About twenty minutes later, Amanda arrived at the agency. For more than a
year she had been unable to go there; thirteen months in fact. Eight of
those months she had been with child, and she took the other five as Post-
Maternity Time Off months. But then, due to lack of money and a fear of
being employed somewhere else, somewhere totally unfamiliar, where they
would not understand the single mother who couldn't provide a list of jobs
for the past five years, Amanda returned to the Agency, where she felt
oddly safe and secure. It was easy to pretend at first, that Lee had never
gone to Libya, and that she would be seeing him soon. Eventually, even that
grew too painful, as she started to believe her own lies, and was forced to
re-live his 'death' each afternoon. She got to work, typing reports and
training a new secretary Mr. Melrose had just hired to work with Derek
Johns and Lisa Bates up in the Q bureau, where Lee and Amanda had been
working way-back-when. At noon she took her half hour lunch break.
"Want to go get a bite to eat?" Francine had asked her, and she accepted. She and Francine, who had never exactly been the best of friends, (perhaps due to Francine's somewhat snobby, standoffish, mean spirited kind of person towards Amanda.Francine was, after all a person who had once had a thing for---and with---Lee) but ever since Amanda had returned to the Agency, things had changed. Francine was nice to her, too nice even, but Amanda was grateful for the lunchtime company.
"Sure, Francine, let me grab my jacket."
"Your jacket? It's May! It's warm out. Come on, let's just walk to that little place that sells all the seafood, they have the best Lobster Bisque and I hear their Clam Chowder is to die for."
"Alright, I'm coming."
The walk was short, and within minutes they arrived at the little place, aptly named That Little Place. Amanda got the clam chowder; Francine chose the bisque.
"I will be right back with your drinks," their waiter assured them, taking their menus.
"Thank you," the women replied in unison.
"So, Amanda, how are things in suburbia-land these days?" Francine asked, taking a bite of the complimentary breadsticks.
"About the same as usual, Francine. The baby is driving my mother crazy, not that she really minds. She adores having a little girl in the family. Phillip has a new girlfriend, so we don't see him very often."
"Shame. You've seen him for what, sixteen years now? You know what he looks like. I, for one, think it's about time he get a job."
"So does he. He applied for a job at Quickie Chickie Snack Shack, so he's waiting for them to call about an interview."
"Thrilling.Amanda?"
"Yes Francine?"
"What exactly is a Quickie Chickie Snack Shack?"
"It's a fast food place the boys loved when they were younger. As amatter of fact, I saw Lee there once, he was dressed as." Amanda's voice cracked, and she took a deep breath, holding back tears.
"I'm sorry, Amanda," Francine began, but Amanda waved her hand.
"No, I'm fine," she assured her blonde companion, whiping her remarkably still-dry eye with the back of her hand.
"Look, the soup's here," Francine pointed out, and Amanda nodded.
"So, how are things with you and what's-his-name?" Amanda asked Francine, deliberatly changing the subject.
"Chance? Oh, I think it's over. I mean, how far can it really go when you're dating someone named Chance Shae Wellington the second. His family calls him Second Chance."
Amanda laughed.
"And he's just beginning to annoy me.Speaking of annoying, Beaman asked me out again yesterday. Honestly, when will he learn? Never going to happen. I just can't see myself with an Ephram Beaman. No way."
"Poor Beaman," Amanda was laughing harder than she had in ages.
"Hey, Francine, how many agents are needed to change a lightbulb?"
"Oh, Amanda, that's not the worse one. You know what he told me yesterday?"
"The one about the chicken crossing the park?"
"Worse! Why did Mozart kill all of his chickens?"
"Are these the same chickens who crossed the park?"
"Who cares. He killed the chickens because they kept saying Bach Bach Bach Bach."
"Oh, gosh."
"Want to go get a bite to eat?" Francine had asked her, and she accepted. She and Francine, who had never exactly been the best of friends, (perhaps due to Francine's somewhat snobby, standoffish, mean spirited kind of person towards Amanda.Francine was, after all a person who had once had a thing for---and with---Lee) but ever since Amanda had returned to the Agency, things had changed. Francine was nice to her, too nice even, but Amanda was grateful for the lunchtime company.
"Sure, Francine, let me grab my jacket."
"Your jacket? It's May! It's warm out. Come on, let's just walk to that little place that sells all the seafood, they have the best Lobster Bisque and I hear their Clam Chowder is to die for."
"Alright, I'm coming."
The walk was short, and within minutes they arrived at the little place, aptly named That Little Place. Amanda got the clam chowder; Francine chose the bisque.
"I will be right back with your drinks," their waiter assured them, taking their menus.
"Thank you," the women replied in unison.
"So, Amanda, how are things in suburbia-land these days?" Francine asked, taking a bite of the complimentary breadsticks.
"About the same as usual, Francine. The baby is driving my mother crazy, not that she really minds. She adores having a little girl in the family. Phillip has a new girlfriend, so we don't see him very often."
"Shame. You've seen him for what, sixteen years now? You know what he looks like. I, for one, think it's about time he get a job."
"So does he. He applied for a job at Quickie Chickie Snack Shack, so he's waiting for them to call about an interview."
"Thrilling.Amanda?"
"Yes Francine?"
"What exactly is a Quickie Chickie Snack Shack?"
"It's a fast food place the boys loved when they were younger. As amatter of fact, I saw Lee there once, he was dressed as." Amanda's voice cracked, and she took a deep breath, holding back tears.
"I'm sorry, Amanda," Francine began, but Amanda waved her hand.
"No, I'm fine," she assured her blonde companion, whiping her remarkably still-dry eye with the back of her hand.
"Look, the soup's here," Francine pointed out, and Amanda nodded.
"So, how are things with you and what's-his-name?" Amanda asked Francine, deliberatly changing the subject.
"Chance? Oh, I think it's over. I mean, how far can it really go when you're dating someone named Chance Shae Wellington the second. His family calls him Second Chance."
Amanda laughed.
"And he's just beginning to annoy me.Speaking of annoying, Beaman asked me out again yesterday. Honestly, when will he learn? Never going to happen. I just can't see myself with an Ephram Beaman. No way."
"Poor Beaman," Amanda was laughing harder than she had in ages.
"Hey, Francine, how many agents are needed to change a lightbulb?"
"Oh, Amanda, that's not the worse one. You know what he told me yesterday?"
"The one about the chicken crossing the park?"
"Worse! Why did Mozart kill all of his chickens?"
"Are these the same chickens who crossed the park?"
"Who cares. He killed the chickens because they kept saying Bach Bach Bach Bach."
"Oh, gosh."