It was her, the woman from his dreams. Charles was sure of it. This dream had not been a one time only occurrence. She had visited him on several occasions in the land of nocturnal bliss.
He was infatuated with her. In fact, he couldn’t keep his mind on his work these days, and couldn’t keep his eyes off Natalie Brentwood.
She was every man’s dream, every man’s desire. She had gorgeous blue eyes that dazzled like diamonds in sunlight. Her lips were full and always adorned with fresh lip gloss which glistened brightly, inviting a closer inspection. She had long painted fingernails and her hair had a golden luminescence to it. It was cut shoulder length and bounced back and forth as she walked.
Natalie was a petite woman, lucky if she weighed one hundred and twenty pounds, yet what there was of her was perfect.
If Natalie were a fisherman, she would have just landed the big one. Charles had taken the bait, hook, line and sinker. “Wow. Now that is one beautiful woman,” he told Kevin. “She’s definitely worth pursuing,” he said, more to himself than to Kevin.
“Oh, oh. I smell something brewing, and it isn’t coffee. Remember Chuckie, you’re a happily married man.”
“Thanks for your astute observation, Kevin. I was just commenting on how beautiful she is that’s all. It never hurts to admire beauty. Beauty is like art; you never tire of it.”
Kevin looked at Charles suspiciously, but his friend was somewhere else.
***
Whenever Charles looked at his lovely wife, Cynthia, he saw Natalie. When they did make love, his thoughts were of Natalie, and only her. He was in trouble.
The Dumont’s had three children. Two boys and one girl. Jessie, the oldest, was married and had a son. Charles was also a grandfather. Jonathan, the second oldest, was also married but had no children, and young Elizabeth was still at home and in high school.
On the flip side of the page was Natalie Brentwood. She and her husband, David, had been married for 20 years and had two daughters. Mary, the oldest was now in high school, while Melanie who was two years younger, was still in elementary school.
Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon for both families.
***
Their idle chit-chat during coffee breaks touched on all facets of life- family, sports, work, world politics, and history.
“Do you like hockey?” asked Charles. “I love the game, and watch it all the time. Kevin and I play every week. My sons play as well.”
“Not really. I find it boring. I went to a couple of games in London, when the NHL played some games there. It’s not big back home in England.”
“How could you think that hockey is boring? You must be thinking of baseball.”
“Charles, I know the difference between baseball and hockey. Do I look like a dolt?”
“Take it easy Natalie. I was only joking.”
“Your sense of humour needs some work.”
“My sense of humour is fine, thank you. But you have to admit, most women at sporting venues are there to check out the latest fashion trends, not to follow the sporting event itself.”
“I’ll give you that one, Charles. I do it myself.”
***
