a dramatic flourish.
“So tell me more about what’s up with Diana.”
“I’m going to be her mentor.”
“What about her princess fetish?”
“We’re going to work on that. I get the feeling she does it more for attention.”
“Did you find out anything about her from the PP group?”
“No, but I went to her house. Her mom…” I trailed off not sure how to explain Diana’s mom. It also felt like divulging a shameful secret. “I don’t know. I’m getting the sense I can sort of understand why she might have some issues. Who people have in their life makes a difference.”
“You have an interesting choice of companions yourself.”
“Thank you.” I looked at him and then had a sense of what he wasn’t saying. “You don’t like Jonathon, do you?”
“I don’t know him well. I’ve only met him a few times.”
“Let me guess, you have a policy against sleeping with people you work with,” I said.
“I hope you haven’t been holding yourself back because you were worried I would turn you down. I don’t have a policy against sleeping with people I work with, but I do avoid those I work for. I also I have a policy about sleeping with the people who are sleeping with other people, like a spouse. You might want to keep in mind that Jonathon is a part of station management. He may not work at the station directly, but Wolfson Media are the big dogs.”
“So you think I’m trying to sleep my way to the top.”
“First of all, you are not at the top. Secondly, I never said that.”
“But you don’t think I should be seeing Jonathon.”
“None of my business.”
“That’s right, it’s not.” I wobbled my foot up and down under the table. “How dare you even comment on my love life? You with your parade of different women every week.”
“It would hardly constitute a parade. No marching band, no flowered floats. A small tidy queue perhaps.”
“Do you ever get sick of being so damn smug?”
“No. Do you ever get sick of being so damn superior?”
We sat not saying anything for a while and pretended to watch the hockey game. I wished he hadn’t brought up Jonathon. I snuck my cell phone out of my purse and checked. Nothing. I chucked it back in my bag and gave it a kick under the table. The burgers arrived. The shoestring French fries were larger in diameter than the waitress’ arms. I was shocked she could lift the food trays without her arms snapping off at the elbow.
“Bon appétit,” Colin said, raising his burger and breaking the silence.
“Right back at ya.” We ate in silence. The burger tasted amazing, as only good greasy food can when you’ve been drinking. I tossed a couple of fries back. “Here’s the thing. Jonathon’s not a bad guy. Just because someone cheats doesn’t make them necessarily a dirt bag, there are all kinds of things that can be going on in his life and his marriage that you would never understand. We’re in sort of a holding pattern. He can’t just leave his wife, he has to do it right. There are kids involved. We like a lot of the same things. He’s a nice guy.” I decorated my plate by dragging a fry through the piles of ketchup.
“I’m sure he is. You wouldn’t have picked him otherwise.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You know not everything has some deep subtext. I just meant if you liked him he must have something going for him. If you liked assholes you would date me.”
I couldn’t think of a good response. I stared off into the distance not wanting to meet his eyes. I kept darting glances in the general direction of the TV and then back to my burger.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Colin said.
“You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I’m just watching the game.”
“You were watching the game?” He raised one eyebrow. “What is the score then?”
“Score?” I
“So tell me more about what’s up with Diana.”
“I’m going to be her mentor.”
“What about her princess fetish?”
“We’re going to work on that. I get the feeling she does it more for attention.”
“Did you find out anything about her from the PP group?”
“No, but I went to her house. Her mom…” I trailed off not sure how to explain Diana’s mom. It also felt like divulging a shameful secret. “I don’t know. I’m getting the sense I can sort of understand why she might have some issues. Who people have in their life makes a difference.”
“You have an interesting choice of companions yourself.”
“Thank you.” I looked at him and then had a sense of what he wasn’t saying. “You don’t like Jonathon, do you?”
“I don’t know him well. I’ve only met him a few times.”
“Let me guess, you have a policy against sleeping with people you work with,” I said.
“I hope you haven’t been holding yourself back because you were worried I would turn you down. I don’t have a policy against sleeping with people I work with, but I do avoid those I work for. I also I have a policy about sleeping with the people who are sleeping with other people, like a spouse. You might want to keep in mind that Jonathon is a part of station management. He may not work at the station directly, but Wolfson Media are the big dogs.”
“So you think I’m trying to sleep my way to the top.”
“First of all, you are not at the top. Secondly, I never said that.”
“But you don’t think I should be seeing Jonathon.”
“None of my business.”
“That’s right, it’s not.” I wobbled my foot up and down under the table. “How dare you even comment on my love life? You with your parade of different women every week.”
“It would hardly constitute a parade. No marching band, no flowered floats. A small tidy queue perhaps.”
“Do you ever get sick of being so damn smug?”
“No. Do you ever get sick of being so damn superior?”
We sat not saying anything for a while and pretended to watch the hockey game. I wished he hadn’t brought up Jonathon. I snuck my cell phone out of my purse and checked. Nothing. I chucked it back in my bag and gave it a kick under the table. The burgers arrived. The shoestring French fries were larger in diameter than the waitress’ arms. I was shocked she could lift the food trays without her arms snapping off at the elbow.
“Bon appétit,” Colin said, raising his burger and breaking the silence.
“Right back at ya.” We ate in silence. The burger tasted amazing, as only good greasy food can when you’ve been drinking. I tossed a couple of fries back. “Here’s the thing. Jonathon’s not a bad guy. Just because someone cheats doesn’t make them necessarily a dirt bag, there are all kinds of things that can be going on in his life and his marriage that you would never understand. We’re in sort of a holding pattern. He can’t just leave his wife, he has to do it right. There are kids involved. We like a lot of the same things. He’s a nice guy.” I decorated my plate by dragging a fry through the piles of ketchup.
“I’m sure he is. You wouldn’t have picked him otherwise.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You know not everything has some deep subtext. I just meant if you liked him he must have something going for him. If you liked assholes you would date me.”
I couldn’t think of a good response. I stared off into the distance not wanting to meet his eyes. I kept darting glances in the general direction of the TV and then back to my burger.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Colin said.
“You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I’m just watching the game.”
“You were watching the game?” He raised one eyebrow. “What is the score then?”
“Score?” I
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