Metanoia: A Sequel

Chapter 7: Tolerance

Rory, after the awkward situation with Logan, noticed that he visited less frequently from then on. It went from six days a week, to just once a week, to once in two weeks. She was beginning to feel uneasy. Had she done something wrong? She must have. She was already plotting to break relations with Logan directly, but it looked like she did it indirectly, unintentionally doing the job. Logan never seemed cheerful as his usual self each time he did visit the office. Rory felt the end of the same month she coincidentally met Logan creep closer, like an intimidating shadow, and she realized why she was feeling edgy and jittery-with each passing day, it was one step towards Logan reuniting with Lena. Why is that my concern? They're hitting it off, and I shouldn't interfere. What am I thinking? She shook her head to clear the reoccurring thoughts and returned to her work duties. Must work. Now.

Still, she couldn't help but think that maybe she had broken ties gradually. Maybe it wasn't just her imagination worriedly reminding her each second. She was constantly at unrest. Her instinct was telling her something. She had to fix what was broken.

After work that day, she didn't take the brief walk home. Instead, she consulted Ms. Touchard, who would stay behind an hour to check on errands. She gently approached her, just like the submissive person she wanted to be with an unbelievable work ethic. So far, she had been doing well with that, and she wanted to maintain her record.

"Do you happen to have a phone book, ma'am? I need it for, uh, something important," Rory blurted out. She couldn't stay in this mess of unrest by waiting it out. That was not the solution.

"What for?" Ms. Touchard asked, removing her dark red glasses, which were originally resting on the bridge of her nose. She placed them gracefully in her case and snapped it shut.

"It's just...I can't really explain it, but it's a little...too somber. Not like a funeral, but...you know what I mean, right?" Rory forced out of her mouth.

"Oh, yes. The fine gentleman who frequents here. Yes, I do know."

Rory gaped at Ms. Touchard's accepting face. She never expected this.

Ms. Touchard continued to talk. "I know exactly what you mean. Here." She lightly tossed a thick White Pages book into Rory's hands. It was slightly crumpled on the cover, but Rory was in no mood to complain. She was so grateful, she could have hugged Ms. Touchard right then and there.

"Thank you! This means a lot to me. I will repay you," Rory declared.

"Well, you're quite welcome. Now, run along and let me finish up the layout. You will preview it tomorrow, by the way."

Rory hugged the White Pages book to her chest and headed into the coworkers' break room to sit down for just a minute. She needed to flip to the right page first. "Huntzberger...Huntzberger..." she mumbled to herself as she reached the correct page range.

There it was, printed on a normal cream-colored page binded into the book-Logan Huntzberger. There was his house address and his business address, but Rory made sure to type down the former into her notes application on her phone. That was the only information she needed-at this point in time, anyway.