A Short Story
Finding a New Status Quo
BOB [with effort]: Hi, Jane, how are you?
JANE: He was always trying to manipulate me, but he never got away with it. I won. I won completely. But now, but now, I find myself missing the feeling of being worthy of being manipulated.
[pause]
BOB: What?
JANE: Fine, how are you?
[pause]
JANE: This really isn't working for us, is it? But thank you for meeting me half-way
BOB: It is 9:05 AM. We have seven hours, and fifty-five minutes to go.
JANE: But we get an hour for lunch, and can eat separately.
[They both laugh, and then make eye-contact as they realize they are both laughing at the same thing, at the same time. They stop laughing, and get to work, feeling curiously comfortable]
BOB [with effort]: Hi, Jane, how are you?
JANE: He was always trying to manipulate me, but he never got away with it. I won. I won completely. But now, but now, I find myself missing the feeling of being worthy of being manipulated.
[pause]
BOB: What?
JANE: Fine, how are you?
[pause]
JANE: This really isn't working for us, is it? But thank you for meeting me half-way
BOB: It is 9:05 AM. We have seven hours, and fifty-five minutes to go.
JANE: But we get an hour for lunch, and can eat separately.
[They both laugh, and then make eye-contact as they realize they are both laughing at the same thing, at the same time. They stop laughing, and get to work, feeling curiously comfortable]