Lunch

The afternoon was gray and rainy. Like so often at this time of year. The buildings looked washed out and were lacking the color that they usually brightly displayed at a sunny day. Laura ducked into the opening of the restaurant that she was going to have lunch at. The restaurant was small and clean. The food was always excellent here. Though it was going to be a business lunch she was looking forward to it. She sat down at a table overlooking the courtyard. Brightly colored birds sat in the tree. They did not seem to mind the weather. Laura pulled her slightly too tight blouse down and adjusted her dark blonde hair. She studied the menu while waiting for her boss and the client that she was here to meet. Her boss was always late, the client always early. That usually meant that she had to entertain the client for a little while at least. This was meeting number three. God knows how many more they were going to have. But the planning commission was strict and they had to make sure that the plans for the new building were drawn up right and all specs and contracts were in order.

Her thoughts started to wander. Steve was being an idiot again. How could he claim Charlie to be his?! She loved that dog! The Great Dane was a lovely grey and still young. But the divorce was getting messier every day. And unfortunately he had really good lawyers. Better than hers, she had to admit. The move was hard enough. Living in an apartment again after so long being at their own house was quite an adjustment. And yes, no dogs allowed. Or rather, she corrected herself, nothing over fifteen pounds. No chance for her getting Charlie. She was glad that there were no kids involved. Steve and her never had children. Just Charlie.

Her thoughts got interrupted by the client. A handsome man in his late forties. And he was single. If the divorce would not have been so messy, she would have thought about dating him. But that would have been against company policy anyway. And the thought of dating made her sick to her stomach. Quickly she tried to focus on the meeting at hand.

“Hi, how are you? How is your day going?” “Fine, thanks. — What do you think about the weather?” “Dreadful. I am ready to have a few nice days this spring. I hope it clears up when we get ready to brake ground.” “Absolutely. I hope so, too.” The usual small talk. Blah, blah, blah, she thought while smiling politely. That’s the part she didn’t like. Entertaining people was not exactly her strength. But it was part of her job. And at least it paid well. She hoped in a few years she was able to move up in the Architecture firm that she was working at and manage. So far things were going well.

The meeting went as expected. Her boss showed up a little late, like usual, but still early enough to eat with them and have a productive meeting. Also the meeting went over time. Also like usual. Laura did not mind. She liked working outside of the office every once in a while and not sitting there all day. Site visits and off site meetings were her favorites. Specially when food was involved. The divorce surely did not help her figure either. Neither did the fact that she rarely exercised.

If she would have been more observant, she would have noticed that the client was indeed trying to flirt with her. But she was oblivious to that.

The birds outside sang their song when she came out of the building. The rain had stopped temporarily but the streets were still wet. It smelled like rain.

Next time, Laura told herself, she would not eat as much. Next time, she would be a little more friendly to the client. But for now, she had to deal with the divorce. And Steve…

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