JINX!
Chapter 3

One day quite early in the first year that she had worked with Mark, Marie returned from a tea break along with two or three others of the team and, taking up the station once again, she prepared for the next two hours of work. Mark sat up. He had taken a ten minute power nap, something he frequently did and was also gearing up for the next workload. He realised that Marie wasn't quite herself so he approached her quietly and once alongside asked in a gentle way, "What's up, what's happened?"
"Oh nothing just a bit down that's all."
"That's not the right answer, try again."

Mark, with an IQ over 170, had been in risk management and used to looking for telltale signs of stress or conflict. He had a talent for identifying issues, seeing potential problems and working out solutions before the situation arose. He could tell that serious issues were affecting Marie. Not only did he want to help, but he also realised that this depression would affect her judgment and could jeopardize the role she had to play in their part of the diamond industry.

He repeated his question "So, tell me what's happened."
"Oh OK, if you must know Barry has gone too far this time and I've asked him to leave."
Barry was Marie's partner, a good looking man of southern European origin. He had moved in with her and her two daughters about six years earlier.

Marie had told Mark that Ian, her husband and father of Allison and Terrie, had left them all eight years back for one of the women in the motorcycle shop where he worked as a technician. Ian had moved to a large motorcycle dealership on the south coast taking his new partner with him. Marie had sued for divorce and custody of the two girls and had won; she also owned the house.

Mark knew of this tragedy; one of the factors that convinced Marie she was jinxed, and also of Barry's appearance on the scene

"How do you mean too far?"
"I just got fed up with him issuing orders, refusing to let me have a social life, not even with the girls he knows, and demanding his own way in everything."

"So you feel vulnerable and betrayed; I can see why."
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Identify exactly how I'm feeling, spot on every tme?"
"It's a knack I have. I have worked with the government and used these skills on many occasions."

"Well, I find it eerie; I do tarot cards and even with that I can't see things like this coming, until it's too late."

"So tell me how much does Barry actually mean to you?"
"He was everything to me; I would give up my arm to have that relationship back, but I couldn't have his lying, cheating, ways anymore."

"So what's your plan of action?"
"I have been in touch with the mortgage provider; I don't want his name on my mortgage any longer. I want it taken off The sooner the better."

"What?! You made this guy a joint owner of your house?" Mark was flabbergasted and slightly angry.
"Well, er, yes but - - " She needed to think carefully Mark would pick up on anything that wasn't quite right, and right now she needed his friendship and advice more than anything.

After giving it some thought she started again.
"Well I did put him on the title mainly because we had so much going for us and he was like a father to the girls. I didn't expect to be in this position now."

"So, how much money did he put in?"
"Well not as you would say, put in, I mean, he didn't put in a lump sum, er, he was generous, he paid quite a large amount into my bank account each month and-, and-, and he arranged for improvements on the house."

"And you believed in this guy, yeah?"
"There you go again."
"Am I right?"
"Yes, as usually you are."
"So, what kind of a man is he; tell me not just how you feel, but how others see him?"
"Well, he's lovely, generous, gentle, kind, and good looking - - -"
"I said how others see him!"
"Erm... he's a cold, calculating mercenary; his job makes him that way."

"Aha!"
"What do you mean, 'Aha'?"
"Now I see it."
"See what? Oh you are so infuriating!"
"I see the man has clearly it's if I had a photograph of him."
"Do you enjoy making people uncomfortable with your knack of perception?"
"Is that a genuine question or did I detect a hint of sarcasm?"
"Oooh!" Marie stamped her foot.
Mark laughed.
She stamped again.

"Marie, back to this man Barry, he gets jealous whenever anyone touches your life, even if innocently yeah?"

"Damn, you are so infuriating! Yes that is exactly right."
"If cornered, that is, if he feels you've pushed him into a corner, a position of vulnerability, he will lash out?"
"You're a fantastic! I can't believe how you get it so right."
"Now stop that. I am not fantastic, I am not special, I don't have superpowers. I just have a gift, a talent for calculating probabilities based on retrospective information."
"Call it whatever you will, but I'm grateful for it."

"So Barry has hit you then?"
"How did you work that out?"
"Answer question first."
"Yes he hit me on more than one occasion because he wasn't happy about the answers I gave him."
"Cornered, felt trapped, hit you."
"That's exactly what he said!"

"That figures."
"I'm glad he's gone."
"Are you?"
"Yes."
"I don't think so!"
"You're ahead of me again, and you haven't explained how you knew he had hit me!"
"Elementary dear Watson; your body language when we talked about the possibility of lashing out. It told me you had already experienced that."
"Okay yes he did it without warning; sometimes it was a preliminary to sex."
"And if that was the case, he then did physical exercise afterwards instead of sleeping yeah?"
"Oh!" Marie clasped her hand over her mouth. She found it astounding how Mark reacted to the situations she was describing almost as if he was there as an eyewitness.

"Oh Mark, you again are so right."
"No it was Doctor Sigmund Freud that was right! I just repeated his questions to you."
"So what does it mean?"
"Well, he loves you, but he also sees you as a sex object; more so as a sex slave, of which he has exclusive ownership."
"Go on- "
"One day he will strike out harder than he has done ever before, and if you're on the receiving end of it, the damage will be serious."
"Well, he's gone. He hit me just before he left, three times in the face, twice in the stomach, and once behind, in the back."
"Shall I go around his flat and pay him?"
"Pay him?" Marie's eyes were very big.
"Not with money, sweet girl. No, I mean with the same medicine."
"No, no, I don't want him hurt."
"Sheesh! I give up."

"Well.... and he's nice really, I just hate the way he ruled my life."
"So let me go and sort it out."
"No."
At this point the young Harry, alongside Mark joined in.
"Yeah me and Mark will go and see him, he won't bother you again."
"No boys, please; he's out of my life and once he's off my title deeds, it's over. Thanks for your offer, but no."
"She still loves him really." Mark said to Harry who nodded knowingly.

A little later on after the next break Marie returned to the bench a little red eyed and obviously distressed.
"Well?" Mark questioned as he looked intently at her face
"I sent him the text asking if he had had the papers to sign. He started giving me all sorts of reasons for not signing, saying he loved me and how much he missed me and the girls."
"And?"
"I sent a reply is saying he really needed to sign the papers."
"So what was it in his next text message that upset you so much ?"
"How did you know that he replied again?"
"Because nothing you have said so far would upset you the way that you are now."

"Well, he said I am a calculating bitch. He swore at me!"
She swallowed hard, struggling to keep back the tears.
"Listen, he isn't worth it. Text him back and say so, tell him to get out of your life, be tough."
"I can't I'm not a tough calculating bitch."
"I know, you're too kind and gentle but there is always a time to get tough, now is that time."

"Oh why is it nothing ever goes right for me? Do you think I'm jinxed? All my life everything dear to me goes sour, all gets broken or stolen - -"
"No, I don't think so, but there is something that might be causing you problems; one day we'll find it and root it out."
Mark reached down and picked a large three carat clear white diamond from out of the tray. He held it up towards Marie.
"See this? It's worth nothing without the beautiful woman that will wear it. Now you my dear, are more valuable than this, remember that."

William looked at Mark and then at Marie.
"My god! He makes some profound statements doesn't he?"
Marie didn't answer; that final comment that touched her heart and she preferred not to show the emotion, so she busied herself with the next stone in her tray.

William glanced back that Mark.
"I think you've upset Marie now."
"No, no, he hasn't William. You both are so kind and I don't know what I'd do right now without you both."
Mark chose to make no comment but he noted the brief exchange and he decided he would help wherever he could. Between them the legal, practical, and financial advice needed would be of superior quality, based on their individual backgrounds and experience. Mark and William were both retired high flyers having been in top level positions in Blue Chip companies. Mark still owned three companies and was only grading diamonds because he was bored, and also because at one time he'd been a deputy manager in a high class jewellers.

William too had interests that were outside the company, providing him with a long-term financial strategy.

Marie on the other hand was struggling to balance the elements of life. Every penny she earned was spoken for. She had family members who were financial wizards and who had built themselves secure towers of financial security. Sadly relationships were strained and in any case Marie didn't want to go cap in hand to them. Mark so wanted to just hand over lump sum to get her out of trouble but he couldn', all of his wealth was in the companys he owned and they were in the Caribbean, not to mention the questions he would have to answer when his wife noticed large sums of money leaving the bank account. He'd have trouble explaining why a large sum of money had been given to a woman he worked with. Bad idea.

He cared though, and felt her pain and suffered his own frustrations at not being able to help her. William, also married, would have to face the same questions; their hands were tied.

Mark walked around to Marie, placed his arm around her waist and gently squeezed. It was a gesture of caring and empathy.

"We're here for you and will help however we can, you know that."
"Thank you Mark, you're really kind."
She smiled and blinked back a tear, unaware of the next blow her jinx would deal her within a day.




You are reminded this is copyright material
(c) Steve Goodings 2007 (Bob Curby)
FA(c)T