Curve Ball

As my company's market share fell, the board made the decision to begin to downsize. Not that I was ever in the frame to lose my job, but my commission checks had taken an almighty dive. It also became common knowledge that Della's company was in the same position as mine and was downsizing also.

A few months' later rumours began to circulate that a merger was in the works. The conglomerate that had taken over Permons was rumoured to have purchased some shares in the company I worked for, normally a prerequisite to a take over offer being made.

The directors of Della's company and mine were obviously trying to cover their own backs by merging the two firms. When it eventually happened, it went down well for some us, although lot of folks did lose their jobs because of duplication, in the process. Both plants were kept running but with reduced output and staff.

Della and my jobs were safe for the time being, both of us being most successful salespeople in our respective companies. Although we now worked out of the same office, it didn't prove much of a problem as the companies were in adjacent towns.

But now a new war started between Della and I. Which one of us was going to be top dog in the new integrated sales force? I'm afraid to say the rivalry between us gained new heights. All the old politeness we'd shown to each other over the last few years went out of the window; this was going to be a fight to the death between us.

Even with Permons low prices, Della and I began to claw back some market share. And then, when the reason for the low prices of Permons products became public knowledge, Della and I were back to earning ridiculous money again.

It appeared that Permons had been cutting corners on quality control. After some of their gear turned out to be well below accepted safety standards, all bloody hell broke loose up there. Production stopped completely and, in the wake of Permons sudden collapse, even Morechants picked up a lot of extra sales that our company couldn't expand quickly enough to cover. Folks were getting desperate.

The top salesman of the month title swayed back and forth between Della and I for the next year or so and then things took a turn that neither Della nor I had anticipated. The new combined company had been making record profits and at the same time as Della and I had been receiving obscene commission checks. When things had been bad before the two companies had combined, both Della's and my salaries had become inflated as well, neither company wishing to lose their best sales people to the opposition.

The problem the two of us were to find ourselves in now was that a monkey could sell our stuff and our company found they had two extremely overpaid sales people on their staff. We first knew something was up when the sales director retired.

Now in theory Della or I should have been in line for his job. When the announcement of who had been offered the position was made, I think just about everybody in the sales department was shocked. The job went to a regional sales manager that no one expected would even be in the running. Mind he was an arse kicker though and, looking back, he hadn't been in attendance that night at the hotel after the trade show many years before. That was leaked as the official reason for his promotion over everyone else.

The next thing we knew the sales staff's commission was reduced on all products. Then the perks we'd always had were slowly reduced. And finally, when the next round of pay rises came in, both Della and I received far smaller raises than anyone else, and somehow, the details of the pay round became public knowledge within the company.

Then it was apparent that our expenses were being closely scrutinised. I was dragged over the coals on more than one occasion over the smallest discrepancies. Della it appeared was receiving the same treatment. It was very noticeable to me that the other sales staff weren't getting the same treatment.

Slowly I began to realise that they were trying to push Della and me out. I think the plan had been that Della and I would both get antsy about what had been going on. The regional manager's promotion, the reduction in commission and our minute pay rises, all things I believe purposely done to upset Della and me; after all, we were still the top sales staff on the company.

I think the plan was that at least one of us would get annoyed and throw the job in. If one or even both of us threw our jobs in, it would save the company a hell of a lot of cash in our wages and what they would have to pay us if they made us redundant.

That evening I called Della and suggested a council of war. As I have said before, there was no real love lost between Della and I at the time, but we were both realists. Della arrived with her current boyfriend, Robert Shore, in tow. He'd been one of the directors who'd been pushed out during the two company's merger a couple of years previous.

The three of us sat around the table, and played with different scenarios but couldn't come up with anything that we thought would achieve anything. But Robert did say that he was playing with an idea, but we'd have to give him time to work it out. He suggested that, in the mean time, Della and I dropped hints around about being forced to resign, and industrial tribunals. He didn't know whether it would do any good but it might throw a scare into some people.

Surprisingly it did. Notes appeared on the sales department notice board about voluntary redundancies a couple of weeks later. Unfortunately for the company there were no takers. The company had slimmed down so much over the previous few years all those who wanted to go had already gone. Della and I kept out heads down for the time being whilst Robert sorted out his plan.

It took Robert about two months before he asked Della and I to a meeting about his proposal. I was surprised he'd hadn't let Della in on what he was planning, it was apparent Robert had been playing his cards very close to his chest.

When I got to the meeting in a private room of a pub in town, I found several other ex-directors, besides Robert, who'd been pushed out of both companies. Robert spelled out the plan. He and some of the others had made approaches to the owners of Permons and to Morechants. The plan was that with Morechants backing, a company would be set up to purchase what was left of Permons and put it back into production.

Of course, Morechants would help with quality control and sorting out production problems. And, of course, having it known that Morechants was backing the products would or should allay any of the customers' worries about quality. Della and I came in on the selling side. It was our job to convince the market that the products were up to the standard they should be and sell them as well.

Everything was kept very secret, so it was a complete surprise when both Della and I walked into the sales director's office one morning and informed him we were taking voluntary redundancy. Honestly I think he looked relieved that he was getting shot of the two highest paid members of his staff. I'd love to have seen all of the directors' faces, two months later when Morechant-Permons 2000 suddenly raised its little head. Although we traded under the name Permons 2000.

There was some hoo-ha about clauses in certain people's contracts stopping them from setting up in competition with the old company. But it appeared that the contracts had been written in such a hurry when the two companys' merged and had so many loopholes that they were irrelevant. I should imagine someone's head must have rolled over that.

For the next year or so, Della and I jointly oversaw the sales department. Surprisingly we got on very well together. Della had broken up with Robert shortly after we launched the company; it must have been quite amicably because I never saw any sign of animosity between them. I think they both were too busy to dwell on it. Anyway Robert got married about a year after their bust up.

Della and I were very friendly by then. We spent a lot of time together whilst on the road; Yeah, we often did sales trips together. God, the buyer didn't stand a chance when the two of us entered their office.

And Della and I did get really friendly on quite a few evenings whilst away. We would find out where the nightlife was and have a really good time. I know you're busting to know so I'll tell you that often we did spend the night in each other's hotel rooms. When we'd signed a good contract, we really went to town and fucked like bunnies.

Our old company was soon cutting back on just about everything, as Permons 2000 took the major share of the market. Eventually it was decided that a distribution centre was required in the south. Although most our offices had been down south from the start, production was still based in Glasgow.

I'm not to sure how the decision was made but I finished up in charge of the southern distribution centre. Oh, we had a sales team working out of there as well. But the sales area was split down the middle. I ran the south and Della ran the north.

Della and I still got together all the time when she was in the locality. Actually she got a flat in Glasgow and stayed at my house when she was in the south. She had her own key and came and went, as she liked. Mind you, she did start to be very conscientious about letting me know she was going to be at the house, after I'd brought a date home one evening. When we got to the bedroom, we found Della was fast asleep in the bed. I'm not sure what that woman made of it, but she never would go out with me again. Perhaps she thought Della and I had a Bi party planned.

Anyway life, as far as I was concerned, was going just fine. I was spending very little time on the road by then, just the odd trade show. I'd bought myself a nice house and I had everything a guy could want in life. Well, except a wife and children that is. And I figured it was about time that I corrected that point.

Della and I had gone out to dinner one evening when I tackled the problem with her.

"Della, when are you going to marry me?" I asked her.

A serious look came over Della's face. "I don't think that would be a good idea, Mike."

"And why not?"

"Because I like you a lot Mike, I always have done. But I don't love you and you definitely don't love me!"

"I don't?"

"No, you don't. Look, Mike, we've always been attracted to each other. We've been at war on occasions when we were in competition at work. But now we are friends. Fuck buddies, if you like, but that is as far as it goes."

I was sitting there staring at her trying to make sense of what she was saying.

"Look, Mike, were you jealous of Robert or upset about me going out with him? And I don't mean envious that we were sleeping together. I mean really upset or jealous?"

"Well, if you put it that way, I was envious of Robert, but no, I don't think I was jealous or upset. I didn't think I had a right to be."

"And you don't get upset when I tell you I've slept with someone else up in Glasgow either."

"No, come on, I've slept with a few girls as well. What right have I got to be jealous of what you're doing?"

"That's the point. If you loved me or I loved you, we wouldn't be sleeping around. We'd be so wrapped up in each other we wouldn't have time to think of anyone else. Face it, Mike, we're really good friends and if you want fuck buddies, but that's all there is to our relationship.

"I know I can always count on you and you know you can rely on my help and assistance whenever you need it. But that isn't all a marriage is about. It's about that longing to be with someone that makes you walk away from a sure thing when it's offered.

"Della, you've lost me somewhere."

"Remember that night we ran into each other in Norwich?"

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"I was yours for the taking that night and you didn't even give me a kiss good night."

"Now, hold on there, Della. You told me the following morning that you were pleased that you didn't have to fight me off that night."

"Pride, Mike. You know you were the first guy who didn't crawl into my bed at the slightest hint I'd be interested. I'll tell you I thought I had you wrapped around my finger that night and blow me if you didn't walk away. I couldn't let on to you that I wanted you to take me that night."

"Oh, I didn't realise."

"Of course you didn't, but do you know why?"

"No, but I suppose you're going to tell me."

"Because you were in love with Gwen. Oh, you might have fantasised about getting me in bed and I'll bet it was going through your mind all evening. That is when you weren't giving me Gwen and your life story."

"I talked about Gwen that night. I don't remember?"

"Della chuckled to herself. "No, you probably don't. I think it was a built-in defence system to let me know there was someone else in your life. Who you had no intention of betraying."

"Quite the little psychologist, aren't we?"

"Yes, I got my Masters in it. Very handy in sales you know."

"So were does your psychology degree say we go from here?"

"Nowhere. We carry on as we always have until one of us meets the right one for them. Don't worry, we'll find them and when we do the other one of us will know immediately. Then I hope we can just go on being friends."

"Okay, Della, if that's how you think we should go; I'll follow your lead."

Della smiled at me and pulled me close for a long kiss.

"Okay now, let's go home and have some fun," Della said, as we broke the kiss.

It was six months later that it finally came home to me that I had no chance of marrying Della. She'd mentioned Gordon a few times, the same way I told her about the girls I was going out with. But one weekend she told me that she was coming down for the weekend but would be staying at a hotel as Gordon was coming with her.

I insisted that they stayed in my house, as I wanted to meet the guy. Why do we do these things to ourselves? My chest had tightened when Della said she was bringing him down south. I had a good idea what it meant.

Of course, it did call for me to hurriedly move all Della's stuff out of my bedroom into the guestroom. Here I was lucky that I had a cleaner with some sense in her head. Jenny (my cleaner) noted that Della's gear had been moved out of the master bedroom and called me at work to ask me why. Well, I told Jenny that Della was bringing her boyfriend to the house for the weekend; I had no secrets from Jenny, she was used to finding lots of different women in my house besides Della.

"You clown, Mike. And what's Della's guy going to think when she has to go into your en-suit because you left all her womans stuff in there. Don't worry I'll sort it all out for you and put her stuff away as she would expect it to be."

Gordon was a really nice bloke, and I could see that he was well on the way to capturing Della's heart. After that weekend, Della and I did sleep together quite a few times, but her gear never returned to my bedroom. I knew it was only a matter of time before the date was set.

I'd assumed that when that date was set, Della and I wouldn't share a bed anymore. Well, I was wrong; we actually slept together on and off, right up until the night before her wedding. That particular night Della cried on my shoulder for most of it and we didn't make love together. Della was thirty-five and she had been her own woman all her life so far. She was having one hell of a problem dealing with giving up her independence and getting married. It could be that's why she had continued to sleep with me after she'd got engaged.

After their honeymoon, Della and Gordon - when he came down with her - continued to stay at my house when they were in the south. But Della and I were never to share a bed together again.

It was on one of those weeks when Della was coming down for the weekend that she called to inform me that she had a little dinner party planned for the Friday evening. Della and Gordon drove down overnight and arrived on the Friday morning. In the office that day there was something about Della's body language that told me something very unusual was going on. But she refused to tell me what it was.

When I came out of my office that evening, I was met by Robert and Gordon who, without any ceremony, dragged me off to the pub for a pint. Now I was sure Della had something planned but I still had no idea what? Robert and Gordon weren't giving any clues either, not that they necessarily knew anyway. I gathered their instructions were to keep me out of the way until eight o'clock and then to be at the house on time. The two guys - and I - were also to remain sober and definitely not to eat anything.

I'm not sure about the sober part; we were in the pub for three hours. We left the cars and took a taxi to my house just to be on the safe side.

As we entered the house, we were assaulted by the delicious smell of the meal cooking. Jenny, my cleaner, met us at the door; she explained she was going to play waitress for Della that evening as she shepherded us into the dining room, where we were to find Robert's wife putting the final touches to the table.

I was by now feeling a little concerned as to just what the hell Della was up to and it was with some trepidation that I took my seat. Robert's wife fussed around, ensuring we were all sitting where Della wished us to sit. Requests to her about what Della was up to were ignored. I did note that the table was set for six.

Suddenly the door to the hall opened and Della stuck her head around it, I'd expected her to make her entrance through the kitchen door.

"Thanks for being on time, boys." she said to Robert and Gordon. "Now I'd like to introduce you to an old school friend of mine and my special guest this evening."

Della walked fully into the room and turned to look back at the doorway. But no one followed her in.

Della looked slightly annoyed. "Sorry, she's a little shy. Jenny, give her a hand, will you?"

Gwen came flying into the room, obviously having been firmly propelled by Jenny.

"Now don't say a word, Mike! Everybody, this is Gwen. She's my special guest this evening and, for those of you that don't know, Mike's ex-wife. I expect Mike to be civil and friendly to her this evening."

I'm not sure how I felt. I don't think I was angry with Della for the unexpected presence of Gwen. But at the same time I was pleased to see Gwen again.

Everyone was introduced to Gwen who was then ushered to a chair opposite me. I smiled and said how pleasant it was to see her again, how nice she looked. Oh, god, you can imagine what I said surely. Just the kind of embarrassed small talk everybody comes up with when they are completely out on a limb. I think you can safely say I talked rubbish for most of the evening.

The meal over, Della insisted we all adjourn to the lounge whilst Jenny and her daughter, who I had no idea was there, cleared the table. It was shortly after we'd moved into the lounge; I'd gone straight to my drinks cabinet to organise those, when I got a chance to have a whispered conversation with Della.

"What are you playing at, Della?"

"Not now, Mike. Get everybody a drink and I'll meet you in the hall."

I served everyone drinks, noting at the same time that the only two places left for me to sit was alongside Gordon or on the other sofa alongside Gwen. Gwen saw me looking and went to get up to change seats, but Robert's wife's hand shot out and firmly held her in her seat.

Everybody having a drink in their hand, I excused myself and headed for the hall.

"Okay, Della, what's the bleeding game?" I said to her the moment the door was closed.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to get you two back together?"

"Come on, we were married once and it all went pear shaped."