The Romance of Unconnected Lives
Chapter Five
âHi,â Matt said with a smile, âItâs Matt.â
âHi, Matt,â A laugh on the other end of the line. âYou know I have caller I.D., so you donât have to say itâs you each time you call.â
âOh, well, you never know. How are you? You free to talk?â
âYeah, I have a few minutes. I may need to rush off in about a half hour or so.â
âOh, you expect this call to last a whole half hour?â
âWell, given our track record I thought it might.â
âFair point. So how are you? How was work?â
âGreat, actually. Well, today was really slow and boring, but we got good news.â
âYeah?â
âYeah. Our small team is being hired by someone, oh, I donât know, you may have heard of him â Gavin Derale.â
âThe swimmer?!â
âNot just âThe Swimmerâ, âThe Swimmer pegged to compete in the Olympicsâ. Weâre his official team of sports therapists for this yearâs Championships. Pretty cool, right?â
âThatâs brilliant! Iâm happy for you. Also, are you impressed I knew who that was?â
âI am actually. Heâs still a pretty small name, but heâs making waves â get it? â in the swimming world and heâs sort of the outsider predicted to do really well this season. And if he does, it could mean a spot on the Olympic team.â
âThatâs so fantastic, apart from the pun. I donât encourage that behaviour. Will you guys continue with him after the championships? If youâre with him and he makes it onto the Olympic team, this could be a huge contract for you guys.â
âYeah, it could. Currently weâre just with him for this event, but weâll see. Can you imagine me working for the Olympic swimming team? That would be amazing!â
âYa, it would. Iâm so excited for you. And a little self-conscious that Iâm not as fit as I could be. Should I start swimming?â
âSure! And if you ever need a therapistâŚâ
âOh, no thanks, I already have three of those.â
âSPORTS therapist!â
âOh, yeah, right⌠I knew that.â
âSure. I definitely wouldnât complain if you started swimming.â
âIâll keep that in mind. But seriously, thatâs a huge achievement and Iâm so excited for you. Itâll be really fun.â
âThanks. Our little team here deserves something like this, so itâs exciting to see it come together. James almost lost it.â
âHeâs the new guy, right?â
âYeah. He started last week. We had to make sure and tell him this isnât how it usually works.â
âWill he be joining you there?â
âNo, actually, heâll be here. In fact, itâs just two of us who are actually going to be at Nationals withÂÂ Gavin. It doesnât make sense to have all of us there when weâre just helping one guy.â
âTrue. Was he upset?â
âNo, he knew that would happen. Itâs so exciting though because our name will be out there and it has the opportunity to lead to bigger things that all of us can partake in.â
âThatâs so great. Just remember me when youâre rich and famous.â
âNo promises,â her voice smiled. âHey, howâs Rex?â
Mattâs worries some weeks prior about whether or not he should call Kate after their âdateâ were rendered moot when she unexpectedly called him. It was Saturday afternoon, two days after meeting â Matt was sitting at his table â when she called. Sheâd called, she said, to give him her number as he never asked for it when they were talking. Matt found this a little confusing as first â why does someone call to give a number? Surely the call itself is the giving of the number â until he realised she was flirting with him.
That was three weeks ago.
âRex is going well. Itâs moving along slowly, which is encouraging. Itâs still a case of getting the basic plot sorted and the general arc of the story. I wonât be filling in any details until Iâve actually visited New Mexico.â
âThatâs soon, right?â
âLess than a week.â
âAhhh, I am so jealous you get to go. I would have loved to join you.â
âThat would have been really fun. But this is, technically, a business trip. Iâll just be there a few days, visiting various places, going to a number of museums and such to try and get a feel for life back then. Oh, and Iâm going horse-riding⌠not sure how I feel about that.â
âWhat?! Oh, please take photos. I really want to see you trying to ride a horse.â
âTrying to? I will succeed.â
âWhatever you say, cowboy.â
The second time they met was to go out for drinks. It wasnât until a few dates later that both of them mutually decided it was that evening which was to be classed as the first official date. The group hangout arranged by Kyle didnât count. Both Matt and Kate really hit it off that evening. Kate had a beer, Matt had an Old-Fashioned (a drink, which upon tasting it, Kate regretted not getting herself).
âJust wait and see. Iâll be the next Billy the Kid⌠he was a cowboy, right?â
âIâm pretty sure he was an outlaw and gunfighter. You sure thatâs what you want to emulate?â
âI could be an outlaw.â
âOk. Just make sure you spend a lot of time in the museums while youâre there. Youâve clearly got some learning to do.â
â⌠Yeah. Maybe I do.â
âYou definitely do. Hey, Iâm really sorry but I actually have to go earlier than I thought. I just got a text from my mum saying sheâs ready.â
âOh, youâre spending time with your mum? Thatâll be fun.â
âYup. Sheâs attending her friendâs 60th later this week and weâre going to find her an outfit for the occasion. Then weâre getting dinner.â
âWell, have fun. It was nice getting to talk to you â and look, it wasnât even 30 minutes.â
âYeah⌠sorry I have to leave.â
âDonât be. Have fun, and Iâll talk to you soon.â
âAlright, bye.â
âBye.â
As Matt hung up, he sat down on the sofa in the front room â he had a thing about walking around the house when he talked on the phone. If he wasnât, he felt like he wasnât doing anything and got really anxious. He liked talking to Kate. She was nice.
New Mexico was sooner than Matt realised and talking to Kate brought it sharply back into focus. He wasnât sure he was ready. Practically he was â Kyle had made sure all the details were sorted out. But mentally, Matt wasnât sure. New Mexico was different from this big city he called home.
âKnock, knock.â
âWhoâs there?â Matt answered before he realised what he was doing. Kyle was at the front door, shouting through the mailbox.
Matt got up and left the room to open the door.
âGood.â
âGood who?â
âGood News Gareth!â
âWhat?â
â⌠Kool News Kyle?… with a K.â
âWhat?â
âOk, open the door.â
Matt opened the door to a grinning face. âKool News Kyle? Really?â
âWell,â Kyle said, âI thought of Kommendable News Kyle, but that didnât really work.â
âSo you went with Kool News Kyle?â
âYeah. Kool with a K.â
âOh, I see. Well that makes it better. Come on in.â
âOf course it does. Arenât you going to ask me what the good news is?â
âI donât know if I want to.â
âWell, Iâm going to tell you anyway. You have been invited to the prestigious, the esteemed, the illustriousâŚâ
âGo on.â
âThe Annual Charity Ball put on by JRR Investments. It happens every year, and everyone whoâs anyone is going to be there! This is going to be so good for your PR.â Kyle handed the invite to Matt and continued on into the house. âSince your last book didnât do as well as the others â hush hush â you need to get out there and show your face. Spruce yourself up, eat fancy food you donât know the name of, drink fancy cocktails named after people you donât know.â
âLike Rob Roy?â
âYeah. Who the hell is Rob Roy?â
âHeâs an outlaw known as the Scottish Robin Hood, immortalised in the novel Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott.â
âOh.â
âHowever, the drink is named after the operetta Rob Roy which was opening around the time the drink was created. It was common back then to name drinks and such after performances and shows.â
âOh. Well, youâll drink fancy cocktails named after people that most people donât know.â
âI donât know.â
âBut you do know.â
âWhat? No. I mean I donât know about wanting to go.â
âCome on. Itâll be fun. Only a select few get invitations to this thing, and you donât say no. Itâs happening in two monthsâ time and you are going.â
âDo I have to give a speech?â
âWhat? No. Why would you have to give a speech?â
âI donât know. I thought because I was invited I might have to.â
âNo. And donât flatter yourself. Youâre invited because your fantastic and ludicrously attractive friend named Kyle knows who to talk to.â
âOh. Ok.â
âLook, this is going to be good for you. You need to get out there, remind people that you still exist. Youâre a brilliant writer and you have tons of fans, but that doesnât stop you from needing to do things like this every now and then. No offense, but you arenât enough of a hotshot to stay in your house all day and expect everything to come your way.â
âOh. Then what do I pay you for?â
âYou pay me to find these events and get your butt on the invite list.â
That makes sense, Matt thought to himself. He didnât particularly enjoy social gatherings, but the realisation that he needed to, that it was purely for work and promoting his name and his books, made it easier.
âAlright, fine. I guess Iâll go. Why havenât I heard of this event before?â
âBecause you live under a rock and prefer letting me explore the world outside that rock instead of doing it yourself.â
Matt ignored that comment. âDonât JRR Investments do, you know, investments and stuff like that?â
âNothing gets past you, does it? Yes, they do, but they also do this charity event once a year to raise money for various, well, charities. As far as I could tell through my research itâs not run through the main hub and is more of a side thing, a way of bringing various people in the company together with potential investors⌠I think. Itâs all rather confusing. But itâs a big event, and one that a lot of people want to go to. And donât worry, Iâll be going with you, so you donât have to worry about remembering names or navigating various social situations. Iâve got your back.â
Kyle got up from the sofa adjacent to the one Matt was sitting on and headed towards the kitchen.
âHey, you want a beer?â He shouted towards the front room.
âNo, Iâm good. Iâll have some water though.â
Kyle came back a minute later with a cup of water in one hand and an open beer bottle in the other.
âDo you even drink beer?â
âNot really. All the beer thatâs ever been in that fridge has been bought and consumed by you.â
âBut I donât buy this type,â Kyle looked at the drink in his hand.
âOh yeah, thatâs Kateâs favourite kind. I bought some to try.â
âKate! I totally forgot about you guys. So howâs that going?â
âItâs good.â
âJust good?â
âYeah, itâs good. We talk a lot and sheâs really interesting. Weâve been on a few dates which have gone really well.â
âYou kiss her yet?â
âWhat are we, fifteen? Who asks that?â
âI do⌠So, you kiss her yet?â
âYouâre ridiculous. Yes, we have kissed.â
âAnd?â
âAnd what?â
âBro, Iâve seen you more passionate about a book of maths problems.â
âHey, 50 Maths Ideas You Really Need to Know is incredibly interesting and you know it. Even you found some of that stuff fun to read.â
âSee? Now whereâs that passion for this girl? Do you like her?â
âOf course I like her! Sheâs really cool and interesting and I love talking to her.â
âYou said love that time.â
âIâm serious, man.â
âSo am I.â
âLook, you know me. I donât rush into things.â
âItâs been a month. At this point youâre walking slowly into things.â
âI just take my time. Weâre still getting to know each other.â
âYeah, I get it. Just⌠donât invest in this if your heart isnât in it.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âWell, when a buddy of mine met the girl heâs now married to, he wouldnât shut up about her, and whenever they were going to meet he got all giddy, like an excited puppy. I know youâre reserved and quiet, but some version of that passion should still be there. Just make sure you like this girl before continuing things.â
âI do. But weâre also just seeing what happens. She has a life. I have a life. If it works, then great, if not, then thatâs fine too.â
âWell arenât you a romantic.â
âYou know what I mean.â
âI guess you do seem to have your head screwed on straight. Just be careful.â
âI will.â
âHey, you want to play some video games?â
Jane didnât like working from home. She wasnât technically at home; she was at a coffee shop. But she didnât like it. Her floor, and specifically her office, was having work done in it, and she figured working from âhomeâ would be best.
But she didnât like it.
She had taken a corner table in the furthest corner she could find. It was a four-person table, but the coffee shop wasnât busy so she didnât feel guilty taking up the space. A group of teenagers had just come in and were chatting about teenage things. She didnât mind them or their chatting.
She even laughed inside a few times as she overheard the various problems and gossip that was being shared. She remembered when her teenage problems were the biggest problems in the world. Nothing else mattered. She remembered when she was in her early twenties and her problems were the biggest problems in the world. She was sure in ten years she would remember her problems now as being the biggest problems in the world.
Well, maybe not. She had problems that she had to sort through, whether business, relational, or whatever, but she always took them with a grain of salt, a realisation that these problems werenât the be all and end all. Sheâd be fine.
However, she was trying to work and the teenage talk was distracting. Earlier there was a couple sitting close to her whose talking distracted her. She didnât usually get distracted easily, but she wasnât used to working from âhomeâ.
She didnât like working from âhomeâ.
âBuckle down and work, Jane,â she thought to herself and she leaned over the laptop.
Two hours passed before she looked up again. And as she did, Anette sat down in front of her.
âHi, beautiful.â The cheery voice of her friend brought Jane out of her focus.
âI donât like working from home.â
âBut you arenât working from home. Youâre working from a coffee shop.â
âSame thing.â
âUm, Iâve been to your home, Jane. They have a better selection of pastries here. Do you want anything?â
âItâs been a couple of hours, so I probably should. Iâll have a tea and some of those twisty pastry things. The chocolate one.â
âThat sounds interesting.â
âYeah. Itâs like a pain au chocolat that they wrung out.â
â⌠Okay now it sounds less interesting.â
âTry one.â
âOr I could just try yours.â
âUm, excuse me? Thatâs mine.â
âIâm buying.â
â⌠Fine.â
Anette left to get the drinks. There was nobody in line so she was back soon enough.
âHowâs the daily grind going? Missing your office yet?â
âI was missing my office the moment I left it.â
âWorkaholic.â
âShut up.â
Anette smiled at her friend across the table. She was a workaholic. This company was her social life, save for maybe once or twice a month when Anette could get Jane out of the house and into the outside world. Jane wasnât antisocial in any way â and she enjoyed the times she met up with friends and family â but the company was her focus, her passion, and it often consumed her entire waking life.
Jane looked up from taking a bite of the chocolate twist and noticed Anette looking at her.
âWhat?â
âNothing. Youâre just a peculiar species, thatâs all.â
âI try,â Jane smiled back with a mouthful of pastry.
âThatâs attractive. You should probably hurry up and finish that; you have a meeting soon.â
âWhat? With who?â
âMe. And itâs a walking interview. It starts in five minutes.â
âWhy?â
âBecause youâve been sitting here for too long, and because this is one of the last warm â ish â days of the year before winter sets in and it gets cold and rainy and depressing.â
âYouâre cold and rainy and depressing.â
âI try,â She smiled at Jane.
Both women finished eating and started packing up Janeâs stuff. It wasnât much and soon they were outside. The air, warmed by the sun but cooled by the coming winter, promised not to stay lovely for much longer. The cups of coffee and tea counteracted the oncoming chill.
âSo whatâs this meeting about?â Jane turned in the direction of the nearest park, unconsciously leading the way.
âNothing in particular. I just thought Iâd take this time to see how youâre doing, how the leadership is going, things like that.â
âAh. A standard TLC meeting.â
âYeah. Just making sure everything is operating smoothly and there arenât any kinks we arenât fixing. This is part of my job, remember? Keeping you from a mental breakdown.â
Jane smiled a thoughtful smile as she walked. Both women knew how important that particular job of Anetteâs was.
Jane thought for a while before answering. The walk made the tone of the meeting relaxed and friendly. Thatâs why Anette chose it. But Jane also knew of the serious undertones regarding these meetings, the necessary undertones to ensure a successful and healthy company. Anette was balancing the roles of friend and business colleague here, and Jane needed to take a few moments to readjust herself.
âFrom a business standpoint, things seem to be going really well. You were at the meeting where we discussed the slump in the last quarter and what we can do to stop it happening again. I guess my main concerns are those â that they actually get accomplished and donât just fall by the wayside.â
âI understand. But thatâs being worked on. What I want to know is how you are, and whether or not thereâs anything I can do to help amend any issues youâre having.â
Jane looked at Anette. There was no way around this conversation and she knew it.
âIâm not sure. Everything seems to be going well at the company. Weâre operating smoothly and weâre making all the right decisions moving forward.â
âKeep going.â
âYeah, I donât know. Things are going really well.â
âBut.â
âBut I donât know.â
âGo on.â
âWith what?â
âJane!â
âFine. If there is something, which you clearly think there is, itâs that Iâve just not really been with it as of late. I guess Iâve just felt scrambled. Do you know what I mean? Things have been so busy that I havenât been able to gain control of any of my thoughts. I mean, donât get me wrong, things are going really well at work and as far as kinks in the system go I canât really think of anything. Oh, we do need to bring in an investment analyst to go over some of our new investments coming up to make sure things are still kosher. I liked the person who did it last time. They did a fantastic job. And it couldnât hurt to get another analyst to look over some of our investments last quarter that didnât do too well. I know Mark was compiling a list. But donât get the same person to do both, we need a different one. We need to check there wasnât anything specifically wrong with last quarters loses outside, well you know, outside the fact that sometimes we lose money. I didnât see anything, but itâs good to get a pair of outside eyes on these things. And weâre going to need to go overâŚâ
âJane, focus.â
Jane went quiet again. There is something definitely wrong here, Anette thought. Sheâd seen it for a while. The trouble was even Jane didnât know what was wrong. She was just not with it. Scrambled was the only way to describe it.
âAre you still doing those breathing exercises before getting to your office? Remember why I told you to do those.â
âYes. Not every day, but yes.â
âYou need to do these things every day. Itâs things like that, routines, that keep us grounded and able to cope with an incredible workload like the one you take on leading this company. When was the last time you had a day off?â
Jane laughed. âBecause I can do that.â
âIâm serious. Even on weekends when you arenât supposed to work, you do. I know you do. Youâve cancelled archery on me these last two weeks. I know how much you enjoy doing that. You need to get out of work. When was the last time you read a book?â
Jane didnât answer. She knew. She knew she needed to focus on life outside of work, life outside the office. But it was harder than it looked. And Jane loved the office. She loved her job.
As if following her train of thought, Anette broke the silence. âI know youâre passionate about this company. I know you love what you do and you couldnât see yourself anywhere else. Youâre doing some serious good here and thatâs what keeps you going. But you need a break.â
âWhen? What time do I have?â
This time it was Anette who remained silent for a few minutes. The two women were in the middle of the park now, walking slowly down the middle of the gravel path big enough to drive a car down. On either side of the path were mini-fences holding in flower gardens, interspersed with various trees and tall-standing plants. The flowers themselves were all but tucked in for the winter and most of what the passers-by could see of them were stems, leaves, and seedpods â flowers preparing for hibernation.
The small flower gardens ran alongside the path for a good 30 metres or so and Anette didnât say anything until they were once again walking alongside the green spaces that made up most of the parks in the world. Save for a roller-skater or two, several cyclists and the odd couple, Jane and Anette were the only ones utilising the park this time of day.
Anette finally broke the silence. âIn four daysâ time you fly to Brussels to meet with two new potential business partners. Iâll talk to Tom and change your flight to leave in three daysâ time. Itâs not much, but it should give you a day in Brussels to relax, recuperate and most importantly, read. You know how you get without a book.â
âBut I canât. I have work to do.â
âThis isnât up for debate. I am exercising my power as COO of the company. We need a fully focused Jane to lead us where we need to go. We need a fully focused Jane to successfully balance the challenges that we face. We need you to make wise, ethical business decisions. Without you at the helm, this whole thing changes and we have worked too hard turning this company into the pioneer that it is for it to be derailed because you arenât making the right decisions. Youâre taking a day off; youâre spending half the day in Brussels exploring the city and youâre spending the other half of the day in bed, reading and resting.â
âFine,â was all Jane could respond with. She knew she had no choice and she knew it was a good idea. The conversation was truly over. âSo youâre upset with me that you havenât been able to go to archery, huh?
âWhat are you talking about? Iâve still gone to the classes.â
âWhat? But I thought you said-â
âYou cancelled on me. That doesnât mean I didnât go. In fact, itâs actually helped me. It means Iâll be that much better than you when I challenge you to archery tag.â
âOh, you think you can take me?â
âI know I can take you.â
The meeting was over, and Jane and Anette made their way back to the coffee shop as friends so Jane could continue with her dayâs work. When they got there, Anette turned to Jane.
âIâm going to call Tom right now. Have fun working from âhomeâ.â
She then turned back around and walked away, leaving Jane to the rest of her day.
Matt and Jane both woke up early on the morning of their flights. Janeâs flight left slightly earlier than Mattâs and so she left her house slightly earlier too, but they were both held up in the same traffic, both a part of the same mass of cars slowly meandering their way towards the airport and the rest of the world.
Jane was no stranger to flying; her job took her all around the world. She didnât wait in the long line of passengers making their way through security. She had a pass that took her straight through the fast lane and into the boarding lounge. She found her gate, Gate 41B, then headed back to grab some food before settling into a seat at the gate and waiting for the flight to board.
Matt did have to wait and journey through the long line towards the security checkpoint. He had flown enough times before to be comfortable with the process, but he definitely wasnât a fan of the long lines and the waiting.
Please have your tickets and boarding passes ready.
When he did finally emerge on the side of the boarding lounge he went for the first coffee shop he could find, grabbed a ready-made sandwich from the refrigerated area, grabbed a yogurt and a drink too, paid for them, then headed to his gate, Gate 42A, to sit down.
His gate was on the end of a semicircle comprised of three gates: 40, 41, and 42. All the seats were scattered around with no specific areas for each gate, something Matt found stressful. He chose the one closest to his boarding doors, sat down, and began to eat.
All the other flights were to Europe. Was he in the right place? Yes, he was, he checked the ticket again. And besides, the screens said Albuquerque International Sunport, New Mexico 7:45am. Right next to the other screen that said Brussels International Airport, Brussels 7:20am. The Brussels flight was beginning to board, Matt noticed. All the fancy people with priority boarding were getting up and heading towards the man by the boarding doors. A woman seated right behind Matt got up, giving him a little bit of a shock as the chairs moved slightly. The seats were five in a row with five more directly behind and facing the other way. As she got up, her hair flicked the back of his neck and startled him momentarily.
But only momentarily. He then remembered his yogurt that he was looking forward to so he reached for his bag, pulled out his headphones, plugged them into his phone, put on some music and tucked into his pot of yogurt. This one had little chunks of strawberry in it.
Just as Jane was about to walk through the tunnel to her plane she looked back as she always did. This is it, she thought. It was the same thought she thought every time she flew. It was the idea of a new place, a new city. It was a this is it full of equal parts melancholy and excitement, anxiety and anticipation.
This is it.
*