Convenience

Part 103

Her phone was disconnected on Tuesday. At the time, she wasn't worried about that. She was relieved. All of the utilities at the house were sorted without any problems. She didn't take her phone number to her new place. She waited for her new number in Raglan. At that time, she didn't think it would matter. But, like a line of vertical dominoes, and if it was pushed, the whole thing crashes. Starting a chain.

Beatrice remembered that she sent him a letter, with her new address. But she hadn't bothered to tell him about her move, until she actually moved!

"I left a message on your voicemail." He sipped his drink. She shifted in her chair as she felt uncomfortable and her brows beetled. "Later that day I got a call from Robert. We had the usual conversation. We talked about our jobs, wives, the army." He murmured, "I told him that I had asked you to come to the party." He exhaled quietly, and grumbled, "He knew we weren't living in the same house." He smiled wryly, "I told him that I was bothered and worried." Her lips quirked. His brow furrowed as he said, "You might not want to come with me to the party as we hadn't lived together." He said ruefully, "Actually, really, really nervous!" If he was going to try to fix whatever had come apart over the last few years, actually five years, then he needed to build an honest foundation.

She blinked. He was nervous? Can't be. He was a confident man. She shook her head, shocked when she realised that both of them had jumped to conclusions.

"I kind of told him about you, and my concerns after I spoke to my nanny, and Robert told me about Hayley, and his concerns!" He tried to sound confident, but his voice showed his confusion. Talking about feelings to another man was not his normal behaviour!

He was really good at his business, he can deal with people, but when it came to his personal life, he wasn't good with people, he really wasn't good at that! Probably nurture and nature, he thought. His family and his situation generated a man who wasn't good at expressing his feelings. No public affection or demonstration.

He knew his grandfather loved him. He knew that his grandfather knew that he loved him. But they never showed that in public and they never spoke about feelings, let alone love! They never really talked about their feelings about anything. David just knew that his grandfather really loved him. David loved him and respected him. And he knew that his grandfather had good intentions. His grandfather had encouraged him to join the army, just to reinforce discipline and strengthen his self-restraint. He wasn't good at receiving help in his personal life but good at receiving help in his professional life!

When he thought about his earlier life, only his nanny ever showed him any real tenderness. She used to cuddle him. She hugged him. She scolded him and praised him, in equal measurement. That is why, over 20 years he kept visiting his nanny. In essence, his nanny was his mother. She really took care of him, for years. There were just a few people who he respected, and his nanny was one of those.

David returned to his conversation. "Robert asked me if I could take Hayley to the social." He shrugged. It made sense to him, back then. "He said that if I told you that Hayley was coming, and our reasons, we could possibly guilt you to come to the party!"

She rolled her eyes. "Seems your normal practice!" But in her voice he heard tenderness.

"What?"

"Guilt!" She reminded him. "Like dangling the Trust idea to get me to come to Auckland." This man really didn't know how to handle people! Certainly not in his personal life! Obviously he was good at handling people in particular situations, given he turned the business around. But his handling skills were only effective in his professional life.

David winced. That was true. He thought. He knew how to manage people, manipulating a situation to get what he wanted. No feelings! No emotion. Just judgement, rationality and common sense! He wanted her to come to Auckland, and he ensured that, by offering a meeting in Auckland to sort out their divorce and the Trust. He wanted her to stay, and he ensured that, by clamping her car! He sighed. "I know." He shrugged. He looked at her, "Sorry." He blithely continued with his explanation. "Based on my experience, I tend to identify a goal, identify a most effective process and get on with that."

She laughed ruefully, her eyes showed bemusement. "Are you kidding? That works for you?"

"It has in my work." He admitted.

She shook her head. "Really." He could see it in her eyes, she didn't believe that.

But he nodded.