"Charly..."
"Go, McKinnon. For God's sake, just go." She was standing with her arms clasped tightly around her middle, holding in her agony.
She watched as he unclenched his fists and strode swiftly out of the house without a backward glance. She heard the engine revving and the tires tearing into the gravel as he spun out of the driveway. She felt a great emptiness invading her soul as the loneliness of the future stretched before her. No more deep voice calling her `Little Witch'. No more discussions about metaphysics, but most of all, no more laughing and deepening comradeship with her friend.
It had been years since Charly had cried herself to sleep, so tonight she made up for lost time. She knew all the arguments about professional ethics, getting involved with superiors, and behaving in a manner that could cause people to talk. It was important that she maintain a good image in the community if she wished to retain the respect of the clients as well as the directors and staff. If only his wife had behaved in a different manner.
But knowing all the reasons why they couldn't be together didn't make the pain any less. For a while she mulled over the possibility of resigning and taking another job, but where? There wasn't another insurance company for miles, and even if McKinnon did want to see her again, she would be too far away. Maybe he could resign as a director. She was sure from what she had seen of his farm, he certainly didn't need the director's fees. But then, that wouldn't be a fair solution either.
She fell into an exhausted sleep, only to waken a couple of hours later, tears streaming from her eyes and a feeling of dread that she couldn't shake. She got up and wandered around for a while, made a cup of mint tea and drank it, then sat in the darkened living room and tortured her self with memories of the last scene with him.
Her mind replayed it all, from his first words to her last. She relived all of the emotions and feelings again, but the sadness in her took away all the joy she had felt in his arms. Her soul was crying out for its mate with a depth of feeling she had never before experienced. It was a very long night.
Somehow Charly managed to carry on with her job. She gave it all of her attention, writing meticulous reports, making very detailed inspections, updating photos that really didn't need it, and putting in much longer hours than was expected of her. When the staff began to comment on her apparent weight loss, and the long hours she was working, hinting that maybe she was working too hard, she made an effort to stay out of the office as much as possible so they wouldn't know what she was doing.