Laura was surprised when her husband came through the front door while she was eating a hasty breakfast early Wednesday morning. Jack dropped his suitcase in the living room and walked into the kitchen to kiss his wife.
For one of the few times in her life, Laura Norton was flustered. The pain in her bowels reminded her of what she had done the afternoon before and she felt strangely guilty about it, even if her husband was returning from what she was certain was a nonstop orgy with his seventeen-year-old mistress.
"You're home early," was all she could think of to say.
"Everything fell into place last night," Jack remarked. "You know how those things happen."
"Did you have breakfast on the plane?" Laura asked.
"Yeah," Jack sighed. "They served us and we had to finish between San Francisco and Sacramento."
"Coffee?" Laura asked.
"A cup would be nice," Jack said. "I have to shower and change and head for the office."
Something was wrong, very wrong! Laura sensed it, but she couldn't guess what it was. Jack was very nervous, more nervous than she had seen him in years.
"Tell me what's happened with you while I was away," he said as she followed him to the bedroom.
Laura spoke very generally about her work, desperately trying to get a handle on what was wrong with Jack. They'd been married too many years for her not to recognize his anxiety.
Was this all an effort to make peace after their angry weekend before he left? Laura didn't think so.
She saw his hand tremble when he lit a cigarette after showering and heard his frustrated, impatient sigh when be had trouble buttoning the collar of his shirt. Wondering if it was business, she asked him questions about the Federated account.
"It was just a silly mix up after all," he assured her a little, weakly. "They had double-paid us twice and somehow it never was credited to their account. That and a territory misunderstanding. Little things can become giant messes, can't they."
"Then you didn't lose the account?" Laura asked.
"Oh, no! In fact, the new contract they signed yest… last night calls for an increase in billing."
Laura heard his near slip and his quick cover to explain why he had stayed in Seattle last night, but chose to ignore it. She was glad that he hadn't lost the Federated account. That could have been a financial disaster.
"I'm glad," she said slowly.
"Look, Laura," Jack began cautiously, "I know that things have been strained between us and I want you to know that I'm sorry. We have to get back on our old track again. I've been thinking that we should take a trip together. Maybe Hawaii. We can borrow from our savings. You've been working pretty hard."
"Let's talk about it later, Jack," Laura replied softly. "I'm late now and I have to get to work."
"Swell, honey," Jack smiled.
Laura shook her head as she drove to the facility. This complete reversal in Jack's attitude had her baffled! And why was he so nervous?
A trip to Hawaii! They'd talked about that for years, even saved toward it. Why now, she wondered. Why at this particular moment?
Had Jack had a lover's fight with Candy? Had it somehow come to him how ridiculous he looked with a seventeen-year-old girl? Or had Candy tired of a lover old enough to be her father? Was that it? Had they fought? And was he now trying to make up at home?
Laura doubted that. In the first place, if Candy had told him to stuff it, Jack would have been desperately down in the dumps – not anxious to make up with Laura and please her. And the Hawaii trip was definitely designed to please her. Jack didn't care that much about going back to the islands. He'd been there during the war and wasn't anxious to be reminded of those days.
This was the last Wednesday of the month, the day set aside for staff meeting and Laura doodled restless on her pad as she listened to the other members of the staff outline their progress and problems during the past month.
They had lunch at the Denny's across the street and then returned for further discussion.
Laura was glad that she wasn't affected by the budget cuts Carl Mersh announced. Each staff member protested the decrease of funds available for certain projects.
"This is just temporary," Carl Mersh assured the group. "The new playground equipment we ordered simply threw us over budget. By fall we'll be out of this crisis."
"And into another one," McGrudder commented to general laughter at the table.
"Probably," Carl smiled, "but our crises always seem to work themselves out."
The talk about crisis made Laura's mind wander back to her husband. It was obvious that Jack was experiencing some sort of a crisis and Laura wished she knew what it was and bow she could help.
"Laura?"
"What? Oh, I'm sorry, Carl," she said. "I must have been daydreaming."
"Did you come to our monthly meeting without your NoDoz?" McGrudder asked.
"I was asking you what you thought about the Harper boy," Carl said when the laughter died down.
"Oh," Laura responded, hoping that she wasn't blushing. The mention of Matt's name brought the exciting vision of his black cock to her mind instantly. "Well, please remember that this is an unqualified opinion. I'm sure that Doctor McGrudder can say much more than I can about Matt Harper. I think that there's a good possibility that Matt Harper could make an excellent adjustment in a white home."
"Providing the foster family is emotionally ready for a black child, I agree," McGrudder said.
"That, of course," Laura said.
"Do you think he's ready now?" Carl Mersh asked.
"Well," Laura said cautiously, "I'm not sure about that."
"I think that he needs some conditioning preparation, as it were," McGrudder offered.
"Laura?" Carl prompted.
"I think Doctor McGrudder is right," Laura said.
"If it didn't work out, it could set Matt back quite a bit."
"I also think it would be a mistake to concentrate too hard on him alone," McGrudder added. "He shouldn't be made to feel that he's too special."
"Okay," Carl said. "I think we have the perfect home for him, so I'd like to go ahead as quickly as possible. I agree that he shouldn't be made to feel too special. My suggestion, Laura, is that you include Matt Harper in every group you take to your home. That way, you can give him some concentrated preparation without seeming to single him out."
"All right," Laura said with mixed emotions.
The meeting broke up not long afterward and Laura drove home to find Jack already home. She looked at her watch and was surprised to find it wasn't even four o'clock yet. Jack was never home this early.
When she walked into the house, Jack had a drink waiting for her.
"I was tired," he remarked, "so I came home early. Working as hard as you have been, I thought you'd appreciate this."
"Thanks," Laura said as she noted his hand tremble when he handed her the cocktail. She did not remind him that this was the first time in ten years that he had mixed her a cocktail like this.
Laura changed into a lounging robe and they sat in the living room talking. She had to fight back the urge to ask him what was bothering him, and they exchanged small talk. She noted that Jack was interested in her work and solicitous about how she was doing.
Every time she tried to change the conversation back to his trip, Jack clammed up and became noticeably more nervous.
When she offered to fix dinner, Jack insisted they go out. Laura changed clothes again and they went to her favorite seafood restaurant near the State Capitol.
By the time, they finished dinner, Laura was exhausted from trying to get her husband to talk about his trip. He either avoided her questions or changed the subject, so she finally gave up.
As they climbed into bed, Jack remarked, "I felt like making love tonight, honey, but I'm so damned zapped I can't see straight!"
"I understand," Laura said kindly.
Alone with everything else, this remark sent her curiosity soaring to new heights and Laura tossed and turned for quite a while before she fell asleep.