Everyone dreams of happiness, and each one has its own vision about it. For some people, happiness is in the amount of money. Others see happiness in a successful career, a lucky marriage, and an inheritance received when they are still healthy enough to drunk it in restaurants. And the impatient want it all at once.
Some associate happiness with love and are sad when love is gone. They afraid the happiness will be gone too. And others see happiness in divorce, which will save them from financial problems. This option is especially popular among practical bowtie-females. Such one plans to seize her husband’s money in order to live in her pleasure, indulge in fornication, and continue to hunt for the next rich perch somewhere in exotic resorts.
The world of our relationships is changing. It used to be honored by masculinity, but now it’s dominated by tolerance, feminism and all sorts of gay stuff. Happiness has become elusive and egoism has become capricious. One loves and the other allows himself to be loved. The egoist takes advantage of those who open their souls and trust him. In English folklore, such a user has a nickname – selfish.
Once I had the idea to write a novella about love. To show the intertwined passions of his and hers. But soon I found that outsiders began to interfere with my story. They insisted that I include them in the story. Capriciously, they argued that without their involvement there would be no intrigue in my story. I tried to contradict them, saying that in the love of two, other people’s advice, especially intrigue, is dangerous. That’s why I don’t write long stories, but short novellas with a limited number of characters. But they were stubborn. They told me not to show off and to go about my business of watching, listening, and writing. And now you can read what came out of it…
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ROCKY
Rocky spent his youth on frivolous adventures. With his buddies he rode his Harley through the roads of America, hung out with the girls in the bars or gambled at the casino tables. The sudden death of his father changed everything. He left behind a ranch in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. A childhood friend flew in from Seattle for the funeral. After the wake, he offered Rocky a partnership in his business. And Rock took the plunge. He gave up his frivolous life, sold the ranch and moved north. He bought a lake house outside Seattle and invested in his friend’s construction business. Construction is always in demand where it rains all year round and the nights are cold.
Dreams come true, and when you have your lucky break, the hardest part comes next – keeping that bird in your hands. As money comes in, new friends and girlfriends appear. To help you pluck the bird fast. Rock knew this first hand. He was thirty and decided that once he’d started to change his life, he shouldn’t stop halfway. His adventures were over and he married a young Filipina girl. The days and months flew by, his bank account grew, and the house chirped with his beautiful wife and baby daughter.
A car honked outside the window: ‘Hey, kid, get ready, the plane’s waiting,’ his friends shouted, throwing empty beer cans into his flowerbed. A few days before, they had agreed to go fishing in Alaska. Rocky was an avid fisherman and always had his tackle ready. He quickly packed the rucksack, and in a minute the jeep with the noisy company disappeared around the corner.
Their airplane buzzed in the rainy sky.
‘Rock, you’re not yourself today, are you? Is it impotence or something else?‘ – his mate grinned.
‘Chmoke, sometimes you get the nuances right, but this time it is something else,’ Rocky muttered and damned spilling coffee on his pants. The plane was pitched.
‘Guys, the flight is canceled, there’s a big storm ahead,‘ pilot turned the plane around.
They returned to the airfield. It was getting dark and no one wanted to go home. Opportunities to escape family life for even one night are as rare as sunny days in Seattle.
‘Fishing’s not canceled,‘ Chmoke grinned, and they all laughed in anticipation of the adventure.
They got lucky with the girls at the bar, and soon the music was blaring in the motel room they’d rented, the tipsy girls trying to dance on the table. Rocky was annoyed by all this and wanted to be alone, so he fled to his room under false pretenses. It was drizzling, but the evening was warm, so he sat down in a chair on the loggia and covered himself with a blanket.
Recently, his family life took a turn for the worse. After the birth of their daughter, his wife began to refuse to let him caress her in bed, citing her poor health. Rocky was understanding, even hiring a nanny and trying not to burden his wife with housework. He himself was often away from the office, staying home with the baby while his wife visited her girlfriends and stayed out late. Sometimes he caught her distant gaze, which made him uncomfortable. Rock tried not to see the situation in a negative light, realizing that his wife was lonely when he was working late at the company.
With these unhappy thoughts, he dozed off. The voices brought him back to reality, and at first Rock thought it was his friends coming for him. But what he heard chased away the remnants of sleep. Two girls were smoking and talking on a neighboring balcony. The topic of their conversation was quite savory.
“I didn’t plan such a life,” one of them was saying, “I was looking for a rich husband to live a life of idleness. My husband is not poor, but I am bogged down in domestic chores. And I suffer because I have my first child, which I am afraid to tell him about. I hide this fact from him because if he knew, he would surely kick me out of the house.”
She spoke with a slight accent, and Rocky thought her voice sounded familiar. He froze in his chair, trying not to give himself away.
‘You could kick him out of the house and take all his money, you silly,’ the other girl snorted.
‘I don’t know how to do that,’ replied the silly.
‘Then listen to me, dear,’ continued the other girl, ‘There are laws, they allow us many things. Feminism helps women. You are lucky to live in such a society. You know that, don’t you?‘
‘Really? – the first one shook her head, ‘I thought I lived in a society of selfish people busy with making money. Help me understand’.
‘Okay, I’ll help you get hold of your husband’s money and live a life of pleasure. You like pleasures, don’t you? – giggled the other girl, ‘But I am practical, and my term is that you must share. Do you agree?‘
Having received consent, she continued:
‘Are there sexual harassment, beatings, scandals in your relations?
‘We don’t have such things in our family, my husband is a polite and sensitive man,’ the first one replied.
‘Now you’re going to have it, – laughed the other girl with a chesty laugh, ‘My lawyer will help you take the money from your husband. The lawyer will probably need your husband’s financial records. He will have his agents appraise your house and they will pay you a visit under false pretenses.‘
‘I agree. But how long will it take?‘ The first girl sounded hesitant.
‘Probably a few months. Keep denying your husband in bed, provoke him into a scandal, try to force him to hit you. Agents will discreetly set up cameras to get video evidence of the scene. The lawyer may want to sleep with you, don’t refuse, he’s our partner,’ the other girl admonished, ‘In court, you will have to shed your wife’s tears. Hold your daughter to your chest and discreetly pinch her bottom to make her cry. A child’s tears work better on judges than any other evidence. Now let’s go to the bar opposite, drink to success and discuss the details…’
The rain intensified and in the lantern light Rocky could make out their blurred silhouettes. The one on the left bore a striking resemblance to his wife.
***
SUZANNE.
At the construction company, Rocky was responsible for coordinating the scope of work with clients. That day, the stained glass of his office door was gently scratched by the claws of a pretty, smiling blonde. The girl introduced herself as a designer, saying she had experience in computer graphics from working at the Warner Brothers movie studio. Her name was Suzanne. She had long, slender legs and a seductive, chesty laugh.
She explained the nature of her visit. A friend of her father’s, a wealthy businessman, had asked for help in designing and furnishing the space he had chosen for his company. His team specialized in finding employment for seafarers from different countries with maritime companies specializing in cargo shipping.
The space the company rented was located in a high-rise building in the city’s business district. The spacious room had a wall of thick glass behind which was a spectacular panoramic view of the ocean. Suzanne’s idea was to place the employees’ workstations, a briefing table, a small coffee bar, and a manager’s corner in the room, with no walls or partitions, so that every corner had a view of the ocean. According to Suzanne, the panoramic view and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee should create the atmosphere of a ship and inspire the client’s aesthetic pleasure and trust in the team.
Rocky thought Susanna’s idea was unique and the project captivated him. Together they made sketches and drawings of the interior, which his construction company would then build. They soon became friends, spending time together over lunch. Suzanne proved to be witty and companionable, even inviting Rocky to her parties a few times. Their conversations became more open, and one day he wondered why he didn’t see any girlfriends in her social circle, only young men.
Susie put the glass of juice down:
‘Rock, I think you’re jealous of me now,’ she smiled and looked into his eyes. He was embarrassed.
‘I told you I’m not married,’ Susie touched his hand with her finger in confidence, ‘You’re a big boy, and you can guess that an unmarried young woman is always on the prowl. And at this stage she doesn’t need girlmates. They are unnecessary and dangerous competition. Even from married ones you can expect dangerous surprises. Simply because they are jealous…’
‘As for the young fellows, every one of them is too selfish to be my choice. Suzy continued, ‘I like them for their ambition, they are too confident, but don’t realize how naïve they are. A young man who has no experience of life is far from thinking that he is being played with, that it is not he who chooses, but he who is chosen. His inexperience and ambition will play a cruel joke on him, one day. I like manipulating boys like this, it’s fun to watch them obediently take the bait, not knowing there’s a hook in it. Fishing like this keeps me in shape, it’s a sport, you know…‘
She laughed and played with her voice, like a virtuoso musician who delights the audience with the sound of her instrument.
‘I’ll let you in on a little secret,’ Suzy looked around conspiratorially, ‘We women have good side vision and we look at you without turning our heads. It’s very risky to look a man you don’t know in the eye, because it can give him false hope and provoke him into doing things a woman fears. A woman who is more skilled in this art, knows she is being watched. She can guess what men are thinking at that moment. I’m like that, it’s exhausting, but I like it. You see, I’m being honest with you, Rock, because I trust you,’ she added flirtatiously.
‘ I apologize for my tactlessness, Suzy, I shouldn’t have asked you that’. Rocky was clearly uncomfortable.
Seeing the confusion on his face, she rushed to smooth things over:
‘Rock, I owe you an apology too. I’m just like you’.
They clinked glasses.
‘I know you’re married, now that we’re on the subject,‘ she continued, looking him straight in the eye,’ You said your wife is from a different culture, and I guess you probably have sex as your only means of communication. And I think that’s not enough for you. For the harmony of souls you need common interests, the same folklore, the same jokes, the same gastronomic preferences. You need a friend who understands you as you understand yourself, don’t you’ . Susanna licked her plump lips with her pink tongue. She must have touched on something intimate.
‘We haven’t had sex in a long time,’ he whispered, looking away.
‘See, I’m so shameless, I’m sorry again,” Suzy continued to laugh softly, manipulating the timbre of her voice.
Rocky thought he’d heard that laugh before. But he couldn’t remember where.
The speakers were blaring:
♪ I maybe still alive with self-deception
♪ I maybe will deceived by mirage
♪ My heart still longs for love in action
♪ So play your game, I gamble my courage…
***
IRISHMAN.
Rocky was stuck in the sporting goods section of a supermarket. A trip with friends to Montana to fish for trout in the mountain waterfalls was about to begin. This kind of exciting fishing requires special skills and equipment.
‘Let me guess,’ a voice behind him pulled him away from the shop window, ‘you’re probably looking for equipment to hunt mountain trout…?’
Rocky turned around. A tall, smartly dressed man was smiling at him.
‘Sean O’Connell, fellow angler,‘ he introduced himself. ‘If I’ve guessed your intentions, I’d suggest you take this one,’ he said, pointing to a wildly curved steel feather with a paired hook, ‘I had a chance to fish the mountain streams last year and this one worked better than the others’.
‘Your advice is just in time Sean, thank you! My friends and I are going trout fishing in Montana,‘ Rocky shook his outstretched hand.
‘Huh, I’ve fished there before, I know the spots.’ Sean smiled.
They decided to celebrate their meeting, right there in the supermarket café, over a cup of coffee.
Sean turned out to be a chatty, funny guy:
‘My grandfather was a fisherman in New York,’ he said, ‘They fished off the coast of Newfoundland in their sloop, and in New York they sold their catch to local fence-sitters. One of them, an Italian, had a young daughter who seduced my grandfather and they married. Like any Italian, my grandmother was a terribly jealous, impulsive person, and my grandfather did not stay on land for long; she chased him out to sea, away from skirts and friends. There, in the sea, he once disappeared in a violent storm.
Well, I grew up under Cleo’s jealous grandmother and she gave me mixed feelings about women,’ Sean smiled, ‘I guess that’s why I’ve spent my whole life trying to understand the psychology of women and even trained to be a lawyer. I specialize in divorce cases. I think my practice and accumulated knowledge is the reason I never married at forty,’ Sean sighed. ‘Perhaps I was a victim of my own experience, and every case I took on was another journey into the world of women. I have collected enough fascinating stories for a hundred novels, the kind of treasure trove any writer can only dream of. I’ve seen what a woman is capable of in practice, but I’ve never been able to get to the bottom of how she plans it,’ Sean laughed out loud, and a woman passing by looked at them judgmental.
Rocky offered Sean to join the trip and Sean agreed.
In Montana they had fun: catching trout and cooking them on the fire, drinking and talking about frivolous things. In short, they were enjoying the freedom of having removed the collar of society’s moral conventions. Tomorrow was the day of their return, and they made a feast in the clearing. The company was quite tipsy, the fire was smoking, trout and tomatoes were browning on skewers, sizzling and splashing with juice. Rocky was strumming his guitar singing cowboy songs when the restless Chmok suggested they hold a fraternity initiation ceremony for Sean. Everyone agreed loudly. The pledge sat down at the table with his hands tied behind his back. Chmok uncorked a new bottle of whiskey and filled a glass to the brim for Sean to drink it. He took the glass with his teeth and drained it without spilling a drop.
After his hands were untied, Sean hugged Chmok and kissed him on the cheek. At the same second, Chmok screamed and bent over in pain. It turned out that Sean had bitten him on the ear. It wasn’t part of the ritual, but the rookie was probably letting everyone know that he wasn’t to be messed with. Everyone laughed at Sean’s prank, and he poured whiskey on his buddy’s wound and put a band-aid on it. They hugged and the initiation ceremony ended with fraternizing and drinking. Sean was nicknamed “The Irishman”. And Chmok added that he is the ‘wild Irishman’.
When he returned, Rocky found his house empty, his wife and daughter gone. On the table was a notice that he had been named as a defendant in a divorce and property case. The hearing was a month away.
Rocky called to Irishman and asked him to come over.
The Irishman listened without interrupting, taking small sips of his whiskey:
” Perhaps your wife is a foolish woman’s naivety,” he said when Rocky had stopped talking. “But my professional instinct tells me that someone has been helping her, and that someone is a clever rascal. Yes, we live in an emancipated world, that’s true,” he went on, “In this world, people put on masks that often hide their predatory nature. Christian morality has become a tight shoe, no longer worn, but not yet discarded. All this masquerade is done to the hysterical squeals of feminists, and naïve men think they are doing a gallant act toward all ladies, equalizing them in rights with themselves. But not all women are ladies, and for such “not-ladies” emancipation is a whore’s fight for the right to be one with impunity, whether you agree with me or not.”
” But we’re having a baby!” Rocky clutched his head.
” Yes, but you just said that she stays out late and the baby is taken care of by a nanny or by you,” Sean raised his eyebrows, ” I’m repeating your words here, and as a lawyer who has studied this kind of story many times, I dare say your wife does not look like a good mom and a faithful wife, sorry buddy.“
Rocky was silent.
” You know, I’ll open up to you too,” the Irishman gave him a friendly hug,
“I dreamed of meeting a normal woman, a woman who would be comfortable to live with, who would recognize and accept the superiority of a man in a union of equals. After all, a man appreciates a woman who has given herself to him, and such a woman will always have flowers in the house. But I am a lawyer for special women’s cases,” he grinned, “In twenty years of practice, I have seen and heard so much that I no longer believe in my dream…”
The Irishman smiled kindly:“When you returning home from work, did you often stop at the flower shop to buy flowers for your wife?”.
“No, not much lately,” Rocky sighed.
” Well, you see, and here I can guess why. You want to see a well-dressed wife at home and a nice dinner on the table. But you don’t have that, do you? And you realize you’re not welcome and nobody wants your flowers…”
Rocky was silent. He had nothing to say.
The Irishman summed it up: “All right, let’s come to the point. Judging by her complaint, it’s possible she’s a matrimonial fraud after your money. Sorry to be so harsh, buddy, but we’re not kids and I’m not going to comfort you, I’m not a spiritual advisor. If you want me to help you solve this case, you should tell me every little detail of your relationship, excluding intimate details of course. My experience tells me to check with the Prefecture of Manila, where she lived before America. And I’ll have to do some other work that it’s too early to discuss with you,” the Irishman put out his cigarette.
Rocky said the Filipina was in America on a visitor’s visa. Their marriage was registered in Las Vegas, where she presented a driver’s license instead of a passport. Sean suggested that the visa in her passport might have expired and that she was already in the country illegally at the time of marriage. The American system doesn’t take kindly to such offenders and she could be deported for such deception.
Rocky confirmed the suspicions, saying that his beloved had proposed Las Vegas for marriage and to spend the wedding week there. In Las Vegas the procedure is simplified, you can get married without leaving your car.
” A lover’s common sense rests,” the Irishman concluded.
Two weeks later, the law firm received a response to its request. The Manila police reported that the person named in the application was married and had a child living with her parents.
“As you can see, my professional instincts did not fail me,” the Irishman said, ” You’re a victim of marriage fraud. I have enough evidence for the court to declare your marriage null and void, and all her claims to your money and property will only add to her guilt. If she’s still in the States, she could easily be send to jail and you would get custody of your daughter”.
The Irishman’s face turned serious: “Rocky, you don’t know everything, but I’m obliged to tell you the truth. Here is my boys’ work from the private detective agency”.
He placed his iPhone on desk and turned on the video function. On the screen, Rocky’s wife was having fun in bed with a young man.
” If I were you, I’d get a DNA test to establish biological paternity of your little girl,” the Irishman continued, ” Your wife started taking you around the bend as soon as you told her you were in love with her. Falling in love only blinds the male, not the female, or so the zoologists say.”
Rocky was silent. He was about to have a nervous breakdown.
***
The Irishman easily blew the case in court. The con woman must have known what to expect, she didn’t show up in court and nothing was known about her. Rocky’s heart was broken, he lost his daughter.
Bandages stop the bleeding and medication dulls the pain. But the pain of losing a loved one lives on forever. Alcohol can ease it, but there is no other medicine. Often the pain returns and becomes unbearable. At such times, a person cannot be alone. The Irishman offered Rocky a place to stay for a while, until life offered a solution.
***
BAHAMAS.
Rocky’s relationship with Suzanne became more and more trusting. One day, friends invited him to spend some time in the Bahamas, and he asked Suzie to join him.
She happily agreed. There were three couples, all of whom loved the ocean, and when they arrived, they immediately chartered the yacht.
After a cold and wet Seattle, a week sailing in the warm ocean was like a fairy tale. On one of the islands, Suzie was captivated by the blue lagoon. In the euphoria of a love adventure, Rocky decided to make her a present and bought a hurricane-damaged building with land right on the shore of the lagoon. This gift added heat to their already hot nights.
The boating adventure was over, their friends flew home, and Rocky and Suzanna stayed on the island for another week or two of fun days and nights. They hired local contractors to restore the structure they had purchased. It consisted of three bungalows, and remembering the joint project that had started their friendship, they planned to turn the place into an exotic hotel.
Rocky returned from the trip rejuvenated and tanned. His eyes sparkled with new life and he and Suzie were engaged! All of his friends had gathered for a party to celebrate the occasion, some with their wives. There were a few guys on Suzie’s side and Rocky didn’t ask her any questions, remembering why she didn’t have any girlfriends.
The Irishman was humbled by this feast of two hearts. He took a moment to lead Rocky into the garden:
“…You’re a great couple, man, congratulations,” he patted his friend on the shoulder and offered him a cigar, “I value our relationship, so I’m not going to give you any advice, but I want to share my thoughts. I’ve seen your heartbreak before. I don’t want to see it again…“
“…Thank you Sean, you are my friend and you have the right to advise me, but I’m sorry, I’ll listen to you without due consideration, because we both know that lovers don’t listen to what their friends tell them…” – Rocky smiled and lit his cigar.
“…That’s good mate, you catch a hint as quick as a trout catches a shiner,” Sean grinned, “…I just wish you’d be careful with Suzie, she’s not a simpleton like your ex. You’re the same age, but I can see she’s more experienced than you, Rocky. She’s much more cold-blooded and if she does what she wants, God forbid, you’ll have no choice but to accept her terms. Such women always win, their game excludes that state of mind which men used to call love,” the Irishman blinked through the smoke of his cigar, “…the truth of this statement has been proved by the lives of all the great courtesans at whose feet lay kings, presidents, scientific husbands, and world idols. A man in love is always a fool, whom such a woman manages to convince that flirting with other men is only a game, but she only sleeps with him…“.
He patted his friend affectionately on the shoulder and they returned to their guests.
Months went by. Rocky was happy. He was at peace with his new life. He had Suzie and life was full of color again. She spent most of the year in the Bahamas, the hotel renovation was nearing completion and the finishing touches required her presence. They talked almost every day, but one day Suzie didn’t answer the phone. And then she stopped calling for a long time. Late one night she called: “…Rocky, you’re a good guy,” her voice sounded distant, “…I’ve been thinking a lot lately about us and the life that awaits me. You and I have different ways of looking at things. You like your job, the comforts of home, your dream of a child and all that. I’m not ready for that life, I’ll be cramped in your cage, I’m sorry. I’m a free bird and I don’t want to commit. Thank you for everything and especially for this piece of paradise you’ve given me. We shouldn’t see each other anymore, send my things by mail. I am sorry. Goodbye…“
***
Rocky was on vacation in Florida. He was drawn to the Bahamas, but even in his dreams he was afraid to admit why. After flying in, he took a sea taxi to a familiar island. There, his feet led him to a small hotel on the shore of a blue lagoon. It was getting dark. In a bungalow under a roof of palm leaves, a noisy party was having a good time. A spectacular blonde stood at the center of the table, and Rocky could hear her chesty laugh. Of course it was her! Next to her was a slim, tall man in a snow-white shirt. He was pouring champagne into the blonde’s glass and whispering in her ear. There was something very familiar about him… Rocky leaned against the trunk of a palm tree and smoked. The sun was setting in a scarlet haze, a colorful sunset, probably the first time the sailors of Columbus had seen it.
He remembered a story he had read about how the first hunters in the New World had formed a maritime brotherhood on the islands. Each hunter was required to share everything he had with his partner. Even the wife went to a close friend if the hunter didn’t return from a hunt…
Rocky smiled at his thoughts. He took a device out of his pocket and typed a message: (( Hi buddy! I remember you warned me once. You talked about how a man in love is a fool who is always convinced by a woman that she only sleeps with him. And I laughed and didn’t want to listen to you. Now I admit that you were right. I wish you happiness. You can count on me not to return from the hunt.))
He added a known phone number and pressed “Send”.
© Copyright: Walter Maria, 2021
Certificate of Publication No.221082401160
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