Patrick’s Revenge

This is part three of the story of Robert and Maryanne. Part one is linked here.

Part two is linked here.

The morning after their fateful night at the Pub on the Lake, Robert and Jason drove to Markham, just north of Toronto, to meet Maryanne and Mai-Ling for mid-morning Dim-Sum at a local Chinese restaurant.

During the thirty minute drive Jason told Robert that Mai-Ling had explained to him who the guy that Robert had fought with, at the pub, was. He said the guy’s name was Patrick and that he worked with Maryanne.

Jason said that they had dated a few times.

Robert, surprised by this asked, “Why would she date someone like him?”

Jason replied, “Mai-Ling said that he wasn’t like this in the beginning. Apparently he had come to her rescue when some guy had tried to steal her bag, while she was walking to the subway. They started dating after that but Maryanne broke it off after just a few dates, because of the way he acted when he was drinking.”

Robert dropped the subject after that, thinking about Maryanne’s brother and how he acted when drinking. He remembered clearly how Tommy’s drinking had affected Maryanne deeply.

They arrived at the restaurant at the same time as the girls and were led to their table, laughing and joking about how busy and loud the place was, so early in the day.

Chattering and laughing like a bunch of school kids, they were trying to decide what to order when Maryanne’s phone rang. She looked at her phone to see it was her boss, Andrea, calling and decided to go outside to take the call as it was too loud in the restaurant.

Maryanne returned to the table after about fifteen minutes, looking shocked as she sat down. Mai-ling could tell something was up and asked her why she looked the way she did. Maryanne answered, "Andrea just told me that she is supposed to be going to a conference and some meetings in England in two weeks, but wants me to replace her as she just found out that she's pregnant."

Mai-Ling said, "That's great, how long will you be gone?"

Maryanne looked at Robert as she said,

"It looks like it could be two to three weeks, sorry, Robert."

He looked at Maryanne and laughed,

"That's good because I have to fly down to New York for two weeks at the same time, and was just thinking about what lie I can tell my boss, so I don't have to go."

Over the next two weeks, the two couples spent almost all their free time together. They went to dinner several times, and seen two live shows downtown. They were back to the “Pub on the lake” three times and had a wonderful day walking the boardwalk at Woodbine beach. They all spent a night at Robert's condo, with the girls sleeping in the bedroom while Robert and Jason stayed in the living room.

Maryanne and Robert were surprised at how fast the two weeks flew by, and were not happy about separating for a few weeks. They were pleasantly surprised when Robert finally got his travel tickets a few days before leaving and discovered that they were flying on the same day about an hour apart.

They agreed to meet at the airport a little early and spend some time together before departing.

As they were departing from different areas and Maryanne's flight was earlier than Roberts, they spent the last hour sitting close to where she would go in. Maryanne rested with her head on Robert's chest for a long time before sitting up and getting ready to leave. They walked to where she would go through screening, and Robert kissed her and held her tight before looking in her eyes and saying, "I love you, Maryanne, I've never stopped loving you."

Maryanne had tears in her eyes when she said, "I love you to Robert; I'm so sorry I have to leave, the timing sucks."

Robert told her it was ok and said,

"Sometimes life has a way of getting in the way."

*******

Two days after the fight at the pub, Patrick sat in his apartment in downtown Toronto nursing his bruised ribs and ego.

Sitting in his bedroom staring at Maryanne's pictures, pinned to the wall above his bed, uncontrollable anger burned hot in his mind. He knew now why Maryanne couldn't return the love he offered her. She was in love with the guy, Robert, who fought with him at the pub and dragged her away.

In his heart, Patrick knew that Maryanne belonged with him and would be his wife if not for this guy Robert.

*******

Patrick could never hold a conversation with a pretty woman and never really had a true girlfriend. Growing up on a small farm in Northern Ontario with fanatically religious parents, he was never allowed to mix with girls.

His father, the hypocrite, liked to drink alone and became violent when he was drunk. His parents didn't have any friends because of his father's drinking, and the neighbours avoided them whenever possible. The other kids in town were not allowed to go to his house, and he never got invited to theirs, so Patrick spent almost all of his time alone with his thoughts and the books he would bring home from the school library.

Patrick was twelve years old when he accidentally discovered his father's hidden girly magazines.

His father was fixing the old farm truck and sent him to the shed to retrieve some tools. As he searched for the tools, he accidentally knocked a box from the back of the shelf to the floor.

When it hit the floor, the box broke open, revealing several magazines with pictures of naked women on the covers. He looked at the covers for a few minutes before fixing the box and putting it carefully back on the shelf.

Patrick became fascinated with the magazines and would visit the tool shed several times a week to look at the pictures of women doing sexual things with men or other women or themselves.

He liked how the pictures made him feel and would touch himself while looking at them.

One day, several weeks after finding the magazines, Patrick went to the shed as his father was at the back of the house drinking and painting the rear deck.

His father walked into the shed just as Patrick was finishing, what had become, his daily touching.

He ran at Patrick, yelling and calling him filthy and dirty as he beat him severely before dragging him out of the shed and throwing him at his mother.

Patrick’s sexual well being was destroyed that day and would never fully heal. He grew to hate his father and his hypocrisy of calling Patrick filthy when they were his magazines. He knew that his mother felt the same, as she had said as much to his father on that day, before he beat her as well.

His father's drinking and violence only got worse over the next two years, until the day of the terrible accident.

His father was drunk and fixing the truck in the driveway. He had the truck jacked up on the driver side and was lying underneath it, yelling at his mother and calling her stupid. She’d given him the wrong tool, and as she returned with the proper tool, with him yelling at her, she "accidentally" tripped and fell against the truck knocking it off the jack. The truck landed on his father and crushed his chest as Patrick stood back and watched, not feeling anything.

The police asked his mother and Patrick a couple of questions and agreed that it was an accident, as they were locals and knew Patrick’s father well.

Six months after his father died, Patrick and his mother sold the farm and moved to Toronto.

With the money from the sale, they were able to buy a small condo, and Patrick could get a post-secondary education.

Because of his solitude in his younger years, Patrick was socially awkward and always felt inadequate when talking to women. Being a handsome young man, he was approached by several pretty girls in college, but they would always leave quickly, surprised by his shyness and awkward behaviour. He’d made a couple of drunken attempts at sex, with equally drunk college girls, but could never rise to the occasion.

After these failed attempts at sex, he started to shy away from girls and spent all of his time reading or playing his online video games.

****

Sitting, looking at the pictures of Maryanne on the wall, he started to devise a plan to drive her away from Robert.

He knew from the books he’d read that the best way to drive a woman away from a man was to show her that there was another woman in the man's life.

As the plan formulated in his mind, Patrick smiled as he thought about the night at the pub and how they didn't know he was there watching them as they waited outside for the car that picked up the girls.

For the next two weeks, as the two couple's double dated all over town, they never knew they were being followed.

Patrick gained a lot of information over those two weeks and knew that Robert would be going to New York while Maryanne was in England. He thought this would be the perfect chance to put his plan into motion.

He contacted the same guy he’d paid, several months before, to pretend to steal Maryanne’s bag, while Patrick would come to her rescue, making him her hero.

Patrick told him what he needed to happen, and the guy said he had contacts in New York; and for the right money, he could set it up and trap Robert in a compromising position. He told Patrick that he would fly to New York on the same flight as Robert and have his friends meet him at the airport. This way, they could follow Robert and see where he was staying and set up the meeting.

******

Robert boarded his flight to New York a short time after seeing Maryanne off, feeling happy with his life and already missing her. He never noticed the man and woman sitting together and watching him for the whole flight. When they landed in New York and parked at the gate, Robert stood and, while getting his bag from the overhead bin, noticed a young woman close to him having trouble getting her bag down.

He went to her and asked if he could help, as her bag had slipped back into the bin, and she couldn't reach it. She smiled up at him and touched his arm as she said, “Yes, please, thanks."

They were laughing as they were exiting the plane, talking about the rigours of being short. She walked with Robert to the taxi area, and as they waited, she asked him where he was going, and he told her that he was staying at a hotel close to Times Square. She smiled and said she was going to the same area and asked if he would like to share a cab. Robert agreed, and as they entered the car together and drove away, he didn't see the guy standing inside the terminal window, snapping pictures with his phone.

They arrived at Robert's hotel first, and as he got out of the taxi, she thanked him again and said, "Have a great stay in New York, maybe we will run into each other again before you leave."

A few days later, Robert was having dinner and a beer at a sports bar in Times Square, when the same girl walked in with several friends and sat at a table close to the door. He sat at his table for another twenty minutes finishing his meal before paying his bill and walking to the door. He didn't think she noticed him, but as he passed their table, she stood and said hello.

She introduced her friends and asked him if he would like to join them and watch the ball game, as Toronto was playing New York. Robert told her he didn't want to intrude, but she told him it was ok and insisted as she said, "Is their somewhere you have to be."

Robert thought about it for a moment and said, "No, I was just going to watch the game in my room," before he sat down, and the girl poured him a beer from the jug on the table.

Robert spent the next two hours watching the game and drinking beer with his new friends. He enjoyed watching the game with them as they were split down the middle on which team they cheered for, and there was a lot of good-natured ribbing going on.

When the game was in the seventh inning stretch, Robert excused himself and went to the washroom to unload some of the beer he drank. When he came back, the girl was pouring him a beer from a new jug, and he thanked her, not knowing that she’d put something in the glass with the beer.

As the game was coming to an end, Robert started to feel very drunk and couldn’t understand why.

He started to sweat and feel dizzy, and when he stood to leave he almost fell, but the guy that was sitting close to him stopped him before he did. The girl was asking are you ok, but he had trouble answering her, so she told him they would walk him to his room. The girl said they wanted to make sure he got back ok, so he agreed. The girl and one of the guys walked him to his hotel and took him to his room. She helped him unlock the door, before helping him to the bed where he lay down and instantly fell asleep.

Robert woke up early the next morning in his hotel room bed, not remembering how he got there and with a blinding headache.

He had flashes of memory over the next few days but could never piece together what had happened that night.

When his work finished, and he travelled back to Toronto, several days later, he had almost forgotten about the night at the restaurant and the girl.

****

When Robert returned from New York, his boss informed him that he would have to fly to Oklahoma in a few days. He would have to go with John, the control tech, to take over the installation of a machine.

There was a lot to do in Oklahoma, so it could take three to four weeks to complete. Robert knew he had to do it, but it upset him as he wouldn't see Maryanne for another month.

He waited and called Maryanne in England the next morning, because of the time difference, and told her the bad news.

She repeated what he had said to her before she flew to England, "Sometimes life gets in the way."

He said, "Just hearing your voice makes me feel better; I can't wait to hold you again."

She replied, "I feel the same Robert, I miss you so much, but I've waited my whole life for you. I can wait a few weeks more."

Robert flew to Oklahoma the next day and wouldn’t return to Toronto for almost four weeks, but it would be much longer before he saw Maryanne again.

A week after speaking with Robert, Maryanne returned from England and being exhausted went directly home and slept for several hours.

Maryanne called Andrea that evening to talk about the contacts she’d made in England. Andrea, knowing how busy Maryanne's schedule was over the last three and a half weeks, asked her how she felt. Maryanne told her that she was feeling a little tired but she would be ok and back to work the next day. Andrea told her, "No, honey, I want you to take a week off and relax. You have done such a great job, and I want you to get some rest."

She felt relieved when Andrea said this as she wasn't feeling good and could use the rest.

Maryanne spent the next few days relaxing and reading before having to return to work the following week.

Mai-ling would be returning from China on Thursday, so Maryanne contacted her and said that she would meet her at the airport, as she missed her best friend. Mai-Ling's flight was arriving early in the morning, so she booked a car to pick her up and arrived at the airport as Mai-Ling and Aili came through customs looking tired but happy to be home.

They had a wonderful dinner that night, and talked about their different adventures over the last few weeks, before calling it an early night and going to bed.

Maryanne slept late the next morning and awoke to the scent of bacon cooking in the kitchen. She quickly got dressed and went, with her stomach growling, to join Mai-Ling and Aili in the kitchen.

Mai-Ling handed her a cup of tea when she came in and said breakfast would be ready soon. She thanked Mai-Ling and said, "I’m just going to make a quick call to work before breakfast."

Her secretary said everything was under control, but there was a large envelope on her desk from New York. She said it was marked for Maryanne's eyes only and had been delivered by courier the week before. Maryanne said she would drop in and pick it up on her way to her condo. She smiled when she finished the call, thinking Robert must have sent her some special surprise when he was in New York.

Maryanne told Mai-Ling, during breakfast, that her condo was almost ready and she was going there today to get the key and inspect the work. Knowing this was a special day for her; Mai-Ling told Maryanne she would go with her and asked Aili, Mai-Lings's mother, if she wanted to go.

Aili said, “No, I’m feeling tired today. I think I’ll go for a swim at the YMCA, but you can take my car if you want. I don’t need it.”

The girls thanked her, and an hour later, drove to Maryanne's condo, stopping at her office first, to pick up the envelope along the way. Mai-Ling waited in the car as Maryanne ran into the office because there was no parking anywhere close. She returned to the car in less than ten minutes, with the envelope in her hand, and jumped in as a policeman told Mai-Ling to move.

As Mai-Ling drove to the condo building, Maryanne looked at the parcel, excited to see what was inside. It was one of those large bubble wrap envelopes with what felt like another thick envelope inside it. It was addressed to Maryanne personally and said it was private and for her eyes only on the outside. She decided she would look inside later at the condo and slipped the envelope into her bag.

They arrived at the building's management office a few minutes later, after having to squeeze past a delivery truck parked at Robert's building, which made them laugh and think about the day they met Jason and Robert. They parked at the office and went inside, where Maryanne signed papers and was given keys to the building and her condo.

Maryanne and Mai-Ling, happy to discover her parking spot was close to the elevator, talked excitedly as they rode up to the tenth floor. When Maryanne opened the door to her condo, they were shocked by the difference from the last time they were here, when it was still under construction with the floors covered with painter's drop cloths, and the kitchen cabinets still being installed.

They walked around the condo, commenting on how beautiful everything looked, before coming to the living room window, where Maryanne stopped and said, "Is this the best view ever?"

Mai-Ling looked and said it was beautiful, but the view from the bedroom was her favourite as it looked out over the Rogers center.

Maryanne smiled and said, "I don't think you're seeing what I’m seeing."

Mai-Ling joined her at the window as Maryanne pointed and said, “Look there.”

Mai-Ling looked where she was pointing and asked, "Where?"

Maryanne pointed again and said, "That window, on the corner of the eighth floor."

Mai-Ling laughed and said, "Someone is madly in love," as she realized Maryanne was pointing at Roberts window.

They looked out the window for a few minutes before Maryanne remembered the envelope and retrieved it from her bag. Mai-Ling watched her with anticipation as she tore open the shipping envelope and fished out the smaller one inside.

Maryanne placed the large shipping envelope on the kitchen counter before looking at the writing on the smaller one. The letter looked swollen from whatever it held inside, with a handwritten message on the outside.

"Sorry, but because I care, you need to see this."

The message confused Maryanne, and she felt apprehensive as she carefully opened the letter.

Mai-Ling watched as she opened the envelope and pulled out several photographs. She could see Maryanne's face turn pale as she looked at the photos, before dropping them to the floor and falling to her knees, with her hands to her face crying, "No; God No."

Mai-Ling could see the pictures as they spilled across the floor and said, "Oh my God!!"

She joined Maryanne on the floor and held her tight.

Mai-Ling looked at the pictures over Maryanne's shoulder, as she held her, and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There were maybe ten pictures.

Two photos showed Robert with another woman on a plane and getting in a cab together. There were three or four with them eating and drinking at a restaurant, but the worst were the remainder, that showed Robert naked in bed, with the woman, also naked, straddling him in the throes of passion.

She held Maryanne tight for a long time as they both cried. Mai-Ling couldn’t understand how she could be so wrong about Robert. She liked him a lot and thought he was a wonderful person, who loved Maryanne with everything inside him. She could see how he looked at her when she wasn't looking and knew she was his whole world. She thought he would give his life for her, so how could he do this. It didn't make any sense.

Maryanne stopped crying after about ten minutes, and Mai-ling pulled back to tell her it didn't make sense, but stopped when she looked in her eyes. Mai-Ling had never seen another person look completely lost and devastated like this. Maryanne stared back at her with her lips quivering like a lost child, and Mai-Ling felt fear rise in her heart, for her friend. She helped Maryanne to the bathroom to splash water on her face and went back to collect the pictures and put them in her bag.

Maryanne stared out the window of the car and didn't speak a word on the drive back to Markham until they pulled into their driveway.

As Mai-Ling parked the car, Maryanne's phone started ringing, and she looked at it for several seconds before bursting into tears and saying,

"No, I can't do this now."

The phone kept ringing until Maryanne dropped it on the floor of the car, jumped out and rushed into the house crying.

Mai-Ling picked up the phone to bring it inside and as she did, could see that the call was from Robert.

When she went inside, Mai-Ling could hear Maryanne sobbing in her room and rushed to help her friend. As she entered Maryanne's bedroom, the phone started ringing again, and she could see it was Robert. She tried handing the phone to her, but Maryanne asked is it Robert and refused to take it, saying, "I can't talk to him now."

Robert called several more times during the evening, but Maryanne refused to talk to him each time.

For the next two days, Robert called several times a day, but Maryanne wouldn't answer the calls.

After calling Maryanne for two days and leaving messages, without her replying, Robert feeling worried and confused decided to call Mai-Ling.

Mai-Ling and Maryanne sat in the kitchen on the third day after seeing the pictures and were surprised when Robert called Mai-Ling's phone. Mai-Ling showed the screen to Maryanne as the phone was ringing and asked, "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Maryanne looked at her with tears and nodded, yes.

She hit accept on her phone and answered, "Hello."

He sounded relieved when he replied, "Hi Mai-Ling, it's Robert; I've been trying to reach Maryanne, but she's not answering, and I'm starting to worry."

Mai-Ling, feeling confused because she sensed genuine concern in his voice, said, "She knows you’ve been calling Robert but can't speak with you just yet."

Robert sounded shocked and more concerned when he answered, "What do you mean, is she ok, she's not hurt is she?"

Mai-Ling looked at the pain in Maryanne's eyes and raised her voice, "Robert, what have you done? Maryanne is emotionally destroyed because of you, How could you do this to her?"

Robert, confused and worried, asked, "What? I don't understand what you're talking about." "What's going on? I would never hurt her. You know that, Mai-Ling."

She paused for a second, sensing Robert's confusion before continuing, "Robert, I would have never believed that you would hurt Maryanne in any way, but the pictures sent to her of you and your New York girlfriend show the truth."

Robert, totally confused by what Mai-Ling said, asked, "What are you talking about, what girl, what photos?"

Robert's world came crashing down when Mai-Ling described, in great detail, the pictures and the effect they had on Maryanne. He begged to speak with Maryanne as he didn't know what was happening but knew he would never do anything to hurt her.

As Robert spoke, Mai-Ling could hear the anguish and pain in his voice and thought he’s the greatest actor in the world, or something is not right here.

She tried to get Maryanne to speak with him, but she refused and told her to tell him not to call again.

She told Robert what Maryanne said, and she could hear the tears in his voice as he said,

"I heard her, I didn't do this Mai-Ling," and hung up the phone.

After the phone call, Robert sat on the edge of the bed in his hotel room in Oklahoma, staring at the wall, trying to get his mind to understand what was happening. He knew there was one night in New York that he had no recall of and tried to force the memories to the surface.

The only thing he could see in his mind was a quick one-second flash of a woman's face that he did not recognize.

********

Four days after the phone call with Mai Ling, Robert and John returned to Toronto.

Robert found it hard to concentrate on the job or anything else. He would find himself trembling, holding some part he was installing, not remembering how it got in his hand. Sleeping became difficult as he couldn't get Maryanne out of his mind for more than a few minutes. He knew he didn't do what Mai-Ling had described to him, but also feared his loss of memory of that one night in New York.

On the flight back from Oklahoma, Robert tried to sleep, but his heart kept pushing his thoughts to the woman he would give his life to protect. He had to fix this somehow, someway. Even if she never spoke to him again, he still needed to fix this. Robert knew he would grieve losing Maryanne and feel that pain for a long time. But the pain of losing her could not compare to the pain he felt from hurting her.

He stared out the window, looking at the clouds below them, swearing that he would do anything to relieve Maryanne of the pain she must be feeling.

With tears in his eyes, he thought about the last time he saw her, at the airport, and how she looked into his eyes as she said,

"I love you, Robert."