Midnight in Madrid

I spent the day writing the following story.  Those of you that know me, will understand.  Enjoy!

MIDNIGHT IN MADRID 

A study in frustration 

12 p.m. 1 - 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 - 7 – 8 – 9. It’s 9:00 p.m. in Madrid. Rachel counted on her fingers and yes, 12:00 p.m. in California was 9:00 p.m. in Madrid. Still confused at the time difference, Rachel counted once again tapping each of nine fingers on the table in emphasis of the time difference. 1 – 2 - 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 - 7 – 8 – 9. Madrid was nine hours ahead of California.

Where was he, Rachel thought? He should be home by now. Now pacing her small living room, Rachel worried in motion. She was on her lunch break and had raced home for the call Doug had promised. Where was he, she once again muttered. At this rate she would wear a hole in the carpet, pacing back and forth over the same path.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Rachel sat on the couch and looked out the big picture glass window to the park across the street. It was a nice day in Los Angeles. The sun was out and the smog was almost non-existent, big fluffy clouds hung in the almost blue sky. She could see kids on bikes riding the paths in the park. It was Spring break and school was out. If only she had the time off.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Rachel once again muttered, where is he? Hearing the phone ring, she jumped up and collided with the end table in her rush to answer the phone.

“Doug?” she questioned, steadying the table before it toppled.

“Good afternoon, Rachel,” Doug’s deep voice resonated from the phone.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I was beginning to worry. How was your day?” a now calm Rachel asked.

“I had a great day. I just got in from dinner with a client,” Doug provided. “Have you had lunch yet?” Doug was always concerned that Rachel did not take care of herself. The physical distance between them was starting to take its toll. He was attune to her moods and could sense she was tense.

“Not yet, I rushed home so I wouldn’t miss your call,” Rachel answered.

“Make sure you eat, Rachel. I don’t want you getting sick,” Doug emphasized.

“I’ll eat when we hang up,” Rachel assured him.

Doug had been in Madrid a month already on his “short term” assignment. They had discussed the assignment before he left, but now after a month, Rachel and Doug could feel the tension between them and they missed each other terribly. They had been married just a short year when Doug was offered the bonus and assignment to Madrid. The bonus would go a long way towards the house they wanted to buy and then they could start a family. Rachel and Doug both now wondered if the time apart was worth the bonus.

After discussing a little of each of their days, Rachel finally told Doug, “I have to go Honey, or I’ll be late back from lunch,” she sighed, not wanting to hang up from Doug.

“Ok. Eat something before you go back,” he told her. “I’ll call you in the morning. I love you Rachel,” and Doug hung up. He was never one to hang on the phone and ended the call quickly.

Rachel starred at the receiver in her hand and gently laid it in the cradle. She slumped back on the couch for a moment to regroup. Standing abruptly she raced to the refrigerator and removed the sandwich already waiting for her. Bounding out the front door, Rachel raced back to work so as not to be late.

11 p.m. 12 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8. 8:00 a.m. in Madrid. Rachel once again counted on her fingers. 11:00 p.m. in California was 8:00 a.m. in Madrid. Rachel was all tucked up in bed waiting for Doug’s morning call. They would only be able to talk for a few minutes as Doug would be on his way to the office.

Doug stood in front of the mirror knotting his tie. When it was knotted to perfection he glanced at his watch. 8:00 a.m. Mentally subtracting 9 hours, he knew Rachel would be waiting for him. It was 11:00 p.m. yesterday in Los Angeles. Gathering his briefcase and hat to protect him from the strong Madrid sun, Doug stopped at the phone stand by the front door of his apartment and dialed Rachel. He could only afford a short call, but he wanted to hear her voice.

“Hi,” Rachel purred into the phone. Only Doug would be calling this late.

“Rachel,” Doug answered. He sighed at hearing her voice. He missed her.

“On your way to work?” Rachel unnecessarily asked. She knew he was on his way out the door.

“Yes, I can only talk for a moment,” he answered.

“Do you have a busy day today?” Rachel asked the same question she asked every morning.

“A couple of meetings and a dinner meeting,” Doug told her. “It’s almost over Rachel. I’ll be home soon,” he wistfully added.

“I know. I still miss you,” Rachel expressed into the phone, wanting to reach down the line and hug and kiss Doug.

Doug knowing what Rachel was thinking, smiled, “I miss you too.” Glancing at his watch he sighed. “I have to go Rachel, I’ll call you after work.”

Making kissing noises into the phone, Rachel said goodbye. After Doug hung up, she turned out the lamp and pulled the covers to her chin and lay there awake thinking of the day Doug would be back. As Rachel slowly drifted to sleep, she smiled at the thought of Doug in her arms.

Saturday was errand day. Anything that didn’t get done during the week was done on Saturday. Saturday was also the day Rachel and Doug could talk at any time. Rachel hesitated to leave the house for fear of missing Doug. They had agreed when Doug went to Madrid that Doug would call her. When Rachel called Doug, she could only get his voicemail. So she waited.

Other than the living room, the apartment was full of hardwood floors. That meant sweeping and mopping. Rachel busied herself removing throw rugs and piling them on the washer after shaking the loose dirt out of them on the patio. She would run them through the washer later. Right now she tackled the dust bunnies and gravel that seemed to accumulate on the floor. When she walked across the bare floors she could feel the grit clinging to them. She had no idea where the “gravel” came from, but every Saturday, she swept up a pile. Their cat Sampson lazily lay by the back slider eyeing Rachel as she tackled the hated cleaning. Sampson was the probable cause of the gravel. He would disappear for days at a time and then come home and lay about, tail sweeping up and down as if he was planning his next mischief.

Pausing to glance at the clock in the living room, Rachel tapped her fingers on her thigh counting, 9 a.m. 10 – 11 – 12 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6. 6:00 p.m. in Madrid. Doug should call soon. Placing the last rug on the washer, Rachel moved to the kitchen and the broom closet for the broom, dustpan, mop and bucket.

As if summoned by her counting, the phone rang. Rachel lunged for the phone tripping over the broom and dustpan lying in her path. She landed on the couch holding the instrument to her chest, settling on the couch for an extended conversation, she answered the phone. “Hi, Honey,” she crooned into the phone, sure it would be Doug.

“Rachel,” Doug’s rich voice answered her. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Rachel answered, enjoying the sound of his voice.

“I’m just going out for dinner now, Rachel,” Doug continued. “What are you doing today?”

“I’m cleaning,” Rachel sneered into the phone. She absolutely hated cleaning.

“Wow, you must be really bored,” Doug laughed at her sneer.

“You have no idea,” she continued. Rachel cleaned, but she did not enjoy it. “I’ll run some errands later, pick up groceries, take dry cleaning in, get the car washed, all those things I do on Saturdays.”

“What did you do today,” she asked.

“I sent my laundry down and paperwork. I went down to the restaurant and had breakfast and ordered a sandwich for lunch,” Doug detailed to Rachel.

“Yeah, just another Saturday,” Rachel muttered, leaning into the phone to get closer to Doug.

“We’ll do something special when I get back Rachel,” Doug told her sensing she was a little down.

“Do you know when you’ll be back?” Rachel asked, hope in her voice.

“They haven’t told me yet, but it is soon,” Doug answered.

The lonely coupled chatted for a few more minutes and then, they hung up.

Doug laid the phone in the cradle and paused to think about Rachel. Running his hand through his hair in frustration, he put on his hat and left the apartment to meet a colleague for dinner in the hotel restaurant, sighing as he quietly closed the door.

Rachel sat on the couch, the phone unseen in her hand; she was disappointed their call had ended. She sat back and closed her eyes, picturing Doug. Sampson jumped on the couch and rubbed against Rachel, sensing she needed attention. Lowering the receiver to the cradle, Rachel reached over and picked up Sampson and held him close. She hid her face in his fur and wished Doug would come home soon. Sampson wiggled and left her embrace. His moment of affection satisfied, he walked back to the slider to lay in the sunshine just now peaking through the window.

Looking at the broom on the floor, Rachel stood, grabbed the broom and beat the dust bunnies into submission. Maybe cleaning will get her mind off of Doug, she thought as she whirled around the apartment cleaning.

Doug stood at his desk, neatening the pile of papers left from his day of work. He glanced at the wall clock noting it was 5:00 p.m. Mentally calculating the time in Los Angeles, he reached for the phone. Rachel would just be arriving at work. It was 8:00 a.m. in California.

Rachel was just about to clock in when the office phone rang. She had the early shift and no one else was in the office yet. Her desk was in the middle of the typing pool so she walked over to the counter where the phone rested. “Typing pool,” she intoned, wondering who wanted what so early.

“Good morning, Rachel,” the deep voice replied.

“Doug!” Rachel excitedly answered.

“I missed you this morning dear,” he continued. “Can you talk now?”

“Only for a few minutes, Doug. I should have clocked in already,” Rachel told him worrying about the time.

“Oh, I’ll call you at your lunch time then,” he disappointedly told her.

“No, no, I can talk at least until someone else gets in. I’ll clock in then and take a short lunch,” Rachel explained. She was very conscious about her job and would not short them.

“Alright, I have been told when I can come home,” he casually told Rachel. He pulled the receiver away from his ear at the loud screaming coming from it. He grinned and adjusted the phone back in place.

“When, Doug, when are you coming home?” Rachel excited asked, finished with her screaming.

“I will be home in a week,” he answered.

Rachel threw question after question at Doug trying to get all the information she could get. She finally had to say good bye when her co-worker arrived. She reluctantly hung up and then jumped in joy as she headed for her desk and her day’s work. Doug would call her on her break this afternoon.

Rachel paced the conference room. She had made arrangements for Doug’s call to be routed in there so they could have their call in private. But he was late. 3:00 p.m. 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12. Midnight in Madrid. Rachel realized he had probably fallen asleep. She sat there for her 15 minutes and slowly returned to her desk. She passed the receptionist and told her the conference room was available and she was done using it. The rest of the day dragged by slowly, Rachel wondering what had happened to Doug.

Doug called Rachel at 11:00 p.m. that night. “I fell asleep,” he apologized.

Rachel quickly counted the hours. 11:00 p.m. 12 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8. 8:00 a.m. in Madrid. “Are you at the office?” she asked realizing what time it was in Madrid.

“No, not today,” he answered. “I’m wrapping up my papers and making travel arrangements. I’m at my apartment packing away everything.”

“Do you know which day you’ll be back in Los Angeles,” Rachel asked, reaching for a tablet in the bedside table to write down the information Doug would be telling her.

“I will arrive on Saturday, 3:00 p.m. in Los Angeles,” he told her. That was only two days away.

“Two days?” she questioned. “You’ll be back in two days.” Rachel was now bouncing in bed, excited by the news.

“Yes, they are letting me return early,” he answered now grinning at Rachel’s excitement. If truth be told, he was as excited as she.

Saturday took forever to arrive. Rachel had cleaned the house, stocked the refrigerator, washed all the laundry and was now ready for Doug. Everything she had to do on Saturday was done. The day was Doug’s.

Rachel arrived at the airport an hour early. She prowled through the waiting lounge looking out windows, stopping at the vending machines and reading all the labels, she visited the ladies’ room a couple of times and always ended up standing in front of the exit tunnel waiting. Finally, tired of standing, she made her way to the waiting lounge and found a chair facing the exit tunnel. It was on the back wall and she leaned her head back and closed her eyes to wait the final half hour for Doug’s arrival.

Rachel suddenly lurched in her seat. She had fallen asleep. She stood, and looked around disoriented from her nap. Her eyes lit on the exit tunnel. Walking down the corridor was Doug and he was heading straight for her. She almost ran to him. They stopped in the corridor and starred at each other. He dropped his bags and reached for Rachel as she dropped her handbag and grabbed for him. They leaned on each other, each holding the other tightly in their embrace.

The other passengers veered around them. Most smiling at the tight embrace Rachel and Doug had on each other. The traffic never stopped, parting around the couple and merging on the other side. Rachel raised her head to meet Doug’s eyes and they kissed. The kiss was tender at first and grew in passion as they swayed in their joy of reunion. Once more hugging, Doug placed a fond kiss on Rachel’s forehead and took her hand. “Let’s go home Rachel.”

Rachel reached for her bag and paused to count the hours for the last time, 3:00 p.m. 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12. Midnight in Madrid.

They were home.

-o0o-