arrived, Ray was already there. He took one look at me and asked what was wrong. “You look like you had a bad night. What happened after you left here?” He said with concern.
“Oh, I ran into a lil’ problem at home. But I worked it out. Why, do I look that bad?”
“Yeah, you do. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Of course I am. Now, don’t bother me about it anymore. How did things go after I left yesterday?
“Fine. We got two new applicants and we got four job orders. I left the info on your desk. The orders don’t have to be filled until next week, so we have time to work on them. Oh, here comes our applicant.” He said pointing at the door.
Ray let her in greeting and directing her to me. I took the application, did all the testing and gave her all the pertinent information and forms. The rest of the day was pretty normal. By the time we closed the office at 5 pm, I was really tired. I was off for the next couple of days. Normally, I only worked on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. He would call for me to come in, if things got really busy. As of late, I’d been working four days and sometimes five depending on the job orders we got. Things were going so well. We had discussed me working five mornings a week. Some of the work could be done at home, so I wouldn’t need to be in the office all day. As I was closing out the paperwork, Ray came to stand behind me. He began to gently massage my shoulders. It felt so good. “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong with you? You know I’m here for you and I’ll help you in any way I can. Leslie, what’s wrong?” He said turning me around as I began to cry.
“Oh, who made you cry? Please tell me, what can I do to help you?” He said as we wiped the tears from my eyes. All I could do was look at him and think about the hurt from yesterday. Then I thought about the comments Ray was always making. “When are you gonna divorce John and marry me.” “You know I love you.” “Your husband is such a lucky man.” “Why won’t you give me a chance, I’ll treat you good.”
Every day, there was something said. John and I went to a car show and that’s where we met Ray. He came over and commented on the classic car John had restored. The two of them hit it off and became associates, then friends. That was five years ago. Ray has eaten at our house. We’ve all gone out together and had a good time. So, Ray is more than my boss, he’s also a friend. And because of this, I just couldn’t tell him what John did. I didn’t wanna relive it and I didn’t want him to know. Besides, I took his comments as jokes, but since yesterday, I’m not too sure about anything anymore.
I stood up to walk off, but Ray blocked my way. He looked at me with the strangest look in his hazel eyes. Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed me and pulled me close. My head rested on his shoulder and for a minute it felt really nice. I tried to back away and he gently turned my chin as he kissed me. It was a slow, soft, gentle kiss. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. I backed away shaking my head.
“What did you do that for?” I asked softly.
“Because I’ve wanted to since the first time I saw you. Leslie, you don’t take me seriously. But, I am in love with you. I know you love John, but I can wait. You’re worth it.”
“Ray, I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. I’m just gonna forget about this. I have a lot on my mind and this isn’t something I need to deal with right now.” I said turning to leave.
“I know about what happened yesterday with John and Cynthia, Leslie.”
I turned and stared at him. How could he know? I’m sure John hadn’t told him anything, or had he? I fell into a chair holding my head in my hands. Finally I looked up at Ray blinking back tear. I was not going to cry in front of him anymore. I was gonna put my best face on and work through this alone.
“So, you know.