The Nice Guy (standard:romance, 4956 words)
Author: Rick	Added: Feb 24 2003	Views/Reads: 3773/5821	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Jack is a stressed-out, overweight and veteran business traveler who dreams of a romantic interlude. When a close female business associate needs his help, he finds out whether the dream can become reality.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

turned his attention to the in-flight movie, “Star Trek, Insurrection”, 
an entertaining dinnertime diversion.  Patrick Stewart impressed Jack 
as precisely the kind of powerful yet modest man that he admired.  
Captain Picard was caught up in his obligatory romantic interlude with 
the woman leader from another planet, also an attractive 
forty-something.  Jack had an eye for smart, mature women.  It helped 
that the costume designer had her in low-cut tops in this flick. 

The Chardonnay finally got the better of him. After the movie, he fell
into an uneasy slumber. 

“Good afternoon folks, this is your captain speaking.  We'll be starting
our approach into Heathrow in just a couple of minutes...” 

Jack bolted upright.  He had slept for only twenty minutes.  With
landing now imminent, his thoughts turned to the change of terminals 
for the connecting flight to Brussels.  He hadn't spotted his two US 
colleagues yet, but expected to in the terminal. 

After landing at Heathrow, he eagerly undertook the long walk through
the terminal and the shuttle bus to another terminal.  Jack walked very 
quickly but ended up getting there no sooner.  The sun was up now and 
he hadn't gotten much sleep.  Now he forced himself to focus 
specifically on making all the connections and generally on enduring 
the physical challenge of traveling.  Upon reaching the gate for the 
Brussels flight, he met his company colleagues Margaret and Janice. 

Margaret was the Assistant to General Counsel for Telebotics, a position
of considerable power but beholden to the Chief General Counsel for all 
critical decisions.  She had been an amateur fitness champion in her 
younger years and had been married four times, though was currently 
single.  Maggie, as close friends called her, was outgoing, even bubbly 
at times, and beautiful.  Her figure was still very good and her brown 
hair was cut quite short, exposing a long neckline.  At 45, her high 
cheekbones and delicate facial features persisted.  She had a 
combination of natural friendliness and beauty that was irresistible to 
many, including Jack.  They had worked together at Telebotics for more 
than ten years, but he never dared ask her out.  Their friendship had 
not progressed past the flirting stage. 

“Maggie, you look lovely, as always.” 

“That's very nice of you, Jack, but I don't feel that way.  I scarcely
slept on the red-eye.” 

“Me neither.  I'm glad we don't have to start working until tomorrow. 
How are you, Janice?” he said, turning his attention to the other 
woman. 

“Hanging in there.  I'm used to sleep deprivation from caring for the
twins.  This is a piece of cake by comparison.” 

Janice was a financial analyst at Telebotics and a new mom who was
having her first opportunity to travel since the birth of her twins a 
year ago.  Her auburn hair was shoulder length and she was still 
slightly overweight from the pregnancy.  Combined with her horn-rimmed 
glasses, she presented a somewhat nerdy look.  She turned her attention 
to the jingle coming from her cell phone. 

“Bill is calling.  I wonder if this means the twins are sleeping or he
just misses me...Hello? Hi hun...yeah...so are they asleep now? 
uh-huh...No, we're still in Heathrow.  I think we will be boarding 
soon.  Okay, no, don't worry about it, I'm glad you did.  Yeah, love 
you too, bye.” 

They gathered themselves together and mindlessly boarded the plane. 
Jack managed to get another twenty-minute catnap while the plane was 
waiting on the tarmac to take off.  He ate the breakfast-type snack 
provided on this hop over to Brussels as well on the previous 
transatlantic flight.  His GI tract was starting to churn from all the 
airplane food. 

Upon landing in Brussels, the three of them consulted with each other
about the remaining logistics, including getting their checked-in 
luggage, changing money and finding a taxi into town. 

“People come to Brussels from all over the world”, said the taxi driver,
who spoke surprisingly good English.  “Over there is the European 
Community Headquarters.  Many of these buildings are owned by the 
embassies.” 

“Ooh, of course,” said Margaret enthusiastically.  “I didn't realize
that, but yes that makes sense.”  Margaret was energized and continued 
this light banter with the driver.  Jack and Janice, on the other hand, 
were still woozy from the flight.  Jack responded to Margaret's 
comments with an occasional “hmm” or “yes”, while Janice silently 
stared out at the passing city views. 

The hotel IBIS was right in the center of town, an ideal spot for
visitors who were only going to be there one afternoon and evening.  
After checking in, they freshened up a bit and then headed out to do 
some sightseeing.  They passed through a “restaurant alley” with 
numerous dining spots, many with sidewalk café seating.  They all 
agreed that this was a good reference for dinner sometime.  The famous 
square nearby known as Grand Place (pronounced gron plos) consisted of 
an open courtyard of cobblestone surrounded by incredibly ornate 
buildings with 17th century Flemish baroque architecture.  Like many 
other visitors, they strolled around the square and admired these 
classic structures.  Here they also saw groups of school children in 
uniforms, large numbers of pigeons as well as camera-clicking tourists. 
This was a classic Old World European city. 

Margaret and Janice did quite a bit of shopping because they did not
plan to return to Brussels at the end of the week.  Jack didn't mind 
waiting out on the sidewalks to people-watch and gaze at all the 
wonderful architecture.  The working class consisted mostly of shop 
retailers and restaurant people, just what would be expected given the 
large number of tourists.  The natives generally used French, but 
quickly broke into fluent English at the slightest prompting or 
indication that it would be more appropriate.  There did not appear to 
be any homelessness in the downtown area. 

“Ladies, I think I'll head back to the IBIS and relax a bit,” said Jack.


“Oh, that sounds like a good idea, Jack.  You look tired.” Margaret
replied. 

“I'm wiped out too” Janice chimed it, “but if I keep shopping, maybe I
can stay awake until a normal bedtime.  We have to be sharp tomorrow.” 

Jack needed a little time to settle into the room and manage the jetlag.
It had been a 36-hour day with just a couple of short naps. 

The three of them met in the lobby bar at 6 PM, had a beer, and went out
again for dinner.  Having chosen a simple diner, they were surprisingly 
challenged to find something good on the menu.  Margaret and Jack both 
ordered an entrée of mussels, which was done in a scampi style with 
butter, garlic, and cheese.  Janice had a chicken dish with a fruity 
sauce that looked rather unappetizing to Jack.  For dessert, they 
continued on to a fancier restaurant/bar that was located right on the 
Grand Place.  Maxim's bar had lovely ornate décor and they sat at a 
window table with a view of the Town Hall, another masterpiece of 
baroque architecture.  Janice nearly fell asleep at the table.  They 
returned to the IBIS by 9 PM. 

Tuesday started out innocently enough.  They met in the hotel dining
room for the breakfast buffet, which seemed to go smoothly.  As they 
ate, Jack watched as other hotel guests entered the dining room.  He 
focused for a few moments on two men and wondered whether they were 
businessmen, tourists, or locals. 

As the meal ended, Jack spoke up, “That was good.  I guess I was hungry.
 It's just about eight o'clock now.  Shall we meet in the lobby in 
about fifteen minutes?” 

“Fine” added Margaret, “The driver is supposed to arrive at eight
thirty.” 

Jack excused himself and left the table a few minutes before the two
women.  As they continued chatting, Margaret reached down next to her 
chair for her purse, and then looked under the table.  Nothing. 

“Where's my...oh, my god, my purse, I've been ripped off!” 

“What?  Did you bring it down with you?” asked Janice. 

“Of course, I'm sure I did.  Oh, no, no, what am I gonna do?  I...no...”
Margaret was getting hysterical.  They immediately looked around but 
saw no one suspicious.  They concluded that the culprits were the two 
men who had been sitting behind her. 

When Jack returned and heard what had happened, he said, “Look, why
don't you go up to your room and make absolutely sure that it's not 
there.  Shall I go with you?” 

“No, that's all right.  This seems futile, I'm positive that I brought
it down with me,” she added as she headed towards the elevator. 

Apparently, the thieves were experienced professionals because not only
did Margaret not notice anything wrong until she got up, but Janice and 
Jack (who were both facing towards them) did not see what had happened. 
 When Jack left the table a few minutes before the two women, the 
thieves made their move.  Margaret was obviously devastated and felt 
extremely guilty for putting her purse down on the floor.  Since they 
were seated right next to the wall, she didn't think it would be 
exposed. 

Jack noticed in the beginning that one of them had sat down first at the
table behind Margaret, facing away from her.  The other one was looking 
around, then walked with his buffet food into another part of dining 
room, and finally rejoined his mate a few moments later.  When Jack 
described this behavior to the hotel manager, she said that this was 
probably deliberate.  They were each “casing out” the scene to find the 
best prey.  Their first choices are individuals who appear to be alone. 
 Failing that, they look for other obvious foreign visitors.  Brussels 
was apparently a perfect place for these small-time thieves to operate: 
Due to its place as the capital of the EU, many visitors are well-to-do 
but naive diplomats and business people here on short stay. 

The driver arrived in the lobby at 8:30 as expected.  After a lot of
discussion, Margaret took up Jack's offer to stay behind with her 
rather than going ahead with Janice to the EBS facility out in the 
suburbs of Brussels.  They agreed that there was no point in all three 
of them staying in Brussels.  Also, the driver was to stop at the 
airport to pick up Alex, the esteemed and ambitious President of 
Telebotics, and it would have been confusing for the driver without at 
least one of them there to fully explain the situation.  Jack just 
couldn't see leaving her in Brussels with no money, no credit cards, no 
passport, no i.d., etc.  Besides, she was an emotional wreck at this 
point and needed someone to help her make rational decisions about what 
to do.  Jack knew that this incident and the resulting delay might put 
the contract negotiations in jeopardy.  However, there were no other 
good options and Margaret clearly needed help. 

They went all over the city that morning.  Jack's cash on hand had
turned out to be essential: taxis, food, even paying for the new 
passport.  They got a bit of a run-around from the local bureaucracy.  
The police and the embassy each felt that the other one was the 
appropriate first contact.  They ended up going to two police stations, 
back and forth to the embassy twice, a local camera shop for passport 
pictures, the train station for the American Express office and several 
money change places in attempts to get Margaret some cash.  She gave 
her deposition at the second police station.  This was a little 
disconcerting because their computers were absolutely ancient and quite 
slow.  At this point, it was about 11:45 AM and they knew that she 
still had to have her passport pictures taken and get back to the 
embassy by 12:30 PM.  They made it, but only by jogging these two 
excursions.  Also, it turned out that she needed cash to pay for the 
new passport.  This was a complete surprise.  They naively assumed that 
there would be some provision for American tourists who get all their 
essentials ripped off in this way.  It was good thing that Jack was 
waiting right outside the embassy because Margaret was able to find him 
and bring him in to pay.  Finally, they also got different stories from 
the AMEX office and the money-change place about how to get cash.  This 
cost them several trips and some time as well.  Jack offered to get her 
some money from an ATM or money-change place but she really didn't want 
to impose upon him any further.  They went back to the hotel and she 
was able to get cash from the hotel manager who ran her brand-new AMEX 
card through and gave her the equivalent cash.  While waiting for the 
driver who would take them to EBS, they decided to go into the hotel 
restaurant for some coffee.  Being wiped out from the stress of dealing 
with the situation, the opportunity to just sit and chat was welcome 
for both of them. 

“Oh, Jack, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your help today. 
You know what a wreck I was this morning,” said Margaret. 

“That's quite all right Maggie.  I'm sure you would have done the same
for me.  You know, I was pretty confident that everything would work 
out.  This isn't a third world country after all.” 

“That's true, but it was the moral support that really helped.” Margaret
looked Jack squarely in the eyes. 

He smiled and looked away briefly.  He turned his eyes back to her and
replied, “I'll take that as a complement.  As a confirmed bachelor, I'm 
not very practiced in the art of moral support.  Besides, I can't think 
of anyone else I would rather be stuck in a foreign country with.” 

He now looked at her directly in her eyes and she smiled, looking down
in modesty, and then away towards the window.  He continued to gaze at 
her, admiring her classic beauty and gracious manner.  He wondered if 
he dared go further, but was intimidated.  The decision was made for 
him when the hotel manager entered the dining room. 

“Sir, madam, your driver is here now.” 

“Thank-you very much.” 

They got up from the table and walked outside to the curb.  A black
Mercedes-Benz was idling.  The driver opened the doors for them, 
helping Margaret in first.  During the ride, the conversation focused 
mostly on what they might expect upon arrival at EBS.  However, during 
one extended pause, they looked at each other and she said, 

“You're a nice guy, Jack.” 

“Thanks, Maggie.” 

“Did you want to say something else to me back at the hotel?” 

“No, I guess not.” 

“See what I mean?  A nice guy, very kind as well.” 

“You're making me blush.  I'm sure my ex-wife would not agree.” 

“Oh Jack, everyone makes mistakes.  Besides, that was a long time ago. 
I'll bet you've matured since then.” 

“Oh yes, in more ways than one,” he said as he put both his hands on his
protruding belly. 

They both laughed and let the conversation end.  Jack had chickened out,
but was relieved that he could round out the moment with a bit of 
humor. 

They arrived at the EBS facility at 3:45 p.m. and managed to have some
fruitful preliminary discussions with Hubert and Alex for a few hours.  
Hubert was the CEO of EBS and one of the early innovators in the 
European telecommunications industry.  Unlike Alex, he was rather 
casually dressed with a linen sport jacket, turtle-neck and tweed 
pants.  Nevertheless, he was quite distinguished in appearance with a 
full head of grey hair, cobalt blue eyes and a fit, muscular body. 

Janice had made some good progress on her assignment while waiting for
Jack and Margaret to arrive.  Several key middle managers from EBS had 
been available for consultations.  Jo, the Director of Operations, and 
Eric, the Assistant General Counsel had helped her clarify a few 
language questions in the financial terms of the contract.  However, it 
was quite clear that the rip-off incident had cost them a good chunk of 
time, particularly for Margaret and Jack. 

The group returned to the Vivaldi hotel around 9 PM.  A modest Super-8
style accommodation, the Vivaldi was quite unlike the IBIS in the 
center of Brussels.  Margaret and Jack checked in and the entire group 
met shortly thereafter in the hotel dining room for dinner.  The 
rip-off and the subsequent bureaucratic run-around were still the main 
chat topics that evening.  Margaret was trying to put her best face on, 
but it was obvious that the strain was taking its toll. 

On Wednesday morning they had breakfast in the hotel and a driver took
them over to EBS for their first full day of work, three days after 
leaving Boston.  They were fairly productive with the only glitch being 
that Janice lost a half-day's work to a computer virus.  Later on, the 
EBS people (Jo and Eric) took them out to dinner to a fabulous 
restaurant, the Watermolen Inn.  This was a most elegant affair and 
appeared to be the finest Flemish cuisine available for their EBS hosts 
to book.  Served as a series of about ten small courses, each was 
carefully matched with just the right wine or aperitif.  The dining 
room was refined and intimate with room for only about six parties.  
Every dish was a masterpiece and was served with attention to high 
detail.  At least three waitpersons hovered nearby, making sure 
everything was just right; wineglasses filled just halfway, rolls and 
butter offered on a regular basis, each course arranged artfully on the 
plate and served with precision to everyone simultaneously. 

For Jack, participation in business entertainment dinners was an
unwritten requirement of his work as well as a pleasant corporate 
benefit.  He truly enjoyed these evening restaurant experiences.  Being 
in good company with the wine or beer helping to loosen up the social 
atmosphere was a welcome change from his all too common solo dining 
mode.  Frequently, he found that he had interesting or amusing 
contributions to the conversation.  Indeed, he often led or initiated 
topics in a way that catalyzed others to chime in as well.  For 
example, he asked the Belgians how they felt about the royalty as 
compared to the UK where they serve mainly as inspirational 
figureheads.  That question set off a long diatribe about how the King 
has a critical role in keeping the diverse ethnic groups (Flemish, 
Dutch, French, etc.) together and that without him, Belgium could well 
fragment into smaller countries.  Jack recalled numerous other 
instances in the past where evening dinners with professional 
colleagues had provided him with similar enjoyment and opportunities to 
stand out in a social context, with the alcohol playing an obvious role 
in promoting the social interactions.  Indeed only month earlier, he 
had helped entertain these same EBS folks on their visit to Boston at 
the famous Legal Seafood restaurant. 

Thursday was the last day at EBS.  They got there early because they
knew that their time was running out.  Eric came down from a satellite 
office in Lieden and they had good discussions in the morning about 
some sections he was working on.  Lunch, delivered to the conference 
room, consisted of a platter of open-faced mayonnaise-laden submarine 
sandwiches.  This was a stark contrast to the wonderful meal they had 
enjoyed together only the night before. 

The negotiations on the contract's language continued through the
afternoon.  Finally Hubert declared, “We can allow your edits on 
Section II so long you are willing to add a statement regarding twenty 
four-seven access to your technical support group during the start-up 
phase.” 

“Agreed, but outside of normal US business hours the initial channel for
access must be voice-mail," Alex countered. 

“You mean normal European business hours?” 

“Yes... of course.  Pardon my confusion.” 

“Sounds reasonable.  Would you excuse us for a moment?” 

Eric, Jo and Hubert got up and left the room.  Alex also got up, removed
his jacket and walked over to the window. 

“That was very smooth, Alex,” Margaret said as soon as the door closed. 

Staring out at a cow pasture across the street, Alex asked no one in
particular, 

“Did I go too far?” 

“I'll let Jack comment on the personnel requirements before I give you
an estimate of what it will cost us,” said Janice. 

Jack hesitated briefly, knowing that if he overestimated the labor cost
it could be a deal-breaker.  His eyes shot around the room to Margaret 
and then to Alex, who had now turned from the window to face the room.  
With his bald head, wire rim glasses, tailored pants and suspenders 
around a burly 6'4” frame, Alex projected a commanding presence as he 
stood waiting for a response. 

Jack took a short breath and began slowly, “My engineering group has
worked on this device for eighteen months.  They are dedicated to 
making this technology work in the real world.  I believe they will do 
what is necessary to support our European customer base.  If I ask them 
to expect early morning calls, I will only need to use the answering 
service after five PM.  By then, European banks will be closed for 
their business day and not as likely to call.” 

Janice interjected, “With no operators required in the morning and a
small crew in the evening we would save at least forty percent on our 
telecom budget relative to our initial estimates for this project.  
That would be around two million dollars monthly.” 

Alex breathed a sigh of relief, “Excellent.  If they take it, we're in
business.” 

The three EBS men came back in the room, trailed by a well-manicured
woman in a print dress, high heels and long dark hair.   Everyone 
returned to their seats.  The woman took a spare seat in the back of 
the room, away from the conference table. 

After a brief pause to ensure everyone was seated comfortably and
attentive, Hubert looked around the room and then addressed Alex. 

“I am pleased to inform you that we agree to your terms.  We have a
deal.” 

He stood up and extended his hand to Alex, who took it as he stood up
and the two men shook warmly.  Everyone broke into smiles as they all 
stood up and took turns shaking each other's hands, making sure not to 
miss anyone from the other group.  As they settled back into their 
seats, Hubert continued, 

“Well, I will just ask Katrina to insert the final edits.  We will sign
the contract and have it sent to the US by FEDEX on Monday.” 

The woman, whom Jack presumed to be Katrina, smiled as she stepped
forward and gathered the papers together from the conference table, 
“Excuse me,” she said, as her shoulder brushed against Jack's arm.  He 
noticed the scent of her perfume.  As she turned from the table, Jack 
gave her a weak smile, which she returned on her way to the door. 

It was now 7:00 p.m.  Having bid farewell to the EBS contingent outside
their headquarters, they returned to the Vivaldi knowing they had 
closed the deal they had come to make.  The trip would be viewed as a 
success by the home office.  They went across the street to a small bar 
where they proceeded to review and celebrate the success of the 
negotiations with EBS.  Jack experienced the same type of enjoyable 
alcohol-driven social interactions.  He even cracked a few jokes 
successfully. 

They returned to the Vivaldi at 9:00 PM.  The driver was waiting with
the limousine to take them back to the airport, except Jack who would 
be dropped off in Brussels. 

Upon arrival at the IBIS hotel, Jack bid his colleagues a safe trip and
got out of the car.  He flipped up the lapels of his jacket to the 
night air.  Margaret rolled the window down. 

“Jack, I wanted to thank you again for helping me.  I owe you one.  You
know, we've known each other for so long and have never done anything 
together outside work.  Shall we have dinner sometime?” 

Margaret flashed a sweet smile of sincerity.  He couldn't believe it,
but she had made it easy for him.  He only had to seize the 
opportunity. 

“What about tonight?  There are wonderful restaurants right near the
Grand Place.” 

Margaret's eyes widened briefly in surprise, but she broke quickly into
an easy smile, “I would miss my flight, mister nice guy.” 

“Yes, but that Saturday afternoon flight is always empty.  Besides, if
you leave now, I will be alone in this city full of pickpockets.  You 
might get a chance to pay me back some of that moral support.” 

“You are awfully sweet, my friend.  Go have a wonderful dinner and
relax.  It's been a heck of a week.” 

“Have a safe flight, Maggie, my dear.” 

Jack stepped back to the curb and watched the limousine slowly pull
away.  He recalled the little fantasy he had had on the plane about a 
one night stand with an attractive British woman, and laughed to 
himself at the obvious parallel.  Across the cobblestone plaza, a man 
and a woman strolled arm-in-arm.  They spoke to each other in quiet 
French whispers.  Jack was alone again, just as he had been at the 
beginning of the trip.  As he walked over to the Grand Place, he 
slipped back into his well-worn yet trusty solo persona.  For Jack, the 
moment called for finding and enjoying the finest Flemish cuisine 
available in Europe's capital city. 


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