Ralph tried to just sit and listen to Seth, but knowing the truth made that impossible. In their weekly meetings, Ralph made a point of taking the more comfortable of the two chairs facing Seth's desk because he knew fidgeting and any unnecessary movement wasn't taken well in corporate settings.
He would clear his head of distracting thoughts five minutes before their scheduled meeting time as if to make mental space for whatever kernel of wisdom might emerge from their talk. He reminded himself that these meetings were no less of an interview than the ones he endured when applying for the position months ago.
He always had food in his stomach so to avoid any audible belly grumblings and he always checked his teeth and hair before stepping into Seth's office. He had his polite laugh calibrated to a plausible degree. He would cross his legs only after Seth did.
But driving home late last night and witnessing Seth leave a gay bar with a low slung baseball cap left Ralph in a persistent state of shock that today's meeting worsened. Seth's words did not register as any logical stream in Ralph's mind. He just fixed his eyes on the picture of Seth's wife and children hoping that Seth wouldn't catch on.
"Ralph, is everything ok?"
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