The Silent Minority

by S. Poulos

o'clock.

  Michael was bored stiff. It was definitely the worst thing for a man not to have a job or a goal in his life. The time just wouldn't go.

  "That would be the worst thing to happen for me ever, he thought, not to be able to participate in life and just to watch the world idly go by.

  Finally six o'clock arrived and off he went to his friend's apartment. He was very pleased to see him and they talked about various things until the conversation somehow come to Aphrodite.

  "You seem to hit the jackpot," his friend said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, the way you describe her, she is young, beautiful and rich. Do you want more? What else does a man need?"

  "I must say I never looked at it this way."

  "You will learn. You will learn fast, my friend!" his friend said.

  That night Michael lay in bed in his hotel room thinking of everything that had happened with the ex-chairman, the current chairman, his friend and Aphrodite.

  About the current chairman he felt sorry. The man wanted to get out of the mess he was in, but he didn't know how to go about it and that he did not want to relinquish his position as the chairman of WCFET.

  About the ex-chairman he was uneasy, but the only reason he had not informed him of his meeting with the current chairman was that he did not want to raise his expectations high in case things did not turn out the right way.

  Then he considered the discussion he had in his friend's apartment about Aphrodite. Maybe his friend was right, and he should be more careful with her. After all, his friend had many experiences with women whereas this seemed to be the only relationship Michael had had that seemed it might develop into something serious.

  And as for Aphrodite, he must admit that he spoiled her dinner with the lengthy phone call, but on the other hand she could be a bit more patient.

  This was Michael's way of ending the day just before he fell asleep. He would reflect on what happened during the day. He would make a resume and he would examine whether he should have acted the way he had acted or perhaps differently. He would go back to see if he hurt someone unwittingly so as to be more careful next time. In general he wanted to keep the good lessons the day served and to throw the bad ones out the window.

  Today was a mixed sort of a day; he thought and slowly drifted asleep.

  In the morning he decided to ring Aphrodite to patch things up.

  "Before you say anything, can we make a deal?" he said.

  "What kind of a deal?"

  "That I will apologize to you for spoiling your lunch with that long telephone call and you apologize to me for being so impatient."

  She thought for a moment and then she said, "It's a deal. By the way who was this chairman over the phone that seemed so important?"

  "I will explain to you another day. So what are you doing now?"

  "I was going to say that!"

  "I am still in my hotel room; do you want to go for lunch?"

  "Yes, but not to that restaurant. It is a jinx; always something happening. I will take you to one."

  "That is fine with me; can you pick me up from here?"

  "Yes. Give me the address. I will be there in two hours."

  "I will be down the lobby waiting for you."

  She came in time and found Michael reading the newspaper. She had a glance around the lobby and she said, "Not actually the Four Seasons is it?"

  "Good enough for me."

  "Let's go."

  So off they went to a classy restaurant right on the waterfront.

  "Now this is a mighty place I must say!"

  "Special places for special people."

  "Tell me; aren't you working at all?"

  "Oh yes, I am working for my father. I have flexible hours. I go when I like and I leave when I like," she said, laughing.

  "And what are you doing if you ever decide to go?"

  "I am the public relations officer of the company; I have my office there and my private secretary."

  "Why would your father's company need a public relations officer? Is it such a big company?"

  "Not that big, but lately we developing some sites with considerable public opposition. When you are a land developer, no matter how considerate you are, there will be always be opposition. Anyway, I would suggest lobster le grand. It is fantastic, and how about if we start with some oysters au naturel?"

  "Sounds good."

  The current chairman of the WCFET was in turmoil. Since the second happening with his little girl and the appearance of this young man in his office the other day he was walking on in hot coals; his anxiety was such that he thought that he is losing his mind. There was not a night passed without having nightmares and getting up in the middle of the night showered with cold sweat. His wife wouldn't share their bed with him anymore and his little girl was wondering why Daddy had changed so much and why he would not even hug her anymore. For a moment things seemed to work out, but the second happening with the warning message repent now and the appearance of this young man that seemed to know everything had blown the whole thing apart.

  But how did this young man know so much about the vice-chairman and him? He was sure his friend had never mentioned him at all, and yet he seemed to know so much.

  The last straw had come last night when he was sleeping and heard a thump on the floor. He was so terrified that he was shaking with fear, but luckily for him it was only the cat. Otherwise he would not be able to face his wife or kid anymore.

  He made his decision to resign from the chairmanship first thing tomorrow.

  He came to his office today with this in his mind oh... it was so hard for him, so hard... but what if he could save his family and his sanity? If he was going to resign, he didn't need the young man, but then again he seemed to know things and he seemed to be a nice guy.

  I had better ring him before I resign, he thought.

  "The oysters natural with lemon were fantastic," said Michael as he finished his last one.

  "Do you know what they say about the oysters au naturel?" asked Aphrodite.

  "No, what?"

  "That they are very wait for it... aphrodi..."

  "What...Aphrodite?"

  "Pretty close. It derives from Aphrodite; it is an aphrodisiac. The dictionary describes it something like... stimulating or ... intensifying sexual desire. Anyway, something like that."

  "But how do you know all this?"

  "My name is Aphrodite," she said teasingly, "you remember?"

  "Oh, here comes the main dish. What a picture! I hope it tastes as good as it looks!"

  "I am sure it does. It's Lobster le Grand; they specialize in it."

  At that moment Michael's phone rang; it was the current chairman of the WCFET.

  "Hello, Chairman," said Michael.

  That moment Aphrodite choked as she was sipping a glass of white wine.

  "Don't worry," Michael said to Aphrodite whisperingly as he was covering his phone with his hand, "he is a different chairman."

  "Well," said the chairman, "I don't know if this is going to change anything but I am going to resign right now. I've had enough."

  "Please Chairman, don't do it yet. I'll be there in no time. Are you at your office?"

  "Yes I am."

  "I'll be there soon."

  "I don't believe this...I just don't believe it."

  "Aphrodite, I am so sorry, but it is so important. I will make it up to you. It's a promise."

  "No you will not," she said, and went to pay the bill while Michael ran outside to look for a taxi.

  As he waited there he was nearly run over by Aphrodite driving furiously out of sight. He wondered if she did it purposely.

  He reached the office of the chairman and found him in a distressed state.

  "Calm down," said Michael. "It is very important to listen; otherwise your resignation will be in vain."

  "What do you mean? If I resign it's finished, finito. I will go home and start my life again. Do you understand? I
want my life back."

  "This is why I am here; to help everyone to get their lives back."

  "Who are you? Why do you want to help me? I don't even know you!"

  "I don't want to help only you. I want to help your kid, your wife, your friend in the beyond and an innocent man that may rot in prison because of you."

  "Don't talk about my kid...anyway if I handle my resignation things should go back to normal again."

  "No, for you won't have achieved anything. You will only have burned the ace you have. You will destroy your strong hand without achieving anything. Your kid will continue to be harassed, your wife will blame you for that, your friend the vice-chairman won't be able to find peace, the Teacher is going to rot in prison and you will sink even further into the shit."

  "Okay, okay, you told me that already, but why would that happen?"

  "Because your friend, the ex-vice-chairman of the WCFET; persecuted an innocent man to the point that he even tried to murder him. But this is not all; he influenced you so you continue in his tracks repeating the same mistake as he did. When he passed over into the beyond he realized he was wrong and he is trying to atone things by warning you. I tell you, his soul won't rest unless you amend things."

  "And how can I amend things?"

  "With an amendment, man."

  "Are you joking now or what?"

  "Not at all. I am very serious."

  The chairman started to breathe slightly better. It was not that he solved any problem, but this mess he was in started to make a little more sense if things were as this young man described them. Although he never believed in these things, at least it was some kind of an explanation. After all, this young man seemed to know so much he could even use it to his advantage. He could even blackmail him. He had no reason not to believe in this young man.

  "What do you