The Cracks Widen

Jon had barely slept the night before and now the presentation Richard demanded sat half-finished on his computer screen. Every time he tried to work on it, his thoughts drifted back to the conversation in the office; the threat, the ultimatum, and the way Richard had walked out carrying Brandi's photograph beneath his arm as though it belonged to him.

By that afternoon, Jon's nerves were frayed. He found Bill standing near the break room coffee machine, chatting with a couple of coworkers. The moment Bill saw his expression, he excused himself and followed Jon into the empty break room.

"Jesus," Bill said as the door closed behind them. "You look terrible."

"I feel terrible," Jon admitted.

Bill pulled out a chair and sat down. "So what happened?"

Jon hesitated. Part of him wasn't sure he should tell anyone. The other part desperately needed to tell somebody. He sat across from Bill and recounted the entire conversation. Richard's visit. The speech about trust. The presentation. The threat to fire him. Bill listened quietly, which was unusual for him.

When Jon finally finished, Bill leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling for several seconds. "Well," he said at last, "that's insane. No, seriously. That's completely insane."

Jon rubbed his temples. "I know." Bill remained thoughtful. Then a strange expression crossed his face. "What?" Jon asked.

Bill shrugged. "I probably shouldn't say it." Bill looked at him. "It sounds like Richard wants something."

Jon frowned. "Of course he wants something. He wants me gone."

"No." Bill shook his head. "I mean something else." The room fell silent.

Slowly, Jon realized where the conversation was heading. "No."

Bill held up both hands. "I'm just saying. I'm not condoning it. I'm just telling you how it sounds." Jon stared at him. Bill sighed. "It sounds like Richard wants you to offer him your wife."

The words hit like a slap. For a moment Jon simply sat there. Then anger flooded through him. "That's ridiculous." Jon leaned forward. "That is never happening."

"Of course not." Bill's expression remained frustratingly calm. That somehow made Jon even angrier. Richard's comments about Brandi replayed through his mind. He thought of the photograph, he way Richard had studied it, the way he'd refused to give it back. Jon hated the fact that Bill had voiced the exact suspicion he'd been trying to ignore.

Bill watched him carefully. Then, unfortunately, his sense of humor returned. "Although..." Jon groaned. "I'm just saying, if it somehow does happen, you should record it and give me a copy." Bill burst out laughing.

Jon stared at him. "Bill. You're an idiot." Jon shook his head. "You're supposed to be helping."

"I am helping," Bill said. "I'm providing comic relief. At this point, what can you do but laugh at this fucking absurdity."

"You're providing brain damage." Bill laughed harder. The sound echoed through the conference room. Despite himself, Jon felt the corner of his mouth twitch, not because the joke was funny, but because he desperately needed to laugh. The entire situation was absurd.

Yet after a moment, something uncomfortable settled in his stomach, a reaction he immediately hated. The image Bill had jokingly described lingered in the back of his mind for just a second longer than it should have. Long enough to make him feel ashamed and angry at himself. He shoved the thought away immediately.

Bill was still chuckling. "Relax," he said. "I'm kidding." Jon stood. "Come on. You know I'm kidding." Bill looked at him more seriously. "For what it's worth, I think Richard's screwing with your head."

Jon considered that. The sad part was that Richard probably was, and it was working. Because Jon had spent the entire night and day thinking about Richard Head fucking Brandi, imagining possibilities he didn't want to examine too closely. The realization only made him feel worse.

"You'll figure it out." Bill stood as well. "You always do."

"I hope so." Jon wasn't nearly as confident. He left the break room and returned to his office. He stared at the unfinished presentation on his computer screen for nearly twenty minutes before finally giving up. The words blurred together. His concentration was gone and so was his patience.

Jon's confidence was rapidly disappearing as well. Eventually he shut down his computer. Then he gathered his things and left work several hours early. As he walked through the parking lot toward his car, he found himself thinking about home. He though about Brandi, about the warmth of her embrace the previous night, and the life they had built together.

For the first time all day, the tension in his chest eased slightly. Not because anything had improved, and certainly not because he had found an answer, but because he finally knew what he had to do next. Whatever Richard wanted, whatever game he was playing, Jon could no longer carry it alone.

He needed to go home. He needed to sit across from Brandi and tell her everything. Yet as he walked toward his car, a growing sense of dread settled over him. Richard's promotion had already changed something fundamental in the world Jon thought he understood. The certainty he had relied upon for years was gone.

It had been replaced by cracks that seemed to widen with every passing hour. Somewhere ahead waited a conversation that could alter the course of their lives, and for the first time Jon found himself afraid that once certain words were spoken aloud, there would be no way to take them back.