Lost and Found

Dear S

I escaped the farmer's market without any sightings of Luke and his friend. The bus would be arriving soon and I was lucky that I wouldn't have to wait too long. I pulled out my crumpled bus slip from my jacket's pocket and hopped on the bus.

Once I was home, I set my bags down in the kitchen.

The rain was pouring hard on the thin roof, sounding angry. I was just grateful that I made it inside before it drenched me completely.

My stomach growled in anticipation as I began to heat up the oven. I'd scored with the butternut. It would last me a long time and fill me up fairly easily.

I washed my hands in the sink before preparing one of the butternut with some oil and seasonings. It was simple, but it would do.

My phone dinged after I placed the squash in the oven. It was a text from Karen.

Karen: I guess the CEOs are coming to work tomorrow. I just got an email.

That was interesting. In the past seven years, I didn't think I'd ever seen them. Then again, I never paid much attention to those details. I didn't even know how the company got started.

There was gossip about the two men who ran it together. Karen told me once that they didn't get along, but for some reason, ran the company side by side.

And they were supposedly extremely attractive.

I just thought it was weird that everyone was so into them. Older men just weren't really my thing.

Or maybe they were. I wasn't sure.

Sang: Why?

Her response was quick.

Karen: I think they're just coming to make sure everything is running okay.

But why now? They weren't laying people off, were they?

I frowned as I typed back.

Sang: I guess I'll see you tomorrow

Karen: See you tomorrow!

I was still frowning when the timer went off, signaling that my food was done. My oven mitt was worn and had burn marks over it, but it still worked well enough. There wasn't a chair or a table to eat from, so I emptied my food out onto my plate and took it over to my bed.

It was hot, but I was so hungry that I didn't care that each bite left a new burn on my tongue. I simply needed the food in my stomach.

My book was sprawled forlorn on my carpet and I picked it up to read the next chapter in between bites. . .

"I love him," I said earnestly, trying to reason with my father. Why was this so big of a deal to him? Couldn't he let go of his pride for once and listen to me?

His arms crossed over his white dress shirt and I could see a vein in his neck pulsing. "He's not one of us, Magen."

I shook my head. "It doesn't have to be us against them. If you only tried-"

"You think I haven't tried to reason with them?" he asked hotly. His gaze sliced through me and I knew that I needed to bite my tongue. "I have tried for years to talk to them, to make peace. They lost their chance when they killed one of our own."

I thought that I had been making progress with him. That he was finally seeing things from my perspective.

But looking at him now, the stubborn defiance in his stance, I could see that I had been wrong. He hadn't changed at all.