Storytelling for Week 2: Caught on Video

Lindsay was one of the most beautiful, successful women in the public relations industry of New York City and worked in the Trump building. She wore fitted black suits and pointed-toe heels, and as she walked her perfect figure moved elegantly. With such a powerful woman, came an equally powerful man, whom she got to call her husband: Andrew. Andrew was the typical sleek Wall Street broker. His shiny dark hair never had a strand out of place, and he walked with purpose with a stern look on his face in his perfectly tailored suits He carried a brief case and took his coffee black. He was a no non-sense kind of man and everyone knew not to mess with him.

On the outside everything in their relationship seemed ideal. They lived in a gorgeous Victorian penthouse on the Upper East Side. The ate at five-star restaurants. On the weekends, they attend galas and black-tie events. In the summers, they vacation in the Hamptons. You could say they had it all. Or at least, Andrew thought they did. He also thought Lindsay had everything a woman could want.

Andrew and Lindsay on their wedding day, Carver Photography

Lindsay, however, had been sneaking off with Andrew's business partner, Derek. When she said she was "having brunch with the girls" or "attending yoga class" she was actually sneaking to his loft downtown and engaging in unspeakable behaviors. She was cheating on Andrew. She was having an affair. And with her husband's business partner, no less.

One day in the office, one of the brokers at the firm knocked on Andrew's office door and asked if he could come in for a minute. Andrew checked his clock and let out a sigh because it was nearing time for him to head home so he and Lindsay could get ready to attend a gala at the Met that night. He hesitantly obliged to hear what his co-worker had to say, figuring it was about making a deal of some sort.

"Hey I just wanted to give you a heads up that there has been some talk around the office. I did not want to be the one to say anything but I respect you and think you have a right to know what is going on," said the broker.

"What is this about?" asked Andrew.

"It seems that Lindsey and Derek have been... how do I put this... having adult relations. Basically, she has been cheating on you with him for about six months now. I hate to be the one to share this  news but after it going around the office I figured it was about time you knew," continued the broker.

Andrew could not even mutter a word. He opened his mouth and his lips hung limp. He could not even muster a thank you as his co-worker walked out of his office. Although, he did not know if thank you were even the words he was looking for. He was shocked. He was shocked and angry.

On cab ride home, Andrew thought of his options. He could stay in the marriage and avoid the publicity. They would have an "open marriage" or whatever the celebrities were calling it these days. He could walk in the door as soon as he got home and demand a divorce. But Andrew was a calculated man. And he decided he would get even. He was going to make a plan to destroy Lindsay just as she had destroyed him.

Andrew knew where Derek lived and knew that Derek had left the office early to go visit his parents in Connecticut for the weekend. And luckily, he knew the doorman of Derek's building from the times the two had watched football games together or relaxed with a drink in hand after a long day at work.

"Change of plans," Andrew said to the cab driver. "I need to go to 61st and 8th. But first, I need to make a stop at an electronic store on the way."

Andrew paid the cab driver and walked out onto the street in front of Derek's apartment building. The doorman recognized Andrew and gave him a nod and slight smile.

"As you know, Derek is out of town and he left his sport coat upstairs. I am meeting him tomorrow and he asked me to grab it out of his closet. Could you please let me in?" asked Andrew. He did not think it was going to work but remained hopeful.

The doorman pondered for a bit before he reluctantly led Andrew upstairs to Derek's loft. Once inside Andrew thanked the doorman and found the bedroom. From a plastic bag, he pulled a small video camera he had purchased at the electronic store before coming to the loft. Andrew set it up in the corner behind a picture frame, positioned perfectly to catch his wife and Derek in the act. After he was pleased with his work, Andrew left and returned home where he would pretend like everything was "just perfect" between him and his unfaithful wife.

It only took three days for Andrew to catch them. Lindsay had left for "yoga" and Andrew took this opportunity to follow her to Derek's apartment. After waiting for about thirty minutes, he stormed upstairs and knocked angrily on the door. When Derek opened the door his face turned white and he tried to compose himself quickly. Andrew threw open the door and immediately grabbed the camera from behind the frame, and before storming out thrust open the closet door to expose Lindsay standing there wrapped in the bedsheets.

The next day at the office, there was a TV set up with video of Lindsay and Derek that Andrew had captured on the camera. All of the workers found it quite hilarious that for the big talker that Derek was, he should not have been boasting. Derek was the new joke of the office and everyone snickered as he walked by.

Authors Note: I choose to retell the story of Mars and Venus from Ovid 1. When I first read the story, I could not help but think it was something I would see on a Bravo reality TV show. I therefore wanted to set the story in present day cosmopolitan city. I kept the language simple because the story is not one that needs scholastic prose. I tried to make the story one of juicy gossip, which is the feeling I got from reading the original Greek myth: it was the gossip of the Gods.

Bibliography: Ovid's Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline. Published 1903. http://www.poetryintranslation.com/