* * *
"Madeline, pick up line one darlin'; there's a gentleman named Jim
Russo waiting for you!"
Betty's lilting voice drifted musically down the hallway as Maddy
reviewed the monthly report for the Kingston Personnel Agency's Wayne
branch. And while her endless craving for something more out of her
career had only intensified since her promotion, she was at least grateful
that business had picked up dramatically. Unfortunately, their efforts to
find a good Account Executive had thus far been fruitless, necessitating
Maddy to spend continued time in the field.
During one of her unplanned cold calls, she knocked on the door of
an insurance company located in a new office condo community in
Exton. Dressed in a professional summer suit of red linen with gold
buttons and navy accents, she'd looked particularly stylish when she spoke
with a friendly receptionist who nevertheless informed her that the boss
was out. However, she willingly gave Maddy his business card. A few days
later, Maddy returned, bearing Kingston's promotional gift for decisionmakers-
a notepaper holder for the desk, decorated with his initials.
On that hot late-June day, she'd also looked stunning in a pale peach
linen ensemble with a short, but tasteful skirt that buttoned up the side. It
was all part of her conscious effort to maintain an attractive exterior,
regardless of persistent inner turmoil. Lately she'd begun to have sporadic
episodes during which her heart would suddenly palpitate wildly, her head
would begin to throb and her stomach would ache as if someone were
squeezing it in their fist. These strange sensations were also accompanied
by an overwhelming and eerie desire to jump out of her skin.
Madeline couldn't quite pinpoint exactly how and why these
occurrences were taking place, although puzzlingly, other people were
usually around when they did. She'd be enjoying lunch or dinner with a
friend when-bam! It would hit her like a bolt out of the blue. And
though these experiences were incredibly frightening, thus far she'd been
able to hide her distress by simply excusing herself to go to the ladies
room. Once there, she'd take deep breaths until she felt safe again. Thank
goodness, today she felt fine; she had a lot of territory to cover with
follow-ups, beginning with Future Insurance.
* * *
The green door of the office opened just as Maddy approached the
bell; behind it stood a nice-looking man with sandy brown hair, blue eyes
and a moustache.
"Oh uh, hello!" She smiled, extending her hand. "I was gonna ring
but looks like you beat me to it! I'm Madeline Rose with the Kingston
Personnel Agency."
Returning her gesture, the man replied politely, "James Russo. Very
nice to meet you!" He looked at her for a moment before asking,
"Weren't you here the other day?"
"Yes, I spoke with Karen. She told me you didn't use temps very
often, but that there may be a need in the near future. So I came back
hoping to introduce myself to you and bring you this little reminder." She
handed him the gift.
"Thank you," he said, "You know, she should have let you speak to
me; I was on the phone with a client, but I was about to end the call. I
would've given you a few minutes of my time."
"Well, thanks Mr. Russo-"
"Jim," he stated.
"Jim," she repeated, "That's very nice, but now that we've had a
chance to meet, you'll know who to call when your hiring needs change. I
really appreciate your courtesy, though. Thank you." As she turned to
leave, he stopped her.
"Wait!"
"Yes?" Madeline made eye contact again.
"Uh, do you get to this area often? Maybe we could have lunch
sometime?"
"I'm usually in Exton about once a week," she admitted.
"Well let me know and we'll do lunch."
"Ok, that would be nice. Have a great afternoon!" she called to him
as she headed back to her car.
Although he seemed pleasant enough, she could tell he was probably
a bit older than her, not that it really mattered. And maybe it would be fun
to share a "safe" lunch with a new man-provided it didn't go any
further. She was still reeling from Kenny's rejection and struggling to find
the appropriate lesson embedded in the events of the past nine months.
Besides, if this guy was already in his late-30's he wouldn't want to hang
out with a child like her for long anyway.
But later that day, as she was sorting through business cards in her
office, Arlene strode in holding a piece of paper from the fax machine.
"For you," she said handing Maddy a handwritten invitation from Jim
to join him for lunch the following Wednesday. As if to emphasize his
interest, he'd drawn a huge smiley face beneath his signature.
"Well, I guess he's sincere!" Maddy laughed, before calling to accept
his offer.
Though she'd expected a venue along the lines of Bennigan's, Friday's
or Chili's, Jim surprised her with a leisurely, upscale meal at the Duling-
Kurtz House. While the white-glove service, elegant ambiance and
extensive menu were impressive, Maddy hardly gave it a second thought
until-when retelling the story that evening-a jubilant Vanessa
exclaimed, "He took you to Duling-Kurtz! Madeline, I've never been to
Duling-Kurtz; this guy must really be into you!"
And as they shared interesting conversation over Caesar's salads with
shrimp, Maddy was delighted to discover a mutual love of theater, the
beach and Frank Sinatra music. Her instincts had been correct; at 36, Jim
was ten years her senior. However, his enthusiasm, spontaneous sense of
humor and principled work ethic created an extremely attractive package.
When Maddy returned to the office she'd faxed him a thank you note, to
which he'd promptly responded, "The pleasure was all mine. Let's do it
again, soon!" Despite her initial misgivings, a delighted Maddy felt ready
to truly give him a fair chance.
The following morning, Betty and Madeline cracked up when Jim's
completed, faxed response to their "Day at the Beach" contest included
the question, "Isn't there something missing from this package?" Maddy
quickly faxed back, "What exactly is missing?" That was when an amused
Jim called her at the office, claiming her fax had brightened his day. He
informed her that what was missing was a beach companion, to which
Maddy replied teasingly, "Betty is available!" Jim roared with laughter.
Interestingly, his birthday had been March 8, the day after hers. But it
wasn't long until Jim's odd behavior made her question the wisdom of
getting involved with another Pisces. While he pursued her relentlessly for
a brief period via regular phone calls, faxes and lunch dates, Maddy grew
suspicious when their plans never evolved into after-hours dinners or
Saturday evening concerts.
That is, until a phone call from his receptionist revealed his
impending marriage to his live-in fiancée in the coming fall. The woman
had been so sympathetic when she'd spoken with Maddy, absolving her
from guilt, and fully acknowledging that her boss had led her on under
false pretenses.
And when a determined Maddy finally tracked Jim down to confirm
the truth, the weasel didn't deny it, though he could offer no further
explanation other than wanting to spend some "innocent" time with a
pretty girl. For a disgusted and hurt Maddy, the incident had proven to be
just another heartache in what was beginning to feel like a never-ending
saga of cruelty and sorrow.