"Do you go out in The City much?"
"Not at all, lately. I can't afford it. Their parents support them."
"I never fell into that situation of having everything paid for, having a disposable income," Crystal said wistfully.
"It's hard to make it in this city."
"So, what's going on?" Crystal breached the reason for this sudden meeting.
"Well, all right, I guess you can read my mind. I do have an ulterior motive but I don't want you to think that's the only reason I asked you to lunch. I would like to start going out to lunch once a week so we can talk about things."
"Is a 6% raise average for this company?" Debbie finally asked.
"Actually it's usually 4 or 5%. Yours was a little bit higher."
"Oh, I got a higher than average raise. It's just that it's hard to make it in this city."
"Our company is going through a lot of changes and we plan to give promotions where they are deserved. We plan on raising the grade level of your job which would be a promotion and then we can pay you more. The 6% was your quarterly raise. I can't tell you when this will happen. The promotions will start with the VP and move down from there. There will be a lot of changes made and I really think you should stay with the company."
They both well knew that she planned to stay with the company.
"Is there something else? I have a feeling you're keeping something from me."
"No, that's about it."
"Are you dating anyone?" Her boss launched the question.
"No," Debbie smiled, as her boss said in afterthought, "I realize that's a personal question."
"I was in a five-year relationship and when it ended last December, I dated a lot. I went out three, four nights a week."
"With a lot of different people?" Debbie asked, her usual air of innocence enveloping her.
Her boss looked her in the eye. She pursed her lips in mock disgust. You well know the answer to that, the gesture seemed to say.
"When the relationship ended, I would sometimes find that I would just have to close my office door and cry."
"Ohhhh, that's terrible," Debbie gasped. She felt her eyes burn with tears.
Crystal went on to speak of friends who were there for her. But her words were lost on Debbie who did not hear what she was saying. Crystal spoke of her father. They did not see eye to eye. Her two sisters were his favorites. Debbie talked of her three sisters, of always having to share the attention with them, or more often, compete with them.
"I've been alone all my life," Debbie admitted for the first time to anyone ever.
"My relationships have all been short. Real short." She smiled slyly. "I don't like the dating scene." She suddenly turned sober.
"Don't do anything you don't want to do. Say, 'I'm uncomfortable with that.'"
You don't understand, Debbie wanted to say. But what was it that her boss did not understand?
Words at a loss, she sadly shrugged instead.
"Well, you're older now. You know what you want."
"I'm not afraid to live in a burnt down building -- I lived in a burned down building, you know - but I'm afraid to date anyone seriously." She shook her head, as if to ask, what do I do? What if...?
"Be tough, be tough," Crystal counseled her.
"It's nice, having the attention of all the guys for once."
"Well, that's good," Crystal said sincerely.
"Aren't guys good to have as friends?"
"Yes, I like to think of them as big brothers."
"Well, it was nice having lunch with you," she smiled at her boss, her friend.
"We'll have to do it again." And she walked out of the sunny restaurant. She hurried back to the phones, while Crystal paid the bill which would eventually be put on her expense account.
