Around the Water Cooler

Lauren peered into the mirror, smoothing her blonde hair, just as Taylor walked in. Lauren caught Taylor’s eye through the mirror.

“Hey,” she greeted with a smile.

“Hi,” said Taylor. She leaned over the sink and looked closely in the mirror, touching the skin under her eye. “Do I look tired to you?”

Lauren glanced at Taylor, just as she pulled a tiny tube of lip gloss from her pocket. “No, you look great. It’s the lighting.” She turned and smoothed the pinkish gloss over her lips.

“Makes everyone look green,” Taylor commented with a little laugh.

The door opened and Grace hurried in. “Hi, girls,” she greeted, stopping short of running into them. In her hand she held a sizeable brownie with a bite out of one corner.

“Food in here, Grace?” said Lauren, raising a brow.

“I’m hiding,” Grace explained in hushed tones.

“Can I have a bite?” asked Taylor, eyeing the brownie.

Grace broke off a piece of the brownie and handed it to Taylor. “This is the only place where the men don’t come,” Grace explained further. She broke off a piece for Lauren as well.

“Ooh,” said Lauren and Taylor together, smiling teasingly.

“Who are you hiding from?” asked Lauren, leaning back against the counter. She took a bite of her share of brownie.

Grace flushed a colour akin to her red tresses. “No one…”

“Oh I know him,” said Taylor, turning to Lauren, “‘Tall, dark and handsome’ No One.”

Grace sighed. “What is up with that? They don’t all have to be tall, dark and handsome, you know.”

“Okay, so short, moderate and… blond,” Taylor amended with a shrug.

“You know, that does sound like someone we know,” Lauren said to Taylor, “Sounds a bit like Justin.” She looked back at Grace inquisitively.

“He’s been looking at me like a lost puppy ever since I didn’t go to the benefit with him,” Grace complained, “And I feel bad about it, but I just don’t know what to tell him.”

“What’s wrong with what you just said?” replied Lauren.

“Every time he talks to me, I just forget what I intended to say,” said Grace.

Taylor smiled and took Grace by the shoulder. “You know what you should do: go right up to him and kiss him. It’ll make up for everything.”

The girls laughed. Natalie came in a moment later, the sounds in the corridor following her and fading out as the door shut behind her. She held a half eaten hot dog in her hand, slathered in mustard and ketchup. Lauren may have mentioned again that the rest room was not a place for food, but refrained herself when she saw the expression on Natalie’s face.

“Natalie, are you okay?” she asked.

Natalie breathed a heavy sigh and shrugged. “Josh thinks that work parties are boring. He’s left for the baseball game. He’s going without me. And he no doubt thinks it would be more fun with Chris and Ryan.” She took a little bite from her hot dog.

“Nat, you don’t even like baseball,” Taylor pointed out.

“But I’d go to a game if he asked me to,” argued Natalie, “And anyway, that’s not the point. He’s going with his drinking buddies. He promised me he’d stop drinking…”

“Just because he went with them doesn’t mean he’ll start drinking again… right?” said Taylor with a hopeful smile.

Natalie simply lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know,” she mumbled, “He barely talks to me.” A tear slipped from her eye as she spoke and she quickly wiped it away with her fingertips.

Lauren brought an arm around Natalie’s shoulders. Natalie gratefully leaned into her hug. In her blue eyes was a mix of frustration and sadness.

“I’m sorry, Nat,” murmured Grace, giving Natalie’s arm a friendly pat.

“Don’t worry, Natalie,” advised Lauren, “Why don’t you just try talking to him about it. Get him alone first, where he’s comfortable enough to talk to you.”

“Stare him down until he tells you everything,” said Taylor in a jesting tone, “And then offer to go to the next baseball game with him.”

Natalie laughed even as another tear fell down her cheek. “You guys are great.” She looked at the remains of the hot dog in her hand. “I should have brought you some hot dogs. We could have had our own party in here.”

“Hold that thought,” said Taylor, holding up one finger.

As Taylor slipped out, Natalie popped the rest of her hot dog into her mouth, squishing a drop of condiments onto her fingers as she did so. Lauren looked over to where Taylor had gone.

“She’s going to come back with a whole tray of hot dogs or something,” Lauren commented.

Natalie held her hands under the tap and the water automatically rushed out. “Well, that’s Taylor for you.”

Taylor was back in a few short minutes with a plate of hot dogs, chips, brownies and cookies. The others laughed as they found their speculations were right. They gratefully dug into the food.

“I feel so sneaky,” said Grace, with a chip in each hand.

“You started it with that brownie,” said Taylor, “And it was a good brownie.”

“This party’s more fun anyway,” replied Natalie.

“Yeah, just us girls,” said Lauren, “Which reminds me, Grace, I was going to tell you before Natalie came in: you should ask Justin to the fireworks tomorrow night.”

Grace opened her mouth to protest, but stopped and thought about it.

“Justin?” said Natalie with sudden interest.

“That’s hopelessly romantic,” Taylor commented with a smile.

Grace giggled in spite of herself. “And what if he says no?”

“Why would he say no?” replied Lauren, “I thought you said he’s been looking at you like a lost puppy. Sounds smitten to me.”

“I guess I’ll try…” Grace consented.

The girls exuberated their approval and continued munching their snacks. They could hear the sounds of the party dimly through the rest room door. It was mid afternoon, and the Canada Day office party was slowly dying away as their coworkers opted to leave early. Lauren had not intended to remain in the girls’ room for so long and smiled as she thought of it. Taylor caught her eye and smiled as well. Natalie had turned toward the mirror and was fixing the make-up she had cried into.

“Thanks for getting the hot dogs and stuff, Taylor,” said Natalie.

“Hey, no problem,” Taylor replied, “I’m going to rename this the girls’ party room.”

“Sure, why not,” Lauren agreed, “No boys allowed… there’s a washroom right there when you need it…” She motioned toward the stalls as she spoke.

Grace pointed at the wall adjacent to the counter. “All we need is a water cooler.”