Impenetrable

I make sure he never thinks I'm in danger of losing control. He's rather large and has quite a reputation as an unofficial bouncer. He could easily decide to bounce some of our agents right out of there and they would have to go meekly instead of raising suspicions. The three of these people are actually quite well-known here and even put a painting on display occasionally.

A bit later, after realizing my head hadn't exploded, I tried again. Cautiously raising one lid at a time, I managed to get both eyes open without making my headache any worse. Taking in my dimly lit surroundings, the room darkening curtains allowing only the slimmest beam of light through, I discovered that I recognized those curtains, and the decorative ceiling tiles, and the artwork on the walls, and the mirrored dresser.

I glanced over in surprise, wondering what the girl was doing. I'd been to many formal events over the past decade, as a guest as well as a server, so I knew that interrupting was a huge faux pas. Servers were supposed to be furniture, necessary yet unobtrusive. Apparently, no one had thought to impart that bit of knowledge to the girl. I would have thought a formal corporate event would have shown more class than that.

For some reason, no doubt all psychological, it doesn't make a difference unless he really becomes the character, like playing, being Santa for the children. There is some carry over, but never more than twenty-four hours so I try to make sure he stops talking before he starts having trouble. It really frustrates him. I'm so sorry you can't have children because of what that psycho did to you. Is that one of the reasons you're considering this job?

At exactly twelve noon, I once more heard a whisper of sound from behind me. Swiveling around in my chair, I took in the unlikely trio marching through my reception area. He led the procession dressed in the same outlandish and wrinkled outfit from earlier. Another man wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and blue tie followed closely behind. The third member of the trio, bringing up the rear, turned out to be a twenty-something girl, sporting all black, including dyed-black hair, black eye shadow, and black lipstick.

The surprise on her face quickly turned to gratitude as she took the items and used them to catch his interest. Some things interested him for about thirty seconds, but one puzzle in particular seemed to hold his attention for almost fifteen minutes. That had to be some kind of record. Although I didn't get much out of the service, I got a lot out of watching her at work. Eventually, he figured out where all of the fun things originated and somehow ended up in her lap pulling things out of her purse.

He is fake and pretentious and, as I've said before, you'd look good in anything. In fact, I'd go anywhere with you dressed exactly as you are now. The fact that I'd stunned him by my statement was adorable. He was adorable. And even though I knew he didn't believe me; he did look good in anything. I knew that no matter what he wore, I'd never be embarrassed to be seen with him. He was perfect.

That sounds like a great idea. I might even take a few to church services on Sunday. Two of the ladies there asked where I bought my outfit and when I told them we designed and made it, they asked if we take orders. I felt a little weird talking business in a church building, but the guys thought it was fine.

I wasn't the night they first met. Apparently, I was rather hideous. The sound of her phone ringing set my heart racing so fast I had trouble catching my breath. Literally sitting on the edge of my seat while she answered and listened for a moment, I recoiled slightly as if the phone were a snake when she handed it to me.

Bowing my head, I stared at the ground realizing that she was right. That was it. Even recognizing that it was just a leftover from my problematic childhood, I couldn't seem to get past it. How could anyone truly love me when I was mean and hateful and even my own parents couldn't find anything in me to love.