"Hello?"

"Hi Andy. Are you busy this Friday?"

"Uh, I have a few things on my plate. Why? What's up Caroline?"

"I was wondering if we could get together for lunch."

"If you can do two o'clock, I can be free."

"Cool. Will you meet me at The Salad Bar?"

"Sure. Do I need to prepare for something?"

"Nah. I just have some questions and stuff I need to get together for school."

"Ok. I'll see you Friday."

"Great. See you then. Bye."

"Is she going to come?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No."

"But we're doing it anyway?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. It was nice knowing ya."

"It wont be that bad, Cass."

"Sure. Easy for you to say. You already have dorm room confirmation at NYU. You have a place to move to. I'm stuck at home if Columbia doesn't come through for me."

"You'll be fine. Columbia is going to come through and you'll get out. That's why we have to do this. We can't leave her alone."

"She wont wither and die, Caro."

"No, but she should have a real chance at happiness."

"Fine. Let's do it."

"Andréa, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Miranda? Why are you here?" "I believe I asked first."

"I'm here to meet Caroline."

"I have come to lunch with Cassidy."

"Well, good to know they decided to divide and conquer."

"You think this was planned?"

"Kind of obvious. The question would be 'why'?"

"Why indeed?"

"So, do you actually have time for lunch?"

"I am here."

"Will you allow me to buy you lunch?"

"You mean you want to stay and spend time with me?"

"Why not? The girls apparently want us to, so we might as well humor them."

"That would be acceptable. I promise to not criticize you or your work."

"And I promise to not lose my temper."

"Fair enough. You may buy me the spinach salad with the sesame ginger dressing."

"Right. If you grab a table, I'll be right back."

"You copied my meal choice?"

"It sounded good when you said it. It's not like you have a patent on it."

"Mmm. So how is work?"

"Busy. I have at least five irons in the fire. And deadlines are approaching fast."

"Are you struggling?"

"Not really. It's more like I'm invigorated. The pressure helps me to focus and I accomplish a lot more in a day than I used to. How are things at Runway?"

"Growing. Our last edition was our largest yet. Fashion's popularity seems to be exploding. Now with these television shows like Project Runway the designers and the brand names are becoming general knowledge. We must elevate ourselves to remain in our position as leaders. We can not lower our standards or slip an inch. To that end, we are busier than ever."

"Wow. How many assistants do you need now?"

"Don't be cheeky."

"I'm serious. It seemed like you could barely keep the pace you ran when I was working for you. If your busier now, you must need more help."

"I find that I am delegating more. The years have given me the wisdom to realize I do not have to be in charge of every minute detail of the day to day. I am responsible for the final outcome. I work to reach that goal and along the way, I push others to step up and perform. Much like I did with you."

"Huh. You did do that. You know, I really did learn a lot when I was working for you. I still often counsel myself with 'what would Miranda do' moments. You're more motivational than one of those thought a day calendars."

"Well, it's a relief to know that I have made such an impression."

"More than you'll ever know, Miranda."

"Andréa, I would like to apologize for my behavior the evening you came to dinner."

"What exactly are you apologizing for?"

"I made accusations that I regret. I had no right to attack your work the way I did."

"If you believe what you said, then you have every right to voice your opinion."

"That is the point. I do not believe anything I said. Although there was one article, early on, that did actually make me feel you had given up and quit. I am sorry if I hurt you with my diatribe. Can you forgive me?"

"The hurt fades with time. Your apology will speed the recovery. Thank you. Do you happen to remember what the offending article was about?"

"I believe it was a series you covered on the ineffectiveness of the family services department. You were following the story of a homeless woman and her child."

"Oh, yeah. Well, I guess it read like I quit because I did. Karen was a woman who fell between the cracks in the system. I was heralding her case when she died of exposure during a winter storm. Her daughter is somewhere in the foster system now. The system quit, the city quit, the whole freakin' country quit, and frankly, I didn't have enough in me to keep fighting uphill, so, yeah, I quit too."

"I am sorry you had to experience that. As terrible as it was, I believe it helped you to mature. Your writing has since been much more poignant and provoking. You have a great deal to be proud of, Andréa."

"Thank you, Miranda. I'm not sure you know just what that means to me."

"I think I can imagine. I am not completely insulated from the public opinion of me. And, if I am not mistaken, you, specifically have managed to maintain a certain level of awe and respect for what I do on a day to day basis. Perhaps it is because you were also an editor in chief at one time."

"You remember that?"

"You would be amazed at just what I remember."

"Miranda, I have to tell you that I have really enjoyed lunch today. Thank you for staying."

"Yes, I do believe we have successfully survived a meal together. Will wonders never cease?"

"Maybe this is what the girls were hoping for; our burying of the proverbial hatchet."

"Perhaps. Would you be interested in trying to repeat our achievement?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Would you be amenable to joining me for dinner sometime?"

"I think I would love that. Just give me a call when you know your schedule."

"Very well. Until then."

"Good bye, Miranda."