Two

Nelson asked the man near the door, “Who are you?”

The man replied, “Sir… The Senator instructed me to stand guard.”

Jim glanced at Mags, his expression curious.

“For what reason?” he wondered aloud.

The brevity of his question seemed to annoy the square jaw in the expensive suit.

“Why what?”

It would stay a game show, and he was too exhausted for charades.

“Mags…let’s escape to the basement and grab a beer.”

They hurried to their personal bunker with haste, trying to get away from something that seemed to be encroaching with speed. He handed his wife a cold beer while counting to see if the thirsty Senator drank more than the two he counted. Mags ran her hand through her blonde hair which was her way of slowing down. Jim studied her closely, trying to see if she knew when the questions would come his way, which they certainly would.

“Jim…”

She stopped and stared at him.

“Yeah.”

There was silence that spoke more than words could describe, which would have been bizarre; weird; strange.

“What gives Jim?” she said with a certainty that he was holding cards he wasn’t showing.

 “You have always said you worked for the government…nothing too dangerous…and I went along with it since…well…the bank account was always flush. Now this is where the rubber meets the road…and I find out exactly what you do…is that it?”

Jim always appreciated how Mags could always connect dots without trying too hard, and this was one of those times. Jim had been coy, and why tell her anything that could upset her, since that would only put a needless chill in their marriage. They had been together for seven years, and the relationship had become routine, which was both comforting and he hated to admit, boring. To alleviate the staleness, he would offer himself up for more challenging missions, and wouldn’t reveal to Mags the nature of his job.

Jim Nelson was the son of the illustrious Ben Nelson, a fighter pilot in World War Two, and took that fame to the bigger stage of football and politics. Even at an early age Jim could see that politics was soul crushing, and Ben suffered that malady. He was unable to look the other way when shenanigans happened, and that made him the one who wasn’t invited to the bar after work. Jim knew it hurt him, but the old man never mentioned it.

Mags was also from a similar background, with a father starting the law firm-Bastian and Nelson. It was a stable revenue source as the pair became the law firm hired by the Fortune 500 companies that grew like mushrooms after the war. Monied, both were eager for higher adventures, which Jim seemed to inherit from his dad.

“So? Don’t make me work here Jim…what are you into?” she said with concern.

Margaret had always suspected her husband was pushing the envelope, and she was bored too. Since they didn’t have kids, and it was a mutual agreement, it was hard to distract themselves from the daily routine. She was a writer, and took her imagination to the pulp.

“Gosh Mags…I didn’t mean for this to happen…it got out of control. It seems by the looks of it…we will be living in Washington the next four years.”

She looked at him with that look he had seen only a few times before, and it was one of those where he scanned the room to make sure there were no guns or knives in her vicinity.

“Spill,” was all she said.

He took a long draw from the beer to gather his thoughts, while Mags did her hair routine.

“Okay. My dad Ben got involved in an oil consortium in the Middle East…and wouldn’t you know it…it was beyond his expectations. The money coming in was enormous…and he started to invest in IBM type companies…and with the booming economy…I would suspect we are one of the richest families in the state. So…when I started to see you in college…Ben said to marry you…if I wanted to. Why? He said that since your dad was his best friend…I could always trust you.”

“You bastard Jim! How come you never bothered telling me this?”

He noticed her angry face had become one of hurt, which was harder for him to see. He took another gulp, and went to the fridge to retrieve another soldier. Jim took his time in opening the bottle, and slowly went back to his chair next to his wife.

“So…I have been doing legwork for his interests. Since Ben’s health is failing…I found it being the good son type deal…whatever that is. Christ….you would think that he would be more interested in other things than constantly haranguing me about this and that…almost a sickness if you ask me…” Jim said philosophically.

“So who is Carolyn Brown?”

He almost dropped his bottle when she mentioned that name. Jim was speechless, knowing that she was aware of the other woman.

“What?”

“What Jim…I know about your tart. Frankly…it is good for you to have companionship when you are gone for weeks at a time…makes sense. Like you said…we have an arranged marriage…”

He was dumbfounded, and didn’t have anything to add. Now his equally dumb mention of his dad’s prodding him to date and marry Mags was a bigger problem than Carolyn could ever be, he guessed. There were no words, just a quiet that was broken by the ceiling creaking under the big man upstairs. Then Jim thought what did she think their parent’s law firm did? Mags was smart, and Jim realized that there was no way he could ever have kept it under wraps forever. She had to know what her dad did too, right?

“So…your understanding my need for companionship seemed…sedate?” he offered.

She looked at him in a way that was foreign to Jim.

“Come on Jim…we are grownups…what do you want to do?” She said with the lawyerly tone that they had surrounded them forever.

Mags said this with a coldness that gave him chills.

“Well…is doing nothing considered doing something in your Universe?”

That went over with a thud. Mags lit a cigarette which usually meant that she was feeling stress, even though you would never know by her demeanor. If Jim was honest with himself, they never were romantic. It was more of a union of like-minded families, and their happiness was never the concern. It was and always had been the Nelson -Bastian show, two extremely powerful men who had taken their friendship and built one of the most powerful law firms in the country, with a strong presence in Washington D.C. If Condor was serious about his aspirations, Jim Nelson was a perfect pick.

Like his dad, Ben, Jim had followed him as a quarterback for the University of Minnesota, whose field resulted in more wins than losses. He never felt that the elder Nelson cared, but Mags would relay his pride when she sat next to him and her father in the stands. It was a scripted life that Jim led, and it had paid off. Law partner, lovely wife, non-descript house, and a couple of close friends from the gridiron. But when he looked at Mags, it seemed to have added up to nothing. There was no passion, not even when she learned about his girlfriend.