A Quiet Lunch (for Claudia)

[polly_okeefe]

I sat in the Compound rec room, taking a breather after a long morning working in the Children's Office. I'd expected to find Zell here, and that we could go to lunch, but he was late. I didn't mind, as it gave me a chance to sit and take my time drinking a little water. Zell was meeting with Dr. Chase, and I believed those sessions were important enough that it was good that Zell was late -- even if it meant that he might be tense when he finally got to lunch. There were ways to relieve that.

As I sat there, thinking about the present, and allowing my thoughts to stray a little into the future, the rec room door opened, and I looked up, smiling, expecting to see Zell. But it wasn't him.