One Year Ago......

Valentine's Day.

Let me tell you a story.

On this day, one year ago, I sat at the head of a table in my office and looked at 45 of my colleagues sitting and standing around that table with puzzled looks on their faces.

Four of the people in the room already knew what I was going to say; the looks on their faces ranged from sad to tearful....

I took a deep breath and proceeded to shock the room by telling them that it had come to the attention of my bosses that I was having an affair with my secretary, who sat to my immediate right in the meeting. While my bosses had done nothing, I announced that I was relieving myself of my responsibilities and turning them and my post over to my deputy effective immediately. I told all assembled I wanted to take the opportunity to apologize to my wife, my secretary, and my colleagues for having let them all down.

The response from everyone was not what I had expected. People began to cry, and others came forward to say that I had nothing to apologize for, that they cared about me and my secretary deeply, and that everyone stood behind me. My secretary cried, reasonably enough and some came forward to comfort her. Others came forward to shake my hand, and hug me, with many of them crying as they did so. One guy told me that what I did was the bravest thing he'd ever seen.

We stood up and entire room formed a kind of receving line (or more like a condolence line, I suppose) to say goodbye....

And we did, and that was last time I saw my crew, in tears and me too...

Anyway, it's a year later now, and I'm still here in Quito and so is everyone else. I'm separated from my wife, not surprisingly, and while I don't live with my secretary, we see each other every day and most nights, but not all, we are together.

Things are calmer now, and I daresay, happier. At the same time, the scars are there, and healing, but still sensitive, very sensitive. Time has gone by, and the trauma is fading. But more time will be needed for me to really get my bearings, I think...

One year later, and where is this all going?

Don't know yet, but maybe these postings will help answer that question.....