Water Signs: A Story of Love and Renewal

* * *

"Madeline, pick up line one darlin'; there's a gentleman named Jim

Russo waiting for you!"

Betty's lilting voice drifted musically down the hallway as Maddy

reviewed the monthly report for the Kingston Personnel Agency's Wayne

branch. And while her endless craving for something more out of her

career had only intensified since her promotion, she was at least grateful

that business had picked up dramatically. Unfortunately, their efforts to

find a good Account Executive had thus far been fruitless, necessitating

Maddy to spend continued time in the field.

During one of her unplanned cold calls, she knocked on the door of

an insurance company located in a new office condo community in

Exton. Dressed in a professional summer suit of red linen with gold

buttons and navy accents, she'd looked particularly stylish when she spoke

with a friendly receptionist who nevertheless informed her that the boss

was out. However, she willingly gave Maddy his business card. A few days

later, Maddy returned, bearing Kingston's promotional gift for decisionmakers-

a notepaper holder for the desk, decorated with his initials.

On that hot late-June day, she'd also looked stunning in a pale peach

linen ensemble with a short, but tasteful skirt that buttoned up the side. It

was all part of her conscious effort to maintain an attractive exterior,

regardless of persistent inner turmoil. Lately she'd begun to have sporadic

episodes during which her heart would suddenly palpitate wildly, her head

would begin to throb and her stomach would ache as if someone were

squeezing it in their fist. These strange sensations were also accompanied

by an overwhelming and eerie desire to jump out of her skin.

Madeline couldn't quite pinpoint exactly how and why these

occurrences were taking place, although puzzlingly, other people were

usually around when they did. She'd be enjoying lunch or dinner with a

friend when-bam! It would hit her like a bolt out of the blue. And

though these experiences were incredibly frightening, thus far she'd been

able to hide her distress by simply excusing herself to go to the ladies

room. Once there, she'd take deep breaths until she felt safe again. Thank

goodness, today she felt fine; she had a lot of territory to cover with

follow-ups, beginning with Future Insurance.

* * *

The green door of the office opened just as Maddy approached the

bell; behind it stood a nice-looking man with sandy brown hair, blue eyes

and a moustache.

"Oh uh, hello!" She smiled, extending her hand. "I was gonna ring

but looks like you beat me to it! I'm Madeline Rose with the Kingston

Personnel Agency."

Returning her gesture, the man replied politely, "James Russo. Very

nice to meet you!" He looked at her for a moment before asking,

"Weren't you here the other day?"

"Yes, I spoke with Karen. She told me you didn't use temps very

often, but that there may be a need in the near future. So I came back

hoping to introduce myself to you and bring you this little reminder." She

handed him the gift.

"Thank you," he said, "You know, she should have let you speak to

me; I was on the phone with a client, but I was about to end the call. I

would've given you a few minutes of my time."

"Well, thanks Mr. Russo-"

"Jim," he stated.

"Jim," she repeated, "That's very nice, but now that we've had a

chance to meet, you'll know who to call when your hiring needs change. I

really appreciate your courtesy, though. Thank you." As she turned to

leave, he stopped her.

"Wait!"

"Yes?" Madeline made eye contact again.

"Uh, do you get to this area often? Maybe we could have lunch

sometime?"

"I'm usually in Exton about once a week," she admitted.

"Well let me know and we'll do lunch."

"Ok, that would be nice. Have a great afternoon!" she called to him

as she headed back to her car.

Although he seemed pleasant enough, she could tell he was probably

a bit older than her, not that it really mattered. And maybe it would be fun

to share a "safe" lunch with a new man-provided it didn't go any

further. She was still reeling from Kenny's rejection and struggling to find

the appropriate lesson embedded in the events of the past nine months.

Besides, if this guy was already in his late-30's he wouldn't want to hang

out with a child like her for long anyway.

But later that day, as she was sorting through business cards in her

office, Arlene strode in holding a piece of paper from the fax machine.

"For you," she said handing Maddy a handwritten invitation from Jim

to join him for lunch the following Wednesday. As if to emphasize his

interest, he'd drawn a huge smiley face beneath his signature.

"Well, I guess he's sincere!" Maddy laughed, before calling to accept

his offer.

Though she'd expected a venue along the lines of Bennigan's, Friday's

or Chili's, Jim surprised her with a leisurely, upscale meal at the Duling-

Kurtz House. While the white-glove service, elegant ambiance and

extensive menu were impressive, Maddy hardly gave it a second thought

until-when retelling the story that evening-a jubilant Vanessa

exclaimed, "He took you to Duling-Kurtz! Madeline, I've never been to

Duling-Kurtz; this guy must really be into you!"

And as they shared interesting conversation over Caesar's salads with

shrimp, Maddy was delighted to discover a mutual love of theater, the

beach and Frank Sinatra music. Her instincts had been correct; at 36, Jim

was ten years her senior. However, his enthusiasm, spontaneous sense of

humor and principled work ethic created an extremely attractive package.

When Maddy returned to the office she'd faxed him a thank you note, to

which he'd promptly responded, "The pleasure was all mine. Let's do it

again, soon!" Despite her initial misgivings, a delighted Maddy felt ready

to truly give him a fair chance.

The following morning, Betty and Madeline cracked up when Jim's

completed, faxed response to their "Day at the Beach" contest included

the question, "Isn't there something missing from this package?" Maddy

quickly faxed back, "What exactly is missing?" That was when an amused

Jim called her at the office, claiming her fax had brightened his day. He

informed her that what was missing was a beach companion, to which

Maddy replied teasingly, "Betty is available!" Jim roared with laughter.

Interestingly, his birthday had been March 8, the day after hers. But it

wasn't long until Jim's odd behavior made her question the wisdom of

getting involved with another Pisces. While he pursued her relentlessly for

a brief period via regular phone calls, faxes and lunch dates, Maddy grew

suspicious when their plans never evolved into after-hours dinners or

Saturday evening concerts.

That is, until a phone call from his receptionist revealed his

impending marriage to his live-in fiancée in the coming fall. The woman

had been so sympathetic when she'd spoken with Maddy, absolving her

from guilt, and fully acknowledging that her boss had led her on under

false pretenses.

And when a determined Maddy finally tracked Jim down to confirm

the truth, the weasel didn't deny it, though he could offer no further

explanation other than wanting to spend some "innocent" time with a

pretty girl. For a disgusted and hurt Maddy, the incident had proven to be

just another heartache in what was beginning to feel like a never-ending

saga of cruelty and sorrow.