Businesswoman Chapter 7

Little tomatoes raced around the plate as Loreen began to stab them. Her attention and precision in selecting which of the red fruit to chomp on remained unparalleled.

“Did you talk to Mom?” Her sister, Asha Coulder asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“A lot of irons on the fires….”

“You can’t see your own mother? I’m backed up with work right now, too, and I see our mother,” Asha fired back.

“You are a State regulator. How is that even a real job?”

Asha’s eyes turned to saucers.

“Oh, Miss Free Enterprise over here wants to talk about jobs! What are you pulling in, ten million a month going around ‘fixing’ people’s business concerns? You’re not even doing a job.”

“I make sure companies are safe, engaging, and most of all, profitable. You, the government regulator, what do you do? That’s right, you hang up little diplomas saying you inspected a cement mixing truck. You don’t protect anyone and if you mess up at your job, you’re not fired. Did you tell that to Mom when you saw her?”

“You’re impossible, Lor,’” Asha retorted.

“I am the capitalist guarantor. I make sure things get done and not only that, but well.”

“I don’t want to argue. Daddy’s still going strong.”

“You saw him, too?” Loreen asked.

“No. I just video chatted with him. You should talk to him, as well.”

“Maybe I’ll pay him a visit.”

“So you can one up me? You have more degrees than I. You have the family and whatever you do for work. You just think you're little Miss Perfect.”

“I’ll show my virtue. I’m only perfect in the sense that I live up to my principles.”

A silence then fell upon the table at the swanky restaurant. It provided a pause for the two women.