So Forward by Mina V. Esguerra

Author:Mina V. Esguerra [Esguerra, Mina V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mina V. Esguerra

13

Back in the day, meaning when Lexa’s grandfather was in charge, the Service Awards ceremonies were very private, formal affairs. It started as a steak dinner at some exclusive business club, to celebrate that year’s biggest deals. Because those deals tended to be made over happy hour drinks among friends, current titans of industry who had been a frat brother or a classmate in high school or college, inevitably the celebration of large contracts became a social group for the men already influential and entrenched. Eventually people said “service award” exactly like it had air quotes around it, knowing no other service was involved than good old exchanging of favors.

Franchesca Lorenzo’s undeniable success in the face of this changed many things; one of the first was to reclaim the service award, require years of service as its main qualification, and open it up so anyone in the organization could get it. She also made the awards ceremony a party, with lots of food, and music, and performances.

Lexa was for all of this in theory, if she didn’t have to do the performing herself.

Still, she was spending her Friday afternoon in this meeting about the awards, somehow representing her division, even if she had managed to slither away from the skating number. She knew she was there to vote along with what her aunt wanted, and for the most part, she agreed anyway. Yes to menu A. Yes to this font for the engraved pens for all awardees. No to the open mic videoke at the end of the program. That last one was a debate that lasted half an hour, twenty-nine minutes too long in her opinion, but No Videoke won so the evil was defeated.

Her phone came alive, lighting up silently with a message. It was from Hope Garces, her best friend from hockey, except Hope still actually played hockey. Usually they had a group chat among her closest friends in the team but this was a private message, just Hope and Lexa. Hope had sent a photo.

Lexa’s position at the long rectangular conference table meant several people could see anything placed right in front of her, so she dropped her phone to her lap and checked it under some cover.

The photo was—damn it—a group of friends taking a photo of themselves at Nando’s party last week, but Colin and Lexa were clearly in the background. Heads close, talking. Didn’t seem like strangers at all.

Hope: WTF?

At many points, she did want to tell Hope or somebody else what was happening but it never seemed appropriate.

Lexa: I’m in a meeting.

Hope: But you’ll explain?????

Lexa: Yes.

The word released into the app, and was seen by her friend, and it was like every other time Lexa and Hope had talked about dating and sex and relationships. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. Hope eventually would get any details Lexa felt like sharing. It had been a while since it was exciting at all because dating had been so boring and unfortunate for years.

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