Convenience

Part 104

David shrugged, "They cut me a break." He picked up his fork, and said, "You should eat, before your meal gets cold." But when he ate, he realised that their food was already cold. He wondered whether to leave it. He returned to their topic. "Gave me some slack and they probably knew that I would be really good for the business! Given I turned it around, really fast."

"And they like you?" Beatrice sounded baffled and also picked up her fork to continue to eat. She quirked a brow, "Really?" Like David, she realised that their food was already cold. Like David, she wondered whether to leave it.

"I think so!" But as he thought about that, he wondered if he had made assumptions about that too. Like Beatrice wouldn't mind waiting until he had sorted out family business! He rubbed his temple. "I don't know. I'll ask when I get to the office on Monday!"

Beatrice snorted. "Like they are going to tell you the truth, given you are their employer!" She attempted to eat what was on her plate. But it was already congealed. Again she wondered whether she should just leave it on her plate.

"Well, what do you suggest?" David frowned. He pushed his food around on the plate. "That seems like the best option, just asking them!" He kept pushing his food around on his plate.

"Well," Beatrice said, "Put yourself in their shoes." She took another deep breath, "Why not look at the situation from their position, rather than your position?"

"Like you put yourself in my position? When you left, without any discussion?" He said softly.
"In any case, I put myself in your shoes!" He grumbled. "I thought it would give you, Hayley and me a chance. Hayley needed friends, coming out of the army. Make new friends."

Ok, Beatrice thought, possible. She and Hayley might become friends.

David added, "I thought we, you and I, needed a neutral social event, a neutral place. Somewhere to talk without any pressure. See if we could make this relationship, a normal relationship." Perhaps he had jumped to the wrong conclusions. But his conclusion was based on the information that he had. "Any way, I didn't hear from you. I waited to hear from you. See if you wanted to come. No response. Left you the message on Monday, thought, maybe you were away. So I waited. Thought I would give you another call. Then I got your letter." He ran fingers through his hair and massaged his neck as sadness hit him hard. "It wasn't a reply to my invitation. Instead, you sent a letter with your forward address!"

Beatrice whispered, "I didn't receive your message."

"The social was on Saturday, so I waited until Thursday, thought about phoning you but later that day I got your letter." David added.

Beatrice frowned. It must have be the week she left. Probably he left the message, but his messages didn't reach her because her phone was cut off before she checked her messages.

She stopped pushing her food around her plate. Beatrice flicked her gaze up to meet his as she said quietly, "Are you sure it was Monday? When you left that message?" She sounded apprehensive. She went over and over this evening and the different conversations, with him, with Hayley, with Robert. She was pretty sure that he wasn't spinning another yarn. That he was telling her the truth.

His eyebrows quirked. David watched as anxiety grew in Beatrice's gaze.

"Just asking! Was it the Auckland Anniversary Day, not another Monday?" Beatrice mumbled.

David folded his arms, leaned back, "It was Auckland Anniversary Day,  a week before the social, ask Robert," He used his head to pointed out where Robert and Hayley were sitting. "Go ahead!" He said firmly. "Go and ask Robert about our conversation!" Frustrated, he said, "Ask him the date. In fact, ask Hayley. Ask her about the date of that social."

Beatrice acknowledged that.

"I called you, Monday, Auckland Anniversary Day, to ask you if you were available, and to see if you wanted to come to the party. Left a message on your voicemail." He summed up.

"OK, Auckland Anniversary Day."

It was then that the waiter arrived at their table and asked politely if their food was okay! The waiter had seen them pushing their food around and not really eating any of it.