To Err Is Human

Building Walls

Tim tried to be as quiet as he could. The last thing he needed was the sound of his shoes filling the room as it hit the ground each time he walked closer to Angelo. He knew that whatever it was Angelo was writing in his journal had to be something he needed to give all of his attention to.

"sir," Timothy held his breath.

"Yes Timothy?"

He thought for a while, wondering if that was the right time to bring it up. He held his breath for a minute.

"Mr Rufus wants to know if you'd be able to have lunch with him later this afternoon."

Angelo froze for a second to think about it before he shook his head.

"Tell him I can't. I've got lunch with my mother this afternoon," he raised his gaze to Timothy and exhaled. "Tomorrow would be great though."

"Yes sir." Tim nodded slowly just as Angelo retreated to writing in his journal. Timothy turned to leave.

"Timothy." he turned back the moment he heard Angelo call on him again. Angelo slowly raised his head from the book.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier that Patricia was here, at the office?"

Tim gulped hard, he could feel how sweaty his palms had gotten just hearing him ask.

"Sir, I didn't think she was still going to be there by the time you came. I told her you weren't going to be at work today and I thought she already left."

Angelo exhaled.

"You know how I feel about surprises Timothy. Next time, make sure."

"yes sir." Timothy bowed his head slightly.

"I've got something I need you to do for me.l Angelo went on. "Something no one else needs to know about, not even my wife."

Angelo tore out the sheet he was writing in from his journal. He looked at it for a while and then stretched it towards Tim. Tim briskly walked back to the table and took it slowly. He looked into it for a long minute.

"I need you to find out all you can about those names. Dig up any dirt you can find on them individually and as a family, anything at all. Anything that could ruin their lives if people were to find out."

Timothy paused for a minute, not daring to ask any other questions. He understood immediately.

"I'd get on it right away sir."

"Good." Angelo nodded his head, slouching in his chair as the door to the room slowly opened and Sam walked in. Angelo cleared his throat, pretending like everything else was fine.

"That would be all for now." Angelo told Timothy.

Timothy bowed a little, turned and then walked away. Sam watched Tim walk away, folding the paper neatly and dropping it into the pocket of his jacket before his attention shifted back to Angelo.

"What was that about?"

Sam took the seat right across Angelo's as Angelo sat straight up.

"Nothing."

Angelo lied.

"it's just a little thing I need that's all."

Sam nodded in agreement. He wasn't going to argue or try to push any information out of Angelo. He probably didn't care about it, there were many other things to talk about. He watched how Angelo slowly turned to his phone.

"So , Anna, " Sam cleared his throat

"What about her?" He asked texting, not giving Sam the attention he was asking for.

"I heard you both came in the same car today."

"We did."

Angelo didn't take his eyes off his phone. He was more interested in texting Anna than Anything Sam had to say at that moment. It wasn't even an hour yet and he he missed her, his entire body craved for her. Sam could see it, he could see the shy smiles on Angelo's face and the snickering. He exhaled weakly.

"Angelo, I know it's not in my place to ask what's going on but I'm still going to ask anyway-"

Angelo dropped his phone slowly. He looked at Sam. He could already tell what it was, what Sam was going to talk about, what he was going to say and he had just heard an earful from Patricia. He wasn't about to go through it again with his best friend.

"Nothing is going on Sam. Is it weird that I and my wife decided to come to work together? Many couples do that all the time."

Sam furrowed his brows.

"Your wife?" He didn't understand, "Since when did you even call her that?"

Angelo exhaled. It was getting hard, too hard to defend or explain himself. He probably didn't even know where to start. He didn't know how he was going to explain to Sam, everything that had gone on between him and Anna, Sam was never going to understand his feelings. No one did.

"I and Anna have decided to make our marriage work."

"What?"

"We got into this fight yesterday and said a lot of things to each others. It was messy, but it was purposeful. I was able to find out that she has feelings for me too."

Sam rubbed his forehead. He was trying to take all that information in slowly.

"W-wait, hold on a minute. Angelo." Sam looked at him closely. "are you sure? None of this makes any sense. Just a week ago, she hated you, a few weeks ago, I watched you go on and on about how your life was miserable and how you didn't want to get married to an Atian. Is what you really want to do?"

Angelo scoffed.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's an Atian Man, you said it yourself, her kind are dangerous people. They don't friends, they hate us humans for what we did to them. What makes you think she's not just using you to keep the company to
herself?"

Angelo frowned. It was just like he had suspected, Sam didn't understand.

"She's not."

"Is that what she told you?" Angelo scoffed. "Angelo, you can't let your guard down. You have to be really thoughtful about this, Atians cannot be trusted, you of all people know this for a fact. She could just be using you for-"

"Honestly Sam I don't care anymore." Angelo cut him off. I just-" Angelo took a deep breath. "it feels so real, I've not felt this real about anyone in a long while. I just need to know what this is, what these feelings could become."

"What about Patricia?"

Angelo froze for a minute.

"You're just going to walk out of her life?"

"Sam, you of all people know how much I care about Trisha. I wish things were different but they aren't. I can't keep these feelings for Anna and lie to Trisha. She doesn't deserve any of it."

"Seems like an excuse to me. Patricia doesn't deserve this man and you know it. You should not have led her on. Angelo, you know how Trisha gets when she wants something she can't have. She becomes obsessive, and she looses herself until she dies."

Angelo wiped his face with his hands.

"I'm just looking out for you man. You know I'd stand by you whatever and whenever but you need to be sure this is worth it, if it's worth screwing yourself over for, screwing the one person that has been on your side over for."

Angelo knew Sam was right. Patricia was never the kind to ever let things go. There was nothing she wanted that she couldn't get, that she didn't get. Angelo rubbed his temples.

"I don't know Sam." He slouched into his seat again.
"I really don't know what to do anymore."

He glared at Sam. He meant every word. How on earth was he going to handle Patricia? Like that was even half of his problems. How was he going to handle his mother too?

Angelo shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

It looked like things were going to be harder than he thought.