The day started like any other weekday: via the mellow annoyance ring tone of the cell phone's alarm clock. Alex came out of his slumber and reached gently over to the nightstand on his left, finding his phone exactly where he laid it the night before, and tapped the "dismiss" button on the touch screen. It was 5:30am, and he knew another alarm was programmed to come on in 30 minutes, per his set-up preference. Usually he took advantage of this "customized snooze function", but not today, too much was on the plan for the day. He rolled to his right and noticed that she was gone, which was no surprise per her schedule, and his mental complaint was quickly followed by a mental thankfulness for the solitude. Not that he didn't appreciate Layla's company -- she was becoming more of a comforting fixture around the house -- but she was also a very important and equally busy woman with a focused agenda when it came to her job, and he was all too willing to stay out of her way when it came to the workday week. Tonight was the start of a 3-day bank holiday, but until 6pm rolls around, he knew (as it always was from Sunday night to Friday evening) that Layla's free time was few and far between.
As he lay there, he took a quick mental survey of his physical situation -- all seemed ok, maybe some slight soreness in his hamstrings, but otherwise all was well enough to earn a small smile of content. Another fringe benefit of Layla's work style was that she suppressed a lot of tension and she was all too eager to let it out when they were under the sheets, which was almost always followed by mutual appreciation in various forms. But that was just about enough lingering for Alex; he had his own agenda today and was eager to get it started. As his feet hit the ground, he heard the whirr of the coffee grider/brewstation begin, also, per programmed schedule. "Ah, nothing like a great cup of coffee brewed from freshly grounded beans to start the day", he thought to himself. Coffee was one of his guilty pleasures and he always tried to find new ways to enjoy his favorite daytime beverage. However, before he could partake of that first sip, he would be faced with a 10-minute brew cycle, so he used the time to take an assessment of the interior of the house. He grabbed his phone as he took off down the hall and down the stairs, and he noticed that he had a new text message. It was from Layla, with an attachment. "Hey, you! Thx for the great evening. Smooch." Attached was a picture of her blowing a kiss to him, and by the looks of it, she took it before she left -- he recognized the interior decoration of his master bathroom in the background. She didn't have her blouse on yet, but her arms were strategically placed so that nothing scandalous would appear. Layla was nothing if not through, and it was one of the many attributes he enjoyed about her. Alex quickly closed it and moved it to a private folder within his phone, where it would join the others. As he took a quick survey of the inside of the house doors and windows, the coffee aroma was equally quick to envelope the kitchen area.
Having turned on the kitchen TV and changing the channel to CNBC, Alex's thoughts moved to the agenda of the day: his pipeline. Alex was a portfolio manager for a very exclusive commodities fund that held several millions of dollars under his control. His clients were not your everyday investors -- these were people in mid-to-high levels of executive leadership, referred to him by a small circle of private asset managers he had helped over the years. The A-Fund, as it was known, was their idea because they saw how Alex had a unique vision of the market that always resulted in a return well above the Dow average. His fund was seen as the perfect hedge to the market volatility, but it was only open to a select few. Alex had many offers on the table to take on more clients with larger investment dollars to be used at his sole discretion, but he was not interested in getting over his head too quickly. He had seen too many of his peers get greedy too fast and subsequently lose their focus because of the pressure they either did not expect or could not tolerate psychologically, and he wasn't about to make that same mistake. A-Fund made him a very comfortable living while still allowing him enough freedom to not be fully constrained to a time clock. And today was predicted to be somewhat volatile in several international financial markets, which could present some welcome opportunities if played right. So far, per the CNBC ticker and side-bar numbers, all was going according to plan.
After pouring himself a cup before heading to the shower, Alex heard some noise that sounded as it was coming from his backyard. He moved to the bay windows of the breakfast nook and peered through his plantation shutters. He saw his neighbor, David, running after his dog Lolly, a cute but independent labra-doodle. Lolly was a recent addition to the house next door, and Alex had seen David and his partner Tim taking the puppy for her daily walk as Alex would drive home in the afternoons. Lolly had apparently taken off after a squirrel or something, against his owner's wishes. Alex had to suppress a laugh as he watched David plead to Lolly to come back, and Lolly seemed to be enjoying his owner running in all directions after her. It was barely daylight, yet Alex noticed that David was impeccably dressed in pyjama-and-slippers set straight out of a Brooks Brothers catalog. "He certainly looks better than my grungy look of shorts and t-shirt", Alex thought, and was just about to move upstairs when he noticed David getting more frustrated as Lolly ran between the thick hedges. Alex opened the door to the sun porch and walked out to his patio. David seemed equally grateful and embarrassed. "Need some help?", asked Alex as he quickly scanned the hedges for any sign of the dog. He noticed David doing a quick once-over at him as he smiled back. "I'm so very sorry, I hope Lolly hasn't woken you up", David replied. "No worries, I was up anyway", said Alex as he moved to the hedges. He then made a few vocal clicks and Lolly immediately came out just long enough for Alex to gently but firmly grab her collar. "You bad dog!", David exclaimed to the dog as Alex walked him to his owner. "Again, I am so sorry for this! She's usually a very good dog, but something this morning set her off". Alex noticed a slight British accent, very subtle, like Madonna or other American natives who think they sound classy but not obnoxious with it. "Don't worry about it, I don't mind", said Alex, "she probably caught on a scent and wanted to check it out". David's eyes seemed to light up at Alex's calm demeanor, as if to be thankful for not running into a cranky morning-mood neighbor. "She came right to you!" said David, "you must have a knack for pets or something." Alex was quick to smile back. "I don't think so, but good to know I might have something to help for next time". David returned the smile, said several Thank You's, and started to walk back but then abruptly stopped half-way. "Oh -- now that you are here, we wanted to let you know that we plan to have a small get-together tonight. Mostly just friends and co-workers from the bank. It's a holiday weekend plus I hear the weather will be great, so we wanted to enjoy it with friends". Alex was gracious in his reply. "Sounds like fun! I heard it was going to be a nice weekend, too. If you need extra parking space, you are welcome to use part of my driveway." "Oh, thank you! We appreciate that! Say...Tim and I would love to have you over! You are more than welcome -- and please bring your girl friend!" Ugh. Alex knew they must have noticed his "girl friend" coming and going from his house. He wondered if they also noticed it wasn't always the same person. "Um..sure! What time?" said Alex. David seemed even more pleased. "We told everyone to come around 7:30ish, but you are welcome to come over any time! It's a nice mix of people -- I promise you won't feel uncomfortable! Hope you see you tonight!" And with that, David turned back to his house. To David, it was a coup. Tim would be so shocked and happy to hear that they finally caught up with the neighbor-slash-enigma! Alex noticed that David was still smiling as he walked back to his house, Lolly in tow close behind. Alex turned back to the sunroom, walked back into the house and mentally assessed his wine inventory for a suitable gift to bring to the party. "Oh, well", he thought, "they finally got me. It's only been over a year since we all last spoke, so I guess it was due." Alex wasn't upset with the exchange -- he knew that David and Tim were the perfect neighbors that anyone would love to have: well-manicured lawns, front and back, plus great landscaping and a warm, inviting porch. Their home's curb appeal was a positive addition to the cul-de-sac and Alex was very grateful for it. Who knows? It could be a fun evening and a welcome start to the weekend. As Alex walked back into his house, he noticed the kitchen door to the garage was slightly open. Even worse: his phone was missing.
