The breakfast place, located in a strip mall, was sandwiched between a pharmacy and an electronics shop. It had opened only a couple of months ago. It had attracted a small but growing clientele, who primarily lived or worked nearby. The majority of locals were elderly, and knew each other.
Elderly couples who came to the breakfast place often split up to join their individual friends at separate tables. The men gathered at a couple of tables to discuss politics, or other matters of great importance. The women gathered at a couple of tables across the room from the men, to complain about living with retired men who had too much time on their hands, and not enough to do.
Business owners often sat together to discuss matters of business, whether it be rent or the impact of new laws upon their ability to make money. They tended to arrive, eat, and then depart. Although they shared a table, they often arrived at different times, and parted separately. Sometimes they moved from table to table, taking their food with them, to discuss some important business matter.
The wait staff – the woman who owned the place and the part-time waitress – had adapted to the behavior of the clientele. Basically, they treated each customer individually. Each customer had their order taken individually, and was given an individual bill. Parties could combine their bills when it came time to pay. It just made dealing with the general chaos of the dining area easier.
Chaotic was a good way to describe the little breakfast place. It seemed as if people were always in motion. Some went from table to table to engage in friendly banter, while others were taking orders, delivering food, and clearing tables.
There were the sounds of silverware being rattled when being set out, and food being cooked in the kitchen. Orders were shouted, conversations were taking place, and chairs were being moved about.
In a way it was a reassuring cacophony of noise, as it was based on friendly interactions and people at work.
One of the things that Dexter liked about the place was that it had a very basic menu. You ordered what you wanted from it, and it was delivered at a reasonable price. It was a good place to go when he wanted something that wasn't easy to make for a single person. Dexter couldn't make a soft-boiled egg to save his life! It either came out runny, or hard-boiled.
This particular morning Dexter wanted half a grapefruit, toast, orange juice, and coffee. For a couple, having half of a grapefruit for breakfast isn't a problem. However, a single person is left with half a grapefruit in the refrigerator. Dexter would intend to make a fruit salad with the remainder, but that never seemed to happen. The next day, the grapefruit never looked all that appealing. After several days, he would have to throw it out, and he hated wasting food like that.
Dexter entered the breakfast place and wandered over to a table where one of the local insurance agents was seated. Dexter knew the man from previous visits, and greeted him.
"Hello, Jim, mind if I join you?"
"Have a seat," Jim answered.
"So, how's business?" Dexter asked.
Winking at Dexter, Jim said, "It would be doing just great if you'd buy a policy from me."
Dexter laughed and said, "I've got insurance on two cars and a camper. I've got renter's insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and three different kinds of insurance on my business. I'm paying more for insurance than most people make in a month. Now, if you can find an insurance against insurance, I'll talk to you."
Jim said, "No can do ... guess there's always tomorrow."
Wendy, the owner of the place, stopped at the table. She put down a glass of water and turned to Dexter.
"What can I get for you?"
"Half a grapefruit, white toast; a small OJ, and a coffee," Dexter answered.
"You like it with brown sugar, right?"
Dexter said, "That's right. I'm impressed that you remembered."
Wendy laughed, "Don't be impressed. Just about everyone that orders the grapefruit, likes it with the brown sugar."
"I'm still impressed," Dexter said.
She left to submit his order, and returned after a minute with a cup of coffee. Dexter held it to his lips to take a sip, and decided it was just a little too hot. He dropped an ice chip into it after using a spoon to fish out a piece of ice from his glass of water. He tried the coffee again, and found that the temperature was just about right.
A woman stopped by the table and said, "Hello, Jim. Mind if I join you?"
Dexter looked up at the woman. She was about five years younger than he was. Unlike a lot of women her age, she still had the figure of a much younger woman. She had blond hair that was pulled back from her face and fixed in some sort of swirl at the back. His first impression was that she was pretty. His second impression was that she was more than pretty.
Jim answered, "Hello, Ann. Have a seat and join us."
Jim introduced Dexter and Ann. Ann was a real estate agent who sold houses in the area. Dexter was introduced as the owner of a small Internet business.
Wendy showed up with his breakfast, and took Ann's order. Ann and Jim chatted while Dexter attacked his grapefruit. When Wendy showed up with Ann's breakfast, Jim excused himself and left. Suddenly, it was just Ann and Dexter at the table. She was looking across the table at him.
Feeling awkward, Dexter tried to find a neutral topic of conversation.
"Well ... here we ... So, what's it like, selling real estate?"
"I hate it," Ann said.
"Why?" Dexter asked.
Of all of the jobs out there, Dexter assumed that being a realtor would be one of the least hostile job areas. It was a fairly portable occupation, meaning that one didn't seem to be locked into a particular company.
Ann answered, "It isn't a very stable occupation. I can go for quite a while without making any sales. That means no income. Then I can get a couple of good sales back to back. I'm always worried about my income, so I watch my money very closely. As a single woman, I can tell you that it is terrifying to watch my bank balance decrease for one or two months, without anything being deposited."
"I can see where that would be scary," Dexter said.
"It is a job that involves dealing with people who are feeling very insecure. Buyers are concerned about everything. You might think they are concerned the most about the house and you would be right. How old is it? How old is the water heater? What are the taxes? How much is the typical maintenance? How much does it cost to heat and cool? Will there be any problems making alterations to it?
"But the house is just the beginning of their worries. They want to know about schools, crime, neighbors, shopping, and such. How good are the schools? Is there much crime? How long does it take the police to respond to a call? What is the average income of the neighbors? What stores are good, and how far away are they? What are the taxes?
"The sellers are often very emotionally invested in the house. They think their house is the best one in the area, and should get the highest price. Their feelings get hurt when potential buyers start finding flaws in their place. I've had women break down into tears, when a couple talked about all of the changes they were going to make to her house.
"So you're dealing with a lot of emotional people. On top of that, the buying process itself is stressful. The whole negotiation process is just painful ... with offers, counteroffers, conditions of sale, and time lines. Then you have to get in4to the bureaucratic stuff like title searches, inspections, and dealing with mortgage companies. At any point in the process, the sale can fail. It is like everything conspires to make this an unpleasant experience.
"Everyone turns to the realtor to take care of everything. That means I'm dealing with worried, angry, frustrated, or tired people. It can be a major pain in the you know what."
"I didn't think about that," Dexter said.
"You get a lot of women who enter the business after a messy divorce, thinking it is basically a job that can support her family. They think it is an easy job since they know all about owning a home. Boy are they surprised at how horrible it is. So you get a lot of recently divorced women coming and going from the business. A lot of them have issues with men, and that doesn't help them."
"I can see why you don't like your job," Dexter said.
"Unfortunately, I'm pretty good at it. I manage to close enough sales to keep afloat, financially. Sometimes I even manage to put some money aside. I do well enough that it is nearly impossible to change careers," Ann said.
She looked down at her plate and took another bite of her breakfast.
"So you feel trapped," Dexter said.
"Yes," Ann answered.
"I understand that feeling," Dexter said.
He wondered how many people felt the same way. They made a decision early in life that trapped them into a job or lifestyle that they grew to dislike. He assumed there was a time, like for him, where they actually enjoyed what they were doing.
While Dexter was lost in his thoughts, she took a moment to eat a little more of her breakfast.
Dexter asked, "Was there a time when you enjoyed selling real estate?"
"In the beginning, I liked it. I saw it as helping young couples find their first home. After a while, that initial glow vanished. I've gotten tired of working nights and weekends. I can have quiet mornings, but there are always demands on my time. It gets old after a while," Ann answered.
Dexter thought about his career as an engineer. Over time, his job had transformed from engineering to management. He missed those days of engineering, but felt that he could never recover them. Ten years of not practicing his craft had severely hurt his ability. He remembered picking up one of his early textbooks, and finding it difficult to read.
He said, "I guess that is pretty common for a lot of people."
"Let's change the subject. I hate talking about work," Ann said.
"That's fine with me," Dexter said.
He had no idea what they could discuss. He looked down at this grapefruit thinking he could stave off the silence by eating a little something. Unfortunately, he had eaten all of the sections. Ann finished off the rest of her breakfast during the lull in conversation.
"Do you have any hobbies?" Ann asked.
"I've discovered recently that I enjoy camping," Dexter said.
Ann looked away for a moment before she said, "It's been ages since I've been camping."
"You camp?" Dexter asked.
Ann said, "When I was a kid, my parents used to take us camping occasionally. It's been a long time since I've camped out in a tent."
"I have camper. It's like living in a small mobile home. It's not quite as long as a singlewide trailer home, but it isn't that much shorter. It has all of the modern conveniences, except a dishwasher," Dexter said.
Ann smiled. "That sounds a whole lot better than sleeping in a tent. I'd love to try that sometime."
"Uh."
Dexter thought that sounded a lot like an invitation to get to know her a little better. Wendy stopped by the table to refill their coffee cups and to clear away the dirty dishes. She was used to customers sitting around and talking after finishing their meals.
"That wouldn't really be possible since I have to work lousy hours. You know ... weekends, and evenings, when other people are off work? It is easier for me to take weekdays off, than weekends," she said seeing that he was uncomfortable.
"My work gives me a little more freedom with time. I don't go camping on the weekends much. The nearest campground is usually too full to get even a lousy spot on weekends. I can go out there on a Monday, and get one of the best spots in the place," Dexter said.
Ann glanced down at Dexter's left hand. She frowned. "I take it that means you go camping in the middle of the week?"
"Usually," Dexter said.
He had discovered that he could go camping at a state park that was four hours away during the middle of the week. There was good enough cell reception that he could actually work while he was there. A laptop with a cell phone dongle, allowed him to connect to the internet. He could work a couple hours in the morning, and a couple more in the afternoon. A video conference call with Eric on Wednesday mornings, essentially completed his work needs.
"Tell me about your wife," Ann said.
Dexter replied, "My ex-wife."
"You're divorced?" Ann said.
"Yes," Dexter said.
Ann pursed her lips for a second. "I didn't realize that."
"I am," Dexter said. "She asked me for a divorce. I gave it to her. At the time, I was sure that my ex-wife had someone on the side. Although she claims she didn't, I'm still not convinced that I believe her."
"You must have loved her a lot," Ann said.
"I don't know. It hurt. It hurt a lot, but living apart from her has been a lot easier than I thought it would be," Dexter said.
"Have you dated much since your divorce?"
"Not really. I went on one date, but that was to be ... basically ... well, to serve as chaperone," Dexter answered. Seeing her reaction, he added, "A young woman ... who considers me her uncle ... had a date with a young man she didn't really trust. She asked me and another young woman to double date with them, to make sure that nothing bad happened."
"What did you do on this date that wasn't really a date?"
Dexter said, "We went to dinner, and then to a jazz club. I had a really great time at the jazz club. I've been meaning to go there again, but I just haven't really had the chance."
"Why not?" Ann asked.
"It just isn't the kind of thing you do alone," Dexter answered.
Ann said, "Maybe we can go there one of these evenings."
"That might be nice," Dexter said.
Ann waited for him to say something.
After an uncomfortable pause, she said, "Tuesdays are usually pretty quiet in my business."
"Why is that?" Dexter asked.
"They just are," Ann said looking slightly annoyed by the question.
"Maybe one of these Tuesday nights, we could go there," Dexter said thinking that he'd enjoy listening to jazz again.
"I could go, Tuesday," Ann said.
"Okay."
Ann handed him one of her business cards.
"You can pick me up at the agency around seven."
"Okay."
"I'll see you Tuesday," Ann said.
She stood up, grabbed her bill, and headed over to the cash register. Wendy showed up and took care of Ann. Dexter noticed that Ann dropped a couple dollars in the tip jar.
Dexter sat there watching her leave the breakfast place. She turned and waved to him before stepping out the door.
He realized that he had a date. He wondered how that had happened.
Edited By TeNderLoin