Who is Jonathan Clark

Untitled Part 11

                                                                         CHAPTER ELEVEN

                                                                                   REALITY

Two day's later crossing the tarmac to the plane waiting to fly them home Jonathan turned to Angela," Did you realise that your twenty minute speech has made us around $400,000 dollars, not bad eh" the flight would be a long one via Heathrow in London, 12 hours in fact giving Jonathan plenty of time to rehearse what he would say to Constance at their yet to be arranged meeting.

Jonathan made the call, "Hi Constance I am in the Astoria room 406 on the 22nd floor"

"Meet me in the bar at seven" she answered and hung up the phone.

Jonathan had spoken to Angela during the flight regarding his problems at home admitting freely that he spent far too much time at work and not enough with his family. He did not pay Constance and the children the attention they deserved and the African project had only made matters worse. "I can't help myself" he told her, "I am drawn like a magnet to these people. If I was doing the right thing I would go home, plead my case, change my way's and start all over again. But something in Constance's voice tells me that it has gone to far and it is not me but her. Something has happened" 

Jonathan was sitting in the Hotel bar when his wife walked in. He reached out to kiss her, she side stepped him and sat down at the table. "Would you like a drink? he asked.

"A large white wine" was the answer.

"What's going on? asked Jonathan, "I am no longer allowed into my own home. I have my faults but this is!

"Stop it Jonathan, just stop right there "said Constance, "you know our problems as well as I do. I came here this evening to write off our marriage and ask for a divorce, but now that we are together again my feelings are all over the place. The last thing I want to do is hurt you but I feel so alone. It is not only your continued absence, when you are at home there is a lack of affection, conversation and laughter. There is nothing Jonathan, there is just nothing there"

Seeing the pain on his wife's face Jonathan interrupted. "We can fix this darling, I know we can"

"Please Jonathan" said Constance, "please let me finish? This is painful for me, but I had a thing with someone at my Gym a year past which meant absolutely nothing, it was born of frustration. But now I have met and fallen in love with someone else"

"Who is he? muttered Jonathan.

"He is not someone you know" answered Constance, "and although I am feeling what I am feeling for you right now, nothing will ever change. You are a good man Jonathan Clark I have no right to ask you to change. I have spoken to a Divorce Lawyer and she thinks that if no one contests the action it could be all over in six months. I really hope we can keep this amicable, come round tomorrow and we can both tell the children. I will tell them that I am to blame. Come for dinner around six"

Jonathan watched as Constance left the Hotel he could tell by the sound of her voice as she said goodbye there was genuine sadness. Was the pain he felt inside caused by humiliation at whet he had just been told or the realisation of the feelings he now harbored for Loretta. Either way it was a feeling of emptiness and for the first time since the death of his Father, tears ran down his face. "A large scotch on the rocks barman " he said, " and keep them coming" The following day Jonathan drove around all six of his stores for an update on the sales figures. Two new Managers had been put in place by Angela at Hartford and Scranton. She had also employed a buyer to oversee the stock holdings in each store. He was a man, according to Angela who had arrived with an outstanding CV. After working in Retail for the same chain of stores for the past thirty years at the age of 55 they let him go. So hopefully, thought Jonathan, their loss is our gain. They were meeting for lunch and an update at the Scranton store.