Deteriorate
-They sit across the table from each other. The white linen cloth stretching between them. Their plates have been emptied. Small talk has filled the space. They’ve reached a type of impasse. They’ve discussed the weather, their day, the silly thing that coworker does, the annoying habit of which the boss is unrelenting. The dinner plates have become round ceramic canvases. Their forks and spoons have spread the remaining oil and sauce about, creating different abstractions. Silence is a response. They know this. She continues the clinking of the silverware to fill the space. She smiles. “You know?” she says. […]