The Confidant

Wishing he was somewhere else than in his office, Simon stared out of the window, taking deep breaths to try to calm the anger building up inside. In the distance, he could see the ocean and little white wooden huts scattered along the top of the cliff. Every day, he’d watch the people who lived there trek down the cliff and spend their day sunbathing, swimming in the ocean, playing volleyball, and other beach games. When his window was open, he’d be distracted by the sound of the laughter and cheering from the crowd. Some evenings when he was alone, he’d walk to the beach, sit on the small grey stone wall, and watch everyone seated around a burning bin, drinking beer and having a BBQ.

He wished his life could be free and easy like theirs.

Closing his eyes tight as he pinched the bridge of his nose, he took another deep breath and turned to face his wife; she’d just told him she was going on holiday again. Simon’s heart angrily thudded as he raised his head and glared at her for what seemed like forever. He couldn’t believe the beautiful slim blond, ten years his senior, that he once adored, could be so selfish. “Are you being serious?” He growled.

“Oh, Simon,” Janine rolled her eyes as she reached for her handbag. “I’m only going away for a month. You’re going to have to learn to trust me.” She sweetly smiled as she stood and straightened her short, figure-hugging white dress.

Simon slowly shook his head. “You’re going away with him again, aren’t you?” He said, remembering the last time she went on holiday.

“It’s got nothing to do with you, who I’m going away with,” Janine laughed, strutting towards the office door. “Maybe if you lightened up a little, I’d go on holiday with you, not Arthur.”

“Janine!” Simon bellowed, banging his fist in frustration on his desk. “If you’re going to go away with him again, I will file for a divorce!”

“Don’t be silly,” Janine laughed, flicking her long blond hair off her shoulder and placing her hand on the door handle as she turned to face him. “We both know that’s not going to happen; you have too much to lose.”

Simon stared at her in disbelief; he didn’t understand why she was always so cruel to him. Obviously, she didn’t want to be with him anymore, so why wouldn’t she let him go? “Get out,” he mumbled, flopping back in his chair and dropping his head in his hands; he didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. With Janine’s father’s money to back her if they divorced, he’d lose everything he’d invested in their company.

The door clicked shut. Simon quickly stood; his chair banged against the wall as he kicked it back. Storming across the office to the window, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Janine stepping into a black Porsha; it was Arthur’s. Janine wasn’t hiding that she was going away with him again, and everyone at work would have seen her. Feeling like a fool, Simon glanced at the silver-framed clock on the wall as he returned to his desk; it was five p.m. Not looking forward to going home, he slumped in his chair, rolled his head back, and stared at the ceiling. Thinking about the many warnings his parents gave him not to marry Janine, he wished he’d listened to them now. They’d disliked Janine from the moment they’d met her, but he was too wrapped up with the beautiful, older, wealthy woman to listen to his parents. He and Janine were married within months of meeting; when they returned from their honeymoon, he invested his two hundred thousand pounds inheritance from his grandfather to go into the property business with her. Six years later, no matter how hard he worked, the company was just about surviving. For the past two years, Janine had been playing around with her father’s wealthy friend and seemed to be spending more money than they were making.

The office door opening snapped him out of his thoughts. The slim, sandy-haired figure of Janine’s Uncle Raymond entered. “I heard you and Janine arguing again.” He said, sitting opposite Simon. “Are you all right?”

“Does it look like I’m all right?” Simon huffed, sitting up straight.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Raymond half smiled, feeling sorry for him.

“No,” Simon shrugged, shaking his head. “What’s the point of talking? It isn’t going to change the situation, is it?”

“You’re right, it won’t change the situation, but it could change how you feel,” Raymond said, guessing Simon didn’t want to talk to him because he was Janine’s Uncle. “And you’d be surprised how much better you’ll feel if you got it off your chest.”

“I’ll be OK,” Simon mumbled, reaching for his black leather briefcase and placing paperwork inside.

Raymond didn’t believe for one second that Simon would be OK. He could see that another month on his own, stressing over what his wife was getting up to with her lover, would finally break him. “How about we go for a drink when we leave here,” he suggested, leaning on the desk. “There’s a club I like to go to that’s not too far from here. I think you’d.”

“I don’t think clubbing will solve the situation.” Simon interrupted, closing his briefcase.

“It’s not that sort of club.” Raymond chuckled. “Do you think I go disco dancing at my age?”

“No one disco dances anymore,” Simon laughed, rubbing his forehead, trying to get the image of Raymond disco dancing in the 1970s out of his head. “What sort of club is it?” He curiously asked.

“It’s a private club where stressed businessmen and women can relax, dine, and freely talk about their troubles with the confidants who work there.” Raymond smiled.

“Really?” Simon’s brows raised in surprise. “Aren’t you worried they would gossip about you?”

“No,” Raymond confidently replied. “The confidants are bound by contract to never disclose conversations they have with clients. If they have any worries about what a client tells them, they will alert Jacob, the psychologist who owns the club.”

“OK,” Simon slowly nodded. “What do you go there for?” He asked, feeling confused. He could never imagine Raymond having difficulties in life; he always looked happy and composed.

“A friend took me there when Elaine and I were close to divorcing,” Raymond answered.

“When was that!” Simon asked, shocked. “You and Elaine are the strongest couple I know!”

“We are now.” Raymond chuckled as he relaxed back in his chair and crossed his legs. “We went through a rocky patch a couple of years ago when our sons left home. We felt lost and didn’t know what to do with ourselves anymore.”

“Are you telling me visiting that club saved your marriage?” Simon curiously asked, tilting his head.

“Yes,” Raymond nodded and laughed at the memories of the situation he’d got himself in when he first joined the club. “After I’ve visited the club a few times, Elaine was suspicious; she thought I was having an affair and followed me to the club. Elaine was furious and accused me of having an affair with my confidant.”

“And were you?” Simon asked.

“No!” Raymond gasped. “To prove I wasn’t having an affair, I took her to the club to meet Libby, and she loved her.”

“What happened after that?” Simon curiously asked.

“Elaine signed up for a confidant. He’s a lovely young man called Stuart.” Raymond chuckled, shaking his head. “Somehow, he brought her back to life, and even though we’ve sorted through our troubles, we still dine regularly at the club with Libby and Stuart.”

“Together?” Simon asked, thinking how weird that would be.

“We still need to have a little moan about each other so separately,” Raymond chuckled, slipping his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket. He took out a small red velvet box and placed it on the desk. “It’s Libby’s birthday today, so I’m going to the club to give her this from me and Elaine.”

Simon reached across the desk, picked up the box, and opened it. His eyes widened at the sight of the delicate gold bracelet. “That’s very generous of you.” He gently smiled, passing the box back.

“Believe me, she’s a special young lady and worth it,” Raymond grinned, running his fingers through his sandy hair. “And I know you’ll get along great with her.” He paused and stood up. Now, are you coming for that drink with me?”

“Why would you want to help me?” Simon suspiciously asked.

“Because I care about you,” Raymond sighed. “I’ve spoken to Janine many times about how she treats you, but there’s no getting through to her. So, are you coming?”

“Do I have a choice?” Simon laughed, standing up.

“No,” Raymond chuckled.

“OK, I’ll go, but only for one drink,” Simon answered, unsure whether to trust Raymond. “I’ve got too much work to catch up with.”

“Stuff work,” Raymond rolled his eyes as he made his way towards the door. “You need to loosen up a little and have fun.”

When Simon and Raymond parked outside the club, a young woman with long dark wavy hair dressed in denim frayed shorts and a white vest t-shirt was walking across the car park, carrying a small sleeping child.

“There’s Libby,” Raymond pointed to her as he exited the car.

“Is that her child?” Simon curiously asked.

“No, she’s the owner’s little girl,” Raymond answered as he locked the car and began to walk towards the club.

As Simon followed Raymond towards the club, a tall, dark-haired man exited the building. He took the child from Libby and placed her in the back of his car. He hugged and kissed Libby on the cheek, climbed into his car, and drove away.

“Libby!” Raymond called.

Libby turned to face him. “Raymond, how are you?” she beamed.

“All the better for seeing you,” Raymond grinned, taking the birthday gift out of his pocket and holding it out to her. “Happy birthday, this is from Elaine and me.”

“You shouldn’t have,” Libby smiled the biggest smile, taking the gift from him and opening it. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“Have you had a good birthday?” Raymond asked, taking the bracelet from the box and clipping it around her wrist.

“I’ve had the best day ever with my goddaughter at the beach, and I’m meeting a few friends for a drink later.” She answered, gazing at the bracelet.

“Do you have time for a drink now?” Raymond asked.

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to go home and get changed,” Libby answered, glancing at Simon, wondering who he was.

Raymond pointed towards Simon. “This is a friend of mine; I was wondering if you had some free time to meet him?”

“I’m free tomorrow evening,” Libby answered, looking up at the tall, unshaven, good-looking, slim, dark-haired man. Wow, he’s hot, she thought as she held her hand out. “Hi, I’m Libby.” She smiled.

Simon gazed at the tanned, petite brunette with big blue eyes; he thought she was beautiful. “Nice to meet you,” he said nervously, licking his lips as he took her hand. His heart began to race at the touch of her dainty hand in his. The warmth he could feel coming from it felt incredible. He glanced at Raymond, texting on his mobile, and suddenly felt uncomfortable; he thought Raymond was setting him up for a fall while Janine was away. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this,” He mumbled, releasing Libby’s hand, and quickly walked towards the car park entrance.

“Simon!” Raymond called, wondering what was wrong.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow!” Simon called back without looking at him.

“I’m sorry, Libby,” Raymond half smiled. “I thought it would do him good to come here and talk with you.”

“It’s OK,” Libby placed her hand on Raymond’s arm, feeling disappointed as she watched Simon rush away. “He’s not the first person to walk away. Just give him time; he might change his mind and return.”