The Arena

Eva is going to be a handful tonight, Ed thought as he sipped the hot drink. Closing his eyes, he saw an image of himself as a young kid. Afraid of the dark. Toro the Tough was after him again. Found in his shadow, he called it Toro because it threatened and hurt him when darkness fell.

Shaking his head he thought, No self-doubt, Eddy. Be strong. Win tonight! Opening his eyes, confidence renewed, he smiled at her, with his self-assured style.

Ed was meeting Gannon the next day at the Minneapolis airport for their flight to Brussels. This will be the last time he will have sex in a while. Why hesitate, he wondered as she reached in her purse for lipstick. Ed gazed at her, wondering what move would be best.

Getting too old? Not for the chase.

Eva decided this was an early night, no fooling around. She calculated to be in bed in an hour, alone. She searched in her purse for her car keys; sleeping in her own bed tonight.

***

Gannon was trying to enjoy dinner at the Especial Restaurant with his wife Beth before the European trip. However, his mind floated from one thought to another. Looking at his food, he imagined exotic meals in Brussels on this trip with Ed. As he stabbed at his prime rib, Gannon remembered how Ed had talked him into the boondoggle. Business was good. He was satisfied, but Ed wanted to expand into Europe. ‘What do we know? The markets in the countries? The language?’

‘It’s a paid vacation,’ Ed explained. ‘Business expense it all.’ That was too pat for Gannon, but he could never argue against Ed’s logic. Gannon gave into the business vacation idea. With tickets already purchased, they were off tomorrow.

Gannon dropped his fork. An omen for things to come? He brushed away crumbs on his starched white shirt and picked up his fork again. He told Ed that this trip would turn into something special. Ed laughed at that, which made Gannon feel stupid. ‘Just relax and enjoy,’ Ed said.

Finished with her meal, Beth knew he was distracted, since he had said, ‘Uh huh’ to the last five things she said. After 14 years of marriage, she knew Gannon’s habits. He worried over details, yet was going along with Ed’s plan.

“The Foundation,” Beth said, her hand extending beyond her blue chiffon sleeve to touch Gannon’s arm, “is expecting 5% more funds this year to meet their objectives.  Being the director of fund raising, they asked me to develop the plan. You know how Hugh is. When he asks, it’s an order.” She knew he had heard a word she said. “I told Hugh that we can forecast double from some of the contributors, and your company HERD will set the pace.”

Gannon nodded, “Uh huh,” as he stared into the room.

Beth continued, “We can use the HERD facilities for our kick-off meeting to the annual fund raiser.”

If he were listening, he would agree, thought Beth.

“Great,” said Gannon, as he signed the credit card receipt and squeezed out of the booth, which made him think about the diet he promised himself. At least he will purchase a new suit while in Europe.