A Steady Situation, Part 10

Spending time in the town centre was something new for both of them. They fumbled through the crowds with a vague dread. Neither had a good idea of what they were doing, except for that they were buying furniture for her house and maybe taking a stop at a cafe along the way.

She screened the sun out of her eyes, looking down the street and referencing her map. It helped very little. He had a natural talent for directions, and they had gotten this far, but the sheer volume of people was disconcerting to him. They looked at each other, and giggled slightly. He gestured to a side-road, and she confirmed it.

Making their way to a restaurant, they readjusted their clothing from the finicky journey and took some deep breaths. They mutually smiled, and, taking seats, got round to a conversation, and it seemed it was work that was on their minds.

She’d had much less of a difficult time on the job, as of late, but still felt the weight of everything that had happened. He said that she should be proud that she’d gotten through what she had, but she still felt if she’d been more responsible, things wouldn’t have gone as they did.

Nevertheless, she was assured he didn’t seem to judge her as harshly as she felt she deserved to be. There was an honesty about him, and he had a well-attuned moral compass. She felt her frown tenderly curl into a smile, but then the sense of guilt reacquainted itself with her, and she turned the discussion over to him.

He’d had a better time, and he was glad to have been able to set up his business in a part time format to make acquaintances and friendships. She wondered how he hadn’t run himself ragged. His face contorted gingerly, and made some vaguely evasive comment. She smiled perversely, and looked down at her plate. Some more questioning followed on both sides, then they decided to go about the furniture.