And This Is Where It Actually Started

Years ago in the mid-nineties, A man in his early thirties wearing a nice office-wear, he's tall but with not with an impressive body, light skin, brown hair, and grey eyes, clean shaved beard and fresh from the barbers named Hal Jacoby buying a bouquet in a flower shop, "So what's this for?" the old florist lady asked, "anniversary? or birthday?"

Hal smiled looking at the flowers then looked at the florist, then she added, " Oh my, you did something?".

He chuckled and answered, "No, I was on a business trip for three months and I miss my wife".

"She must be excited to see you," The florist said cheerfully.

"She doesn't know that I'm coming", he said.

"Oh, you sweet man," she said gleefully.

" Well, I have to get going," he said in hurry with an exciting smile on his face. "Thank you for the flowers".

"You're welcome, sweetie!" said the florist, "come again".

Hal hurried off into his car and put down the bouquet on the passenger seat.

As he drives of suddenly there's a phone call so then he tapped on his speaker, "talk to me," he said.

"Hey, congrats again with your promotion as general manager, Mr. Hal Jacoby," a coworker called.

"Thanks, man," he replied, " why'd you call?"

"Just asking when will you be back we a lot of work to do?" he asked.

"I'll be back in three days," he answered, " don't worry, I have some worked done while I was on the plane, I'll send the document tonight".

"No wonder, you're the new general manager," said the coworker.

"I'll let you know right away," Hal said, " I'm on my way home to surprise my wife".

"Wow! nice" his coworker impressed, "okay, I'll talk to you later", he continued driving.

Later he stopped at his small humble home in the suburbs, he parked and fixed his hair and his blazer then grabbed the bouquet from and the passenger seat and got out of his car carrying the flowers and walked toward his house, once he got to the door he rang the doorbell and stood tall and smiling. There were footsteps sounds and a woman with beautiful face and gorgeous long red hair wearing a simple dress named Marie opened the door and looked who was outside once she saw Hal, she got stunned in a way she saw a ghost, "surprise!" Hal said with glee.

"Hal, you're back", Marie stammered with her eyes opened wide.

"Yeah, I took three days off work to see you", Hal explained with excitement then hugged then kissed Marie then looked at her again and noticed she doesn't share the same enthusiasm, "are you okay?".

Marie shook off her head and her expression changed, "yeah, I'm fine", she said to him and out a fake smile yet Hal was too naive to see it, "let's go inside"

"Yes, of course", he responded to her. Hal went inside his home and Marie closed the door behind.

"You should've called", Marie said to him, "so that I can make you something?".

Hal then sat on a couch, "No need, why don't we eat out tonight?" he suggested to her.

"Really? what for?", she asked.

"As long as I'm here, I want to spend it with you in a very special way", he answered to her then he reached to hold her hand.

Marie gave him a gentle smile and held his hand "sounds lovely," she said to him.

Later that night, Hal and Marie were getting ready to go out to dinner. Marie was in her robe, her hair was curled nicely and she was sitting in front of a vanity applying makeup. Hal got out of the bathroom already wearing a nice suit, he was fixing his sleeve then he goes in front of a whole-body mirror and put on his tie. Suddenly there was a knock on their front door, Hal felt confused while knotting his tie, Marie stopped fixing herself and looked troubled, "who could that be at this hour?", Hal wondered, he stopped doing tie and was about to walk out the bedroom.

Marie quickly trying to think of an answer when he saw Hal about to answer the door, "no, honey, it must be Greta," she said, Hal stood and looked at Marie in a puzzling way, "she likes to come here for dinner, I forgot to tell her that we are going out, I'll just go down and tell her".

Hal felt something was not right but he just shook it off, "oh okay, why don't I come down with you just to say hi?", he said to her.

Marie looked panic, "No sweetie, it's okay, you know how chatty Greta can be after a simple greeting," she pointed out nervously," we might not be able to get seats once we get to the restaurant, I'll just tell her real quick".She then stood up and walked out of the room. Hal continued to fix his tie, he heard Marie opened the door. Marie went down the stairs and opened the front door, a tall, dark Middle Eastern man appeared smiling wearing a nice buttoned-down shirt and holding a single rose. Marie smiled at him yet still having a worrying feeling.

"Good evening," the man greeted her.

"Alastair, what are you doing here? ," Marie asked in a frantic to him. Alastair looked confused.

"I'm taking you out, what's wrong?" he responded then he noticed her looked like she was prepping up. Hal can hear talking to someone but it was a murmuring sound and he heard a low man voice which was Alastair but didn't know it was him since all he can hear was mumbling.

"Go, or else he sees you," Marie urged him.

Alastair looked heartbroken but he understood that he had to leave, "alright, goodnight, sweet lady", he said to her with a gentle smile. Then he took her hand and kissed it and left bringing the single rose with him. Marie felt sad watching Alastair leave.

Then he heard the door closed and Marie walked up to their bedroom again looking a bit distressed.

"Who was that?", he asked her.

Marie flinched, "It was Greta," she answered.

"Oh, was she with Neil?" he asked.

"No, she came in alone, why?", she said.

"I thought I heard a man's voice", Hal pointed out.

"Really?", she asked tensely and sat to her vanity and continue applying her makeup.

"Maybe I heard it wrong", he shrugged then finished fixing his tie, "there you go". Marie was breathing in relief and started combing her hair.

Later in a fancy restaurant called Claude, Hal and Marie were sitting across each other and were eating their meal. He suddenly noticed her looking blankly then turned his head and saw what she was looking at a mother carrying a sleeping baby behind him then he looked at her and reached her hand, "someday, sweetie", he said to her gently. Marie just nodded yet felt heavy.

"I know, honey", she said to him and held his hand tightly.

"So how are you doing?" he asked her.

"Not much, really", she answered looking down on her food, "I go to work and do yoga, what about you? how was work?".

"Well... I have news," he informed her, " I got promoted".

Marie's mouth dropped with happiness, "Hal, that's great!", she said feeling proud of him.

"Thanks! Honey", he said to her then he kissed her hand, "I can finally go to out of the country business trip".

"Oh, right", Marie said to him looking slightly troubled.

Hal still held her hand and looked into her eyes, "just think of it, maybe we'll go to Jamaica, Bali or anywhere in Europe", Hal said in enthusiasm noticing that Marie was not as thrilled as he was.

"It will just be work, not a vacation", she gently denoted to him.

"Yeah, I'd still be earning", he said.

"And what will I be doing?", she questioned him.

"You'll be with me," he said to her sounding optimistic. Marie just sighed and smiled at him and continue eating. Hal felt something was not right as the atmosphere was getting heavy, then his phone rang and looked at the caller ID and it was work, "I'll just take this".

"Okay", she nodded at him. Hal stepped out of the restaurant and answer the call while Marie was left alone looking unhappy.

"Hello!", he said to the caller.

"Hal, I'm sorry to bother you on your leave but we need you here on Monday", the caller said to him.

"What? why?", Hal asked looking worried.

"Something went wrong in the meeting with the investors and we need your help", the caller said in a panic.

"I can't leave, my wife is looking forward to me to be with her", he explained.

"Hal, I'm sorry, I am but this is urgent", the caller replied.

"But this means I have to leave tomorrow," Hal remembered.

"I'm so sorry", the caller apologized.

"Okay, I'll just tell my wife", Hal said, "thanks, bye!", then puts down his phone.

Hal got back to the dinner table looking stress as he started to clench his hands together and Marie noticed it, "what's wrong?", she asked him. He knows he can't beat around the bush yet he doesn't know how to say it straight but Marie felt she knows what it was just by looking at him but she needs to hear it from him.

"Uhm... I'm leaving again," he blurted.

Marie doesn't seem to react, "Hal, you just got here", she said to him.

"I'm sorry", he apologized.

"When are you leaving?", she asked him.

Hal sighed knowing the answer was too hard to say, "tomorrow", he replied. Marie felt crushed and didn't say anything but she wasn't surprised.

Later, they went home and was about to sleep. Hal was reading a book on the bed. Marie got out of the bathroom and went straight to the vanity and wiped all the makeup off of her face. The atmosphere was still heavy between them, "Honey, you haven't said anything since the restaurant," Hal said trying to break the ice, "can you tell me what's wrong?".

"I'm just tired", she coldly responded to him.

"I'll be gone again tomorrow, will you be okay?", Hal asked.

Marie was still cleaning her face and trying to hold back tears, "I'll be fine", she lied.

Hal doesn't know what to say next but he knows there was something was not right so he decided to try to break the ice, "I know this has been hard but you know what I do is for the both of us," he reminded her.

"I get that", she said to him aloud, by looking at him while starting to comb her hair, " I just wish you don't have to go".

"I'll be back before you know it", he said with a smile.

"Yes but when?", she questioned him, "Hal, I don't want this life, the life that you go somewhere and me waiting for you. I want to start a family, I want to have children and I want you here".

"I want that too but it's complicated right now," he said.

"No, it's not," Marie argued, "your job is number one in your priorities".

"That's not true", he responded, "why does my promotion make it sound bad to you?".

"It's just that it's bad enough, that you have to go out of town and now you have to go out of the country", she contended.

"I love you, no matter where I go, you know that", he said to her.

"Really?" she said looked at him with dismay, "then why are you leaving tomorrow?".

"Because my colleagues need me", he answered trying to point the obvious.

"You don't think I need you", she disputed. Hal was taken aback on what she said and got speechless and felt guilty about it. "I'm tired, I have to work too tomorrow, goodnight". Marie puts down the comb and laid on the bed next to him by turning her back at him feeling enraged. Hal looked at her and felt hopeless so then he went to sleep too.