Autumn in Philadelphia Trilogy

Saudade: Interlude- Suspicions

Monday afternoon brought in a dreary, oppressive gray sky that eventually opened up and poured. Eli Williams sighed as he stared out of the window, watching the raindrops assault the windowpane at an angry rate.

He hated this kind of weather. It played havoc with his sinuses.

Ever since moving from Los Angeles back to the City for a promised anchor position at a major network, he'd dealt with sinus problems that grew worse every year. Eli was convinced it was punishment for his ego growing too large back then.

Briefly, his mind wandered back to his 5-year tenure at a smaller television station in LA. His job there was in the field and not very flashy, but he and his ex-wife were still together and happy with his career on an upward swing. The downside to California was that he was surrounded by flash, and it was hard not to be blinded by it. The worst mistake he made was believing the new young intern actually idolized him and wasn't looking to get his foot in the station by any means possible. Trina warned him that the kid wanted his job, but for the first time in his marriage, he dismissed her caution without any regard.

She was right, as it turned out.

Just as he found himself replaced by a twenty-year-old with no experience in journalism or life, a job offer came in from one of the NYC news stations. The position as a prime-time evening anchor in a major market was exactly the position he'd always dreamed of.

Trina didn't want to move.

He accepted the job anyway.

It was the beginning of the end for them.

And the job he was promised was not what he got. He uprooted his family and his marriage for that coveted anchor position, which turned out to be bait-and-switch. That prime-time slot would be his only if he started at the bottom of the network and worked his way up.

He should have vetted the station before accepting, like Trina said he should do.

But he didn't. And now he was starting at the bottom again and working his way back to the top at fifty-two. He was getting closer to his goal, but the progress was slower than he would like.

In spite of being in a new relationship and relatively content, he would still give up everything he had to go back and change things; to go back and listen to Trina's warning. If he had, not only would he have claimed a spot on the nightly news by now, but he'd still have his family together.

But still, he was content.

He was.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

There was no reason why he shouldn't be. His job was going well. His relationship with his kids was strong (he had Trina to thank for that). His relationship with Katherine was...

Interesting. And different.

But he had no complaints, just little doubts that wandered through his thoughts from time to time.

Eli sighed and turned away from the window. In the family room, he saw his girlfriend's son sitting on the couch, dejectedly watching television.

He had never met a lonelier kid, and he'd met many during his short tenure as a media arts teacher in Philadelphia. He knew Dylan had taken his parents' divorce hard. All of his friends were online. The few real-life ones he had were back in Philadelphia, but life and distance were making them little more than Internet acquaintances. He knew Dylan was close to his brother, but the strange custody arrangement their parents had kept them apart.

He felt bad for the kid and tried to do as much as he could with him when he wasn't with his own children.

Dylan sighed and somehow managed to sink lower into the couch than he already was. Eli took a seat next to the teen, who looked at him and gave him a small smile.