19
The Other Woman
Charlotte
The cloud of doom that came back over Oliver this weekend, seems to have dissipated again as the week has gone on. I really want to ask him what is going on, but it’s clear he doesn’t want me to know. Whatever it is, I think he’s told Theo about it, as he’d gone up to Theo’s after he’d gotten that text and taken a walk on Saturday. I’m glad that Oliver has someone he trusts to confide in, although there is a part of me that wishes he trusted me as well.
It’s midweek, and I have a cancelation this morning, right before lunch and my next appointment isn’t until three, so I decide to walk over to Oliver’s office to see if he would like to have lunch together.
The December day is cold and crisp but clear. The streets are filled with the sights and sounds of the holidays. I wonder what plans Oliver has for the holidays. Will he stay here or fly back to be with his parents? As much as I enjoyed Thanksgiving with him, I know that I won’t be spending Christmas with him. That’s for family and loved ones. Oliver and I are friends, but that’s it.
As I approach his building from across the street, I can see him standing outside talking to a stunningly beautiful woman. I stop to watch the scene play out in front of me. My immediate response is anger and jealousy, but I remind myself that she could be a client or a consultation. Or maybe she works for him.
I’m not close enough to see their facial expressions, but I do see when she reaches up and puts her hand on his chest. His hand grips her wrist but he doesn’t push her hand away. They stand talking for a while, her hand on his chest and his on her wrist, and the only thing I can think is that he’s living up to his past reputation. I know I have no right to be hurt, but I am.
I resume walking toward them, and while I’m still several yards away, she turns and heads down the street. Oliver stands with his hands on his hips, staring after her.
I come up from behind him. "What’s going on, Oliver?"
He spins around, his expression shocked. I can only think that he’s surprised that I’ve caught him.
“Charlotte, what are you doing here?”
“I was going to see if you wanted to have lunch, but it appears you may have already had it,” I say with a nod to the woman turning the corner down the street.
Now his expression is a mixture of horror and fear, and I know that I’m right about him. “It’s not what you think.”
I shake my head. “Isn’t that what all men say?” Stephen said something similar to me one time when I’d asked him about seeing another woman.
“I still have some work to do, but then we can go talk about this,” he says, his tone switching to annoyed.
He has some nerve being annoyed when he is the one acting like a jerk. “We can talk about it right here. Who is she?”
He looks through the glass door inside the clinic.
“Are you afraid they are going to think you’re cheating on your fiancée? Since I’m not real, maybe you just want to trade me out for her.”
“That’s not what this is,” he bites out with gritted teeth. “We need to go somewhere private, though, to talk about it.”
I stand my ground. “I think here is just fine.”
“Why do women feel the need to humiliate me in public?” He doesn’t stay to find out the answer. He turns and walks into the building, leaving me on the sidewalk.
I’m stunned and I’m not sure what to think. How was I humiliating him? Sure, we were on a busy street in New York City, but it’s not like anybody was really watching us. This is New York, arguments on the sidewalk happen all the time and nobody pays attention to them.
Perturbed, I consider going back to my own office, but I don’t want to be made a fool of. So I follow him into his building. When I enter, I don’t see him and he must have gone back to his office.
“Can I see Dr. Oliver Wolfe?” I ask the receptionist.
“He said he wasn’t to be disturbed for the next hour,” she says to me.
“Can you let him know his fiancée is here?” The minute I say it, I’m thinking it’s the wrong thing. We’re not really engaged, and yet, I think maybe it will entice him to come back and talk to me.
She picks up the phone and calls into his office, letting him know that I’m here. When he’s answering her, she looks up at me and her expression makes me think he’s not going to see me.
“He says now isn’t a good time. He needs an hour or so.”
“I’ll wait.” I have nothing better to do, so I go sit in the waiting area, picking up a magazine.