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George sits down at the table, waiting to join into Ethan and Linda's
conversation and watching Mark look at his watch.

"There's already a heat warning for Baltimore issued by the
Governor:' says Ethan, letting his cup slam softly on the table. "I'm
pretty sure there is something in our contracts against working in a
. shithole,"

"102 degrees sounds unhealthy to me:' says Linda, wiping a
bead of sweat from her forehead with her fingers.

George watches as Mark takes his turn at the water cooler.
"We could all just take a 'vacation:" says Mark, making two quotations
with his hands in the air. Mark sits back down letting his feet slide
under the table and up against George's.

George jumps, hitting his knee against the table and knocking
over his paper cups. Water trickles off the edge of the table and onto his
pants. Mark's eyes flicker like an old lamplight filling with oil. The room
erupts in laughter, breaking the awkward silence.

Playing it off as exhaustion, George speaks up, "Yeah, Icould
use a vacation right about now."

"I'll say:' Ethan concurs, letting his chuckles die down. Linda
slumps back into her chair, opening up the top button of her blouse.

Mark takes a deep drink. George watches Mark's throat ex-
pand in ecstasy. Then he sets his cup back down, empty again. "Remem-
ber Alpine Valley last summer?" says Mark.

"Crystal lakes, calm sun, free meals, hotel rooms, open bar,
and no bosses around:' Linda says, smiling through a botched red lip-
stick job. "How could Iforget?"

"That was probably the best business trip I've ever been on:'
replies Mark. George closes his legs together, and brings his hands up to
scratch his stubble, and then to his lips to brush away the sweat. "What
did we have to do down there again?" says Mark, trying to recollect.

"We had to write up a report on our partner branch over
there:' says Ethan, pulling a filtered cigarette out of his shirt pocket and
lighting it, ignoring the "No Smoking" sign. "In other words, we spent
a day there writing bullshit and then spent the weekend doing whatever
the hell we wanted."

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