I'll Be Seeing You

Father Plights

Lydia thought she was saved from dealing with Jamie when Monday rolled around. She hadn't anticipated hearing from him at all. When "I think we need to talk" popped up in her texts she felt her stomach drop. Clearly she had misjudged the situation.

She was feeling feisty and had little intention of yielding to his anxiety inducing message so easily.

"What about?" she wrote back.

"The other night. Are you around tonight?"

She took a beat before typing back. Could this be the reconciliation conversation she had been waiting for?

"Yep I'm around." She hoped she sounded cool and confident. Inside she was a nervous wreck.

"Okay, meet you at McGinn's after work."

The day dragged on as Lydia dreaded the evening. At 6 pm, she walked over to McGinn's and ordered a glass of wine. McGinn's was across the street from their office and offered little to no privacy. Looking around she felt out of place in a tight-fitting dress. She was in glorified sports bar with a room full of men. She didn't want to be in this environment especially because it was likely she would run into someone she knew. She watched through the window as Jamie made his way towards the entrance of the bar. Once inside, he greeted various other patrons he knew.

He skipped a hello in lieu of a drink order. "Can I get a whiskey? Neat, please."

Lydia was all wound up. He had ambushed her. She had been waiting to talk, and he gave her less than eight hours to get her thoughts in order? She was spinning her wine glass in controlled circles on the bar top.

"No, hello?" He was hovering close to her. He hadn't taken his seat yet and she could smell his cologne. She resisted the urge to lean in more fully. She knew what his shirt would feel like under her skin. She couldn't touch it.

"I could say the same thing to you." She shot back icily.

Jamie sat back on the bar stool. "So, I just feel like things have been weird between us recently."

She scoffed under her breath as he carried on.

"We have to work together and I really think that it would be beneficial for us to make a fresh start."

"What do you mean? We don't have to work together. You're leaving C.K."

Jamie coughed. "Um actually that's why I needed to talk to you. I'm not leaving."

Lydia stared into her wine glass and willed it to be something stronger.

"That's impossible. You signed the contract." The words came out with such force it surprised her. She couldn't tell where the anger was coming from.

"I did but I got out of it. They offered me a promotion here so I took it. Plus, a ton more money so I can get a new place. I wanted to let you know – give you the heads up." Lydia's mind raced with trying to make sense of what he was telling her.

"Why would I need a heads up?" Was he concerned about how she would take the news?

Jamie was choosing his words carefully. "Well, I wanted to clarify where we stand. I know it got weird at the diner and then the Tim thing. Now this past weekend..." He was stalling and she was pissed.

"Jamie what exactly are you trying to say." She gulped her wine. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"I'm saying that I want to make sure we're on the same page. I've seen you a lot in the last few weeks because you've texted me. I don't think you should do that anymore now that I'll be back in the office. We should keep it professional."