me more irritated. I was racking my brain trying to find a way to get things under control. I knew I couldn’t do anything about it, except to pull her aside and have a private chat. However, I didn’t want to do that, because I wasn’t sure if I could control my temper. This was supposed to be a happy night, a celebration, not a night of petty arguments. Besides, it was between the two, but somehow I felt responsible, because Mark looked like he was trying to rein in Kathy’s enthusiasm, to help me out, and was now getting tongue lashed for it, and I really didn’t want them have an argument over something like that; partly, I was feeling guilty. Not to witness further arguments between Kathy and Mark, and to calm my nerves, I excused myself from the table to use the facilities. Dana gave a quizzical look, and I shook my head in the negative to put her at ease. I wasn’t very successful, because she returned a sympathetic smile in understanding. I kissed her, and left the table, not daring to look at Kathy.
In the lavatory, I splashed cold water to my face, and tried to calm down. I was surprised at the resentment I felt at Kathy, and couldn’t figure out why I was so irritated at that little incident. I knew she could be impulsive at times, but... Perhaps, I was angry because she put me in a spot I was trying to avoid. I guess I was also worried about messing up things with Dana while we were still taking the first steps to something very much complicated—already. I took a moment to consider my feelings, and realized I was very much apprehensive about the possibility of losing the little happiness I seem to have found with Dana. Despite the possible complications, there was a promise of more happiness in our uncertain future. It kind of shocked me to realize the way I thought about it, because it was another evidence of how much I was starting to rely on other people, something I was never comfortable about, in the past.
What has changed?
I decided to put the question aside. I didn’t want to worry about things that had no answers, and were still in the future. After one last check in the mirror, I walked out of the lavatory, and came to a dead stop; Kathy was waiting for me. Seeing me, she motioned us to a quiet corner.
Without a preamble she asked, “Why are you so upset?”
This time I couldn’t hold it inside, and replied, “Do you know what you did?”
“What did I do?” she responded with an irate tone.
“If you don’t know what you did, maybe you should think it over before asking me that question,” I replied, trying to keep calm.
“Tell me what I did?” she insisted, and this time I could see from the expression on her face she knew what she did, but was unwilling to admit to it.
“Let’s drop it, OK? All of us gathered tonight for you, to celebrate you and Mark, and have a good time. I don’t want the evening to be spoiled.”
Her eyes flashed in anger and she fumed for a second. I realized she was offended by my patronizing tone. Then she hit back with, “And you’d rather be with your two girls.”
“Jeez, Kathy! Are you out of your mind? You were the one who wanted to go out tonight, and every one of us thought it was a good idea and made plans accordingly. What’s your problem?”
“And you make plans for holiday season with your girlfriend,” she came back.
“So?”
“Instead of spending it with the family.”
“Kathy!” I exclaimed, before I took a deep breath to control my irritation. I moved to pull her in my arms, but she resisted. “Kathy, please. Do you know what you’re saying?”
“Do you know what you’re doing?” she came back.
“That’s not fair, Kathy. How can you say that? You’re already making your own family,” I found myself saying. It was almost a reflexive, involuntary response, a result of my growing resentment.
She colored at the comparison, how different our lives were. Still, she tried to come back again. “I already have a family, as you do.”
“We’ll always be family, Kathy, and you know that. Don’t play dumb with me, please. That’s not you.”
This time she didn’t respond.
“I never expected something like that. Didn’t you realize what kind of tight spot you put me in? You were impulsive. Even Mark realized, and—” I said, but Kathy cut me off.
“Don’t mix Mark into this.”
Ignoring her outburst, and despite my better judgment, I continued. “And you gave him the evil eye. Tell me, is that how you treat Mark?”
“I told you not to—”
I cut her off. “Just stop for a moment and think why Mark would do what he did, and whether he earned the evil eye.”
“I said—”
“I heard you the first time. What are you going to do next? Are you going to call me Mitchell, instead of Mitch or Bro?”
She kept quiet, trying to gather herself to come up with an answer, because she was still angry, but my continuous assault had an effect, slowing her down.
“Weren’t you the one who said to me, the road to hell was paved with good intentions?” I asked, softly.
That took the wind from her sail. She kept her eyes locked to mine, but the anger was fading away.
“Kathy, I knew it was impulsive,” I said, and as the words left my lips, my mind was busy with ‘impulsive.’ I continued with a gentle tone, “Don’t you think I don’t understand that? After so long, you wanted the whole family to be together. Look, I was hasty also, OK? I was talking to Dana, and making on the spot plans, and I didn’t realize it. I’m sorry. I love you, Kathy. But, you’re already making your family, and I didn’t give a second thought to how my plans would affect you. I just didn’t see a reason, because...” I trailed off. I didn’t want to repeat the obvious a second time. She had her own family, well almost. Dad and Mom were used to not having me around, so they hadn’t entered the equation. Even I hadn’t realized the true nature of the situation until I was giving her the sermon. I had been impulsive and hasty as much as she had been.
After a long silence, she said, “I’m sorry, Bro. I don’t know what came over me.” Then she moved into my arms. “I forgot. I really forgot, and didn’t realize it.”
“You’re not the only one, Kathy. I forgot, too. Come on, Sis. Tonight’s your night, and Mark’s.”
She sniffled, but didn’t make a move to disengage.
“Kathy, you will ruin your make up, and probably my jacket as well, with your tear marks,” I quipped.
She reached with her fingers, and pinched my earlobe, twisting it hard, while sniffling and giggling at the same time. “Be nice to me.”
“I’ll be very nice to you, Kathy. I’m sorry, too. We’ll figure out something. OK?”
“If you can... It’s been too long, Mitch, and I’m sorry for what I did,” she said with an apologetic and pleading tone.
“I understand, Sis. I was also impulsive. I guess we both have to get used to some things.”
“I know... I think I understand; you think it might be too early to introduce Dana to the family. I see that, now. I hadn’t thought about it. You know I’m very much impressed with her, and thought it would be nice to have her with the family,” she replied.
“I know... I know... It’s all right, Kathy. We’ll figure out something.”
“I love you,” she said, then slowly pulled herself from my embrace.
When she looked at me, I grimaced. “God! You look like a horror show. I’m glad Mark hasn’t seen this.”
“You said you’ll be nice to me.”
“I am being nice to you. I didn’t say how you really look,” I retorted. Before she could respond, I grabbed her, and turning her, patted her bottom, pushing her towards the ladies room. “Go, get refreshed.”
“One of these days, Mitch...” she said, and I was very much tempted to get the last word, but I let her have it.
I went back to the table. I noticed Sarah was missing also. Taking my seat, I asked, “Where are the girls?”
“The powder room,” Mark answered.
I felt Dana’s hand on my thigh, and turned to her. “Did anybody order drinks?”
She wasn’t fooled by my question or my attempt to divert attention elsewhere. Her expression didn’t change, but her hand was busy on my thigh, and her eyes were asking if things were all right. “Yes, we all ordered. I ordered white wine for you,” she said.
“Good choice. Thank you,” I responded with a smile, then leaning in I kissed her neck, and whispered, “Everything’s OK!” She squeezed my thigh in reply.
About ten minutes later, Sarah and Kathy returned, all smiles. Kathy had her make-up refreshed. She took her seat, then kissed Mark, whispering something. From the expression on his face, I knew Kathy was making up with him.
I took the opportunity to check on Dana again, but she seemed pleased with how things turned out. Still... feeling my eyes on her, she turned to me smiled again. Leaning in, she squeezed my thigh, then gave a slight nod towards Sarah. I chuckled in response.
You are some woman!
I turned to Sarah, giving her a quizzical look. I suspected she had a hand in what happened. I wasn’t wrong.
“I thought Kathy might want to have a word with you, so I suggested a visit to the powder room,” she whispered.
I kissed her neck, while whispering, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Mitch. You’re not angry with—”
“Nope. Everything is OK!” I cut her off, and kissed her neck again. We both knew how she felt about Kathy.
The waiter arrived with our drinks, and after he left, we raised our glasses for Kathy and Mark. Then, Kathy returned it, raising her glass, and offering a toast for ‘love and friendship,’ while her eyes traveled between the two girls and me. A waiter brought fresh bread rolls and butter, and took our orders for appetizers. After he left we continued chatting. My eyes caught a couple being shown to their table by the Maitre d’. At first, I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing a trick, but as they neared our table, I recognized an old friend. He was scanning the tables, and he noticed I was watching him. For a few seconds, he had a puzzled expression on his face, before it gave way to recognition and a big grin.
I put my napkin on the table and stood up to greet him, getting a surprised look from our table, except Dana, who had noticed my attention on the couple long before the others. Following my gaze, Kathy and Mark turned to look at the arrivals. By then, the couple was by our table.
“Mitchell,” he exclaimed, as I made my way to him.
The Maitre d’ stopped, and stepped aside.
“Alex. Long time no see.” We shook hands before hugging each other. “What brings you here?”
“Had a meeting in town which ran late, and missed our flight, so we have to spend the night in town,” he replied. Turning to his companion, he said, “Sabine, meet Mitchell Tanner. An old friend. Mitchell, Sabine Bremens, my colleague.”
From her name, I gathered she was German, a foreigner. Her thick accent confirmed my suspicions when she greeted me. She was a tall brunette, with dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, very amply endowed, with generous curves in all the right places, but especially around the hips.
Typical Alex!
He had always been an ass-man first, and a tit-man second.
Turning to our table, I made the introductions, starting with Sarah, then moving on to Dana. “Sarah Morgan and Dana Conor, meet an old friend and an ex-colleague, Alexei Tsadiris, and his colleague, Sabine Bremens.”
After the greetings, I turned to Kathy, but before I could say anything, she took it upon herself to greet Alex. “Hello, Alex. How are you?”
“Hello, Kathy. It’s nice to see you again,” Alex returned. “Are you still the same ball of fire, or have you mellowed?”
“What do you think, Alex?” Kathy responded with an amused smile.
“I think some things don’t change.” With a smile, he added, “And some things shouldn’t change at all.”
“Have you changed, Alex?” Kathy replied, returning a mischievous grin.
“I don’t know. Only time will tell.” Realizing that the rest of the table was being left out, he directed his attention to Mark, and asked Kathy for the introductions. “Would you do the honors?”
“With pleasure, Alex. Mark Brandon, my fiancé.”
With great enthusiasm, Alex shook hands with Mark, and I could see Mark was surprised, especially after the little exchange between Alex and Kathy. Kathy chose that moment to add, “We’re celebrating... sort of a pre-engagement. Before we break the news to my parents.”
“Congratulations, Mark. Kathy, my heartfelt best wishes,” Alex responded.
Both Mark and Kathy thanked him.
We were still on our feet, and realizing he had been holding up the Maitre d’ Alex excused himself. “I’d better let you get back to your celebration.”
Kathy, however, had other ideas. “Why don’t you join us, Alex? I’m sure you and Mitch have a lot to catch up on.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose.”
I thought Kathy was just being polite, but when she said, “You wouldn’t be imposing, Alex,” I had to re-evaluate my position.
Then, Mark took her lead, and said, “The more the merrier.”
Turning to his friend, Alex asked, “Would you mind, Sabine?”
“Of course not, Alexei. It sounds like a good idea,” she responded. Turning to Kathy, and Mark, she thanked them for the invitation.
I turned to the Maitre d’, but he was already signaling a waiter to get some extra chairs. The table was big enough for all of us and in a short while we were all seated, with Alex next to Dana, and Sabine between him and Kathy. It was time for a proper introduction, since nobody knew Alex except Kathy and me.
“I guess you’re all wondering about Alex. I met him when I took my first job, with a small outfit, right after graduation. He had been working for the same company for more than a year, and somehow we hit it off. After I left the company, prior to my military service, I joined Alex and his friends for a short vacation. After the vacation, Alex dropped me at our summer flat, and stayed for dinner. That was when he met Kathy. Unfortunately, she thought he was a bad influence on me, and gave him a hard time, in her usual manner. I don’t really know what gave her the idea, though,” I said, with a grin at Kathy.
She shrugged and returned a smile, but Alex was quick to respond. “I didn’t realize she was giving me a hard time. Was she, really?” Although he said it with a very serious tone, almost everybody saw through his joke, and laughed, especially Sarah, Mark and I, knowing how Kathy could be.
“You’re gracious as ever, Alex,” Kathy said.
Alex moved the conversation to Mark and Kathy, and slowly he got to know the people around the table, while we got to know more about Sabine. She was working with him for a German construction and construction materials company, recently transferred from Germany. They were busy visiting clients, promoting new products.
The waiter arrived with our appetizers. Alex declined the order starters, and Sabine ordered a small plate of salad and cold meat cuts. The waiter returned a few minutes later with Sabine’s order, and we continued chatting while drinking and sampling the starters. Eventually, Alex turned to me, wanting to catch up.
“So, Mitch. What have you been up to?”
“I’m working for another oil company, about 80 miles up north of where we used to work.”
“You’re back, in that place?”
I nodded.
“Jeez, Mitch.”
“What?” I said, somewhat surprised at his response. “You know that’s what I studied, and that’s where most of the work is.”
“I know that, but it’s not like what it used to be, anymore.”
“Naahh... It’s not that bad, and I’m further away from the troublesome areas. Don’t believe everything the media tells,” I replied, trying to downplay it.
“How long have you been there?” he asked, dismissing my reply.
“About four years, excluding the short time with that dinky toy outfit we used to work for.”
He paused, mulling something in his mind, then said, “So you went back right after the service?”
I nodded.
“Aren’t you taking our little joke too far?” he quipped.
“Work is work, Alex, and I like what I’m doing very much.”
“Yeah. You enjoyed it, even when you had to deal with those idiots.”
“The current company is much better. They’re professionals. But, you know there’re always a few idiots in any work place.”
He nodded in agreement.
“What’s the joke, if I may ask?” Dana asked Alex.
“It’s just an insider thing, something stupid,” I replied before Alex could respond.
I wasn’t sure if Dana realized I didn’t want to talk about it, but she let it go. However, Kathy was another matter.
“I’d like to hear the joke, Alex.”
“As Mitch said. It doesn’t really make any sense,” Alex replied with a dismissive tone. I doubted he would care to talk about it, since it was a private joke that applied to both of us.
Sensing it was more than that, Kathy was going to insist, when Mark cautioned her. But her need to know was almost overwhelming, once she realized it was something she hadn’t heard before. I gave her a look, and with reluctance, she let it go.
To change the subject, I asked, “What are you doing in a French restaurant, Alex?”
“There isn’t a decent Greek restaurant or a tavern in this town,” he retorted.
“There are some. You just have to know them.”
“I’ll pass, thank you very much. You should come for a visit. My hometown’s got the best,” he replied.
“Funny, you say that. Tomorrow I’ll be driving there to visit Dana. Then, we’ll go off for a short vacation. I’ll see what I can do, Alex.”
“You were born there?” Dana asked.
Alex nodded, then he asked, “What do you do?”
“I’m a flight attendant.”
Briefly, his eyes widened in surprise, and he threw a furtive glance at me. Unfortunately, Dana didn’t miss his reaction, and that told her a lot. Alex didn’t know much about my past, but he knew I had a failed relationship. He also had had a failed relationship. In a way, we had some things in common, which we discovered in time. Before Alex and I became close friends, I visited home during a weekend. Gil and her parents came visiting my parents, and while she was talking to Kathy, I heard that Rei had joined an airline as a flight attendant. After my return, Alex and I got closer, and we started to talk. We hadn’t talked about our pasts much, but we both learned each other’s story, in general terms. We both realized that our reasons to take a job with that company were similar. We felt the need for a change of scenery, wanting to get away from familiar surroundings. Also, we wanted to be somewhere that wasn’t comfortable, but would provide a challenge, and keep us busy; without a doubt, we had found what we were looking for, in that place. That was also the point, when he had coined the term voluntary exiles for us. Although it had been a joke, it was an apt description of how we felt, to some extent.
Alex also caught Dana’s reaction, but without skipping a beat, he continued. “You must have traveled extensively?”
“I did. I do. But after a while, you feel as if you’ve seen everything, and the appeal fades. It’s still nice to see different places, but the original wonder and excitement gives way to comfortable familiarity,” Dana replied.
“You sound like my dad describing a long marriage,” Alex quipped, drawing laughs from all of us.
Kathy responded with, “Maybe he was trying to tell you something, Alex.”
Sabine looked a bit annoyed with Kathy, but she was polite enough not to say anything. Instead, she patted Alex’s arm fondly, while Alex chuckled at Kathy. “You know, it’s good to see some things never change. It kind of reminds us there are constants we can rely on,” he responded with an amused tone. Although he was returning Kathy’s quip, it was also a subtle compliment.
Kathy smiled sweetly at his response, but still, she couldn’t help herself from having the last word. “And change is one constant in life. At least for some of us,” she returned.
Sabine gave Kathy an irritated look, but Alex was quick to catch it, and holding her hand, he said, “You’d do well to listen to her, and heed her warning.”
“What warning?” Sabine asked.
Alex looked at Kathy expectantly, putting her on the spot, daring her to respond to Sabine.
This time, Kathy turned to Sabine, and said, “I apologize, Sabine. Somehow, he manages to get under my skin, and he knows it.”
“Kathy, Kathy, Kathy. I’ve only met you once, but you keep surprising me. You’ve changed,” Alex said. Turning to Sabine, he said, “She doesn’t approve of me. Not one bit. Perhaps that has something to do with my womanizing.”
“Oh, are you really a womanizer?” Sabine asked, thinking it was a practical joke.
“Don’t buy into his play acting, Sabine. He’s a womanizer, and a very charming one. He loves to admit to it, but women are still attracted to him.”
When Sabine looked askance, Alex nodded with a smile. “She’s right. That’s why she doesn’t approve of me.”
Sabine looked from Alex to Kathy and back to Alex, trying to understand the situation, and then decided to ask Kathy, perhaps because Kathy seemed so unruffled, “And women still flock to him?”
“That’s what I heard. He’s charming, and graceful, and that can be a deadly combination,” Kathy replied while giving a challenging smile to Alex.
Alex was cool as a cucumber, not one bit concerned, and Sabine seemed puzzled by his reaction. She leaned and whispered something to Kathy. Kathy smiled, and then whispered something back, drawing a laugh.
“I guess this time I have to settle for bathing my eyes with the beauty of the ladies at the table for a few hours,” Alex said.
Typical Alex. He doesn’t hide his intentions, even when he’s chasing women.
“That might be a good idea,” Sabine replied, with a polite smile, but her eyes were twinkling.
Oh, no! He’s still going to score!
Alex mock glared at Kathy, drawing sympathetic laughs from the rest of us.
“I don’t think you have too much to worry about, Alex. The distinguished look goes a long way with women,” Kathy quipped.
“Why, thank you, Kathy. I guess Mitch is going to have the same distinguished look in a few years, although it’s a bit too early for him.”
“You come by it naturally. I have to work for it,” I responded. “But I’ve had lots of help. Having Kathy as a sister was an advantage. Or was it a disadvantage?”
“What’s this? Pick on Kathy day?” Kathy returned fire.
For the first time, Mark joined in the general melee. “You shouldn’t give people ideas, my dear.”
“You, too?” Kathy retorted.
“Of course, honey. Every time you get worked up you look more beautiful than ever,” Mark replied smoothly, drawing laughs from most of us.
Then, Sarah chimed in with, “Can you tell us more about how you two met?”
The arrival of the waiter interrupted our conversation, and he took our dinner orders. After he left, Sarah repeated her request.
“Well, it’s a long story,” Alex replied, unsure how I would react, but I wasn’t concerned, and when Dana and Kathy insisted, he decided to tell it.
“I had been working about a year at the refinery, and then one day Mitch showed up at the bachelor accommodations. It was a small place, like a dormitory, with many rooms, and a big entertainment room with TV, stereo, bar, and so on. Naturally, we called it the ‘Dorm.’ When I met him, he seemed a bit out of his element, mostly staying in his room, keeping to himself. For several nights, I saw him stretched on his bed, reading, as I passed his room. Since he seemed to be an avid reader, I decided to get to know him. You have to understand, there were only a handful of people with whom you could have an intelligent conversation. The rest were just an ignorant bunch that didn’t do much, but watch TV or play pool. I knew quite a few people. Our group was small, and we got together frequently, reading, talking, writing, and so on, and we were looking for new blood.”
“So you recruited him?” Dana asked.
“Not really. Mitch was... uhm... he was very independent,” Alex said.
“Come on, Alex. Tell it like it was. I was a loner, and very difficult,” I said.
With a laugh, he replied, “Well, OK! He was a difficult customer, very independent, but we exchanged books and had a few short chats, and slowly got to know each other. And I guess we realized we had some things in common.”
Before he could continue, Dana cut in with, “Like what?”
“We both enjoyed a good book, the same kind of music and movies, and so on,” Alex offered in an offhand manner.
“I see,” Dana replied, but I could sense she didn’t buy Alex’s casual answer, especially knowing what she did about me. However, she moved on. “You said you didn’t recruit him?”
“No, I didn’t. I was just trying to get to know him, but it was a slow process. We were exchanging books, and cassettes, and chatting, but he still kept to himself. It was my friend Gary who really managed to break the ice in the end. We were having a drink in my room, and Mitch dropped by to borrow a book. Gary was still trying to get a measure of Mitch, as he was the new comer. Out of the blue, he said to Mitch, ‘You know, you remind me of Hermie.’ Mitch looked at him up and down, returning the look he had been getting, then deadpanned: ‘Sorry, mate. No bird shits on me.’ At that, Gary was on the floor. I was completely clueless. Later, I learned that it was a dramatic reference to a book, an obscure but funny reference to a particular scene in a novel. And that was the start of a two hour marathon discussion on books.”
Dana gave a puzzled look, and asked, “Hermie? From which novel?”
“From Summer of ‘42. He’s the protagonist. It’s a good book. I hadn’t read it at the time, but after listening to Gary and Mitch discuss various things, I did.”
“What else did you guys do?” Dana asked. “I’m guessing there weren’t many women around, since it was an oil company.”
It hadn’t been exactly as Alex related. I was a loner, and busy building a wall around me, not only to keep the people out, but also to keep my anger in check. Alex had managed to see through that, and somehow he breached my walls. Perhaps it had been the realization that we had similar wounds, and were trying to learn how to deal with them. In hindsight, it was easy to see Alex had been good for me. I wasn’t sure how I would have turned out if he hadn’t been able to draw me out a little bit. But in the end, it had been a momentary distraction. He quit the company two months before I did. And, in those two months and later, I went back to building my walls, pulling inside. Thinking back to that period, I felt thankful that Alex had been there. At least he had given me time to deal with my anger, which could have destroyed me if I had kept on my course. All the various reading and discussions we had had opened my eyes to other things. For the first time, I discussed politics outside of home, something I never did, but with Alex, I did. Perhaps because we had minor differences of opinion, and agreed on the general principles. And all those things helped keep my mind away from the anger or from the past, and later, I had been able to deal with my anger better.
“We tried to keep busy with the work, and whenever we had some time we would go sightseeing. At the time, it wasn’t as dangerous as it is now, and we were careful where we went. But, most of the time, we would read, or write, or talk about a wide range of subjects, but mostly we discussed books,” Alex answered.
“We had quite a few writers. Some wrote poetry, and some wrote stories. Alex was good with poetry.”
“Don’t start that, Mitch, “Alex admonished me. “We all did.”
Yeah, I wrote a few lines, at the time, on and off, amateurish scribbling that I couldn’t bring myself to call poetry. More than that, I wrote letters... letters that had never been sent... now, locked in a safe deposit box with my other personal effects in the small bank where I had an account. But Alex had been very good. He had a way with the words... and style. It had been interesting, and I had developed a taste for reading poetry, as well as other genres of fiction, other than science fiction.
Trying to change the subject, I hastily said, “And of course, we drank and partied.”
Kathy quipped, “Boys being boys.”
“Kathy, we weren’t that bad,” Alex said, defensively.
“I don’t know, Alex. I heard the story of one night when you guys got together and finished nine bottles of wine.”
I didn’t remember talking about it to Kathy, but I must have, since she seemed to know about it. I wondered about when I had told her, and how much. Thinking about it brought a grin, and I saw Alex had a big, shit-eating grin on his face as well.
“God! What a night that was. We had to go out twice to buy more bottles, while trying not to be caught by the police,” I said.
“You did not! Drunk and driving!” Sarah blurted, unable to restrain her reaction.
“We did. It was late, and the streets were empty. I was driving at a crawling speed. I wasn’t drunk, yet, but yeah, I had had quite a few glasses. The second time, we asked somebody else to drive us.”
“Nine bottles and the two of you?” Dana asked, incredulous.
“Gary, Alex, and I. A few friends dropped by and had a glass, but I think we had finished about more than two bottles per person. Don’t ask about the morning though. We even got comments from the cleaners, when they had collected the empty bottles. After that, I didn’t touch red wine for a long time.”
Listening to both of us talking about those days fondly, the girls were wondering what else we had been doing.
“We settled for ouzo after that,” Alex said.
“His room became a Greek tavern. The whole group would convene there, and we would drink, and talk, and listen to music,” I added.
“Don’t forget the sirtaki,” Alex reminded.
“Yeah, Mr. Zorba!” I quipped. “Thanks for the dance lessons.”
“You didn’t tell me you dance to sirtaki,” Kathy commented.
“I wasn’t good at it, so I didn’t mention it.”
“Come on, Mitch. It wasn’t that you weren’t good. You didn’t dance to it like a Greek,” Alex commented.
“I stand corrected.”
“How did he dance?” Kathy asked, curious once again.
“Like a Georgian. Too proud, almost arrogant,” Alex replied, grinning at me. It had been another running joke. I wasn’t Georgian. He learned my mother’s ancestry went back to Georgia, and he had known a few Georgians, so every time we danced to sirtaki, he would say, “Don’t dance like a Georgian.”
Sarah said, “That sounds just like Mitch.”
“Hey, I’m not arrogant,” I objected.
“No, you’re not, but the way you danced wasn’t humble. You danced as if you owned the ground, head held up high,” Alex responded, drawing a giggle from Sarah.
“What are you laughing at?” I was a bit embarrassed with the whole story, and Sarah wasn’t helping at all.
“I know how to dance to sirtaki, and I’ve watched my granddad dance. If you dance as Alex described, I’d like to watch it. It sounds like an interesting style,” she said with a giggle.
“I never claimed I was any good. Try Mr. Zorba there. He’s certainly good,” I retorted.
With a smile, Sarah leaned, and kissed my neck, trying to sooth me. “I would like to see you dance, Mitch. I’m curious.”
“I’d like to see that, too. I thought you were working on a rig. How could you find time to do all that?” Kathy commented.
“Oh, he was. But for the first month, he was in the office. And after that, he still managed to find the time. Even when he was looking after two rigs,” Alex replied, before I could answer.
“Really? How did you find time?” Kathy asked, turning to me.
“Well... The rigs weren’t far away from the town. And the company was short on people, so I was responsible for two rigs, but what that meant was, I was driving between the two rigs, checking on things, reporting. Unless there was an operation going on, the driller was responsible for the day-to-day stuff. The whole system was very different from what I do now. We didn’t have any off duty time. We didn’t get any recuperation time, officially. But unofficially, they would pull you to the office to work on the reports and other stuff for a week, and then you were sent back to the rig until you complained long enough that they called you back for another week at the office. Except, of course, for the people who were working on rigs that were so far away that they had to spend their time solely on the rig. With that kind of system, you can’t expect the people to work 24 hours round the clock, and definitely not more than four or five weeks at a stretch, but they kept the people on the rigs for two or three months. The whole system was absurd and very unprofessional. I was one of the lucky ones, because I was new there. After a month’s training, they put me on a nearby rig, and two months later, I was looking after two rigs. It was like going to a factory when things were going normally. When there wasn’t any operation going on, I was spending the nights in town, and nobody said anything. And when there was an operation, then I stayed at the rig until it was finished,” I explained.
“By seven in the evening he would be back at the dormitory, showered. Then he would visit my room with a glass of ouzo in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. We would chat and drink until dinner, and then continue drinking and chatting until midnight. Couple hours of sleep, and by five he would be on the road, going back to the rig, as I went to my shift at the refinery. I had it easier than him,” Alex added.
“I don’t believe this!” Kathy exclaimed. “How could you manage it?”
“Who said we could manage it? We just tried to survive... a day at a time!” Alex quipped, with a bad boy grin.
“It sounds like we were drunk all the time, but we weren’t. I could stay at the town only a few nights a week. We drank of course, but were careful about it. The main problem was the lack of sleep. Somehow we managed,” I added.
“I didn’t know it was that bad. I’m glad you quit that company,” Kathy said.
“I’m glad, too,” I said, looking at Alex, and he nodded in agreement. “On the other hand, it was fun. We really had a good time there. Whenever we could get together, even for a few hours. I know I had a blast. Of course, I was there for a short time, and I knew it. It was just something to fill in the time until the military service, so it hadn’t been a complete loss. I got to read a lot, and partied quite a bit, and learned about rigs, and stuff, but it was kinda like I was making up for lost time at college.”
“I agree. We had a grand time, and considering the conditions, it couldn’t have been better. The company and working conditions were something else. Perhaps, that’s why they shut their eyes to many things, and looked the other way about the kind of freedom we had. I doubt they could have managed to hold onto the people if they kept an iron clad, tight leash on the people. Strictly speaking, I know I wouldn’t have stayed there one second longer if they had enforced many of the rules. The working and living conditions were appalling,” Alex said.
That was met with a long silence, especially from Kathy. Finally, she asked, “You mean they just let you do your thing?”
“Sort of... Don’t misunderstand me. We’re not talking about working under the influence, or bypassing safety regulations, and such. None of us went to work drunk, but there were times we went without sleep, and if we were feeling bad, we would take a half day off. What I’m talking about is the living conditions. We were all cooped up in a small building in small rooms, and there wasn’t much for entertainment. No theatres, like in a big city, and we only had one small cinema which showed crappy movies. No women around. The only entertainment was TV, the bar, the pool table, and such. Except for a couple of weeks of annual leave, we spent the rest of the time there. For those of us that worked regular workweeks, the weekends were the worst. We tried to do some sightseeing, but as things got heated up, even that was not possible. Taking a weekend flight out to some civilized place was also out of the question; with the kind of salary we had, we would have spent it all in a short time with only travel expenses. So... it wasn’t really pleasant, but we made the most of it, and didn’t dwell too much on it,” Alex said. He shot a small, re-assuring smile. “Believe me, Kathy. It was bad, but wasn’t too bad. We certainly had a good time, and I don’t regret one minute of it.” He turned to me, and I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. I agree. It was good, and we certainly had fun despite everything,” I said.
Luckily, the arrival of the waiter interrupted our conversation, and that was the end of that subject. After he collected the empty plates, we continued chatting. Mark, Kathy and Sabine talked among themselves, while Alex answered questions from Sarah and Dana. However, I knew Kathy was keeping an ear on us, trying to catch whatever she could. About fifteen minutes later, the main course arrived, and we continued in the same manner, but it was more subdued, as the food was delicious, and nobody wanted to miss it. Kathy paid more attention to Mark, since she had been concentrating on what Alex and I had done in the past. I was also glad Mark had been very understanding and accommodating towards Kathy, but still, I felt Kathy should have paid more attention to him. However, Mark didn’t seem to mind the situation, perhaps happy that Kathy was having a good time.
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