CHAPTER 3
Over the next months, David proved his words. Many were the challenges thrown up by his new venture. All were met head on with supreme confidence. His financial commitments diminished rapidly, in direct proportion to his relationship with Stella. However hard he tried, she seemed to be tantalisingly just out of reach. Of course he worked long hours, but she should have been able to understand the reason for that. If she wanted financial security, then she had to accept the sacrifices that sometimes had to be made. While he saw little of her, his mobile phone ran up bills that owed nothing to business use, not always to any satisfactory effect.
’Hello Stella. David here. Look, I’m just leaving London now. I’ll be home in a couple of hours. Shall I pick you up at seven... eight? We might have dinner somewhere. A celebratory meal. Where would you like to go?’
’Oh, not tonight, David. Yes, I know you planned to be back today, but when you didn’t ring earlier, I thought you must have changed your mind. I’ve already arranged to go to a party. Rupert’s taking me. You don’t mind, do you? Sorry. Must dash. Need to have my hair done before getting ready. Give me a ring next time you’re passing through. What? Well, if you were at home more often, you might see a bit more of me. The fault is yours, dear man, not mine. Bye.’
Out of stubbornness, David took the celebratory meal he had planned on his own. He felt he deserved it, to mark the fact that he was now out of debt, and making money that his creditors didn’t have first call on. It had all gone much smoother, and very much quicker than even he had imagined.
Sometimes he rang, but received no answer, not even an unkind one. More than once, he got a message on his mobile phone to inform him that Rupert had invited her to the theatre, or the cinema, a party, or something similar.
David fumed inwardly. Since Stella would never accept an engagement ring, he had no public call upon her time. If only it wasn’t Rupert, he thought. If only it wasn’t only Rupert. Rupert, a man in the same line of business, one of his closest, and sharpest competitors. Rupert, who didn’t have to struggle financially, had never needed to do so. Rupert, who expanded rapidly, buying up competing firms and closing them down so as not to have competition.
It wasn’t difficult to see which way the wind was blowing. It came as no real surprise to receive a message, again on his mobile phone, to say that she and Rupert were engaged, and advising him to stick to his silly computers. Somehow, Rupert’s computers didn’t seem to be silly, but then Rupert’s computers had obviously reached the price Stella had set. Somehow, Stella always seemed better at delivering distasteful messages at second remove rather than face to face. Ruefully, David recognised the fact that he was on the move so often and so fast, it was difficult to get hold of him long enough to talk to.
For a while, David indulged in a deep bout of self pity, wondering why he had never seemed to be good enough. The mood didn’t last long. His customary sense of the ridiculous came to his rescue, and lifted him out of his despondency.
After that, there seemed nothing else for it but to work even harder. Rapidly his fertile imagination threw up ideas, ideas which were developed into practical applications. Overseas orders began to come in, necessitating thoughts of expansion. Another office worker at least would be needed.
It was at this time that he heard of Stella from kind hearted friends who seemed to take an almost vicious delight in telling him of the birth of her child. It had given him a jolt, naturally. It was a question of male pride, he supposed. Still, what was the point of being concerned? Presumably that was one reason she had married, in order to have children. That it was another man’s, rather than his own was neither here nor there, not now, not any more.
An idea came to him, pleasing when he recognised the source of it. Rupert had an overseas office, somewhere in the south of France. Why shouldn’t he copy the idea? Why, in fact, should he not have several overseas offices? It would be of help with the new orders that were pouring in. Not in France, though. Somewhere else, somewhere Rupert may not have thought of. He searched furiously amongst the most recent mail, looking for the foreign connections. One from Denmark, two from Sweden. Interesting. Very interesting indeed. Now where was his passport?