Two minutes in to his coffee, five minutes in his office and Mr. Tal was habitually arranging his work space as was his wont, every morning.
His spacious minimalist cabin was immaculately tidy and well looked after. As the CTO of a well established conglomerate Mr. Tal's office was especially taken care of; elegantly white and squeaky clean.
Mr. Tal would walk into his 28th story office every morning at nine, and spend the next fifteen minutes organizing his space, which to an untrained eye would look no different than it was before his arrival.
But the fact that it was disheveled to a certain degree showed through Mr. Tal's eye, which wouldn't stop twitching until he'd spent the next fifteen minutes, systematically shaping and putting every microscopic existence of his room in order.
Each photo frame would be shifted, with the slightest breath of a push, rendered with an infinitesimal touch of a restrained little finger. The souvenirs that dotted the mantle had to be positioned starch straight.
Pens in their right holders, blinders drawn to a particular point only, anything less or more would result in the firing of some well meaning staff.
Tissue box holding the right number of tissues (a few short of completely full).
A hint of the faintest smudge on the table or wall might lead to a very bad office week for the entire staff and a complete repaint of Mr. Tal's prestigious pristine cabin.
Mr. Tal's office was taken care of with a faultless precision.
"Sir, your wife just called to inform that she'd be fifteen minutes early for lunch with you" sang a well-practiced business like voice on Mr. Tal's intercom.
"That's alright. Reschedule my appointment with the automotive steel company for tomorrow afternoon. I won't be in this evening"
"very good sir"
Mrs. Tal walked in sometime fifteen minutes after twelve in the afternoon.
Tall, stately, perfectly dressed, not a hair out of place. Her careful stride, confident and in place with her husband's important stature; delicately wishing the office staff she met on the way, amiable but not too warm. Just the right amount of smile and raised eyebrow. She walked straight into her husbands impeccable office, looking every bit in harmony with the irreproachable perfection of his work space.
She was his most beloved souvenir. The woman of his dreams. His most esteemed catch, his perfect match.
"I hardly ever get to see you these days, darling" she spoke in silvery husk of perfect modulation.
"I'm glad you made it to lunch. I've been so stressed with an important merger off late. But I'll make it up to you". He held her hand and kissed her flawlessly manicured digits.
"We miss you at home. He's almost three and.." her voice trailed off, as she fixed her vision to the glass window behind her husband.
"What's that darling?" she had raised a finger in the direction of the window.
"What's what?" Mr. Tal looked behind his shoulders at the big window. It was a gleaming glass wall. Clean and shiny.
"That" she was now pointing at something on the window.
"What? I can't see it"
Mrs. Tal got up and walked to the window and pointed up, towards the upper right corner of the window right next to the drawn blinders. "this, darling"
Mr. Tal's gaze followed her outstretched arm to where her finger was pointing.
"It's a speck, or maybe a water stain, or just a smudge of dirt, and looks like it's on the outside. Oh well, the window cleaners will take care of it". She walked back to the table where they lunched, and pretended not to notice her husband still staring at the imperceptible dark speck.
Mr. Tal had the housekeeping staff clean the window twice over after lunch, until it was established that the little fleck would have to be cleaned from the outside.
*****
"We're going to visit daddy. Wear your cleanest shiniest clothes. He'll be so happy to see you looking every bit like a handsome little boy that you are, yes you are. Oh yes" Mrs. Tal was smiling and cooing in little cartoon voices as she buttoned up her six year old.
"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Tal" said the lady at reception, but you won't be able to see Mr. Tal today. He's err" the receptionist looked at the well dressed little boy "he's busy right now"
"Always busy" purred Mrs. Tal, rolling her eyes and looking at her son with a smile.
"Well, would you give him these clothes? He'd been asking for a very clean pair of plain clothing, and I just wanted him to have these". Mrs. Tal handed over a paper bag of clothes to the receptionist and left with her son.
*****
Mr. Tal had come home looking more tired than usual.
"That damned blot is on the outside of the window. We'll have to wait for the window cleaners to show up. They have their 'fixed days' of visits." Mr Tal droned on lethargically.
"You're not still thinking of that little speck, are you darling? It's just a small speck. Don't worry about it. Maybe it'll rain and the little smudge will wash off" her voice was rich with sympathetic concern. She was handing him his nightclothes.
"It's Wednesday today. I wear the white nightshirt" said a visibly irritated Mr. Tal.
The next morning was a religious routine, except Mr. Tal didn't wish for his blinders on the window to be drawn.
"Did you check with the damned window cleaners if they'll show up today?" Mr. Tal was shouting into the intercom.
"I'm sorry sir" the practiced businesslike voice was shaking. "They'll be coming by the end of next month, as is in their contract for this zone. I will however persuade them to come at the earliest to attend to our problem."
"Do whatever you have to, just tell them to come, or hire someone else for this job. It's one bloody window, you can get anyone to do this"
"Yes sir, but this building is fifty story's and few cleaning companies have such license and permit.."
"I don't care. Get someone soon"
*****
"What on earth are you looking at?" a large man's voice boomed amongst the immaculate white walls of Mr. Tal's office.
"Listen, I've been trying to discuss this very important matter with you over the past few weeks, but you have not been paying any heed. You weren't available for any of the conference calls, nor for the visitations by the technical experts of the automotive company. This merger has been in the works for past year and you are the heart of it. Are you listening to me?"
For all that Mr. Tal could care, this voice could have been coming from some distant radio in the background. He could hear it alright..he could hear mixture of words in a sentence along with a loud buzz in his hears.
His eyes were focused on that small fleck of smudge that refused to budge from its place. He'd stared at it everyday for past three weeks. His eyes twitched.
"Now listen to me, if we pull this off, not only would it be a landmark joint venture but it'd also..what are you doing? Tal? Put that chair down"
There was a loud smash. A deafening crack of crushed glass. The shining wall of a window broke in a fountain of glittering splinters. Shards of various sized glass pieces lay strewn all over the floor of Mr. Tal's room. Flakes of frighteningly sharp edged jigsaw pieces lay in a glassy puzzle.
The disturbing speck was obliterated.
*****
Mrs. Tal sat in the visitors area, looking as stately and regale. Perfect in every way.
"The chair fell down twenty eight story's, killing a man instantly. Several people were injured from falling glass pieces. The victims are suing you and you're charged with manslaughter and negligence among other things. This is ridiculous! Darling. We've the best defense lawyer team rigging the system; you'll be home in no time, my love" she spoke in low clear decibels, staring at him, searching her husbands face for a reaction.
Mr.Tal had, since that incident a distant look to his face. He didn't look too bothered or fazed..there was in fact a horrible contentment of having finally found peace. He smiled a usual reticent smile "yes, darling. All will be right. I'm not worried"
"That's the brave man I love. We're trying our hardest to have you out on bail and back into your usual spotless routine..warm house, because this place" she looked around with the faintest sneer "is really not your kind of place darling" she curled her lips in a smile..soothing and smirking the same time.
"At least there won't be anymore blots, smudges and specks bothering you here. I hope your living quarters or whatever is it they call here, are clean and smut free. Oh darling, I do hope the dirt here doesn't trouble you" she smiled again.
Mr. Tal was shifted to the sanitarium next week.
*****
"The last few times that we visited, you didn't meet us. I..you were unwell?"
"No, I didn't want to meet you. Either of you."
"Did you get the clothes I'd left at the reception last time?" Mrs. Tal looked around the imposing gardens, punctuated with small fountains and flower beds. "There's a hiking trail here too. Such a lovely place, and the cafeteria serves such delicious little cupcakes. We did good to extract you out of that hellish, state sponsored looney bin and into this state of the art sanatorium. You'll soon be nursed back to health. Our boy is six and he's made some 'get well soon' cards for his daddy" she bit her lower lips expecting a flicker of reaction to shadow his face.
Mr. Tal had considerably aged in the past few years. His dauntless shoulders were a drooping uncertainty. The cocksure, arrogance of his unsmiling face was replaced by a fatigued sneer. Any earlier suggestion of his imperious haughtiness was now replaced by an air of mellow simplicity and spiritless mood.
Mrs. Tal in stark contrast was just as elegant. Her statuesque bearings easily overshadowing the grandiose environment they sat in.
"You expect these doctors to nurse me back to health, when the grand architect of my insanity has ensured that I stay a schizoid vegetable the rest of my life" he was carelessly looking at the childish 'get well soon' cards.
He directed his far flung gaze at Mrs. Tal "each supply of your faultless, spotless, brand new clean clothes managed to carry an indecipherable flaw, that never failed to catch my eye. Usually a permanent little speck, ink blot, tear, smudge, loose stitch. Each time a new innovation"
"Oh darling, you mustn't say something so hurtful" Mrs. Tal's eyes grew wide, she tried to look hurt. Her beautiful face tried a frown, but decided on a smirk instead.
"The window cleaners were paid a hefty amount to not show up for the cleaning job for another month. Almost four times what they make." He began stacking the 'get well soon' cards into a neat pile.
"The payment was made in person by a man unknown to any of my associates. He was untraceable. No doubt the same man who has shacked up with you in our home now. Living off on the hefty trust fund I'd set up for you, my darling"
Mr. Tal broke into a deranged grin, and hid his face in his hands in an expression of defeat.
"I was lucky to have spotted a little dirt on the window, honey. I had no idea you'd take it to your heart. The man doesn't live off the trust fund, he makes a living, and yes he is now shacking up in our home, with your wife and his son.
My child needs a father figure after all, and you hate aberrations, my darling. Blots and smudges and foreign particles annoy you so, my love. I'll send you a spotless pair of clothes. If you ever need anything my darling, don't you hesitate. I am, your wife, after all."
Mrs. Tal straightened herself, gently kissed her husbands face, with an exquisite show of delicate tenderness, wiped with her thumb the light smudge of lipstick from his cheeks and walked off.
