Her drink was watered down again.
She could still remember the last time she’d been there, drinking that same iced pinot noir and listening to him rebuke her for it.

“You really shouldn’t have done that to such a fine specimen, you know. Have some class.”

She had looked up at him, not even bothering to mask her full on apathy toward him or his championed cause to protect the sanctity of wine.


She’d held her hand up then, somewhere between his newest views on Faust and his diatribe of his accountant squandering his highly inflated earnings two years previous. He paused, which was unusual, but what wasn’t about this visit? “Michael…really…” She’d then stopped to sip her wine just out of spite.

”Really what? Cathrine….” He got that look then, the one she reserved for times such as these…
“I wanted to talk to you about something..”
”Oh do tell, Michael,” she finished off the glass and set it back on the table, the stem barely able to withstand the subtle force behind her hand, “I’m so eager to hear this…whatever it is”

“You aren’t making this any easier, Cathy” Her teeth made a sharp cracking noise suddenly, and she knew within two hours her migraine would return, “This is …not easy..”
”Nothing in life is” she interrupted him yet again, ready to dump the check on him and then leave him in his own squalid dreams, “So just say it. You were always such a damn idiot.” His eyes widened and then he wagged his head from side to side as if she were a child who’d just spilled juice on the new couch, ” You know I hate it when you curse. I thought you were more of a lady….I thought a lot of things about you. But that was then…and this? this is different. Nothing is the same.”

“Oh for goodness sake, Michael….” she almost felt like yawning. The same words that only a month previous would have had her heart racing and her palms sweating, now left her simply stale.
“You remember Stephanie? Yes? well… we’ve met up for drinks, a few times now” He started to panic, she could see the beginings of it in his eyes as they darted back and forth behind his glasses.
He straightened his tie which was already set right and continued, “We havent’ slept togteher, not even so much as a kiss…I swear. Its not like that…” Cathrine motioned the water over for naother glass of wine and then leaned forward on the table - closing what little bit of safe distance he thought still existed - her voice was calm… resonant. Her eyes narrow and determined… “Idiot.”

“Cathrine… please! You mean so much to me… such a jewel…” He leaned back as if he could get away from her…from the situation…from the guilt… “You are valuable - but I don’t’ think this is right for me…”

The waiter came at that moment and she took the glass… not wasting any time before she drained the contents and stood from her chair. She searched in her purse and pulled out a few bills, tossing them on the table and started to go… his studdering beginnings of sentences coming rapidly now… begging…not for her… not to repair the last 3 years she’d wasted on him… not to even say “I’m sorry”…. but to simply assuage his guilt. His voiced dropped, trying to seduce her into agreement so he could leave without a cross on his back…”Cathrine…Catty..” He used her nickname in a last underhanded verbal assualt…”Lets not part this way..”

She turned back to him then, and cut a sharp smile….pausing again long enough to watch him fiddle with the wedding band still on his finger…then leaned in… and whispered in his ear…

“You really shouldn’t have done that to such a fine specimen, you know. Have some class.”