One Fine Day		
A short story submitted by Frank Russell (frussell@worldgrp.fastlink.com.au)


Fran awoke early.  Not unusual, as it took time to look her best, and 
she needed it too, with the competition getting younger by the day.  
Although lately she wondered why she was even bothering.  She rolled
over and looked at the cold empty space beside her.  'Damn,' she 
thought.  'How long has it been since I woke with a man in my bed?' 
Actually about 18 months, although that didn't count.  It had been Mr.
Sheffield's bed, and she had gotten schnokered the night before. 

'Perhaps I should get schnockered again', she thought.  Maybe now,
after all that had passed between them, he wouldn't throw her out of
his bed?  Nah, who was she kidding?  Three and half years she had
worked for Mr Sheffield.....Max.  And sometimes it seemed they were 
no closer to a real relationship. 'How pathetic is this?  Even woman 
who date married men have some vague hope that one day they will 
leave their wives. Max doesn't even have a wife, so what is his 
problem?'

But he does have a brother.  A young handsome brother, a brother that
made her feel alive, and passionate, like a real woman.  But she didn't
really love him.  Why then, had she left Max, the man she really loved,
to go away with him?  Was it desperation that this was to be her only
chance at happiness?  Then quietly to herself, "Enough of this, I'm
getting up."

The phone rang in the office.  C.C. answered it,  "Maxwell Sheffield
Productions, C.C. Babcock speaking. Oh hello Nigel.  Yes I'm fine, no,
still no man......."  A look of disdain on her face, she pretended to
brighten, "Do you want to talk to Max?  Yes, I'll put him on."  "British
buzzard," she said to herself as she handed the phone to Max.

"Hello Nigel, good to hear from you old man," he said cheerily.  "Yes,
we received all your presents on time.  Thank you and all the best to
you for the New Year.  I'll pass on your best wishes to the family,
yes, and to Fran..... and yes she is a lot of fun," as he leaned back
in the chair, wondering what his brother was on about, as Nigel
enthused about what he called the best time he ever had in New York,
painting the town red with Fran, and that how if he was any kind of a
man, he should have married her on the spot.  "Yes, perhaps you 
should have married her," Max added cheerfully, taking his brother's 
words as mere exaggeration.

C.C. looked at him questioningly, this sounded too suspicious, "What's
going on Maxwell?  Is Nigel talking about marrying Nanny Fine?  I've
always loved your brother, well you know, as a brother."  Max ignored 
her, as he made his good-bye's and hung up.  "Well, Maxwell?"

"Oh it's nothing C.C., you know what Nigel is like."

C.C. didn't notice, but Max had begun to feel uneasy about his
conversation with Nigel, and wondered, as he laid back in his chair
tapping a pencil lightly on the edge of the desk, if there was anything
more to it.  C.C. glanced back at him as the tapping sound began to
annoy, "Well Maxwell? Are we going to do some work?" 

"Mmm?...Yes of course, C.C."  But in the back of his mind he had 
decided to do a bit of snooping, to ease his mind at least.

It had been a fruitless conversation with Sylvia.  "I don't interfere
with my daughter's personal life," she had said, as she chomped on
what sounded like half a chicken.  "But if you take my advice," she had 
added, "you will marry my daughter now, while you have the chance."  
With that she had screamed something at Morty about Latkas, made an 
excuse and hung up.  Well, if she did know something, he thought, she 
wasn't telling, at least not directly.  Max decided that the time had 
come to go to the source of all ill-gotten information.  The big yenta 
himself:  Niles.

Max strolled into the kitchen trying to look like a man with nothing
particular on his mind.  Humming nonchalantly to himself he took a 
milk carton from the fridge and took up what he hoped looked like 
casual position against the counter.  Niles was preparing lunch, he 
looked at Maxwell suspiciously, "And what do you want..... Sir?" 

"Oh....nothing, Niles.  I'm on a break and I just thought we might have 
a little talk." 

"Uh huh... what about?"

"Oh... nothing in particular," he made little circles on the counter top 
with his finger. 

Niles went back to his chopping. After few seconds silence, Max
ventured, "Um, I had a curious conversation with my brother Nigel 
this morning.  He was telling me how much he enjoyed himself with Miss 
Fine when he was here.  You wouldn't  know anything about that, 
would you Niles?"

"Me?  Of course not sir.  Where would I hear anything about
that?"

"Oh, I don't know, listening at key holes, tapping the phones,
the usual."

"I don't know what you mean sir."

"Can it, Niles," returning to his usual self.  "What did they get up to 
when I was working and couldn't be here, and don't leave anything 
out."

"Oh I couldn't, sir, that would be betraying a confidence."

"I see.....," getting cagey again.  "Have you spent all your Christmas 
bonus this year Niles?  You see, I'm thinking that business may not be 
quite as good next year....."

"Well, first they..."

Max didn't like it one bit, dinner, dancing and god knows what else,
yellow roses and to top it all off, a diamond necklace.  This made Max
feel even more uneasy.  Perhaps Nigel's flippant comments about
marrying Miss Fine hadn't been exaggeration.  After all, Sheffield men
don't give women expensive presents unless there is some serious
feelings attached.

Niles had not considered this angle, "I don't like this at all."

"How do think I feel?  She could have been married to my brother!"

"No sir, I mean being left out of the loop, and with the biggest,
juiciest... "

"Stop it man," Max interjected.  "What are we going to do
about it?... What am I going to do about it?"

"Well sir, perhaps we should make some discreet inquiries with Miss 
Toriello.  Miss Fine surely would have confided in her best friend."

Miss Fine was at this moment shopping with the girls, and for once 
Max would be pleased if she gave his limit a good nudge so as to give 
Niles more time with Val, and to give himself more time to think.  
Max paced his office.  C.C. had taken the afternoon off at his 
insistence, and it was getting late.  The phone rang and Max pounced on 
it like a cat.  It was Niles, "Success sir. Val folded faster than your last 
show, under the combined assault of Ben and Jerry's and a years free 
membership to Weight Watchers."

"Get to the point man!  Dish!!"  Niles told the whole story of how Fran 
had decided to go away with Nigel and had left a note for him (Max), 
but had missed the boat, injured her ankle, and returned to the house in 
tears.

Max was, by now, more depressed than ever, "Thank you Niles."

"What are you going to do now sir?"

Max hung up the phone without answering.  He leaning back in his 
chair and took in a deep breath.  A mass of confused thoughts raced 
around in his mind.  Should he be angry that she had left him, and was 
it only bad luck or good fortune that she was not now married to his 
brother?  But what would he had done if he had found the note? 
Would he have hired a boat or a helicopter and gone after her?  Would 
she had come back?  He slumped forward onto his desk, head falling 
on his folded arms.

He had no idea how long he had been this way, it could have been a
minute or an hour.  Deep in the mist that was now his thoughts, he
heard a voice; he couldn't identify it, just a sound, familiar and warm. 
Slowly the sounds formed themselves into meaningful words. 

"Mr. Sheffield, are you OK?"  Slowly he lifted his head, a blurry shape 
of red and black danced before his eyes.  "Mr Sheffield?"  His eyes 
finally re-adjusted and Miss Fine came into focus.  "What's the matter, 
are you sick?"  She quickly took her usual place on the edge of his 
desk.  He placed his forehead on her lap. 

"Fran, Fran, Fran," he cried, as she stroked the back of his head. 

"What's the matter Mr Sheffield?  I've never seen you like this before.  
So vulnerable, so emotional...  I kinda like it." 

He lifted his head and stared deep into her eyes, deeper than he had
ever stared before.  "Don't call me that, ever again.  Call me Max."

"Uhhh, Ok," she dabbed the tears from his face with a tissue. 

"You came back," he said softly, taking her hand in his.  "I thought I 
had lost you."

"What do you mean?  I have only been shopping." 

"No I mean....."  He wasn't sure what her reaction would be now that 
he knew the truth.  "No I mean, you didn't marry Nigel." 

"Oh my god you know!?  How long have you known!?"  This was too 
much for her, she was too embarrassed and confused, she had to get 
away, but to where?

Max caught her at the staircase.  First by her arm, he pulled her close
in his arms, and he kissed her passionately.  "No!  Not again," she 
screamed, pushing him away.  "I will not be your plaything again!  I'm 
sick of it." 

"I don't want you for my plaything, Fran!  I'm serious this time.  I
love you Fran.  I don't care if you left me for Nigel, I know you never
loved him, you only did it to get back at me for 'The Thing.'  I love
you Fran, can't I make you understand?  And I know that you love me."

She stood before him in tears.  It had finally happened, he had said it
all, he had finally put his heart on the line.  But she couldn't move,
"And what if I hadn't come back, what then?"

"I would have followed you, as far and as long as it would have taken.  
I love you Fran, I want you to marry me."  Now he knew it was for 
real, and she knew he would not take it back, not this time.  She flew 
into his arms, both sharing a long passionate kiss, and then both 
whispering "I love you, I love you," as they kissed again.

Just then the front door opened and in walked C.C. followed closely 
by Niles.  "OH MY GOD, WHY!" C.C. wailed, mouth open.  

And Niles, who had brought her back on some pretext in the 
anticipation of some fireworks, with a huge satisfied grin on his face, 
said, "Happy New Year, Ca Ca!".

The End.