Work Husband

Office at Night by Edward Hopper

In her dream, he was her ex-husband. But really David was someone who used to work for her, someone she had cared for in that complex, confusing way you care for people who are not your blood relatives or your carefully chosen friends, but simply the people who are always there with you late on a Friday night or early on a Sunday morning because the product absolutely must ship before the end of the quarter, or who reconfigure your computer so your favorite cartoon character is displayed on its background or that quirky song you love so much plays every time it boots up, or who take you to lunch when your lover has let you down, consoling you by recounting their own stories of heartbreak and betrayal.

And in her dream, they had a three-year old son, who was a difficult and temperamental child. But really what she and David had created together were books—computer software manuals that described how to write applications using an object-oriented programming language—which she and others in her department had written and which David had illustrated, designed, typeset, and produced—cartons and cartons of them—thick, glossy new manuals ready for shipping to anxiously awaiting customers.

And in her dream, he never came to visit their child, and when she passed him on the street, he pretended not to see her. But really what happened was that after five years of working for her, David had left the company on bad terms—there had been a continuing conflict between him and a woman on her staff that she had been unable to resolve, and rather than face professional mediation sessions with his enemy, David had offered her his resignation.

And in her dream, they had one last thing they needed to do together—steal a collection of jewels from a museum—and even though he was her ex-husband who never came to visit their son, they rallied together and pulled off the jewel heist, and then celebrated afterwards with a big dinner party at her apartment, where she felt happy and relieved, and not at all guilty about having committed a crime. But really David would never work with her again and even if he did have lunch with her once in a while, it would be awkward and unsatisfying, with everything important left unsaid.

by Nina Zolotow

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