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  ‘Nathan, what’s wrong?’ Cassie could see by Nathan’s appearance that he was upset. It couldn’t be the brochures.

  ‘Sylvia was here,’ he replied.

  ‘So? What does she want this time?’

  ‘She wants me back,’ after a pause. ‘He dumped her, Rory, he told her she was too old for him. Now she wants me back.’

  ‘Well she can’t have you Nathan. You’re mine.’

  Nathan did not reply.

  ‘She can’t Nathan, can she? Don’t tell me you’re thinking of going back to her.

  ‘No Cassie, no way. But I have to be honest with you. Sylvia can be trouble. I wouldn’t underestimate her.’

  ‘You stick to your guns Nathan. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself. You’ve only seen my nice side until now.’

  ‘Show me the brochures. Let’s forget about Sylvia. There is nothing she can do to us,’ Nathan said.

  As it turned out, Nathan could not have been more wrong. Two weeks later a plain yellow enveloped was delivered to Nathan at work. It had his name on the outside and nothing else. Inside the envelope there were three photos. All appeared to have been taken with a long range lens. Two were of Cassie and one was of the two of them getting into his car.

  As Nathan took the photos out, a single piece of paper fell out of the envelope. It appeared blank but when he turned it over, he saw Sylvia’s handwriting. All that was written was ‘Sandra = Cassandra’. Just those two words. Nathan had no doubt that it was Sylvia’s handwriting. She had a very distinctive way of writing the letter ‘S’ which Nathan knew well. The bitch, he thought. She probably hired a private detective to follow them and snap the shots. Nathan would have given anything to see Sylvia’s face when she realised that the woman Nathan had chosen over her was Cassie. Little did Sylvia know when she had set him up with Cassie, it would lead to this. What sweet revenge.

  Nathan became aware of his laptop beeping, indicating that he had a new email. It was from Sylvia and when he read it, he stopped cold.

  Sylvia was giving him an ultimatum. He had seventy two hours to leave Cassie and come home to her. If not, the following events would occur. His partners at work would be informed who and more importantly, what Nathan’s girlfriend was. So would his major clients. Next would be his parents. As far as Cassie was concerned, the body corporate at Eureka Towers would be made aware of the nature of her work and would be informed that she had carried out much of it from her sixteenth floor apartment, in contravention of body corporate rules. As a result, it was likely she would be forced to sell. There was a link provided to the rules of the building’s body corporate regulations if Nathan wanted to check.

  Nathan sat at his desk taking it all in. He buzzed his PA to hold all his calls for the next half an hour. He knew he could handle his partners, even the clients. He might lose one or two but the majority would put their own interests first. Nathan knew he was a damned good accountant.

  But not his parents. There was no way he could handle that. He knew they would be devastated. Bad enough that he was seeing someone who was not Jewish, but a prostitute. There was no way his parents could cope with that. Certainly not his father who was an old fashioned, conservative man with a frail heart.

  As for Cassie, the repercussions could be serious. Very likely she would be forced to sell her apartment and get out. He was sure that Sylvia would make it her business to ensure that Cassie would have great difficulty buying another.

  Nathan knew he was defeated. As much as he loved Cassie and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, the price would be too high. He knew there was only one course of action he could take.

  He told Sharon, his PA, that he was not feeling well and had made an appointment with his doctor and would probably not be back that day. He rang ahead to make sure that Cassie was at home and headed over to her apartment. He knew what he had to do and dreaded it.

  ‘This is a nice surprise Nathan,’ Cassie said as she threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss. ‘Business a bit slow today?’

  Nathan slowly removed Cassie’s arms from around him. He headed towards the sofa and sat down, indicating that Cassie should sit opposite him.

  ‘Cassie,’ he began. ‘I’ve got something I have to tell you. You have to let me say it, uninterrupted. It’s not easy to say.’

  Nathan could see the corners of Cassie’s mouth beginning to turn down and tears began to well up. He hated himself for what he was doing to her but he had no choice.

  ‘I’ve decided to go back to Sylvia. I’ve given it a lot of thought. Please believe me when I say that I love you. I do. But I’ve invested thirty five years of my life in my marriage. I believe Sylvia is truly sorry for what she did to me. I’ve decided to forgive her and return to my marriage. Sylvia is very fragile. Her ego is totally shattered and she needs me, she really does. And I can’t let her down. Cassie, I’m so terribly sorry. If you decide never to speak to me, I will understand. I hate myself for hurting you. But you’re young. You’re gorgeous. You have your life ahead of you. You can do better than an old man like me. Thank you for the most wonderful few months of my life but you have to believe me, I have no other choice. Not really.’

  Nathan was spent. Cassie was no longer crying. She seemed not to be looking at him but through him, as if he was not there. Nathan waited for a response but none came. After five minutes he stood up and let himself out. He got into his car and drove to his apartment. He packed his clothes and other personal belongings and then drove to what once had been his home and would now be again.

  As he approached the house, he realised he no longer had a remote control for the electric gates. He tried Sylvia’s mobile but only reached her voicemail. He had to park his car outside the fence. He pressed the intercom button. The light of the camera came on and then Sylvia’s voice.

  ‘Hi Nathan, you’re stuck outside. Hold on, I’ll open the gate’. Her voice sounded cheerful. She sounded as if she was returning from work and not from banishment. A moment later the gate swung open. Nathan got back into his car, drove through the gates and down the driveway, stopping in front of the front door. The door opened and Sylvia came bouncing out, all smiles, her arms outstretched as he got out of his car.

  ‘Welcome home Nathan. I’m glad you’re back. Come on, I’ll give you a hand to unpack.’

  It’s as if I’ve just been away for a few days. He could barely return a smile and Sylvia was behaving as if everything was completely back to normal.

  And before long, everything was back to normal. The next evening Matthew and Karen came for dinner, obviously summoned by Sylvia. When Karen saw him she said with a big smile, ‘Welcome home Daddy’. She rushed towards him, put her arms around him and whispered in his ear ‘I told she would come round. I told you it would be okay.’

  Matthew’s greeting was less effusive. He shook Nathan’s hand and said ‘Welcome home Dad’ in a manner that made it clear he did not really mean it. Nathan thought he could detect a tone of disappointment even.

  Sylvia had prepared a magnificent dinner and the four of them had a pleasant evening together, making small talk with Sylvia giggling every time something even remotely amusing was said. Just like old times, Nathan thought. Except it wasn’t. All he could think about was Cassie. How was she feeling? What was she doing? Did she have anyone to turn to for support? He realised he had no idea who her friends were, or even if she had any. He made sure his thoughts remained hidden and outwardly he appeared happy, joining in the conversation as much as he could. He was playing his role. Good old Nathan.

  At work nothing had changed either. He told his two partners and his PA of his new circumstances but said nothing to the other employees. Roger and Alan both told him it was good news. They already knew. Sylvia had been on the phone to their wives. All Sharon said was ‘as long as you’re happy’.

  A week after he moved back, Sylvia invited ten friends for dinner, five couples, their closest friends, or they had been when Sylvia and N
athan were previously together. It was a jolly evening. The wives, none of whom had made any contact with Nathan after Sylvia had left, greeted him like a long-lost friend. Kisses and hugs all round. The men picked safe topics to talk about, sports, the economy, and the failings of the current government. Only two of the five had bothered to call him after the breakup and only once, to express their sympathy and to explain that their wives had forbidden them from seeing him. And now it was as if nothing had ever happened. As if the clock had been turned back and everyone was once more enjoying Sylvia’s gourmet cooking and the Goodman’s well known hospitality.

  Nathan felt sickened by the spectacle, not that anyone could tell. He was good old Nathan again. Good old dependable Nathan. But he wasn’t, not any longer. At night, with Sylvia sleeping beside him, Nathan would like awake, sometimes for hours. He thought of Cassie and his heart ached. He could feel her, smell her, he wanted to reach out and touch her.

  Nathan had not heard from Cassie since that day nor had he expected to. He made no attempt to contact her. What good would that do? He could not help worrying that she may have returned to work. Could he blame her after what he had put her through. Once that thought had crept into his mind, it began to overtake him. He would quickly get out of bed, go downstairs and have a scotch, or two or three. As many as he needed to dull his senses and allow him a few hours of sleep.

  Nathan threw himself into his work. He was approaching sixty and had planned to reduce his workload. Instead he worked harder and longer. At his desk in his office, was the only place that life any longer made sense to him. It was a place where he was in control. Somewhere he felt he could still make a useful contribution. He began to come home later, as he had done in the early years when he was building up his practice. Sylvia did not seem to mind, or if she did, never said so. She was busy with her own things. Nathan had no idea what those things were and did not care.

  No matter how many hours he worked, nor how tired he was, he still dreaded the nights. The nights when his broken heart would give him no peace and only the scotch, of which he was drinking more and more, allowed him to cope.

  Over the next few months however, his broken heart did begin to mend. Slowly and without any attempt by Nathan to encourage it. The pain lessened, sleep became easier and while he still thought about Cassie, which was often, this caused him less pain.

  Nathan and Sylvia even managed to resume some form of sexual relationship. Sylvia’s naked body, which was often on display to him and which she had continued to keep in its youthful state, no longer had any effect on Nathan. She might as well have been a marble statue. He no longer desired her sexually. He no longer desired any form of sex at all.

  Nathan knew that this was not the case with Sylvia. Her voracious sexual appetite had not diminished and he knew that she would not stay celibate for long. So, with the help of lots of scotch and the highest dose of Viagra available, they reconnected physically. Sylvia no longer complained about having to wait thirty minutes and once the Viagra kicked in, she took to him with a vigour that never ceased to amaze him. Nathan no longer made any pretence at trying to satisfy her. Sylvia did all that on her own. She just needed him there, like a human vibrator.

  The months continued to go by and they settled into a routine, Nathan working as many hours as he could during the week, socialising with their friends on weekends, occasional weekends away. Just as they had done before.

  Nathan knew he wasn’t happy but he was less unhappy. He accepted his fate and let life sweep him along with it.

  ACT 8

  IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL

  THE FAT LADY SINGS

  ‘Kids, I’ve got wonderful news. Your father and I are going to Italy. It will be a second honeymoon,’ Sylvia announced excitedly. It was a Sunday evening and Matthew and Karen were over for dinner.

  ‘That’s wonderful, Mum, Dad. I’m jealous. I wish I could come too,’ from Karen who genuinely seemed happy for them.

  ‘Yeah, great Mum. And Dad. You guys love Italy don’t you.’ That was Matthew’s contribution.

  Nathan and Sylvia had been to Italy several times. Not on their honeymoon. That was spent in Australia, at the old Chevron Hotel on the Gold Coast. They both did love Italy, one of the few things they had in common. Sylvia had convinced Nathan to take a month off.

  ‘You’re working too hard Nathan, you need a break. If not now, then when. We’re not getting any younger you know.’

  Although spending four weeks with Sylvia did not thrill Nathan one bit, the thought of four weeks in Italy in the late spring did. It would do him good he said to himself. He left all the planning to Sylvia as he had done all their married life. She booked the flights, first class on the Singapore Airline A380, of course. She knew where they both liked to go and booked all the hotels, five-star, the local flights, also first and the car, a seven series BMW. She had a few surprises up her sleeve she told Nathan. He couldn’t wait.

  Four weeks later the car picked them up for the trip to the airport. The brand new luggage which Sylvia insisted they must have, had been packed into the boot by the uniformed driver. They settled into the back seat of the Mercedes for the thirty minute trip to the airport. After checking in, they spent half an hour in the first class lounge, with Sylvia leafing through some fashion magazines and Nathan pretending to do some work on his iPad.

  ‘Put it away Nathan, we’re on holidays’.

  ‘Almost done,’ he replied, ‘another five minutes and that’s it. I promise.’

  Being in first class, they were the last to board. Nathan loved first class on the Singapore A380 with its individual suites. This time even more so as he would not have to make small talk with Sylvia for the twenty hour or so trip.

  They landed at Rome Airport at 7 am. Nathan slept for the last eight hours having had two scotches and a Temazepam. He had given Sylvia Temazepam too. He assumed she slept too but didn’t ask and didn’t care. They cleared the airport formalities in record time, another advantage of travelling first class. In the arrivals hall Nathan could see the chauffeur holding up the sign ‘Goodman’. He already had a trolley onto which he loaded their luggage. A few minutes later they were on their way into Rome.

  Sylvia had told Nathan that the trip would start in Rome where they would spend two days and finish in Milan where she wanted to spend the last five days of the trip shopping. And where ‘Nathan could do his own thing’. Sylvia had long ago given up the idea that Nathan would tag along with her while she was shopping for clothes.

  But the three weeks in between were going to be a surprise for Nathan, Sylvia had told him. He was happy with that and despite his misgivings about spending four weeks alone with Sylvia, he had to admit that he was excited about the visit and the mystery that Sylvia had planned only added to that excitement. The limo deposited them at the Parco Dei Principi Grand Hotel and Spa. Nathan had not been there before and had never even heard of the hotel. But Sylvia’s meticulous planning was already paying off. The hotel, five star of course, was magnificent. It was lavishly appointed, the service attentive but not obtrusive but the undoubted highlight was the panoramic view of Rome that the hotel offered. Nathan would have been happy just sitting on the terrace taking in the view.

  Although they had both slept on the plane (Sylvia admitted that she reluctantly took the Temazepam and slept like a baby), they were still tired. By the time they checked in to their room and unpacked it was almost lunchtime. The plan was to have a quiet day wandering the streets of Rome. They had been to Rome many times and did not need to visit the tourist spots. Sylvia had promised that she wouldn’t even walk into a store in Rome.

  That evening they dined at the hotel and had an early night. They woke late the next morning and after a long, leisurely breakfast, continued their meandering. It was relaxing, walking around without a purpose, admiring the beautiful Roman scenery and watching the Romans rushing about their business.

  That evening Sylvia had booked dinner at the magnificent Aroma Res
taurant on the terrace at Pallazzo Manfredi. The food was amongst the best in Rome but the highlight was the full view of the Colosseum lit up at night that they had from their table. It almost took Nathan’s breath away.

  The dinner was indeed magnificent and after a few glasses of wonderful Italian red wine that accompanied the meal, Nathan was feeling mellow. He was even enjoying Sylvia’s company which surprised him. Sylvia, who could not hold her alcohol in any quantity, was obviously tipsy and even more obviously horny. She kept rubbing her knee against his under the table and held his hand across the table. It may have been the food or the wine or the spectacular view, probably all of the above, but Nathan found himself wanting Sylvia in a way that he had not for a long time. They skipped dessert, Nathan signed the bill, adding a generous tip and minutes later they were naked in their bed with Sylvia mounting his non-drug-induced erection. It was just like old times, only better.

  Early the next morning, they were on their way back to the airport. Next stop Naples. The next two and a half weeks were a whirlwind. At the airport in Naples they picked up the BMW, drove to Sorrento, taking the quicker route on the highway. It was inland but they had seen the Amalfi Coast often enough before. In Sorrento they left the car, took the hydrofoil for the twenty minute journey to Capri. They had been there before but Sylvia and Nathan had promised themselves in the past that no trip to Italy would be complete without a visit to Isle of Capri. Sylvia had booked the hotel La Scalintatella, where they had not stayed before. The hotel with its panoramic view of the sea was beautiful and Nathan wondered for a brief moment how much it was costing him.

  The next day they went on a boat trip to the Blue Grotto, also not for the first time and also a destination they both vowed never to miss when in Italy.

  After returning to the mainland they picked up the car which Nathan was happy to observe, had not been stolen. They headed off to Tropea situated in the toe of Italy, in Calabria. That was somewhere they had never been to before and Nathan had never heard of. Tropea was a beautiful beach resort dominated by the Monastery of Santa Maria Dell’Isola built on a rocky hill near the beach of Tropea. Here they stayed at the Villa Paolo, an ancient convent that had been turned into a five star hotel. On checking in, Nathan did manage to glimpse the nightly tariff which caused his heart to skip a beat. But the place was worth it.