Friday, Week Three
Diary I am sorry! I have completely ignored you, but in my defence it has been a busy week. I have found the most darling house. It is just perfect. It is a cute little cottage with a porch and a lovely yard. I am so excited, but exhausted from meeting with realtors, and my bank and all the work that goes with becoming a responsible adult. I guess Denver is home! Of course, I wasted my night looking at furniture and decorator items online that I would have to sell a kidney to afford, but anyway, dreaming is nice.
This week was also weird. Out of a clear blue sky I received a text from Steve. Steve who I absolutely had broken up with. Steve who knew exactly where he stood, decided that he deserved another hearing. He was going to be in Denver for work (of course he wouldn't make it a priority if he wasn't already going to be here) and wanted to catch up for dinner. Well, I really didn't have anything to say to him, but I asked around for where was nice (and expensive). Montaldo's is apparently the place, so on Wednesday evening, that is where we went. I met him there (I really didn't want him to give me a lift) and looked for the most expensive things on the menu. He did all the usual, told me he was so happy to see me, that he had missed me, and that I was beautiful. A month ago, I would have fallen for it. I was so needing to be needed that this would have been enough. I would have listened to him talk – a lot – about his job, how important it was, and how exciting everything in DC was. I probably would have even considered going back, like the good little cipher who didn't deserve more. But this dinner was different. I was …. be honest Shane … bored. Was he really that self-absorbed? He hadn't asked my anything about Denver, he just assumed that I had moved away to prove a point and that now I would be happy to come back to Washington to him! I tried to tell him about Norman, Rita, and Oliver – and the interesting cases we had worked together to bring to a satisfactory conclusion. He didn't even listen! He just turned the conversation back to him.
Then I did the thing. I sent Rita a text saying that she had to call me. That goodness she was near her phone, and she did, almost immediately. I played it like the call was important, and that I would need to return to work. I carried on a conversation that Rita didn't follow at all but thank goodness she new better than to stop me - she just said she needed me to call her later! I owed her that much. So, I stood up, told Steve I had a work emergency, kissed him on the cheek and left! I may have done a little happy dance on the way to my car.
So now let's get to today. Work was fine, nowhere near as exciting as the past few days had been, but I did get to use my skills a little more and managed to hurry a few letters to their destinations. I can't tell if Oliver is happy that I can access information that he can't, or if he is annoyed that I am trying to drag the office into the 21st century. Who knows at this point? We followed our usual pattern, me running late for work, Oliver checking his pocket watch and giving me the eyebrow, and then busy until lunch at the Mailbox Grille. And afternoon of more of the same until five. There were no drinks after work tonight though as we had an event. Teresa Capadiamonte was taking Vivienne's place in the Lendimer Manor Talent Show, and we were all going as moral support. She was great! (Sidenote: Her back-up dancers were the cutest ladies – octogenarian twins!)
The night was clouded by one thing. We found out that Norman's new friend Arlene had passed away during the week and had left instructions that he should be given he father's stamp collection. Poor Norman. I know that the stamps are rare and valuable, but he would much rather not have them, instead get once more chance to look at them with the lovely Arlene.
"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break."