The Holland Press

A tall man in a sharp blue suit approached a black limousine parked in front of the Exhale night club. Laughter spilled out onto the sidewalk as he opened the door. "Oh, he's back!" exclaimed Lydia from inside, an attractive blonde in her mid forties. An involuntary giddiness in her voice betrayed her sobriety level. Seated next to her longtime friend Mary, she giggled and touched Jack's knee as he shut the door. . "What took you so long? You didn't find someone more interesting than us, did you?" Lydia spilled a little merlot on her shoe as she gestured with her glass, bringing more laughter from the ladies. "Well, did you get it?" Mary asked. Her smile was genuine and her poise was intact, as always. "No," said Jack in a quiet tone.

"Because it's an urban myth," said Henner, seated across from his wife Mary and rejoined by his trusted man Jack. The limo pulled away, sliding up Seventh Avenue deeper into a downtown Saturday evening that was pushing midnight. "Don't say that, Henn!" scolded Lydia. "It's real!"

"Seriously, you ladies are always chasing one unattainable or another. What was it last month? A copper mine in Peru? How much did I pay for that thing?" "It was a distressed bargain and we're still waiting for you to fly us down to see it." Turning back to Jack, Mary asked,

"What happened? Did you meet with your curator friend?"

"The curator..." whispered Lydia with widened eyes. "Oh, scandalous!" The ladies shared another giggle at Jack's expense, but he appeared to be looking through them, past Matthew the driver and up the street somewhere. "I saw it," said Jack, still looking ahead.

"What?" Lydia gasped in mock astonishment, but Mary was intrigued. "You didn't get a copy? What did it say?" "She let me read it. No, there's no copy. It was an original." "And you think that was it?" asked Henner. "Was it that good?" The ladies leaned forward together and focused on Jack. "You'll never remember it, will you?" quizzed Lydia. "I mean all of it?" She'd never been serious with Jack, but she was now. "I'll never forget it." "Well? What did it say? Can you quote it? Can you write it out?" Mary said, reaching for a folio and pen from beside the mini bar. "I didn't know you had a photographic memory," said Henner. "I don't." "Come on, Jacky. Write it down before you lose it!" Mary said, offering him the folio. "I can't."

Lydia took it and opened to the yellow legal pad, laying her empty wineglass on the seat beside her. "Just tell what you remember. I'll write it down." Certain that she was amusing her friends with this role reversal, she played along fully and sat ready with pen in hand. Jack looked at Lydia sitting straight across from him with a new confidence. She had always flirted with him and he had always resisted it.

"I must offer my resignation now," Jack stated. "I apologize for the short notice." He was looking into Lydia's blue eyes. "Is that the first line?" She began to write, trying to steady her hand. "No," said Jack, "but it’s the first decision I've made in a long time."

"Jack?" The amusement drained from Mary's face. "Henner?" she said, looking at her husband. "You're putting us on, you're finally loosening up and having some fun!" Lydia offered. "No. I'm not." Jack raised his voice. "Matt, stop just ahead at the Hilton. I'm getting out."

"Hold on, Jack. You can't be serious about this." Henner said, putting his hand on Jack's bicep. As the car slowed, he shouted, "Keep going, Matthew! Don't stop here!" One quick glance in the rearview caught Jack’s eyes, and the driver ignored his employer for the first time. Jack pulled the lever and pushed the door half open. "Jack, you just can't! Henner, do something!" pleaded Mary.

Jack held his unbroken gaze on Lydia, and clearly had her undivided. "Come with me," he said, extending his arm to her, palm up. “She’s not going anywhere!” Mary exclaimed, reaching for Lydia’s arm. Lydia pulled away from Mary’s grasp. "What do you mean?" asked Lydia, looking at Jack like she’d just met him. "I mean to be with you, Lydia. That's what I mean." "Don't be ridiculous," said Mary. "You're just embarrassing yourself. Did you take some ecstasy back at the club?" "That would explain a lot," joined Henner. "Come back to the house and you can sleep it off. We'll sort it all out tomorrow."

Jack placed one foot on the pavement and in the next moment he was outside holding the door. "Come," he said. "What’s happened to you?" Lydia asked. "Everything." She searched his eyes for two seconds, reached for his hand and then she was out. Jack shut the door on the Rockports and walked away with Lydia.