Flat blue sky

Brent Atwood jingled the keys in his pockets and purposefully fumbled with the doorknob  to signal Ava Land he was about to re-enter the room. He hoped he’d given her sufficient time to regain her composure. Upon entering his office, he was greeted by a tentative smile on Ava’s face. That’s better much better, thought Brent, rounding his massive desk to get back to business.

“Right - now where were we?” he said sneaking a quick glance at Ava.

“I’m sorry, could you direct me to the ladies room?” asked Ava.

Ava stood before the mirror gazing at her reflection. She didn’t want to go back into Brent Atwell’s office. This entire suite of offices was claustrophobic; a regular rabbit’s warren. She wanted to be out in the open. Even being back in the wind and sleet was more appealing to her than staying here.

For a second Ava thought of making her escape. She wanted to walk away just like she walked away from Chris and Kate Hagan the night of the Carole King concert. Ava leaned against the wall and remembered finding Chris’s business card tucked into her mailbox the following morning as she stretched out her muscles before taking her run.

note scrawled on back of business card

Ava stood in the lobby of her condo building staring at the back of Chris’ business card. She didn’t know what to make of it. Obviously Chris Graber had brought Kate back to the condo last night. So why was he inviting her to a Carole King reception? Or had he invited Kate as well. Ava stepped out on to the sidewalk. She needed to think this through. Running always cleared her mind.

Traffic was picking up. The breeze blowing off the lake was pleasantly warm for this early in the morning. Overhead Ava found a sky as blue as her eyes, an Ava Land sky, not a single cloud in sight. For Ava, a sky like this was a good omen. Pushing off she headed east to the lake.

An hour later Ava stood waiting in front of the elevator. Usually she took the stairs up to her floor to extend her workout but she was in a hurry this morning, she was going up to talk to Kate Hagan. The doors opened and Kate burst out of the elevator. She was dressed in one of her gallery power outfits consisting of a fashionably tight two-piece, black linen suit with three inch, open toed pumps on her feet, no stockings so Kate could show off her long tanned legs.

Kate braked and turned to Ava. “What happened to you last night?” asked Kate obviously irritated. “You walk off to wash your hands and never come back!” Ava stood silent. “Well?” said Kate. “Oh never mind, I’m late already!” Kate dashed to the door.

“Wait a second,” Ava called out to her, “what are you doing this afternoon?”

“I have to work all day, my assistant called in sick twenty minutes ago. Yeah right she’s sick on a day like this. I gotta go - talk to you later!”

“Had Chris invited Kate to the Carole King reception too?” Ava wanted to know. If he had how would she ever know now? All this was feeling too complicated again. Just like last night.

By the time Ava stepped out of her shower she’d made up her mind. She would go to the Blue River Café to see Carole King. If she had the opportunity Ava would tell her what her music had meant to Ava for so many years. And she would tell Christian Graber she wasn’t interested.

Ava spent hours trying to decide what to wear. What did one wear to meet a musical icon? She’d never done anything like this before. Ava tried talking herself out of going at least ten times but something in her couldn’t let go. Time got away on her. When she happened to glance at a clock it was only a half hour before the reception started. “What about my hair?” wondered Ava.

Rushing to the mirror she realized she wouldn’t have time to blow dry it straight. That arduous task took close to an hour with no guarantee that it would remain that way. Look what happened to her last night when the humidity snuck up on her. And by the look of it, this afternoon was going to be hot and humid. No, Ava would have to pin her hair up.

Ava arrived at the door of the Blue River Café. “Hello there pretty lady,” said the bouncer. He was a huge guy, a linebacker dressed in a tight black T-shirt and black jeans. “Let me take a look at your invitation.”

“Invitation?” said Ava, “I don’t..”

“Sorry good looking,” he schmoozed not wanting to embarrass or hurt a gal’s feeling, “No invitation - no can enter!”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Th - Thank you,” Ava’s voice drifted off as she turned and walked away.