I know that eavesdropping is rude, but for a mind reader who hears thoughts like they’re spoken out loud, it’s a whole different story. I have to work really hard to keep from hearing other people’s business, so the line between accidentally hearing someone’s thoughts and deliberately snooping has gotten a lot blurrier.
That’s why I work extra hard to keep from hearing my husband’s thoughts. He hates it when I pick things up that he’d rather I didn’t know, and I totally get it. This has been an ongoing source of contention between us, so I’ve been working extra hard to keep my shields up around him. Not only that, but Chris has been getting much better at blocking his thoughts as well. Normally, this would be a win-win situation, but not lately.
A week ago, Chris began acting strange, almost like he was auditioning for the role of “Husband With No Problems Whatsoever.” He was even extra-cheerful around me, and asking me all sorts of questions about my day, and hardly thinking about his. That was my first red flag. The second came when he started thinking about the most boring stuff imaginable. Tax codes, grocery lists, that jingle from the insurance commercial that gets stuck in your head for days… you know what I’m talking about.
After that, I noticed him checking his phone and then immediately putting it face-down, then start to say something, but quickly change the subject. All of these things screamed “I’m fine” while meaning exactly the opposite.
If you know me, you know I’m not about to put up with that. But his mind was so closed, it was like running into a brick wall. A few days ago, it even got to the point where I tried the direct approach: “Chris, what’s wrong?” His answer? A practiced smile and, “Nothing.” Then a quick change of subject.
What’s a mind reader to do? Luckily, my answer came from an unexpected source. At Thrasher the next day, Uncle Joey broke the barrier. “How’s Chris feeling about the Brennan contracts?”
“What contracts?”
Uncle Joey’s eyebrows went up. “He didn’t tell you? I asked him to look into some contract issues for me. Nothing major, just some legal advice.”
“Uh… no, he didn’t.”
Uncle Joey leaned back in his chair, and I could hear his thoughts clearly. He had asked Chris to review contracts for a new restaurant venture, and was wondering why Chris hadn’t discussed this with me. Did than mean Chris didn’t trust me, or did it mean the situation was more serious than he’d thought. “Maybe you should ask Chris about it. I’d hate for there to be any… misunderstandings.”
That was his way of telling me to do what I do best, and listen to Chris’s thoughts so I could tell him what was going on. I shook my head. How did this happen? My boss was asking me to spy on my husband? Ugh! “Yeah… I’ll ask him.”
“Good.”
That night, I watched Chris push his spaghetti around on his plate while humming the theme from Jeopardy. Out loud.
“So…” I began. “Uncle Joey mentioned something about contracts today.”
Chris’s humming stopped. “What kind of contracts?”
“The Brennan ones?”
Chris set down his fork and rubbed his temples. “Right. Those.”
“Want to talk about it?”
He met my gaze. “Honey… this is one of those times that it’s better you don’t know.”
My eyes widened. “Because of Uncle Joey?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’m figuring it out, and it should all be resolved soon.”
“Sure, but what if he asks me about it?”
“Just tell him I’m working on it. Okay?”
I nodded, but this was killing me almost as much as it was killing him. How was I supposed to help my husband when he was keeping something from the mob boss for whom we both worked? I wanted to insist he tell me, but he’d gone back to singing that awful tune in his mind, so I knew he wasn’t about to relent.
I knew I had to do something. Uncle Joey would expect me to tell him what was going on and I’d have to tell him that Chris was blocking me out. It had the potential to make things even worse for Chris, which had to be why Chris wouldn’t tell me anything, right?
Luckily, right after dinner, I had to make a quick run to the grocery store because we were out of milk. I was coming out of the store, juggling bags and trying to fish my keys out of my purse, when I walked straight into someone coming around the corner. Groceries went flying, apologies were exchanged, and we both bent down to collect the scattered items.
“Shelby? Shelby Nichols?”
I looked up to see Tom Brennan. We’d only met once in Chris’s office, but I remembered him because he was well-dressed in that understated way that suggests money without flashing it around.
“Oh…hi! It’s Tom, right?”
“Yes. Sorry about this.” He finished picking up the last of my groceries, and handed them over.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“You know… this is perfect timing. I’ve been meaning to call your husband.” Tom was thinking about how relieved he was to run into me, because he’d been feeling terrible about the position he’d put Chris in.
Tom had hired Chris months ago to handle some routine contract work for his construction business. Standard stuff, nothing complicated. But recently, Uncle Joey had asked Chris to review contracts for a new restaurant venture, and Chris had discovered that Uncle Joey’s project would directly compete with Tom’s business in the same area.
But here’s the part that made me want to hug Tom Brennan right there in the parking lot: his company had just landed a huge development contract on the other side of town. He was actually relieved to be pulling out of the downtown market entirely, which meant Uncle Joey’s restaurant wouldn’t be competition at all. Tom had been meaning to call Chris and tell him about the change, but he’d been swamped with the new project.
“You know,” Tom said. “I really should give Chris a call. We just signed this amazing deal for a west-side development, and I keep meaning to update him on how it’s going to affect our downtown plans.”
“I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.” I tried not to sound as relieved as I felt and we parted ways.
When I got home, Chris was in his office staring at his computer. I rushed in to tell him the good news. “Guess who I just ran into? Tom Brennan.”
Chris’s head snapped up so fast I was surprised he didn’t get whiplash. “Tom Brennan?”
“Yeah. He mentioned something about a new project and how they’re moving the location to the west-side and leaving the downtown area.”
Chris’s brows rose. “He actually told you that?”
I shrugged. “Well… no, but that’s what he was thinking. He said he needed to call you about it. So… is that what you’re so worried about?”
Chris sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Yes.” The whole story came pouring out. Chris was stuck in an ethical nightmare. He couldn’t advise Uncle Joey on something that would hurt his other client, but he also couldn’t tell Uncle Joey about the conflict without violating Tom’s confidentiality. He’d been losing sleep trying to figure out how to handle the situation without betraying either client or getting himself disbarred.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked.
“Because you would have felt obligated to tell Manetto. It would have put you in a bind, and I didn’t want to saddle you with that.” Plus, he was thinking that Uncle Joey might have done something underhanded to make Tom’s company go away, which would have totally ruined Chris’s reputation and damaged his career.
“Oh… yeah. I see what you mean.” I shook my head. “Although… I can’t see Uncle Joey doing that to you, but I guess it’s a lucky turn of events that Tom’s company is changing direction.”
“Yeah… no kidding.”
The next day, Tom called Chris, just like he’d said he would. Turns out, his company was not only pulling out of the downtown market, they were actively looking for someone to take over their lease. Uncle Joey’s restaurant project went from being a conflict of interest to being the perfect solution for everyone involved.
Chris gave Uncle Joey the legal advice he needed, Tom got help transitioning out of a lease he no longer wanted, and I got my husband back to his normal stress level, which is to say the manageable amount that comes from being married to someone who works for the mob. Of course… we both do, so it’s no wonder that we have our problems.
Still, the real lesson here isn’t about contracts, ethics, or even accidental mind reading. It’s about communication, trust, and the fact that sometimes the solution is just one phone call away, and working together is always better than going it alone.
If we’d all just talked to each other from the beginning, we could have saved ourselves a lot of sleepless nights. But then again, if we’d done that, I never would have learned that Tom Brennan thinks my laugh is “delightfully infectious,” which was a nice ego boost even if I only learned it through thought-eavesdropping.
In conclusion… is eavesdropping a bad thing to do? Yes… for the most part, that would be true. But for me, it totally saved the day.
Until next time!
~Shelby
Shelby Nichols Consulting 