Swamped

One morning at his office very early, Eteo got a phone call from Rebecca. She was calling from her house in Kerrisdale and sounded disturbed. It was seven o’clock in the morning.

“What is it, Rebecca?”

“He doesn’t care for me anymore, I can’t stand it,” she replied between sobs.

“What happened? Who are you talking about, your husband?”

“Who else?” she sobbed. Then, after a pause, she added, “I wish you were here to give me a hug.”

“Where is he now, Rebecca?”

“At his mistress’s, I suppose. He didn’t come home all night.”

“I’ll come and sit with you for a while. How’s your boy?”

 “He’s okay, and thank you, Eteo. Yes, please come,” she said.

Eteo told Logan that he had to go out and would check in later by phone. Logan smiled and said, “Women, ah, women,” at which Eteo only laughed and walked out of the office. Half an hour later he was buzzing Rebecca’s door bell. She opened, her eyes red and still full of tears, and Eteo stepped inside. At once, she fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Eteo hugged her tightly and led her slowly toward the living room couch.

“Why would he do that, Eteo?” she pleaded, then answered her own question. “But I know why. He doesn’t love me anymore. I mean nothing to him, I know it.” She went on in that vein for several minutes while Eteo listened, letting her release her pain without any interruptions from him.

 “Come now, stop crying” he said at last. “It’s not the end of the world.” Then he asked, “Are you totally sure he has a mistress?”

“Of course he has. What else could be going on? He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t even want to make love to me anymore.”

“Don’t say that, not you. You have the body and the soul of a goddess. Don’t ever think that you’re not desirable,” Eteo reassured her.

“You really mean that, Eteo?”

“I wouldn’t have said it otherwise, sweet Rebecca.”

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