This story began in Chapters 1 and 2 as a 4-lined-stanzas poem/story, but as the story unfolds there are more stories to tell. Because of the length of each chapter, I am now writing the story in story format rather than the poetry/story format. So, Chapter 3 and any subsequent chapters will be posted in the AD's “Stories” section.
The Sinners
Chapter 3
Simon has not always been bad. In fact, he and Harold were childhood friends - they grew up together, and even lived side by side in neighbouring homes. However, all through childhood until their adolescent lives Simon seemed to have an upper hand when it came to girls and women. Harold could not understand what it was that Simon had that he didn't. Why was he always the one who stole his “girl” away? The annoying trend persisted even into late teen years - women whom Harold had befriended with first would eventually be more interested in Simon and would become close friends with him. Harold would resign it to fate, or perhaps the result of a flaw within himself that women didn't like. Soon, he began to think of himself as a sore loser when it came to the romance department.
Harold did have something going for him, though – he was the one who excelled in business administration and economy. That was the course he took in University that had set his path to success. He was smart in the business world.
Simon, on the other hand, began working after he had completed senior high. He was never good at academics. He began to do small jobs here and there.
The last time Harold saw Simon was when he came to say goodbye because he had to take a job from another state which would pay him twice the money that he was making then. He promised to be back to visit whenever possible to see his good friend, Harold and his family. However, that did not happen because Simon was always on the move because of his job requirement, and by the time when Harold and Simon met each other again it would be about 10 years later when Simon had already gained a wealth of knowledge and experience and a rather impressive resume. He had been a skillful social climber. Both men were happy to have run into each other in downtown Manhattan, where all the upper class and expensive companies were located.
By this time, Harold had already established himself as well. His father had passed away years earlier, leaving the landscaping and designing business in the care of Harold.
Both men were excited to exchange their life stories, filling in the void of the past decade that they have been apart from each other.
Simon Boyd had grown into quite a handsome young man. At 29, he was still single, but according to him, had more than a dozen women after him. Some he met through work, and others through shared connections.
Same Simon! He has never changed! Still the same bragging jerk he knew back then! Harold thought, rather amused by Simon's exciting lifestyle.
Simon was well-built, thanks to the fitness program that he has been taking in the gym. His dark blond hair and slate-blue eyes, light, reddish complexion combined with broad shoulders and arms showcased an image of strength and masculinity!
When Simon talked, he talked with the widest grin to show off his well-maintained teeth. He was clean-shaven, his hair cut short but parted on one side, and slightly gelled to create a trendy style. He wore a dark suit and a red tie and a clean white shirt the day he ran into Harold. On his wrist was a Rolex watch. Quite impressive! Harold thought Simon looked to be very successful!
The two men chatted, exchanged phone numbers and parted with a promise to continue to be in touch with each other.
Unlike Simon, Harold maintained a more humble appearance, even though he ran a landscaping and designing business, and he was the boss of his own company. Harold joined his father's company after he graduated from the Business Administration and Economy course.
Harold could still remember the time when he came to the company on the first day of his job. He stood at the front entrance, looking at the sign that said “Henderson & Son Company, Limited” in great big letters, and underneath it were some smaller words that said “Landscaping and Designing”. He stood there looking at the sign and he was proud that he has finally become part of his father's company. He remembered the time when he was being urged by his father to take on the Business Administration and Economy course how proud his father was about his accomplishments in high school. He told Harold that one day he would stand to inherit the family business and the course would help him understand more about the business world.
It was somewhat overwhelming on the first day of his job. There were so many people to meet. He had to remember the employees' names as well as the job functions and the project each group was handling. Harold Henderson Sr. (the old man) made his son the Projects Manager, which would ensure him that his son would get to know the employees and their job functions because he would have to work alongside each group that would report to him when problems arise, and through the learning process, his son would learn the skill in problems-solving.
Harold had no troubles in learning the business world, and in a short time, he learned from the employees the day-to-day tasks the employees are doing, their job functions, as well as the problem that they may be facing. It was not a big deal. Once you solved one, and you simply apply the same tactic to solve another. Harold's hard work paid off, and he was learning fast. Some projects need more people to complete the task at hand. Smaller projects needed fewer workers. From the time he came to the office as a 24-year old young man whose skill was doubted by many of his father's employees until the short half a year it took him to gain their trust, Harold, at last, felt he had gained the admiration of his colleagues.
Because of his working lifestyle, Harold hardly had been dating at all. There had been only a few women who would go out with him on a blind date, set up by some employees in his company, but they soon found Harold too dull. Some even found him to be a “jerk,” the unfortunate result of a bad case of social awkwardness which Harold tried desperately to overcome. His occasional bizarre behaviour had ticked off more than a few prospective partners in his day.
Rumours had it that one of those angry ladies was the niece of Tim Conley, the office Health and Safety Manager, who had arranged for the two young people to meet. After all, as he always told Harold, “All work and no play makes one dull.” Harold agreed but seemed to have doubts about his own ability.
What if she doesn't like me? What do people talk about on dates? What do I wear? How should I act? Should I bring her flowers on the first date? Will she like me? What does she look like? Is she pretty? What if she's not, then would I be pressed to like her? Harold had all these doubts inside his head already even before the dates. Just thinking about all this was enough to give him anxiety.
Dates! No, you mustn't mention this word to Harold, it would freak him out even before the affair would even begin. For Harold, you needed to just take him by surprise. You would have to appear right in front of him while he least expected it! Harold did not have any social skills when it came to women and small talks. Sometimes he found himself lacking the conversation skills to make small talks when sitting in front of women who were not business associates. He would become tongue-tied and awkward. So, instead of allowing others to see his weakness, he would behave in the most bizarre and rude manner. He would pretend to occupy himself with browsing his cell phone and ignore the woman who is sitting in front of him. His annoying habit had infuriated some of the women he chose to date.
“Listen, don't ever ask me to go out with your boss Harold again!” Tim Conley's niece begged her uncle as she came home early, barging in through the front door after her miserable so-called “date” with Harold.
“That guy is a total jerk! He didn't even talk with me, he just left me forking over my dinner while he silently looked at his stupid phone! What kind of a rude man is he? I don't care how much money he has. I won't ever want to go out with him again!” Tim's niece was now almost in tears.
“What? He did that to you? I'm confused. He seems like a nice guy to me and everyone in the office and a very smart young man too! I am so sorry, Kathy! I didn't know. I have no way of knowing how he would behave on dates. Perhaps it wasn't about you. Perhaps there is a reason for him to act that way. I will find out tomorrow when I had the chance. Okay?”
“I don't care anymore! I won't go on another date with him! Sorry, Uncle Tim,” she replied, “I have never been so humiliated!”
“I understand, Kathy! Not to worry! You are so beautiful you will have a lot of young men craving for your attention. Just trust me on that. Now, you go off, get washed and forget about this whole evening had ever happened. Okay?” Tim continued to calm his niece down.
She rolled her eyes and stormed off into her room. In the days to follow, no one in the family dared mention that dreadful date again. They all pretended that it never happened and, for his part, Tim Conley never recommended another female friend to Harold again. It was quite embarrassing! He still saw Harold in the office everyday, but because he was not in any groups that Harold oversees, there was no opportunity for the two to be in the same room. Being the Health and Safety Manager, Tim only reported to Harold Henderson, Sr.
Several years have passed, the old man, Harold Sr. fell ill with terminal cancer and eventually died.
After his dad's passing, his dad's assistant, Marilyn Schafler, felt she was too old to be an assistant to a young Harold, so although Harold offered her the job, she refused and felt it was time for her to retire.
Marilyn told Harold that she didn't want to give an image to clients that the young Harold needed a “motherly-figure” as his assistant as it would not be so flattering to a young executive. Throughout the discussion, Marilyn thought it would be best for her to retire. She negotiated a retirement package that Harold happily agreed with. He wanted to make sure the company was sending her off to a healthy retirement with ample financial means as a reward for her years of hard work and dedication.
In the meantime, there was one position that needed to be filled – an assistant to Harold Jr. who would be taking over his father's position. There were quite a few applicants for the position, but none would catch Harold's eyes as much as Elizabeth Cunningham did.
When Elizabeth Cunningham walked into the office, Harold was immediately smitten by her charms and the force of energy that she had transmitted to him mentally all through the interview.
Ms. Cunningham was born in California. She was perhaps two or three years younger than Harold. Her parents were Irish immigrants who came to America decades ago to create a new life for themselves.
She was light-skinned with peachy blushed cheeks, and her lips were perfectly lined and filled with a light shade of lipstick which aptly gave her that “natural” look. She had auburn hair with some highlights, which made a fine contrast to her complexion.
When Elizabeth began to talk she talked like a woman in power. Her eyes focused on Harold's who couldn't help but listen attentively. The instant chemistry between them was too palpable to be ignored. There was an air of authority in her that Harold liked. He thought she was precisely what was needed for the position. He decided that Elizabeth was someone who would have a leadership quality to give him a hand to lead within the company. Harold would later refer to Elizabeth as “Beth”.
Harold made Beth in charge of many things, including liaisons with the union leaders. She was in charge of the employees' grievances and also oversees the statements of the company's spokesperson, Scott Richardson, before he would make a public announcement. She would oversee what information should be or should not be disclosed to the public. Harold fully-trusted Beth's judgment. This has been a big load off Harold's shoulders ever since his dad's passing.
Beth, on the other hand, had not disappointed Harold. She ran the company and its employees with great skills. She was very diplomatic and soon became well-liked by the staff. In front of the staff, she would also show ample respect to Harold let him feel that he was still the boss-in-charge, and in matters of important issues, she would hold a staff meeting for Harold and allow him to make the final decision.
Soon Harold became more and more dependent on Beth. He was secretly crazily in love with her. He would often dream of the pair as husband and wife, running the family business. He was totally smitten by her ability to govern. But how was he to confess his love to her? Would she accept his love if he were to reveal it to her? If not, would it scare her away? Would she quit her job when she found out? Harold wondered why Beth wasn't already taken. Quite frankly, around her age, other women would have at least some boyfriends already if not a husband.
Why hasn't Beth married yet? Could she be having the same feeling as I do her? Harold wondered. Damn! Harold! He needed a boost to pluck up his courage!
On many occasions, Harold would lay awake in his bed at night, thinking about the many opportunities that he would profess his love to Beth the following day, yet the opportunity would quickly come and go, with not a single word spoken of his feelings.
Oh, how do other men do this? Harold wondered. Other men didn't seem to have the same problem he was having. Why did he feel so tongue-tied and even a bit silly whenever he was left alone with Beth? He found himself becoming angrier and angrier over his inability to convey his feelings to the only woman he ever truly loved!
Harold Henderson - A man of wealth and who was in a prestigious position in society - was having difficulty professing his love? It sounds too unlikely, doesn't it? People who looked at Harold and his position in society would assume that he would not be lacking female companionship. They would never imagine what was going through Harold's weak mind when it came to romance. He was allowing his childhood fears to overcome him. When it came to romance he lacked all confidence. In the eyes of the public, Harold was a man of perfection, lacking for nothing. Only Harold would know the truth about himself!
End of Chapter 3
Copyright (c) Sandie May Joyce, 2020
All Rights Reserved
I HOPE HAROLD EVENTUALLY RUNS INTO THE PERFECT MATCH FOR HIM. I AM SURE SHE IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE...LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT MATACH TOO. THANKS FOR SHARING, SANDIE! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Ahhh!!! Thanks, Mark, for catching those names error! Now, they are corrected!!!
Yes, we, writers, are constantly running into problems when reading others' work. We would always think about how we would have written the story, but then when thinking about it further, it would not be fair putting our own words into other people's work. After all, it's their story, and they can write in however they want to write it to suit their fans' taste. Each of us writers is a unique individual and our life path is different. Our experience in life is different, so to think that other authors would think the way we think is not fair to the other author and his/her fans.
I will check out your story "Reflection" later. I need to run some errands now.
Okay, Sandi. I have read "The sinners" #3... The introduction of others comes across pretty well. The story in general was interesting to me and I will look forward to Part four.... I am glad that you have reduced the size of your paragraphs as, to me, it makes it easier to read. I can well understand Harold's tongue tied problem with women, but not his nasty habit of all but ignoring his few and far between dates because a guy can always ask about the woman's life which opens conversation... However that is my way of thinking... One glaring problem is that twice you used Simon's name when it should be Harold..
SIMON could still remember...Should be Harold....
This has been a big load off SIMON'S shoulder....After Beth was hired.
I have a problem reading other people's stories because I constantly think, I would have said it another way or I would have used a different word, but that's me... By the way, you will want to read my "Reflection" post because the ending (start of the next) of this chapter should quell your "impatient Woman" thing, at least with me.
Great job with this chapter! That just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover. Each person is fighting an inner battle that no one knows about. I hope Harold will overcome his fear of being rejected.
Gavin
Reviewed by Danny Underwood
10/15/2020
There are many characters you have created in this story and they are powerfully-presented. This story is becoming more and more interesting. Too bad for Harold! He should just pluck up his courage to confess his love for Beth. I'm assuming he will eventually do that as I read in chapter 1 that Beth and Harold were already a married couple. Very good chapter! It held my attention from beginning to end.
Dan
P.S. Trump/Biden compete in separate Town Halls this evening. Don't forget to watch it! Chat later on fb!
You are right about the verb and the tense! I've caught a few and corrected them. Oh, sometimes, I'm too involved in creating the characters and let other stuff happened. I hope I have caught them all already. I shall read this a few more times to see if there are any more that need correcting! Thanks for catching them!
Although your story requires a little "editing" (verb tenses, for example), you develop your characters in an interesting way. Again, I enjoyed reading. Love and best wishes,
Suspenseful and close to home, Rain of Deception 2 will leave you in Tears. Much like Part 1, this will shocking sequel will keep you on the edge of your fingertips.
