DOZ Issue 54 April 2020 | Page 6

Eturuvie Erebor AN INDECENT PROPOSAL I t was a regular day, and Nina was meeting an old friend for lunch. She had not seen him in about ten years, but they had been in communication via telephone and social media. The last time she saw him, she has been going through a divorce, and his marriage was on the verge of a breakup. She knew it had eventually ended as hers had, but she didn’t know what he was up to. Was he remarried, or perhaps seeing someone? She had no idea as he never talked about that aspect of his life, and she never asked. Their conversations had been few and far between in the last decade, and when they occurred, the purpose was solely to consider how either party could help the other. DOZ Magazine | April 2020 This lunch meeting had been arranged because Nina needed his help. She was interested in renting one of his properties. When she had initially contacted him to discuss it a few weeks ago, he informed her he was out of the country and would call her when he returned. He did, and they arranged to meet up for lunch. As she entered the restaurant, he rose to greet her. Nina immediately had a flashback to another time, the first time she had met Chris. It was 17 years ago, and neither of them had been married. A mutual friend had introduced them because he thought they would make a good 6