Carl Van Marcus - The watching husband

"Damn…" Kate thought, fishing in the pocket of her uniform. "Where did that pencil go? That's the third one I've lost tonight!" A lock of her strawberry blonde hair fell forward into her eyes and her hand went up to her forehead to push it back impatiently. She fished in the bowl of pencils at the serving counter and pulled out a freshly sharpened one, trying to recall which type of dressing Mr. Dagon had just said he wanted on his salad.

Oh, yes, she remembered… just plain oil and vinegar… that was what he always wanted.

With a sigh she marked it down on her pad and headed toward the kitchen with the order. Her feet hurt and she thought she was just about to pass out from fatigue. It had been a rough Saturday night… and it seemed as if she had waited on thousands of finicky customers at Alfie's Steak House. Well, she thought… at least her tips had been good… almost fifteen dollars that night. And that would be a big help toward the rent! After Mr. Dagon had finished, she would be able to go home to Tim at last.

As she waited at the counted for the very rare steak that Dagon had ordered, her thoughts wandered… she could see Dagon's neat, elegantly clothed figure from where she stood. He was calmly sipping his martini, and occasionally he would cast a glance in her direction. But Kate knew it was not a look of impatience he was giving her… he never seemed to mind if he had to wait. She knew that he found her attractive… he had told her so several times… but always in such a manner that she couldn't really get insulted or feel as though he was taking advantage of her. Even though she had told him that she was married… and newly married at that, he had still continued to let his admiration for her be known. She could count on seeing him at the same table almost every evening around 9:30… and she had come to look forward to seeing him. He was so little trouble… and never failed to tip her five dollars… and some nights even ten. And it all came in very handy since Tim still hadn't found a job.

Worry crossed Kate's pert features as she wondered how long it would be before Tim found something that suited him. She knew that he could do just about anything he set his mind to… if only he would set his mind! She had tried only the night before to persuade him that taking the job that had been offered him as a car salesman would not be the kind of thing he would have to do forever. His writing was bound to pay off one day if he kept it up! But he had insisted that he couldn't go out and be a car salesman by day, with all that that entailed… and come home and write at night. Kate guessed that he was right. She supposed it would be hard to do that… but then, she thought… this is hard for me to do too!

She was trying to be open about it… "modern"… there was no reason why a wife shouldn't help out by working in times of need. But sometimes, like now when she was tired, the whole thing started to get to her. Especially when her mother called and brought up the subject.

"Has Tim found work yet… Oh, still unemployed… Well, goodness, you've been married almost six months now… How long does he expect you continue undermining your health with that job…? You know you were always fragile as a child…"

Her mother's voice echoed in her ears… and tonight… while she stood there, shifting her weight from foot to foot to ease the pain, she did indeed feel delicate. She was small boned, with slender ankles and legs, but there was nothing fragile about the rest of her for her hips were full blown and luscious beneath her uniform, and when she turned to walk away from her tables, more than one male and some female customers could not help but follow her swaying buttocks, so clearly outlined beneath the thin material. She had a walk that could only be compared to Marilyn Monroe's famous walk in "Niagara" and some of her high school boyfriends had even gone so far as to insist that she resembled a cross between Monroe and Brigitte, being built like Monroe and having facial features… childlike and pouty like Brigitte. Kate had never taken any of it too seriously. She knew she was good looking… but she rarely dwelt on that beauty unless it was insistently brought to her attention.

It had occurred to her while she was standing there, that it had been some time since Tim had told her how pretty she was… he used to tell her all the time, she realized. They didn't seem to make love as much as before either… of course, since she had this late shift, by the time she got home, Tim was usually fast asleep… and during the day… well, he just didn't seem much the daytime type, somehow.

Dagon smiled and nodded to her across the room. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't see him, though she was looking directly at him. Then suddenly she realized that he was calling her, and with a start, she came to attention and nodded back at him, letting him know that she would be right there. Then she turned to the counter just in time to see the chef placing the sizzling steak platter in front of her.

"You've got a lot on your mind tonight, Kate!" Dagon said as he picked up the glass of wine that Kate had just poured him from the small bottle of Beaujolais and he silently toasted her with a small gesture of his hand, before placing the glass to his lips.

"Yes, I suppose so, Mr. Dagon," Kate said, wondering just how he made his money… she knew he had a lot of it, that much was clear.

"Too bad," he said, testing his steak with the sharp point of his knife. "A pretty girl like you…"

"Enjoy your dinner, Mr. Dagon," Kate said smiling as she turned away.

"I wish Tim would notice that as much as you do," she thought.

About forty-five minutes later, Kate was hurriedly changing out of her uniform in the ladies' room. Dagon had finished his dessert and coffee and bid her goodnight and she was free to go home. She put on the lightweight beige suit that fit her voluptuous form tightly, remembering that it was in that very suit that she and Tim had been married. God, she needed some new clothes! She knew it would be quite a while before she would be able to buy clothes, unless Tim had found a job today. But she knew that he probably would have called her long ago if he had found work. More than likely he was home asleep and snoring right now, having had still another bad case of "writer's block". She surveyed herself in the mirror, her long hair curled softly around her face and fell to her shoulders, and she looked more like a budding starlet than a waitress. She was too tired to apply any lipstick to her soft full lips. After all, she thought, Tim never even looked at her when she got home. What did it matter? By the time she left Alfie's, stepping out into the cool San Francisco night, she was deeply depressed. She paused a moment in front of the door and took a deep breath of fresh air, then she turned to walk to the bus stop a block away.

When Kate had gotten about halfway up the street, she noticed that there was a big black car moving slowly down the street behind her. She was afraid at first, but then she told herself, that that was silly, such things only happened in the movies… the car couldn't have anything to do with her! Nevertheless, she quickened her pace as she walked, casting occasional nervous glances over her shoulder.

Cruising in the big black Mercedes, Sam Dagon finally made up his mind. He had gone this far, he might as well go a little further. He wanted this girl, and he intended to have her. She would make a nice addition to his household… A very nice one!

He accelerated and drove past Kate, stopping at the corner where he knew from having watched before that she would go to wait for the bus. He leaned over and opened the door, as he pulled up and waited for Kate to arrive.