Writers Tricks of the Trade Vol. 6 Issue 1 | Page 17

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Life Stories (Cont’d)

I agonized over whether or not to say anything, but Sue is my best friend and through the
years
we’ve shared everything. I decided to let her know what was niggling at me about the trip.
“Well, I have a strange feeling there was more to his sending us off to England on a moment’s
notice than an overwhelming desire to be generous. I can’t help wondering what he’s guilty about this
time?””
“This time? What do you mean this time?”
I took a deep breath. “There’s something he can’t seem to get out of his system. You know this is
the first real relationship he’s had in years and I’m sure he loves me, but he also loves being chased.
That makes it hard for me. Women take one look at a handsome bachelor with scads of money and
throw themselves at him. Sometimes he—well, I don’t think he always resists.”
“This is the first you’ve ever said anything. How can you be sure?”
“I saw a note from one of them. I pulled open one of the nightstand drawers to look for something,
and a pink envelope was partially hidden by handkerchiefs. It was addressed to him in a feminine
handwriting. I know I shouldn’t have opened it, but curiosity got the best of me. I read it and really
wish I hadn’t. It’s been bothering me ever since. This woman gushed about what a pleasure it was to
meet him and how she looked forward to seeing him again. There was even a picture enclosed. Pretty
brunette in a very sexy pose.”
“No! You read his personal mail?”
“Unfortunately, yes, I did. I seethed for a few minutes, then decided to ask him about it.”
“How could you do that? You’d have to admit you read his mail.”
“Well, Bob leaves things laying around sometimes, so I said it was on top of the nightstand and I’d
opened it because I thought it was from his niece.
And he bought it?”
“Yeah. I managed to pull it off as an innocent mistake. He was angry at first and said I shouldn’t
have opened it regardless of who it was from, but he calmed down. He said he’d met her at a business
meeting and she was in real estate. I guess he figured that would explain it since Bob is always
watching for good investments. He claimed it was innocent, but I was sure it was a lie. The sexy photo
was the giveaway.”
“Aud, it was just a photo. What if it didn’t mean anything?”
“Oh, it meant something, alright. That photo hardly looked like a real estate agent’s bio shot.”
What did you do then?”
“Well, I began to watch for other signs and realized that he probably did have a little fling now and
then. I even thought about having one myself to get even, but never did. Anyway, I guess that’s why I
think he might have another reason for sending us on this trip.”
“And I thought I knew everything about you. Please don’t get upset with me, but I think you might
be right about him having an ulterior motive.”
My body stiffened, reflecting a little rush of anger as I waited for Sue to say more.
She tented her hands, flexed them and looked me straight in the eye. “A couple of weeks ago I was
really feeling down and just wanted some company. I went to a restaurant on Beverly Drive for a glass

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016