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“I want to punch something”, she muttered after coming out of the boring sensitivity meeting. But actually, she felt great and in her environment. She looked around and really didn’t want to leave, but she headed for her car. Walking past the guards, he motioned here to come over. Are you hungry? He asked, I’ll be happy to show you to the cafeteria. I’m going there myself now for lunch. C’mon, it’s on me.” She stopped and looked at a handsome man in a uniform, “Sure,” she replied, “Thank you, thank you very much.” He walked her down the nearby hallway and entered into a large bright eating area. “Nice” She thought. “You know you don’t have to pay; I was going to stop soon for lunch anyway.” She told him as they looked over the foods that were available. “It would be my pleasure,” he said. They made their picks and the food actually looked great. This was not a second-rate establishment, well, for a cafeteria. They sat down and he immediately started to eat hungrily. She watched quietly as she nibbled some salad. “I love that uniform”, she thought, “he’s quite handsome, and is very polite”. If he comes up for air, maybe we can get to know each other a little.

He didn’t. It seems he didn’t even look up or notice her until his plates were completely empty. That’s okay she thought He was probably very hungry. “How long have you worked here” she asked. “five years” he said. He then proceeded to tell her his whole sad childhood. He continued with some horrid teen years only to end up here with a chip on his shoulder because he hasn’t made it to a be real cop yet. She almost left right there when she got the opening, but needed to give him a second chance to be even somewhat charming to her. “Do you always carry that gun?” She peeped. She ate quietly as he spent another fifteen minutes explaining that it never leaves his side or his sight. Enough is enough she thought and said thank you and goodbye as she hurriedly set of for the parking lot. As she was leaving, He loudly announced, “next time you come in I’ll call my wife and maybe you could come over for dinner?” Diane never looked back.
The road back to work at the van was long, lonely, uneventful, boring and sad. “I should be happy,” she thought, “It looks like I’ll finally get the promotion I deserve.” But she wasn’t happy at all. She was going back to Hope, without any hope. Hope to find some real happiness in her life.