Chapter 4
Peggy spent the rest of her weekend fixating on the Burger Chef campaign, the national chain wanted different slogans for the rest of the year, including seasonal phrases. Feeling struck and frustrated, Peggy took a break and went shopping. Over the years her fashion sense had developed, she chose more modern patterns, shorter hemlines and body hugging dresses and while going through the stores she felt this is exactly what she needed to walk in fresh on Monday morning.
Monday went by rather quickly, there were meetings to attend about copy, but Peggy got a surprise at lunch when an unexpected person came to stop by.
The intercom buzzed, "Ms. Olson, you have a young man here, should I send him in?"
Peggy furrowed her brow and thought "young man?", "Um, send him in."
Julio busted through the office door and Peggy got to her feet as Julio wrapped his arms around her, "Peggy!" Julio exclaimed.
Julio's mom stood in the doorway, "Ms. Olson, I hope it's all right. Julio wanted to see you and I had some errands to run in the city, would it be all right if he spent a few hours with you this afternoon?" Julio looked up at Peggy all wide-eyed.
"Yes, yes that would be fine."
Julio's mom quickly left, as Julio still clung to Peggy.
"So…" Peggy started, "How are you liking your new place?"
"It's okay I guess. We still don't have a T.V. Do you have any candy?"
"Hmm, there might be pastries in the kitchen, let's go look!"
Julio grabbed hold of Peggy's hand and they walked out of her office together, Ted was coming around the corner of the hall holding some copy in his hand that he wanted to look over with Peggy when he spotted her with Julio. A smile came upon Ted's face as he watched the two of them together, Peggy was smiling and laughing with this child and he thought of how great a mother Peggy would be.
"Okay, there are some doughnuts, do you like doughnuts?"
"YES!" exclaimed Julio. Peggy simply laughed, "All right, you can have one, just one I don't want your mom saying I spoiled your dinner."
Julio picked up the chocolate doughnut and took a large bite smearing chocolate all over his face. Just then Pete walked into the kitchen, saw Julio with the doughnut and Peggy's back turned as she reached for a napkin.
"Hello. Who are you?" Pete asked.
With a mouthful of doughnut Julio responded, "I'm Julio. Who are you?"
Peggy turned around and handed Julio the napkin to wipe his face, she was already amused by their exchange.
"I'm Pete Campbell, I work here."
Julio swallowed his bite of doughnut, "Yeah, I already guessed that."
Peggy chuckled as she saw Pete fluster, she patted Julio on the back "Maybe we should head back to my office?"
Julio nodded. Peggy smiled at Pete as her and Julio left the kitchen. Ted had been standing in the hallway waiting for Peggy, but he wasn't sure what to make of the little boy visiting her this afternoon.
Peggy saw Ted waiting for her and bit her lip.
"Hello Ted."
"Hello. And who is this young man?"
"This is Julio" Peggy responded.
Ted smiled at both of them.
"You like doughnuts too? I'm also fond of chocolate doughnuts. They are my favorite!"
Julio stuck out his doughnut to Ted "You can have a piece of mine if you want?"
"No, that's quite all right." He patted his stomach, "I've had enough doughnuts for today, can't you tell?"
Julio snorted a laugh and went inside Peggy's office, plopping down on her couch. She had forgotten that Ted was a father; she knew he had two boys but had never really seen him interact with children before.
"Oh, Peggy. Here is the latest copy for you to look over, there are some notes on here too, let me know what you think." He handed her the copy, when she went to retrieve it from his hand, he placed his other hand on top of hers and she felt her whole body shake from his touch. With her office door open, Julio saw this exchange and then remembered something.
"Hey, I know you!"
Ted broke his eye contact with Peggy and looked over to Julio on the sofa, "You know me?"
"Yeah! Last year you were in our building, you were waiting for Peggy. You said you were a cop."
Peggy looked down, took the copy from Ted and escaped from his hands. Ted looked back at Peggy while responding to Julio.
"Yes, that was me."
"You're not a cop. You lied." Julio yelled back at him.
"I did – I lied" Ted responded, and it was then that Peggy looked back up and saw Ted's eyes were full of regret. He lied about being a cop, but Julio didn't know that that night Ted made promises to Peggy and had lied to her too.
"Lying is bad. You shouldn't lie." Julio replied, before taking another large bite of his doughnut.
Peggy and Ted felt frozen in their place; he wanted to apologize again for that night, for how things had ended between them. Peggy then sharply turned and headed into her office, and Ted called for her.
"Peggy…"
She turned to face him.
"Can I call you later?"
"Sure."
Ted smiled at her and at Julio, who was completely unaware of what memories he brought up for the both of them, before turning around and heading back to his office.
Peggy leaned against her desk watching Julio, "So how is that doughnut? Good?"
Julio nodded and smiled, again he had smeared chocolate on his face, and Peggy motioned for him to use his napkin and he did.
Peggy sat her desk and started to look over the copy Ted had given her when Julio spoke up again.
"You like him. The fake cop man. I can tell."
Peggy furrowed her brow, and raised the copy in front of her face to block her view of Julio. He rolled his eyes and continued eating. When he was done with the doughnut Julio started walking around Peggy's office looking at all her things, picking up something asking her what it was then setting it back down.
"I'm bored. Bored bored bored."
"All right, let's go visit with Stan. Your mom should be here in a little while."
She got up and led Julio to Stan's office next door.
"Mind if we visit with you?"
Stan stubbed out his joint.
"And who is this? Is he the one who bought you the roses?"
Peggy shot Stan a glare and said "This is Julio."
"How old are you little man?"
"Ten."
"Don't you think she's too old for you?"
Julio looked confused and Stan burst out a laugh.
"Come over here; want to see what I'm working on?"
Julio walked over and saw Stan working on the drawings for Burger Chef.
"So, you color? That's your job?"
Stan laughed again, "Yes, I draw and color. That's my job. Peggy over there, she comes up with the ideas and then I draw them. This was her idea for Burger Chef, you ever been there?"
Julio nodded.
"Well, Peggy's campaign is going to be all over the country. So whenever you see it, when you go to Burger Chef you can think of Peggy."
Julio went wide-eyed and looked back at Peggy, "You're famous?"
"No," Peggy responded shyly, "The work we do is out there, but it's not like celebrities, our faces aren't pictured. No one knows our names." Peggy shrugged.
Julio picked up the storyboard and showed it to Peggy, "But this is yours, you did this, and now it's going to be all over the country. You are famous." Julio handed back the drawing to Stan.
Peggy simply smiled and said "Okay."
"You can draw with me little man, if you want. Here's some paper and pencils." Julio took them and moved over to the corner of the room setting camp on the floor to draw. Peggy moved closer to Stan.
Stan whispered to her, "That kid loves you."
Peggy smiled as she looked over to Julio who was drawing burgers all over the sheet of paper.
Stan laughed softly, "Famous. Ha." Peggy nudged him.
A little while later Julio's mom returned from her errands and picked him up. There was a tearful goodbye as Julio clung to Peggy and didn't want to go. She told him how they would see each other again, and he would always be welcomed to come back and visit her at the office or her apartment. After watching him go, she went to her office and had a drink. Just that weekend she spent thinking about Ted and Pete, she was worried about Monday and prepared herself for her encounters with them but Julio changed her, his presence in her life centered her. There was more to life than work, and Julio reminded her of what could have been and what still could be in store for her.