Broad Lines Narrow Margins

By Ian Meacheam

In 'Broad Lines Narrow Margins' Ian Meacheam gives us a whole series of insights into the lives of people observed in passing, some with surprising twists to them and others revealing the extraordinary in the normal.

"The most challenging part…is to not be discovered by the people you're watching and more importantly by the friends and family you're supposed to be with and paying attention to. My other skill is in multi-tasking - appearing to be engaged in or leading the conversation and banter around the table while I'm observing the tell-tale signs and behaviours of others around me. . It's just a hobby of mine. Surely a man must have a hobby and it is, after all, just human nature to be inquisitive, is it not?"

• Language: English
• Publisher: APS Publications
• Release date: Jun 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393159636

Book preview

Also by Ian Meacheam

Novels

An Inspector Called

Time And The Consequences

Verse

Shining Lights Dark Matters

Stone People Glass Houses

CONTENTS

Part One - Days of Reckoning

Mrs A’s Day

Mrs B’s Day

Mrs C’s Day

Mrs D’s Day

Mrs E’s Day

Mrs F’s Day

Mrs G’s Day

Mrs H’s Day

Part Two – Points of View

Girl on a Wall

Man in the Toilet

Monsters

Waiting for Gordon

Best Story in a Book Award

PART ONE

Days of Reckoning

MRS A’s DAY

No more. This is it. I’m not doing this anymore. I’ve had enough. I’ll tell John when I get home. I have done enough air miles. I’m getting too old to continue with this schedule. Someone else in the firm can do this job from now on, but I know what he’ll say: ‘You’re the only one who has the experience and the knowhow.’

But I can train someone else in the firm to do this. It’s time for someone else to fly to England once a month for three days to check up on the London branch. And if my boss doesn’t like it he can stick his job. I’ll get work elsewhere. I have enough experience to get a position somewhere in New York. And it’s not as if we’re penniless; my husband has a good job and our kids have both graduated and are starting to make their own money now. It’s four days before Christmas and I should be home preparing for the family to arrive for the celebrations. I should have finished my Christmas shopping and helped my husband finish off the decorations.

No more. Definitely no more. I can’t do this to my husband anymore.

She had been awake for a while, mithering to herself. She lay on her back under the bed clothes adjusting to the darkness of the hotel room. The hotel, where she always stayed, was pleasant enough. It was clean, served a reasonable breakfast and evening meal and was discreet.

She turned on her side to look at the alarm clock. 7.30 am. Her flight from Heathrow was at 6.00 pm or thereabouts. She had time on her side today. She made a to-do list in her head while she was slowly becoming human. She would shower in a while, get dressed, pack her suitcase, leave it at reception, have a good breakfast, walk to the offices and meet with the finance team at eleven o’clock. This was the last time she would do this. No more.

She lay on her back again and thought of America. Something stirred in her. It was not so much home sickness, but guilt at the hand that was gently stroking her thigh. She turned towards the man who was staring at her through the semi-darkness.

‘Good morning,’ he said smiling and smirking at the same time.

‘Good morning,’ she said without smile or smirk.

‘Fancy meeting you here!’

‘Yes,’ is all she could say. She was not in the mood for friendly discourse.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing...I was just thinking about all sorts of things.’

‘Oh, I see. What exactly?’

‘Work stuff, Christmas preparations...my family...’

‘So not about me?’

‘Not really, I’m afraid,’ she admitted.

‘OK. I thought after these last two nights you couldn’t possibly have anything else on your mind.’ He smiled and kissed her on the lips. His breath stank of last night’s alcohol.

‘You flatter yourself. I do have a life outside this bed you know. A lovely home, family and a good job, as you know. In fact, I don’t know why you talk me into this every time I come over to London.’ She propped herself up on one elbow as she became accusatory.

‘Blimey. I wasn’t expecting the third degree when we woke up this morning. I was hoping for a final farewell premature Christmas present before I disappeared back into my room.’

‘Sorry. It’s just that I can’t do this anymore.’

‘Well as far as I’m concerned it seems that you can still do it really well. Often multiple times!’

‘You see. That’s exactly why we’ve got to stop this. It’s going nowhere. I leave my life behind in New York, jump on a plane every month and end up jumping into bed with you. It’s ridiculous. I’m not doing it anymore. After Christmas I’m going to tell my boss that I’m through with these journeys to London.’

‘Does that mean that you won’t be coming over to see me at all?’

‘Do you know what? I don’t think you understand how difficult this is for me. I’m a cheat. I cheat on my husband and I’ve been cheating on him with you for over two years now. I can’t do it anymore. You’re great fun to be with. We have a laugh. You make me feel young and desirable but we both know that this isn’t a permanent thing. You just fancy having sex with an older woman from time to time. And I must admit I have, up until now, fancied having sex with a younger, fitter bloke than my husband. But it’s time to stop. After today you won’t see me again. We’ll leave this in the past.’

‘But what about me though, in all of this. Don’t I get a say? I really like you. I look forward to secretly wining and dining you, getting a hotel room close to yours, spending the night with you. You are one sexy lady. This is hard for me too.’ He moved towards her. They kissed.

‘I can feel it is hard for you too!’ she said and reached down the bed. ‘I suppose one last time won’t make any difference.’ It was the first time she had smiled that morning.

Forty-five minutes later, he had vanished from her room. They would meet up again at 11.00 am as two work colleagues with nothing but excel spread sheets and bottom lines on their minds.

She took a long shower, applied her make-up and packed her suitcase. She went down for breakfast and sat in the corner of the restaurant trying, as much as possible, to avoid eye contact with other guests. Every time she went down for breakfast at the hotel it felt as if she had the words slut or guilty written on her forehead. She was hungry and thirsty after all of her exercise last night and this morning so she devoured 50% of a full breakfast and drank several coffees and a fruit juice. She pretended to read the free newspaper she had picked up at reception on the way down to the restaurant while she thought about her future, not her past. She was even more determined now to make her base New York. She wanted to grow old in New York. She loved her husband and her children and their partners. London was a great place but not as exciting as New York. Her marriage might not be as exciting as her monthly tryst but it was dependable and reliable. What was she thinking? What was she doing? Compared to some of her friends’ marriages her own was perfect. And in fact her husband was pretty perfect. He was trusting, loyal and honest. The problem in their marriage was her. She was a slut, a selfish slut, a selfish thrill-seeking slut. But now the thrill had gone.

She wiped a slight tear from the corner of one eye and turned a page of the newspaper. She would not read any more news concerning the UK. She had decided and that was that.

At just before eleven she entered the very tall and imposing office block. She signed in, showed the badge on her lanyard to the receptionist and made her way to the elevator. Her company had all the offices on the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth floors. Her business today was on the seventeenth. She knew they would all be ready for her when she opened the door to the conference room.

‘Good morning,’ she said to the ten or so people sitting around the long oval table.

There was a returned chorus of ‘Good morning’ aimed at her as she took her seat at one end of the table. A projector and screen were set up at the other end of the table. A pack of papers was carefully positioned in front of each person. Her usual cup of coffee was magically placed next to her by someone. She thanked them and started the meeting.

‘OK. Shall we get going? First, I would like to look at last month’s figures before we turn to projections and then on to threats and opportunities. I hope to wrap this up in three hours or so. I have a plane to catch late afternoon. Who’s going to lead on last month?’

The London branch manager said Simon would start.

Simon stood, walked to the other end of the table, and began his presentation, referring from time to time to documents projected onto the screen or in the packs in front of them. His presentation was systematic and concise. He was able to answer all the questions asked of him by the American woman at the other end of the table. While he was talking, she, in turn, thought to herself that he was going to go far in the company. He gave out the right signals – he was focussed on the job at hand, determined and passionate. Just as he had been last night, in the middle of the night and first thing this morning.

She managed to keep her serious and professional eyes on his face throughout the whole time he was on his feet. If she had been weaker, her eyes might have travelled down his body and her thoughts would have mentally undressed him. But she was too professional and after today she would never see him again.

‘Thank you, Simon. Very thorough. I have no more questions on last month’s performance. Shall we move on to how December is looking?’

‘That would be Marie,’ the manager said and nodded for Marie to take over from Simon. Simon, as he sat down, glanced momentarily at his London sleeping partner but she averted her eyes to the papers in front of her.

The meeting lasted just over three hours including a working lunch. After her summing up of what she would say to the board of directors at the New York office at her next scheduled meeting, she thanked everyone and wished everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Simon was the last to leave the