The Facility

Chapter Two

Tuesday, October 4th, 2018
12:21 p.m. Washington D.C.
Meredith Gray

    The streets of D.C. bustled with the afternoon lunch rush, and the crisp autumn air was filled with CO2 emission. As a forceful breeze pushed crumpled newspapers and trash across the street, skipping over the curb and blowing up onto the sidewalk, Meredith pulled the collar of her coat higher to fight the chill.

A black vehicle was waiting at a red light in front of her, it's bass thumping so strongly the car seemed to rattle. Meredith could only imagine the people inside, banging their heads to the beat of the music. But she couldn't see past the heavily tinted windows, and soon enough the light turned colors and the SUV slowly drove past her as she walked.

She turned around the corner of a building and stepped onto the platform of her favorite café. A rush of tepid air greeted her when she pulled open the door, and she felt the familiar tingling sensation of her fingers warming.

Meredith glanced around the room for the distinctive European look of Luc. His poof of black hair and olive skin stuck out like a sore thumb. Most people were pale, white office workers, their skin ghostly light, deprived of nature's light. But there he was, sitting in their usual spot-a table by the fireplace. He leaned back in his chair, his leather gloves casually thrown across the table and a dark green coat hung off his chair.

Her soy chai was steaming when she sat down. "Thanks for ordering drinks already."

Luc gave her a lazy smile. "Of course." He leaned over the table, his eyes squinting as he focused on her. "Why did you want to meet?"

Meredith took off her own pair of leather gloves and wrapped her cold fingers around the hot mug. "I'm leaving for work." She blew lightly on the hot tea, her eyes glancing up to meet his. "I'm going to be gone for awhile."

Luc's smile grew condescendingly, his sneer showing off the front of his pearly white teeth. "You want me to take Diana. If only you had given her to me during the divorce, we wouldn't have to be doing this."

Meredith scoffed at his antics. "Don't be an ass, Luc. If you could have kept it in your pants, we wouldn't be here at all." She sent a harsh glare towards her ex-husband. "I could have sent her to my parents, but I thought this would be the best for her."

Luc raised his hands in defense. "Sorry Meredith, but if we just stayed together, everything would have been easier." The accusing edge in his voice picked at her composure.

A sarcastic laugh escaped through her lips. "Easier? You had an affair. I'm not like your mother, I won't turn a blind eye to my husband's infidelity." Meredith huffed, a childish instinct made her want to cross her arms and turn her cheek.

He ignored her last comment completely, "And I apologized for that, you know how I was-"

"I don't care that it's a different culture in France, Luc, not every French man unzips for a pretty girl. That's just a cheap cop-out and you know it."

"It was a mistake." His eyes grew pleading, desperately trying to calm her and make her understand.

"A year is not a mistake."

Luc's eyes broke away from hers. Stirring his coffee, he chewed on her words. Meredith looked down at her own drink, the white puffs of steam swirling up and disappearing.

"Look, I don't want to fight. I'm trying to make our relationship as co-parents work. We need to do this for Diana."

Luc nodded, a scolded look scarring his charming face as he looked down at his lap.

"How long will you be gone this time?" His voice was soft, almost longing.

Meredith took a small sip from her tea, burning her mouth. She hissed under her breath, puckering her lips in an attempt to soothe the pain. "I'm not sure, to be honest. Maybe a month?"