After Olivia

11

As the rain returned, umbrellas bloomed under the grey sky and adorned the park's pathways with an assortment of colours and patterns. A young child skipped along with her red rubber boots splashing in the puddles as her mother trailed several paces behind. Emily strolled slowly and shared her umbrella with her arm linked with Bill's.

The happy child in a pink rain slicker and red boots stopped cold in the middle of the pathway with her mouth agape and a finger pointed at Emily. She turned her head and yelled to her mother while Bill and Emily stopped and gave each other a puzzled glance. As the mother rushed to close the gap, Bill leaned towards Emily and whispered in her ear.

"Hello," Emily said to the bewildered looking child.

"You... you..." the little girl stammered.

"Me?" Emily asked as she placed her hand on her chest. "Do I remind you of your teacher from when you were in kindergarten?"

The little girl nodded as her mother stood by her side. Emily noticed the same shocked expression on the mother's face and crouched down to the child's level before saying, "Miss Olivia was my sister."

*****

Bill remained seated at a boardroom table and finished some notes as the rest of the people filed out of the Wednesday afternoon meeting. Heather lingered at the door for a moment, then stepped back and took the seat beside him.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"Up, what?"

"You were so distracted. What's up?"

"Oh, I don't know, just lost in thought, or something." Bill replied as he gazed at the table.

Conflicting and confused thoughts had plagued his mind since the Tuesday lunch hour visit to the diner. The brief absence of the waitress at the start of the visit seemed to foreshadow her departure and yet he couldn't acknowledge his interest in the young woman. Adding to his mental turbulence, the encounter with one of Olivia's students highlighted Emily's resemblance to her sister. He wouldn't admit it to her, but as they approached the child, he had imagined that it was Olivia that was walking beneath the umbrella with him.

"I think it's more than that. I saw the way you were looking at Lindsay. Everyone was looking at her, or more accurately, her cleavage. Hell, I was checking it out! But you... You're not thinking about... with her..."

"What, Lindsay, no!"

"Good! I hate to say this about anyone, but she's a bitch. You don't need someone like that walking all over you."

"I know. I've just been... well, noticing women lately. Actually, I think it would be classified as gawking. I had lunch with Emily yesterday and I was totally zoned out listening to the waitress, and when I went into Stein's last week to get my mother-in-law a gift, I was just eyeing up the salesclerk. Then there was this woman at the grocery store... I'm pathetic, I know... I'm a pig..."

"Well, maybe you need to get laid! What are you doing Friday? We should go out."

Bill looked at Heather with an uncomfortable glazed-over look and tried to form a response as he squirmed in his seat.

"Shit, I should really think about what I'm saying before it comes out of my mouth. Sorry, I didn't mean, you and I... don't get me wrong, you are great and very handsome, which is nice," Heather said as she waved her hands in front of Bill's chest, "But, I'm happy with my man. I know I only see him a couple weeks a year, for now, but I'm good with that. But my roommate is single, hot, and fun. I'm not saying you gotta get into anything long term. Even just going out and having some fun, maybe just a friendly chat might be what you need."