“Yeah, sounds awful,” Sam teased as she grabbed for her purse. “You said this place wasn’t too far? Is it expensive?” She didn’t have much money in her account, not after making the payment on her new apartment.
“Put the card away, I’m paying,” Slinky offered. She grabbed her friend’s hand and dragged her toward the elevators. “It’s the least I can do for bugging you so much.”
“You don’t have to, really,” Sam insisted. She didn’t want to think of her friend owing her anything for just wanting to talk.
“Don’t be such a spoil sport, this is gonna be fun.” They got into the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. “I don’t get to treat my friends very often, most of them have seen what I do out in public.”
“Wait, what?” That didn’t sound good to Sam as she was hauled outside and around the block.
Slinky was right that the place was posh and full of suits. Sam almost felt woefully under-dressed in her simple skirt and blouse, but her friend made her feel better, but only slightly. Slinky was dressed in a plaid shirt with jeans and boots today, and she stuck out of the crowd like a sore thumb. They got a lot of stares as they made their way to a corner booth. Sam noticed it was marked as reserved.
“Should we really be sitting here?” she asked as she was plopped into one seat while Slinky took the one opposite her. Their chairs provided a good view not only of the cafe but also of the street outside. “It says reserved.”
“Yeah, my dad always reserves it for this time of day in case I get the munchies for their special deep-fried pickles.”
“They really have those?” Sam wasn’t sure she should be throwing up or her mouth watering. She liked pickles, and she liked deep fried things, but maybe not together.
“Yep, just find what you want and we’ll order it.”
“I really can’t have you paying for my food, Slinky.” That name sounded very odd in this formal setting. Sam was dead set on buying her own stuff until they were brought menus and she looked at the prices. She choked on her water.
“Having second thoughts?” Slinky asked with a smirk as she leaned across the table. “I told you this was my treat, so I’m gonna pay. Well, maybe just order for us, then I’ll use my dad’s credit card.”
“You sure he won’t mind?” Sam nervously glanced at all the people around them in the cafe and passing on the street outside.
“Nah. Like I said, I treat all my friends to this place when they let me.”
“I guess.” Sam took her friend’s offer, but she didn’t abuse it. She ordered only a few dishes and they weren’t the most expensive items on the menu. Sam was a little dismayed when her companion ordered an alcoholic drink. “You sure you want to be doing that?”
“You don’t like alcohol?” Slinky asked as they handed over their menus to the waiter.
“No, well, I don’t. It’s just that we’re kinda working.”
“Not for another, um-” Slinky glanced at her watch. “Not for another forty minutes. Then we gotta get back real quick or that snitchy old lady will notice we’re gone. I swear she watches me like a hawk.”
“Which means you really shouldn’t drink. If she catches you with alcohol on your breath you might get fired.” Sam was a little frantic in trying to convince her friend to avoid her self-destructive behavior. She really didn’t want to lose the only person she really knew in the office. It was like a ship losing its rudder or anchor during a storm. The storm was their supervisor.
“If you want I can just drink a little and go with the water. I’m pretty tolerant when it comes to alcohol.” By her petite form she didn’t looked she weighed ninety pounds soaking wet, but Sam agreed to the compromise.
They got their food in a few minutes and it was worth all the pennies they weren’t spending on it. The service was great and they gobbled through it all in a few minutes. That gave them a bit of time to watch the crowds stroll through the cafe and along the block. Sam was watching the direction of their building when she suddenly spotted someone familiar.
Sam grabbed her friend’s shoulder and dragged Slinky against the window. “Slinky, you gotta tell me who that guy is!” She pointed at a pale man standing around the corner of the block. It was Mr. Smith from the twentieth floor.
“I have no idea who you’re pointing at,” Slinky informed as she pulled her hands out of the sauces on their plates.
“That guy that just moved!” Sam hissed. He did, indeed, start walking across the street with a herd of other people. “The one in the white shirt with the brown pants.” Slinky strained her eyes and caught sight of the guy.
“No idea. Am I supposed to know him?”
“He works in our office building, you should’ve seen him by now.” Sam couldn’t believe she didn’t know the guy.
“Nope, though I’m pretty sure I’ve met everybody by now. Is he new?”
“No, he’s that Smith guy, the secretary for Mr. Davies.” Sam wanted to jump out of her chair and race after him. He was starting to disappear into the crowd.
Slinky’s eyes lit up, and so did her insane mind. “Then what the hell are we waiting for? After him!” Slinky jumped out of her chair, threw down a few bills and dragged Sam with her. They passed the stunned cashier as she threw down their bill with a sizable dollar attached. “Keep the change!”
The two bolted outside in time to see Mr. Smith turn down the corner on the far side of the block. “We’ve got twenty minutes to catch him and see what he’s up to,” Slinky reminded them both after she checked her watch. “Let’s hope he’s making a circle around the streets.”
The companions raced down the street, weaving in and out of the crowds, and made it in time to see their target go into an organic health food shop. They slowed down to a fast walk as they came up to the shop window and peered inside. Their target was walking along an aisle that led straight to the back of the store. He evidently knew what he wanted because he quickly snatched a small box off the shelf. The pair dodged out of sight of the window when he came back up to the front to pay for the purchase. Then he quickly exited and went back toward their building. The errand took him only two minutes to complete.
Sam was going to follow him when Slinky grabbed her shoulders. She nodded toward the store. “Let’s see what he bought,” she suggested.
Sam wasn’t so sure about going into a shop that catered to such an unusual clientele, but she followed Slinky inside. The two innocently waltzed into the store and toward the back. Using what little they saw through the window, their search was narrowed to two shelves on one rack. It held assorted items related to herbs, but they didn’t recognize any of the plant names. There was also a special marking at the top of the rack that depicted one of the planets.
“Can I help you two young ladies?” They both jumped and spun around to find the shopkeeper standing behind them. She was past middle aged and had a head full of curly hair dyed a dark, raven-purple color. Her hands were curled and wrinkled from years of preparing her concoctions. She smiled at them, but they both knew she was laughing at her little sneaking up because her shoulders were shaking. “Are you interested in planet herbs?”
Slinky was the best liar they had, so she spoke up. “Um, kinda. We were really just looking for a friend.” She pointed at the herbs on the shelf. “We don’t really know what they’re used for, though.”
“Oh, those are the herbs related to the planet Mars.” Her sallow face crinkled up into a smile. “They’re especially good for anything related to new experiences.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because that’s the planet that governs chaos, and nothing is as chaotic as a new experience.” That detail made the women glance at each other. Sam was new. The shopkeeper stepped between them and took the small ox in hand. “Did you want to try some? They say love is the most chaotic emotion someone can experience.” The shopkeeper was a little creepy and Sam moved around the old woman to hide behind Slinky.
Slinky herself wasn’t too fond of the close contact with the old woman and inched toward the door. “Um, no thanks, we’ve gotta get back to work.” She looked down at her watch and her mouth dropped open. “Oh shit, we really don’t have much time left!” She grabbed Sam and they both booked it out of there.
They barely made it back to their cubicles before their lunch hour ended. The minute they sat down, and before they could catch their breath, Mrs. Winkle marched passed. Slinky gave her the cold stare but Sam tried to smile through her huffing and puffing. Her smile turned out to be more nervous than innocent. The moment their supervisor left their view, Sam slumped down in her chair.
Slinky cautiously looked over the wall. “That was close, but wasn’t it fun?” Sam rolled her eyes. At least one of them was enjoying all these close scrapes and big mysteries. “What do you think that Mr. Smith guy was up to with those herbs?”
“No idea, but we’d better look busy before Mrs. Winkle makes another round.”