Secret Romance

Bob Parker was sitting in his office one day, slaving away at some program designed to keep the office’s work securely encrypted. To some, it was repetitive; to Bob it was a different challenge each day. He loved writing programs and the repetition. He felt comfortable in a pattern, and that boiled down to his personal life. He kept a neat and tidy small house, both on the inside and outside. Minimal, yet comfortable. He was a tall slim middle-aged widower, living within walking distance of downtown, and drove a regular car. At first glance, one wondered if he was or had played basketball. (He played in high school and some in college.) He has been widowed since his wife Michelle passed away from cancer a few years before.

On one of these repetitive days, he caught the eye of Alicia, his coworker. He happened to walk to the water cooler to fill his bottle with water, and happened to catch Alicia admiring him from afar. He thought nothing of it, thinking, ‘She is WAY out of my league.’ Alicia is striking: 5’11”, moderately dark-skinned and slender, with jet-black hair and striking blue eyes. She always dressed sharply, yet professionally.

As Bob was finishing filling his bottle, Alicia approached him.

“Hi Alicia!” said Bob with a smile.

“Oh hi Bob!” came the reply.

They conversed in small talk about work for a minute or so, and then Bob noticed Mike staring daggers at them from the opposite corner of the office. They departed to their respective offices.

Bob continued working where he left off. He had been working for an hour before he got an encrypted email from Alicia. (Unbeknownst to Mike, Bob had set up the system in such a way that Mike could not see the encrypted emails between Bob and Alicia.)

When Bob opened the email, it read: “Would you like to have a drink after work at (location)?” Bob made sure to close his office door; that signaled that he was not to be bothered during that time. He also made sure his response was encrypted, so Mike (or anyone else in the office but the sender and recipient) would not see what was communicated. In the email, Bob replied, “Sure. I would like that.” Bob then made sure that Mike had left for the weekend before meeting with Alicia. (When Mike was out of his office, it was dark.) Bob stepped out of his office and noticed Mike’s office was dark. Then he left the office.

At the bar and grill, they met and engaged in small talk. Bob found it surprisingly easy to talk to her. Alicia was finding out that Bob was a good listener; he picked up on her subtle cues that she liked him a lot. She moved closer to him as the evening went on. She would gaze into his eyes, and he into hers. They ate a light dinner, with an idea where their date was heading.

After finishing, Bob said, “I’m 10 blocks from my house. Let’s have a nightcap.”

Alicia said, “Sure.”

They drove to his house. He opened the keys to the house and motioned her to come in. As soon as they came in, she went to the couch, where she made herself comfortable. He poured a couple of glasses of red wine, her favorite. He turned on some soft music and lit a candle on the kitchen counter. Then he sat next to her and put his arm around her. She then nestled her head on his shoulder as she caressed him lovingly. The next thing she knew, it was after midnight.

“Bob, I must go. I am meeting a friend for breakfast in the morning.” Bob was disappointed, but understood. He was still sorting out his feelings for her, which were running very strong. He walked her to her car.

“Alicia, I’d like to take you out, and see where it takes us. How about next Saturday night? Let’s have dinner and catch some live jazz. I know a place that has live jazz on Saturday nights.”

“Sure, Bob. I’d love that,” replied Alicia. “I had a great time tonight. You are amazing. We have worked together for how many years? I’ve wanted to spend time with you outside of work for a long time. I’m glad that we were together tonight.”

“Yeah, me too, Alicia. I remember when you first started working at the company you were a wide-eyed whippersnapper! Yet you wanted to learn everything there is to know. You’re such a fast learner and hard worker. Not to mention very beautiful and smart. I had an amazing time with you tonight. I look forward to our next time together next Saturday night. We must keep our relationship a secret. I think Mike has his eyes on you, even though he’s married.”

“Don’t worry about Mike. My uncle Michael is the Chief Operating Officer of the company. If Mike hassles me, I’ll make his life a living hell. I picked up some encrypting tips from you while you didn’t think I was looking. I’ve got enough dirt on him to plant a field of crops. He’s a sleazebag.”

“Michael’s your uncle? He was the one that hired me 15 years ago!! He was HR Director back then!”

“Yes, he’s my uncle.” Alicia replied. “But he wasn’t the one who hired me. He was already COO when I was hired. Kim (Kim Jensen, the current HR Director) was the person that hired me. I hate to leave, but I must. I’m having breakfast with my friend Katie tomorrow. I haven’t seen her in a long time and I thought it would be great to catch up on old times. I hope one day you will meet her.”

“I’d love to meet her.” Bob said.

“Great! I’ll be sure to tell her all about you! She’ll be excited!”

Bob pulled Alicia close to him. They kissed. She then got in her car and drove away. He wistfully watched her drive away and whispered, “Sweetest of dreams, sweetheart.”

As Bob was putting the wine glasses away after washing and drying them (he liked to keep a squeaky-clean house), his cell phone rang. It was Alicia telling him that she had made it home safely. She also had other things on her mind. They spent another two hours on the phone talking and laughing. Needless to say, she was tired when she met Katie for breakfast the next morning!

After a restful weekend that included a solo day trip to the coast for some reflection, the work week came. There were a couple of nights that he stayed late due to one of the other programmers being out sick for a few days. This particular week, he didn’t mind so much, as he had nothing significant planned. Alicia left early on Friday for an appointment and had decided to take an early weekend leave. Bob kept the romance on the down and low, interacting with Alicia on a professional level at work throughout the week.

As he was walking home from work on Friday, he received a text from Alicia. The text read, “Come over. I am making dinner for us.” The next text gave her address. Bob texted back, “I’ll be there in an hour or so. I’ll bring a bottle of wine.” Alicia texted a smiley face and kissy face back to Bob. Bob couldn’t walk home fast enough, no matter how fast his long legs carried him.

After showering and putting on slacks and a sport shirt, Bob drove north to Alicia’s house. Not even the classical music wafting from the speakers could calm Bob down. This was the first time in a long time he felt alive. Although it was a ten minute drive, it felt like ten hours. Finally, he pulled into the driveway of her house.

He rang the doorbell. Alicia greeted him wearing a black dress that accentuated her long slender figure. She wore high heels with black stockings that made her taller. He gave her the wine (after almost dropping it at first sight of Alicia). She motioned for him to come in and make himself at home. They kissed.

“I missed you like crazy, sweetie.” Alicia said breathlessly. “I’ve been thinking of you all week, and it drove me crazy that we were both busy at work.”

“Yeah, I had to work late a couple of days because Jonathan was out sick. I’m glad he’s feeling better now.” Bob replied. “But if we take vacation at the same time, the whole office will suspect that we’re seeing each other.” (The office had a strict “no dating coworkers” policy but didn’t prohibit married couples working together. There were two married couples that were co-workers of Bob and Alicia.)

Alicia checked on the meal of stuffed steak, a vegetable assortment, and potatoes au gratin. The wine Bob brought paired perfectly with the meal. After a few minutes of wine and conversation, the meal was finished cooking and Alicia plated both meals. She then turned on some soft background music and lit the candles for a candlelight dinner.

“Dig in sweetheart! I know you’re hungry!” Alicia said excitedly.

“This looks great!” Bob said, looking forward to devouring that stuffed steak like a lion looks forward to devouring his prey. The look on his face confirmed his expectations; the steak was exquisite. Unknowingly, she cooked the steak the way he liked it: charred on the outside and reddish on the inside. The jalapeno pepper and white cheese stuffed inside it added spice and saltiness. Alicia’s homemade potatoes au gratin was perfectly seasoned, and the vegetable assortment was crunchy yet warm. Bob was very impressed with the meal and the ambience of Alicia’s house.

They continued eating as soft jazz music played in the background. The conversation was light, funny, and playful. For Bob, Alicia was the first woman he had dated since he became widowed five years before. There had been a couple of women that friends had set him up with on blind dates, but they went nowhere. He had begun to wonder about being widowed the rest of his life. (It had been four years since his last date. He took up hobbies of wine collecting and building up a good library/study area for reading. He liked reading classical literature and political thrillers.) Then Alicia came into the picture. She made him feel alive in so many ways. She is friendly, outgoing, and is passionate about life and all it has to offer.

They finished the meal, and Bob offered to clean up, figuring that since she did the cooking, he would do the cleaning. She tried to wave him off, but he would not take no for an answer. That deepened her attraction to him. After about 15 minutes, Alicia’s kitchen was clean from top to bottom, the dishes put in their proper places, the counters washed and wiped clean. He helped himself to a glass of water and sat down on the couch. Alicia smiled and motioned for Bob to scoot over so she could give him a massage. He leaned against her as she massaged his neck and shoulders, falling asleep in the process.

“Hey!” Bob reacted in mock shock when Alicia covered his eyes. “Did I fall asleep?”

“Yes you did, Mister!”

“You give such good massages I can’t help but fall asleep in your arms!”

“No sleeping here tonight, bub! I have standards, you know!” Bob knew when Alicia was cracking the whip and when she wasn’t. She was cracking the whip. “I’ll make you some coffee.”

Over coffee, they discussed in great detail the boundaries of their relationship and where those boundaries would be set. They both agreed that they would be exclusive. At work, they would be professional and have professional interactions. If word got out they were in a relationship, they would be in serious trouble, and that irked Bob more than anything: the lack of freedom at work. He shared with Alicia his desire of starting his own consulting business, and that he had already landed a couple of clients. Alicia fully supported his endeavors. Bob stated that he needed at least two major clients in order for him to go full-time in his own business and tell Mike where to really go.

“Remember my friend Katie, the woman I had breakfast with? She may be able to give you an in on one major client. She works for a company that needs services similar to what you offer. She told me they’re not satisfied with who they have now. I’ll text her and drop your name and business and go from there.”

“Sure! Thank you very much sweetheart! I’ll call you after I am finished with my client. I’m meeting with him at 10, and I will call tomorrow afternoon. I’ll leave a message if you don’t answer.” Bob kissed Alicia good night and returned home.

The consultation between Bob and his client, Jason Martin of Martin Enterprises, was better than expected. Not only was he paid the full amount for his services on the spot, but he was also hired for semi-monthly services. Plus Mr. Martin would refer him to a CEO friend of his from the country club Mr. Martin is a member of. Between that referral and Katie’s referral, he could replace his fairly low (for his experience and expertise) monthly income with a much higher income, plus be his own boss. (Bob and Mike had been butting heads lately, with Mike making Bob’s life and the life of his fellow programmers miserable. And the situation with Jonathan being out sick? He was sick the first day and a half; he took an extra day off and returned after that because like Bob, he was sick of Mike’s attitude. Jonathan had confided to Bob this detail over lunch one day.) Bob had left instructions to both Alicia and Jason to have their referrals email Bob at his new business email address.

Monday was a typical work day: catch up on requests that came in while he was out, troubleshooting problems with the network, updating and installing software, etc. Between him and Jonathan, it took the two men a majority of the day to finish with all the troubleshooting alone. It kept them away from Mike. They finished around 3:30 in the afternoon.

Bob returned to his office to find a flood of work-related emails in his box. Between food and water, he answered all of them. By the time he finished, it was 6:30 PM, and he was the last one in the office (aside from the janitorial crew). He arose wearily from his desk, shut down his computer, and called it a night as he prepared to walk home.

The long walk invigorated Bob, at least temporarily. He arrived home to log in and check his email. In his inbox were emails from the two potential clients. Both clients were willing to talk to him about hiring him for his services! He responded to each one in detail, and was willing to meet with them the following week.

As his vacation drew closer, the week seemed to drag longer. To Bob, it seemed like he was the guinea pig running on the proverbial wheel: the wheel was spinning and he was going nowhere. Mike was on the warpath, which made life in that part of the office miserable. Bob was doing his best to get as much work done as he could before vacation started. But Mike would pile on more work. On Friday, he came in just before 6 am to leave early. By 12 noon, he checked out and had left the office for the day. He instructed the gatekeeper that he would be out of the office for the rest of the day and all the next week, and to hold all his calls until he returned. He set up an automatic reply on his work email that he would be out for the next week.

Bob’s vacation came. He met with Jason Martin on Monday morning at 9 am. They went over the details of his services, the days and times he would be at the site to consult with the business and to do services for them. They had it wrapped up just before noon, then had a celebratory lunch. After the lunch, he then met with his other potentially major client not far from Martin Enterprises. After sitting down with William Green, the CEO (and Jason’s friend from the country club), he had his second deal done that day. He then decided to go home and see if Katie’s friend had emailed back in response to Bob’s earlier email.

Bob arrived home shortly before 4 pm. He logged in to check his email. Katie’s friend Matthew had emailed him earlier that day requesting an appointment for his services. He called Matthew at the number on the email and eventually set up an appointment on Wednesday. Perhaps this was the impetus that he could use to turn in his notice to Kim that he was leaving the company.

Bob spent Tuesday advertising for his new business and set up a professional business profile with help from Jonathan over pizza and beer. He met with Matthew on Wednesday morning. Bob offered his services along with a money-saving solution. Matthew agreed to hire Bob for his services starting next month. He now had three major clients. He could tell Mike to go pound sand. He spent the rest of the week preparing for the big move: to be in his own consulting business full-time.

Monday came and Bob turned in his two-week notice to Kim, the HR Director. She was sad to see Bob leave but she understood. She wished him the best.