The Longer The Fall

by Aviva Gat

  “Did I mention that tonight is a double date?” Rhonda looked like she could kill him with her tiny purse.

  Chapter 40

  Madeline sat with Brandon’s arm around her shoulders. Their fingers were interlocked and she could feel Brandon’s thumb rubbing against her hand. She loved the feeling of his hand holding hers. It was strong, protective.

  “How do you two do it?”

  Madeline and Brandon glanced at each other and smiled like they were sharing a secret, before turning back to the reporter in front of them.

  “Well—” “It’s—" They both started to speak at the same time and that made them both chuckle. “Ladies first,” Brandon said, kissing his wife’s temple.

  “It’s a lot of work,” Madeline said to the reporter. They were being interviewed for a segment that would run during one of the early morning talk shows about being a strong career-focused couple while raising a family. They were sitting in their living room, which had been professionally cleaned and organized and supplemented with fake sunlight for the shoot. “We’re very lucky that we have help. I know not everyone has the opportunities that we do and for that we are so grateful. We try to outsource all the miniscule tasks around the house so we can focus on our family relationships. Time is so limited; the key is making the most of every minute; which means when you are with family, you are focused on family. There is no thinking about work when you are with the kids. If you ask your son how his day was, you listen and absorb every word.”

  “Brandon, you want to add something?”

  “At the end of the day, it’s really all about trust,” Brandon said. “We’re partners, we’re a team and we work together so that we can succeed in the most important project of all, which is our family. We support each other, pick up slack when we need to, and most importantly, we don’t judge each other when someone drops the ball. We know it happens, but as a team, it’s each of our jobs to catch the ball when the other drops it. This is really the most important thing: instead of fighting about these things, we lift each other up.”

  “That’s romantic,” the reporter commented, looking at the filming camera for a moment. “It’s easy for couples to be so focused on being a team that they forget they are also a couple. You two seem like you still have that romantic connection. Any tips for other parents?”

  “It’s about being present,” Madeline said, patting Brandon’s thigh. “Whether that means closing your phone for three minutes to have coffee together or making sure to check in on each other during the day to show your support. Every little thing counts. We are both constantly thinking about how to make the other one happy. Anything you can do to put a smile on the other’s face, you do it. Like last week, for example, Brandon forgot his coffee at home.” Madeline glanced at her husband. “Anyone who knows Brandon, knows he always brings his dingy, old plastic mug to work, even though he can get fresh coffee there. Anyway, I saw that, so I had a fresh coffee—in a plastic mug, of course—delivered to his desk and waiting for him when he got there.”

  “That was really thoughtful,” Brandon said with a big smile on his face. “It’s little things like that.”

  “That’s so nice to hear,” the reporter said. “Now, we have just a minute left and we haven’t even spoken about your upcoming election. I’m sure this puts an extra strain on your family life.”

  “Of course,” Madeline responded. “But I’m so lucky I have Brandon who picks up any slack for me at home. He truly is the perfect husband.” Madeline turned her head and her lips met Brandon’s for a quick peck.

  When the filming was finished, the reporter and film crew packed up their equipment and thanked the couple for their time. Madeline said she couldn’t wait to see the segment and hoped they’d provided valuable advice for the show’s viewers. She and Brandon continued to hold hands until the crew had driven away in their van.

  “I have to go,” Brandon said pulling away his hand and running to the stairs to change out of the collared shirt he wore specially for the interview. His happy face that had been on earlier seemed to have melted off and his tone became tired. Madeline watched him until he disappeared on the second floor. The last month had been difficult for her and it was anything but how it looked on camera.

  Brandon attended all her campaign events and interviews, smiling and supportive. He did it because he still believed in her. Believed in what she stood for and where she was going. But at home? He barely looked at her, nor said a word other than what had to be said. The more he ignored her, the more she craved his attention. She reveled in the way he touched her in public, never wanting to leave the spotlight for their cold marriage at home. As the month went on, she began to realize more and more how lucky she was to be with Brandon and how badly she wanted their marriage to work, especially in private.

  How could she fix things? Even after the Cobras were arrested for the blackmail and explanations were given, Brandon still held his suspicions. The pictures were no longer to be seen, but their images did not fade away.

  Madeline was determined to fix things with Brandon and she had an idea that dinner with Hunter and Rhonda could fix things. Brandon would see that Hunter was happily married. That he and Madeline were just a long-ago memory. That Hunter was not a threat to their union. On the other hand, she was curious how Brandon would act at the dinner. Would he be the public Brandon? The loving supportive one? Or the private Brandon? Cold and suspicious? For someone with Madeline’s aptitude for strategy, it may have been an amateur plan, but it was the only plan she had.

  When Brandon returned down the stairs in his regular t-shirt, Madeline was waiting for him in the kitchen. She filled up his mug with coffee and handed it to him. “Thank you,” he said. He was about to head out the door for work when Madeline stopped him.

  “We have dinner plans tonight,” she said.

  “Fine,” he responded. He was used to dinners with donors or influential community members.

  “This isn’t for the campaign.” Brandon stopped and turned around with a questioning look. With his attention, Madeline continued. “It’s for us. We’re going to have dinner with Hunter and his wife.”

  “Madeline, I don’t want to have dinner with your ex.” The way he said ex made it sound like he didn’t believe it.

  “I’m asking you, as a favor. It’s important to me.” The magic words: It’s important to me. Madeline and Brandon had an unspoken rule in their marriage. If someone invoked these magic words, the other complied. Brandon nodded and was out the door.

  Madeline herself had a busy day before dinner—there was rarely a free moment when campaigning—but her mind was busy strategizing for the evening. This needed her full attention at the moment. This would be one of the biggest campaigns she needed to win.

  Chapter 41

  La Quinta was a quiet restaurant where even the waiters seemed to whisper so as not to be overheard. Clothed tables checkered the floor at distances that provided the limited privacy that diners could have in close proximity. It was the kind of place where hands were shook, deals were made, and alliances forged. In fact, just the previous night a billion-dollar business acquisition was negotiated over hot ramekins of crème brulée.

  Madeline had been to the restaurant many times before. Her first experience was just after she moved to California. She and Brandon had been invited by the state’s Republican National Committee chairman to discuss the future of the young couple. There Madeline’s future was decided, and along with it, Brandon’s. That was just the first of many dinners at La Quinta. Madeline’s first run for office and Brandon’s company’s IPO were just a couple topics that had been discussed at the restaurant thereafter. But this particular evening was a first for Madeline and Brandon. It was the first time they came for a personal reason. The country’s future or the state of CyTech’s stock did not depend on this evening’s conversation. Only the couple’s marriage was at stake.

  The car ride over was quiet aside from a few sprinkles of conversat
ion about the boys. Normally, silence between the couple would be broken with questions, What else? Anything new? So? But this evening the couple forwent the pleasantries and chose to sit quietly next to each other. When Brandon parked the car, he looked over at his wife.

  “Madeline, tell me again why we are doing this.”

  There was just one reason why, Madeline thought. Because she couldn’t see any other way to fix things with Brandon. Should he see Hunter with his wife, see that there was nothing between Madeline and him, maybe Brandon would come back to her and be the life partner she needed, both in public and in private. “So you can see,” she said. The couple got out of the car and Madeline quickly grabbed Brandon’s hand as they walked into the restaurant. He didn’t pull away, which, to Madeline, was almost as telling as though he had forgiven her out loud.

  Inside they were informed that Hunter and Rhonda were waiting for them. A smiling hostess navigated to their table, choosing a path that avoided passing occupied tables as much as possible. The couple was sitting next to each other in silence, Rhonda was focused on her nails while Hunter studied the menu in front of him. As the second couple approached, the first looked up. Hunter put on a smile and stood to greet them, while Rhonda put her fidgeting hands under the table.

  “I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” Brandon said in his charming voice. “I’m Brandon, nice to finally meet you.” He emphasized the word finally as though he had been waiting years for this moment and stuck out his hand to Hunter’s ready for a firm shake.

  “Hunter. Likewise,” Hunter said as he accepted Brandon’s hand in return. Madeline watched as the two men held their hands stiff in each other’s for a long moment. When the handshake was over, the couples continued to greet each other—Hunter and Madeline gave a quick hand squeeze, as did Brandon and Rhonda. Madeline squeezed Rhonda’s shoulders before taking her seat across from her. The four of them were such an odd combination for so many reasons. Not just because of everyone’s relationship to Madeline, but also because of the stark differences between them all.

  When the waiter came around, Brandon ordered a bottle of wine, insisting that it was one that everyone would love. “It comes from the vineyard next to my family’s,” Brandon said, initiating the first topic of conversation.

  “Your family has a vineyard?” Rhonda questioned, immediately interested in hearing more. Brandon nodded and began explaining to her that his family had owned it for years. There hadn’t been a Thomas working there for a few generations, but the family still owned it and spent weekends and holidays tasting the barreled wines before they were bottled and corked.

  “In fact, that was Madeline’s and my first official vacation,” Brandon said, interlacing his fingers with his wife’s. Madeline remembered that first trip to the vineyard. The couple had been there with Brandon’s parents, a fact that at first disappointed Madeline, but it was during that weekend that she first fell in love with Brandon’s family. “If you two ever want to visit, just let me know. I can arrange it for you,” Brandon generously offered. He wasn’t just saying it either, he would arrange it if asked. He had done it for plenty of friends before.

  With the wine poured, Brandon led a toast. “To Madeline, for bringing us together.” Madeline wasn’t sure if it was meant to be sarcastic or vile, but she smiled and clinked her glass against her companions’ and accepted the toast like a compliment.

  The group ordered salads for starters and steak and fish for their entrees and the conversation throughout the meal was jovial and friendly. There weren’t any lulls in conversation, nor awkward moments. Everyone seemed to be on their best behavior and even enjoying themselves. Even Rhonda had lightened up around the time Brandon chose a second bottle of wine and began telling stories of her work as a TSA agent and all the things people tried to smuggle through security. “Last week a woman came with a bird under her shirt!” Rhonda laughed. “A freaking parakeet! Can you believe it? Like what was she thinking? That we wouldn’t catch it? What would she do on the plane? Just let it fly around?”

  The group continued to get to know each other, but there was one topic that was not yet discussed: how everyone was connected to Madeline and how deep those connections were. But like a blistering sunburn, this topic could not be completely ignored. It was Brandon who finally brought it up when the waiter arrived with their chocolate soufflés and the aperitifs that went along with them.

  “This is weird, right?” He started. “Hunter? You with me?” Hunter looked back and forth between the couple across from him unsure how to answer. He felt indebted to Madeline, obligated to answer in a way that would please here, but unsure what that affirmation should be. “You can agree,” Brandon continued noticing Hunter’s uncertainty.

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “I guess so.”

  “I just don’t get it,” Brandon said, picking up a spoon and breaking open one of the soufflés. He stuffed the chocolate in his mouth. “Wow, this is good, you all need to try it. Madeline? You’ll love it. Hunter, Rhonda, don’t be shy.”

  “You know I can’t resist chocolate,” Madeline smiled and the three of them all helped themselves to a bite.

  “That, I know,” Brandon laughed to himself like he had just heard an inside joke. “That’s why we’re here, right?” It must have been the wine, they had gone through three bottles before the aperitifs, but Brandon’s tone became sharp and combative in a way that Madeline had never heard it before. The table fell silent. The echo of the evening’s banter, the camaraderie, all seemed to drop in an instant.

  “Dude,” Hunter began. “Let’s not go there.” It wasn’t the first time Hunter had been compared to chocolate, and it certainly would not be the last. It was the kind of comment that people who staunchly insisted they were not racist would say thinking it was a genuine comparison. Instinctively, Hunter put his arm around his wife.

  “You’re right, I’m sorry for that,” Brandon responded. “That didn’t come out right. Too much wine.” In truth, Brandon wasn’t especially racist, no more than the average American who locks their car doors when driving through certain neighborhoods and would hesitate for just half a moment when noticing an interracial couple. “But how can we not talk about this?”

  “Brandon,” Madeline put her hand on her husband’s shoulder. She knew it was too good to be true that all confrontation between the two men would be avoided. That was best case, also known as an unlikely, scenario. But the way the rest of the conversation would go would determine her future. She hoped he would take her clue.

  “Rhonda? You don’t think this is weird?” Brandon turned to her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. She leaned into her husband.

  “Yeah,” she said. “It’s freaking weird.”

  “Yeah, it must be freaking weird for you,” Brandon continued. “Like, I know some of what’s going on here, but not all. And you, well, I don’t even know how much you know. Maybe you know less than me. Maybe you know more. I don’t know.”

  “I’m not really sure what you mean,” Rhonda responded. She took a second bite of the soufflé. “I’m just enjoying the dessert.” She smiled, trying to keep a light tone. Rhonda didn’t like confrontations or tense situations. They made her anxious, and sometimes she’d get attacks. If she had ever seen a psychologist, they might have said she had PTSD, but she had never been diagnosed. Truthfully, she was enjoying the evening. She had never been to such a nice restaurant and she liked feeling like she was mingling with the one percent. It gave her a taste of what she believed Hunter had given up when he and Madeline broke up.

  “Hunter, you can be straight with me, dude,” Brandon said quietly. In fact the whole conversation was so quiet, that from afar it would appear the group was still having a friendly conversation about a serious topic. “What’s going on with you and Madeline?”

  Hunter shook his head. Madeline’s heart began to pound. Here it was. The turning point where things could go either way. “I’m working for her,” Hunter said coolly. “To p
ass the SAVER Bill.”

  “And you’re OK with that Rhonda?” Brandon said as though Hunter had just said something totally different.

  “Sure,” she said. “I mean, it’s whatever.”

  “It’s whatever,” Brandon repeated, nodding his head. “That’s a great endorsement. And you believe that’s all it is? Working together?”

  Rhonda looked at her husband and then at Madeline. She had accused her husband of cheating multiple times during fights and heated lack-of-sleep induced arguments, but she had never actually believed it was a true possibility. Not Hunter. Not the man who dated a woman like Madeline before her.

  “Brandon,” Hunter said before his wife could give an answer. “What are you trying to do here?” He rubbed his wife’s shoulder with his arm that was already around her and grabbed her hand with his free one. He had just started to get back on Rhonda’s good side and that was a place he really wanted to be.

  “Just want to get to the truth. We all deserve that, don’t we? Rhonda, don’t you want the truth?”

  She thought about it and the answer was that she wasn’t sure. Was truth the most important thing? Honestly, she was happy to be back with Hunter. She had left him in a flurry of impulsive anger and her stubbornness had stopped her from going back. But she didn’t like being alone. She liked Hunter back, even if he was just on the couch. She wasn’t sure she could go through another breakup with Hunter. Her mental state was not strong enough. So, she thought again to herself, did she want to know the truth if it could ruin her marriage? Did she prefer to just assume that she had no reason to doubt Hunter?

  “I’m going to go to the bathroom,” she said. She stood up and left the table. After a moment of silence, Madeline too stood up.