A New Career for Adam

A Second Career for Adam

The English summer had been a glorious one but Adam had ignored the leisure opportunities offered by the fine weather and had stayed indoors writing.  Now that he was unemployed he had plenty of free time.  His long time partner, Angela, had left him.  Their final quarrel had been triggered by his third redundancy in five years due to yet another take-over and ‘downsizing’ of the latest firm by his ex-employer’s new owners.  Angela simply could not accept that sales director’s jobs didn’t grow on trees and you couldn’t just walk into another, especially in his field  – microbiology.  Angela was now the girlfriend, or more accurately mistress, of the executive who’d caused his unemployment.  “She’d always fancied living in the Lake District.  Well good luck to her, she’ll need it, that’s what I say”. 

Adam had taken to talking to himself quite a lot since his partner had left him.
Determined not to let the break-up of their relationship get him down, Adam thought long and hard about filling his life with work in a new career that he might enjoy.  He’d tried writing fiction, “Writing stories hasn’t worked, only one short story published out of eight written in six months won’t keep the wolf from the door.  I need something more positive to bring in some proper cash, and soon”.

“I’ll become a gigolo, that’s what I’ll do.”  After the break-up, Jennifer, one of Angela’s friends had told him he wasn’t bad looking, he was tall, his clothes had style, he knew how to talk to a woman and he was fun to be with; so he reasoned his transformation into a gigolo should be fairly easy and straightforward.  “It’s bound to be a steadier occupation than my own profession ever was, it might even be more lucrative and in some cases probably includes accommodation somewhere.  At least I’d be helping someone, rather than ducking and diving in a cut-throat world of business”.

The more Adam thought about partnering a rich woman the more it appealed and was not without a certain excitement.  In addition there’d be no emotional hang-ups.  It would be a simple business arrangement and if it didn’t work out he’d move on to the next client. 

That evening as he loaded his lonely dishes into the dishwasher, he reviewed out loud the problems that might occur with this major change of career direction.  “As a gigolo I’m really going to be a beginner and a novice.  What’ll be the best way to make the first contact with a prospective client I wonder ?  Those lonely-hearts columns won’t yield the rich pickings that are out there somewhere that’s for sure.  And, what’s more I’d have to move out of the area to hang around luxury hotels and golf clubs in search of clients.  Though there are at least two ladies here at my own club who would like to know me better.  Trouble is I expect they’d draw the line at paying for friendly company, besides local liaisons always mean trouble in the end”. 
Stalled at the first fence, so to speak, Adam decided to drive around the county for a while, admire the countryside and let his subconscious work on the problem of making the initial contact.  When he had been employed, if he had a sticky problem driving in the countryside was a ploy that had always worked before.  However this time he seemed to have lost the knack and had almost given up the thought of becoming a toy boy when he saw Elaine. 

Elaine was standing by the roadside looking as helpless as only a woman can.  Her car, a silver grey BMW less than a year old, had a flat tyre. He recognised at once that the lady was only pretending to be helpless and would have a good reason for not changing the tyre herself.  Adam stopped as many a man does when he sees someone in trouble.  He estimated this lady to be a few years older than he was, probably in her early forties.  Her dark brown hair and high cheek bones gave her features a classic look, which together with her subtle use of makeup hinted at an inner beauty that Adam found excited him.  Her well-tailored expensive clothes confirmed the overall appearance of extreme attractiveness.

As he walked over to her, her smile and dark brown eyes captivated him at once, then, realising that he was actually staring Adam apologised, “I’m sorry, if I seemed rude. My name is Adam, can I help ?  Run you to the nearest garage perhaps ?  It’s only a mile down the road”. 

“It’s very kind of you to offer, thank you.  But I’m going to be late for an appointment and it’s very important that I‘m present at the meeting.  Can I ask a favour instead and get you to take me into town.  I’ll catch a train from there and come back tomorrow to pick up my car after it’s been fixed”.

Adam knew all about meetings and how things that you didn’t want could be decided if you weren’t there. He thought quickly, “No why don’t you take my car and I’ll change the wheel, then bring your car to you”. 

The lady looked at him and then at his car, weighing up his character and his vehicle.  They both obviously passed the test because she gave him her business card, “That sounds an excellent idea.  This is where I’ll be this evening”. 
They exchanged car keys.  Adam opened the Morgan’s door for her, tactfully averting his eyes as she sat in the low seat and swung her long legs into his car.  He glanced at her card as she drove off,  ‘Molly Malone’s, Exotic Gifts, Harbourside, Exmouth  –  Elaine MacFaddern, proprietor’. 

Exmouth was at least a hundred miles away.  Normally Adam wouldn’t let anyone drive the Morgan he’d inherited from an uncle but felt that this lady would appreciate driving another iconic car that was so different from her own.  Of course he had not expected her to be based that far away.  She had looked more like a personnel manager or public relations person than the owner of a business.  Still she had trusted him with her car.  After a few seconds, he realised that on the used car market his rare four-seater nineteen-fifties classic was worth more to a collector abroad than her mass produced BMW would be here.  Well, ‘In for a penny in for a pound’ as his uncle used to say.

Adam set to work and within thirty-five minutes had changed the wheel, arrived at the garage and was having the faulty tyre repaired.  When he’d changed the wheel at the roadside earlier, he’d noticed that Elaine MacFaddern had not damaged the tyre by driving on it, she must have stopped as soon as she realised she had a puncture.  He was pleased; it confirmed his first impression that although she might like to drive fast, after all she did have a BMW, she would treat his car with respect. 
The man in the garage loaded the repaired tyre into the BMW and gave Adam the cause of the trouble, a nail from a horse’s shoe. “There she is, a nasty sharp little beauty.  Get’s a few of them round here we do.  It’s the dratted ridin’ school, cross the main road about a mile back to get to their jumps they does.  That new blacksmith ain’t as good as old Fred was”.

“Thanks, how much do I owe you ?  And could I have an envelope please ?”.  Adam paid the man cash and put the nail in the envelope, a plan forming in his mind.  The nail would be part of an investment for his future prospects with Elaine.  She’d already be grateful, after all she would have been able to attend her meeting on time.  He’d return her car this evening and show her the nail, then repeat verbatim what the garage hand had said, matching the local dialect.  He was a good mimic and she’d be sure to laugh.  Next, he’d refuse any reimbursement for the repair.  That would put him in a very strong position and he could cheekily barter his good deeds in exchange for a meal; he hadn’t been a successful sales director for nothing.

He’d realised at once that she had misunderstood his offer when he said “I’ll bring your car to you”, he’d meant to say “I’ll take it to the station for you to pick up”, but her smile combined with her deep sparkling eyes and attractive demeanour had fuddled his brain.  Adam wasn’t at all worried about the change of plan, it looked as though his luck might be changing. He set off for Exmouth, wondering what else this evening, and perhaps tomorrow, might have in store. The lady was obviously going to be free tomorrow or she wouldn’t have been able to think of returning to collect her car.

As he drove Adam pondered aloud on the fact that Elaine was not wearing a wedding ring.  “I wonder is she divorced, is she unmarried but with a partner, and is that partner male or female ?  Or perhaps it’s none of those, maybe Elaine MacFaddern simply a career woman with no time for long-term relationships ?  Well at least her taste in music and mine are similar”.  He hummed along to the CD playing in her car. 

Adam drove the last few miles towards Exmouth along the winding country road with its alternate views of sea and rolling landlocked hills looking forward very much to his second meeting with Elaine MacFaddern. He was sure his apparent ‘gallantry’ in loaning her his classic car would reinforce his strategy to wangle a meal –  and he was eager to begin the negotiations  –  as a businesswoman Elaine would probably want to strike a bargain.  Then again, tomorrow was another day and who knows what that would bring ?

Adam found the shop without difficulty, and although it was closed he could see a light at the far end with someone moving about.  There was a bell push at the side of the shop door, he pressed it and waited.