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Only the names are changed.

2008-04-17

On Wednesday I started my new job, which is really my old job, at the old office-which hasn't changed much except that there's some people there that weren't there  before I left.

It was all very unexciting.

On thing that changed though, was where my desk was located. A whopping five yards from where it was before. You may be asking how I noticed after all these months. Well when you're working in an office and your desk is near a window, you come to know the view out of it in detail-it seers itself into your mind. Anyway this view, while very similar to the untrained eye, was slightly off by a few yards. For instance, I could never see the corner deli at the end of the street from my old view, but from this new one I could see the whole front window clearly.

It's the little things.

One thing that hadn't changed though was that my desk was still just across from my colleague Bernard's. This is a good and bad thing; it's good because I generally like Bernard and he's kinda a good guy to kill time with. It's bad because Bernard's got this annoying habit of always asking hypotheticals. It can get annoying quick. Today it was presidential election hypotheticals. I tried to block him out and concentrate on the little work I had to do (being my ‘first day' and all), but that just caused him to start IM'ing me the hypotheticals.

After my modicum of work was done (11:30ish) I decided ton waste some time. I wrote the paragraph's you've just read (ooh meta) and browsed many comic based message boards and discussed such hypotheticals as who'd win in a fight Captain Marvel or Superman (for the record Captain Marvel, but don't worry I'm not going to go into it-you're welcome).

Around half twelve, I began to notice I was being watched over my shoulder. I turned around to face my ex-girlfriend Kate (yes she works here too-but she's been ‘promoted' in my absence so we're no longer equals, in fact she technically outranks me.

‘You're browsing comic board message boards?' She said with a slightly appalled look on her face.

‘Pretty pathetic I know.'

‘Well you said it.' A beat. ‘Hey, have you had lunch yet?'

‘No. Why?' I replied quickly.

‘Me neither. You want to join me?'

I didn't know how to respond to this offer. I mean I know we're just workmates now, but it still felt pretty weird. Eventually I rationalized that it was probably harmless, so I shrugged my shoulders and said; ‘sure.'

We went to a café a block over, where I had a ham filled panini and she had something I can't remember (who says I'm anal on details).

Of course we got to talking, because sitting at the same table and just ignoring one another would just be weird. Still, as I said before, it was weird. I know we're just meant to be friends and whatever, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that we once used to be a couple. You have to double-think everything you're about to say, as you consider what kind of things you're willing to share and talk about. Evidently she didn't have the same problem;

‘so you still seeing the blonde bimbette?'

‘Well I call her Emma, but yeah. How ‘bout you? You seeing anyone I should know about?'

‘What do you mean "know about"?

‘Well in case I get drunk and start hitting on you,' I joked, ‘it'd be good to know I won't get punched out?'

‘Funny,' she replied sarcastically. ‘and no, I'm not. Not really.'

For some reason this seemed a relief. I guess deep down I wasn't ready to see her with some other guy yet.

‘You know I didn't think you would be still together with her.'

‘You sound like my sister.'

‘What makes you say that?'

‘Well she said the same exact thing. Why is it surprising anyway? we were together for three years?'

She sipped her coffee that she held with both hands and said; ‘Yeah but we broke up almost two and a half times.'

‘And a half,' I snickered. ‘I love how you can classify things like breakups into exact decimalization.'

‘Thanks. We almost broke up, but we didn't-so its a half,' she smiled a smile that could have meant a thousand things.

‘Right.'

‘So you're staying with your sister?'

‘Only until I get my own place.'

‘What's she doing?'

 ‘An internship. What's with all the questions?'

‘What do you mean "what's with all the questions"?'

‘It's just like you're interviewing me or something,' I shrugged.

‘No, it's just, it's I don't know, I haven't seen you in so long...I've missed you.'

I looked at her quizzically.

She picked up on it and answered; ‘no, no not like that.'

‘That's a relief,' I made t wipe my brow affectedly.

‘I mean there are always going to be feelings there, right?'

‘I guess...'

‘It's only natural, but I wouldn't go out with you again if you were still single.'

I didn't know whether to be relieved or take this as a putdown. I didn't have long to dwell on it because she suddenly checked her watch.

‘Yikes its one-fifteen, I have to get back to the office.'

This of course meant that I had to too, though she didn't say that. So we left and I smoked a cigarette as we walked back to work, and reflected on a very odd lunch date.        

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