From the Journal of Janet Fowler

 

                A few days later, I tried the Amulet again.  I remember it was late July – Friday the 20^th of July, 1973. 

Veronica Lake and Betty Grable had just passed away a week or so earlier.  I said the word ‘Status” and

again the strange image of numbers and descriptions came up.  I later learned that these numbers were a

representation of my attributes and abilities – and that the more I succeeded at whatever I attempted, the

more these numbers would improve.  In fact, I also learned that this menu could be used to learn other

things – things I couldn’t possibly otherwise know.  It was very helpful in understanding how to survive,

once I reached the other side of the portal.  But I get ahead of myself.

               

                I wrote the strange numbers and phrases down – but it made little sense to me at the time, so I decided to

instead see what the arrow led to.  I managed to figure out that while I held the amulet, I had a map of the

entire region at my beck and call – and that the arrow was leading to Bucktail State Park, a good two or three

hour drive from Philadelphia.  At that time, I was still scared of what had happened at Last Chance Antiques

- but I was also intrigued and fascinated that this strange amulet could do what it apparently did.  I resolved

to track down the location of this portal, and see if it existed… and I also resolved to try and go through it.

 

You see, I had always loved stories of adventure and heroism – but our world leaves little chance for either,

aside from joining the armed forces.  I longed to have an adventure of my own.  I decided that no matter what,

I would see what was on the other side of that portal, and decide then if I was to return or not.  In the end, I

did travel to the other side of that portal – and I stayed there for two and a half years.  Those were the best days

of my life.  When my son Frederick was born, I debated going back, and taking him with me – but in the end

I decided what was past was past.  There was no point in dredging up lost loves – in the end, Colin made his

choice, and I wasn’t part of it. 

 

I spent a few weeks gathering camping gear, food and supplies, and told my friends I was taking some time

off to find myself.  I was in-between jobs, and Mother and Father were in Europe at the time, so I figured no

one would miss me.  For the most part I was right, at least in the short term.

 

I drove out to the park – which was quite wild and beautiful in August.  The cicadas played their song in the

hot days, and the grasses and leaves were dry from the heat, moistened by the humidity of the air.  It was a

lovely summer.  I had packed a tent, a backpack, a sleeping bag, food, clothes, and medical supplies.  I also

carried a hatchet to cut wood, a hunting knife, and a .38 special revolver with a box of bullets, just in case.

I was as worried about human predators as I was animal predators.

 

I parked my car, and began to hike towards the portal – the door Eleanor had told me to seek.  I hiked for

several hours – If I had to guess it was about 10 miles, towards a rocky cliff on the side of a small mountain.

I set up a camp at the base of the mountain, and was dismayed to find the arrow pointed straight up the side

of the cliff face.  I began to climb – and to my surprise after the first twenty feet of cliff face, which had ample

handholds carved into it, I came upon a narrow set of carved stairs that continued up the cliff for perhaps

another thirty feet.  The stairs ended at a cave mouth – it looked natural and unshaped, and it was quite dark

inside.  I brought a flashlight with me, and turned it on – and began to explore.  The cave was shallow – no

more than a large depression in the cliff face.  I was maybe 20 feet inside, when I found it…  The carved lintel and

frame of a doorway – with a stone wall in its center. 

 

The carvings on the frame were magnificent – lifelike and realistic, depicting vines, leaves, fruits, nuts and

Squirrels, along with markings of moons in various degrees of waxing, waning and full.  The whole doorway

seemed to sparkle in the light of my flashlight, and I felt my amulet grow warmer as I approached.  When I

got close enough to touch the portal, I could tell the sparkling wasn’t an optical effect – the stone itself was

beginning to glow.  I knew then, that if I touched that portal, I would be transported to wherever lay on the

other side. 

 

I gasped in surprise.  It was real!  I knew then that on the next morning I would go where no one had gone

before – and that by tomorrow evening, I would be on my adventure!  I retreated back to the cave mouth,

and began the long climb down, and returned to camp.  That night was full of anticipation and anxiousness,

and I confess I imbibed a little too much and fell asleep.

 

The next day I went through the portal, with all my gear that I could carry.  I had no idea what I would

find on the other side – and to be honest, I didn’t care.  All I knew is that I was going to see and do things

no one from our world may have ever done before.  It was stupid, and brave, and if I had to do it all over

again, I think I still would have taken that next step, even if in the end it broke my heart.  My time there is

now such a part of me that I can never separate it.  Mercia and its lands will be in my blood until I die – and

maybe, just maybe, when my last breath comes, it will call me home to its rolling hills and glorious heaths, to

its blue mountains and its vast forests full of strange creatures.  Maybe it will call me home.

 

What happened next, when I stepped through the portal, is a story for another day.  I find my hands are too

arthritic to write much at one time anymore.

 

                                                                                                                                                Janet Fowler

 

 

 

I paused in my reading, and stretched, my back full of aches and pains.  What time was it?  I looked at the clock and saw it was nearly 10pm!  Holy cow!  I still had things I needed to do before work tomorrow, so I put away Grandma Janet’s book and began getting my work outfit ready, made my lunch and stored it in the fridge, and in general got ready for bed.

 

I couldn’t get Grandma’s tale out of my mind.  Who was Colin?  Did he leave grandma at the altar? Why?  What did grandma do over there for two or more years?  My mind reeled with all the possibilities, and I understood at that moment, that I was aligning myself to find and go through that portal too, if it still existed.  As I eventually fell asleep, I wondered if David would come with me, or not.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

                The next morning I woke to my alarm beeping, and did what I usually did – grabbed a quick shower, got dressed in my work uniform, grabbed some breakfast, said hi to mom and dad, and headed off to work.  Work, in this case, was 9am to 6pm at the local McDonalds restaurant on the west end of town.  I had worked there for the past five years during high school, and I was a senior manager, making close to 15$ an hour.  It was pretty good pay, for the area – and my mom often complained I made more than she did working at the Golden Corral as a waitress.  She only worked a half week, though so I’m not sure that counts.  Since I graduated from high school in early June, I had been working full time, trying to save up money to go to college.  So far I had a fair bit – but not enough to take me through a four year program.  Dad wanted me to take business and finance, and join him working at the bank one day – and I suppose I could do that, but the idea never appealed to me.  To be utterly honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.  I just wanted to get out of Lebanon.  After that, the rest I hoped would take care of itself. 

 

                My car started without too much trouble, but the clutch was starting to feel squishy.  I hoped it would hold out for another year or two before I had to replace it.  The 2008 little Kia Rio was a good car – and it usually got the job done, but it sometimes lacked for pep, and like I said, the clutch was slowly wearing out.  My mom and dad had got it for me on my 16^th birthday.  It was awesome, problems and all.   

 

                The drive was relaxing, but my mind was not on work as I drove.  I shook my head again, trying to clear my thoughts so I could do my damn job.  Even so, my thoughts kept turning back to Grandma Janet’s journal.  Getting through the day was going to be a chore.  I eventually arrived at work, and went inside and clocked in, putting on my manager’s apron.  Today was going to be a day.  I could tell.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

                It was 6:30pm by the time I pulled out of the McDonald’s parking lot and headed home.  Today had gone as expected – everything that could go wrong did, from a grease fire in the kitchen to the ice cream machine breaking down.  I was run ragged from problem to problem, and when I finally had a break, it was cut short by a friendly chat with my boss who asked why I was so distracted today.  I managed to futz through that conversation well enough, but I dreaded the rest of the week. 

 

I wondered how David had done today, at the bakery today.  Probably better than I did – he knew how to focus, instead of daydream, like me.  I also wondered what that secret was of his.  Was he gay?  Did he have a health problem?  I had no real idea, and I decided that whatever it was, it didn’t matter – he’d still be my friend.  His parents were pretty intolerant, so I hoped whatever it was it wouldn’t get him hurt or in trouble. 

 

When I got home, mom and dad were in the living room, watching an NCIS rerun before mom’s show, The Good Doctor came on later. 

 

“Hi mom, Hi dad!”  I called out.

 

“Hey sport!  How was work?”  Dad called out.

 

I hung my jacket up, and went over to the living room door.  “Work was work.  Anything good happen to you guys today?”

 

“Not really for me, son – but your mom got a hell of a tip.  Some soldiers came through and left her a 100$ tip serving their table – and the manager comped them the meal, so it was pretty cool.”

 

“Yeah.  They were nice guys.  They were headed up to the US Marine Corps reserve base in Harrisburg.  They were heading to a wedding, I think, and they were in a really good mood.  It was fun.  How about you?”

 

“The ice cream machine was broken, 11 people wanted to speak with the manager – but only four had a valid complaint, two people didn’t show up for their shift, and Mitch drained the fryer right before dinner.  It was a complete disaster.”

 

“So business as usual?”  Dad laughed.

 

I grinned.  “Pretty much.”

 

“Go have some fun, son.” 

 

“Will do, dad.  I just need to get some food, and get changed.”

 

“There’s macaroni casserole in the oven, honey!”  Mom called out.

 

“Thanks mom!”  Yum!  Mom’s macaroni casserole sounded plain, but it was a nice mix of meat, mushrooms, onions, cheese and pasta.  It was great and one of my favorites.  I grabbed a big bowl, and filled it up, then headed upstairs.   

 

I sat at my computer desk, and started eating.  The casserole was great – and soon it was gone, and I was stuffed.  I called David’s cell, and a moment later he picked up.

 

“Hey dude.  What’s up?”

 

“Not much.  Work sucked, and I can’t wait for Friday.”

 

“Heh.  If work sucks so bad, Jeff, you should do something you like, instead of whatever makes the most money.  I like working in the bakery.  It’s low stress, there’s great people, and you’re surrounded by amazing food and smells all day.  Plus, you start at 5am and finish the day at like 2pm.  It’s amazing.  It’s like getting a half-day off every day.”

 

“Yeah, but you have to go to bed by 9pm or you’ll be sleep deprived.”

 

“I know.  Apparently North Americans are the most sleep deprived countries in the world, or close to it.  I guess we need to learn to relax.”

 

“Did you learn anything new about the amulets?”  I asked.  “I didn’t have time to experiment, but I did read more of Grandma’s journal.  It tells you how to find the portal, pretty much down to the last detail.  It even tells you how to open it.”

 

“Seriously?  OMFG, man, that’s crazy.  Are we seriously considering going through that portal?”

 

“I am.  If only to see what’s on the other side.”

 

“Am I crazy if I say I am, too?”  David asked.  “I know you’ve always wanted an adventure – and we’re both hardcore gamers.  I’ll bet we have that place pwned in a few weeks.  Besides, I can’t let you go alone, right?”

 

“Maybe.  I have wanted an adventure, and I’m not sure about the pwnage but I guess we’ll see.  We’ll need some cash to get supplies.  Do you have enough to get some camping supplies if I pay you back later?”

 

“I can manage it, but I’ll need it replaced or I’ll have some serious explaining to do to my parents.”

 

“Okay.  Would it be easier to get the stuff together on the weekend, or after you’re done work?”  I asked.

 

“On the weekend.  I don’t have a car and a lot of this stuff is going to be heavy and bulky.  What I could do is sell a few of your gold coins at a pawn shop for some extra cash, so we don’t have to touch our savings.  Camping stuff is expensive.”

 

David was right – the really good stuff was expensive – and if we were going to go for any length of time, we needed good and light, which wasn’t cheap.  We needed weapons too.  “How do you feel about buying a gun?”  I asked.

 

“I dunno, Jeff.  If I need a gun, I could probably borrow one of dads – he’s got like twenty of them.  Either that or he’d take me to the gun shop and help me pick one out…  Hell, he’d probably buy it for me, he’d be so happy.” 

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yep.”  David sounded pretty sure.  His dad made sure their whole family knew how to care for and fire firearms.  I had heard from David his uncle was a ‘prepper’ or something, and his dad used to belong to some right wing militia. 

 

“Okay.  I’ll look into getting one too then.” 

 

“Will your folks be okay with that?”

 

“I honestly don’t know – but if we’re going through that portal, I’d feel a lot more comfortable armed with a handgun that a hatchet or a sword I have no idea how to use.”

 

“I’ll talk to dad.  I’ll let you know how it goes.”

 

“Okay.” I said. “I’m not sure what I’ll do yet.  I do have an idea, though, on how we could go take a look through the portal without anyone freaking out for a while.”

 

“What’s your plan?”

 

“I was thinking, if we took some vacation time at the end of August that would give us a week or so to go on a camping trip to blow off some steam – and while we were camping, we could explore the other side of the portal.  We’d have at least 7 or 8 days before anyone would miss us, and we’d get to have our adventure!”

 

“I’ll see if I can book some holiday time.”  David replied.  “I wouldn’t hold your breath, but I’ll try.”

 

“I’ll try too.  If we can’t, we can still go ahead with the plan – we just won’t have as long to look around.”

 

David was silent for a few moments.  “Jeff…  What if we just go – and don’t come back.  What if we decide to stay?  Your grandma seemed to think the other world was amazing.”

 

“Are you serious?”  I asked, in disbelief.  “Really?”

 

“Yeah, really!  Is it that hard to think that there might be better than here?  You said the tokens were there and back once – which means if we go, we only have one shot – and once we return, we might never get another chance.  Maybe we should make our one shot at exploring a new world last more than 2 days?”

 

I thought about it, carefully for a few minutes.  “Maybe you’re right – about the longer visit.”  I said.  “But I don’t know if I can wait months until we can get vacation time.  I’ll think about it.  I’m definitely not ready to commit to never coming home.”  Did David really want to go to this other world and never come back?  Geez!  I wonder what’s going through his mind right now?

 

“Okay.  I was just wondering.  Haha.”  David tried to sound like he was joking, but it fell flat.

 

I was going to talk some more, but dad appeared at my door, knocking.  I put David on hold.  “Yeah dad?”

 

“You still up for that game of Starcraft II, son?”

 

Oh shit!  I promised I’d play that with him yesterday.  “Yeah, sure – just let me say goodbye to David, okay?”

 

“Okay – I’ll see you online soon.”  Dad left to go boot up his computer.

 

“David, I have to go.  I promised I would hang out with dad tonight.  Are you going to be okay?”

 

“Hey, I’ll be fine.  Nothing’s going to happen.  Go kill some pylons or something.”

 

“Will do.  Want to hang out tomorrow and do more American Gods?”

 

“Sure.  I’ll meet you online at 7pm?” 

 

“Sounds good.  See you later.”

 

“Bye, Jeff.”

 

David hung up, and I was still a bit flummoxed by his statement.  Did he want to stay there forever?  Why?  What was so bad here that he didn’t want to be here anymore?  I resolved to try and figure out what he was hiding, and get him to confide in me.  If something was bothering him this badly, I wanted to help.

 

I logged onto Battle.net and loaded Starcraft II.  I figured my chances of beating my dad were about 1 in 6, but I’d faced worse odds and come out on top.  With him not playing the Protoss, I might even have 1in 3 odds, which were almost a fair fight.  I sat down for an evening of mining minerals and spawning more overlords. 

 

                The battle raged on for about 45 minutes before one of us had the upper hand – and in the end I played three matches with dad, and won only one – the final match.  He congratulated me for a good game, and logged off – and I did the same.  It was time to get ready for work tomorrow…

 

                As I got out of my chair to go make my lunch, I noticed a little blue exclamation mark floating in front of my eyes, in the bottom left field of my vision.  What the fuck is that?  I grabbed my amulet and said “Status” and once again it brought up my character sheet – but this time something had changed.  I had a new skill – and one of my skill picks was spent.  I had Battle at d4, whatever that meant.  Huh.  So we can spend skill points without intentionally activating them?  I wonder if we can spend stat points the same way?  Maybe we’d better spend them the way we want to spend them, before what we’re doing spends them for us?

 

                I pondered the problem until bed time.

 

 

Name: Jeffery Fowler	Sex: Male	Height: 6’ 0”
Race: Human	Age: 19	Weight: 185lbs
Advancements: 0   (Novice)
Attributes	Derived Stats	Skills
Strength   d6	Dodge: 5	Academics (Sm)                         d4
Agility     d6	Parry:   4	*Athletics (Str)                           d4
Vigor       d6	Move:  12 yards/18 yards run	Battle (Sm)                                 d4
Smarts     d6	Charisma: +2	Boating (Ag)                              d4
Spirit       d6		*Common Knowledge (Sm)      d4
		Driving (Ag)                              d4
Edges	Hindrances	Fighting (Ag)                             d4
- Charisma	- Overconfident	*Notice (Sm)                             d4
- Brave	- Heroic	*Persuasion (Sp)                        d4
- Rich	- Mild Mannered	Repair (Sm)                               d4
	- Quirk (Wants to have a real Adventure)	Shooting (Ag)                            d4
	- Secret (Noble Bloodline – Scion of	*Stealth (Ag)                             d4
3 Edges or Stats Unspent	Clan Mac Tavish)	Survival (Sm)                            d4
- You can exchange an edge or stat for
2 skill picks		8 Skill picks spent
		5 Skill picks unspent
Equipment
Common Clothes	Cell Phone	“Adventure Token” x1
Wristwatch	2 Keys (Trunk, Journal)

 

 

 

*              *              *

 

               

The next                few days passed at work like normal, and much to my surprise I was able to get the last week of August free for vacation time, from Saturday August 24^th to Sunday September 1^st.  Nine days seemed a pretty good start to an adventure – and I was sure it would give me enough time to decide if I was staying longer or not.  I guess a lot depended on what happened once we got there.  Maybe it would be quick and done – or maybe we’d be gone weeks.  I didn’t know – but it’s not like I had a college waiting for me.  I suppose I didn’t even have to worry about my job, with all that gold – but selling it without anyone knowing where I got it from in the first place would be really hard – and I wouldn’t want it seized by the government or anything like that.  Getting rid of the gold and gems was going to be a slow process at best – but I figured there was at least a million or two dollars in the one coffer, minimum.

 

To be honest, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the only things or people I would miss would be my mom and dad, my grandpa Moses and grandma Claire, and my computer games.  Geez, I’m a pretty fucking sad piece of humanity if that’s all I care about, I thought.  Just the idea of never seeing mom and dad again made me feel ill.  Could I go through with it?  I suppose there was no guarantee we could come home, was there?

 

The more I thought about it, the more second thoughts I had. 

 

Time wore on, and eventually the weekend arrived.  By some miracle of chance – and the fact David’s boss was a sweetheart who treated him better than his own parents did – David was able to get vacation time at the end of August too.  Things were starting to come together. 

 

On Saturday morning, I drove up to his house on Water street, just outside the city limits.  His parents lived in a double-wide trailer on a large piece of land, surrounded by a fence with signs that said “Trespassers will be shot, then pissed on.”  I think they thought it was a joke sign – god I HOPE they thought it was a joke sign – but I knew I’d be fine.  The Wilsons knew I was their son’s best friend, and I visited all the time – but we usually just hung out in his room, or went into town.  I realized I didn’t really know a lot about his parents – and that David had worked pretty hard to make it that way.  I knew he was embarrassed about them, and I knew they were pretty far right-wing. 

 

Unfortunately, this time it looked as if I was going to be having a chat with David’s dad, Ed.  As I pulled up, Ed, with David in tow, walked out to my car in the driveway, and motioned for me to roll the window down.  He was smoking a cigarette, and wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. 

 

“Hey, Jeffrey.”  He said.

 

“Hey Mr. Wilson.  How are you doing?”

 

“Not too bad.  I understand you’re trying to convince my son to buy a handgun, and you’re looking for one too.  Am I right?”

 

“Yes sir.  I figure it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.  We were going to do some camping at the end of August, and I thought we might need something in case of wolves or coyotes.”

 

“Well, good on you, Jeff!  I’ve been trying to get David to man up and get a gun for years.  I don’t know what you did, but you’ve been a good influence on my son, and I thought I’d help out.  Your birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?”

 

“Um.  Yes sir.  September 1^st.”

 

“Well, I’m going to tell you what.  Sometime this week, when you’re off work, I’m taking you and David to a gun shop, and we’ll pick out two pistols – one for each of you – and I’ll pay for the weapons, the ammo, and the licensing fees.  I’ll walk you through the paperwork, and we’ll find a weapon that works well for each of you.  How’s that sound?”

 

Behind his dad, David looked surprised, and ambivalent…but when his dad turned to see what his son thought, he quickly looked excited.

 

“Sound’s great, Dad!”  He said.

 

“Um… It sounds great, Mr. Wilson!”

 

“Please, Jeff, call me Ed, or Eddie.  You’re practically family.”

 

“Okay, Ed.”

 

“That’s more like it.”  Ed replied.  “How’s Tuesday night sound?”

 

“Sounds good, Ed.”

“Great.  Now I know you guys are getting some camping gear, so go on and scoot – I’ll see you both later.  David, could you get an extra case of cooking fuel while you’re out?  Here’s 40 bucks – you can keep the change, son, for your trouble.”  Ed paused, and turned to David.  “Son, I am so damn proud you’re taking this step to becoming a real man.  I don’t know what changed, but damn, I’m happy right now.  I’ll see you later, sport.  Maybe we can do some target shooting?”

 

“Okay, Dad.  I’ll see you later.”

 

“Bye kids!”

 

David got in the car and buckled up, and I waved goodbye, and turned around and headed for the front gate.  “Was it me, or was your dad acting ridiculously friendly for his usual self?”

 

David sighed.  “No.  He’s been like that ever since I asked if I could get a gun of my own.”

 

“He seems happy.” I said.

 

“Yeah, but he’s been trying to get me to go all the way and drink the kool-aid for the last three days.  I don’t buy into the right-wing conspiracy theory crap he spews – but I hold my tongue while I’m living here.  He’s of the opinion you’re not a real man – hell, not a real American, until you own your own gun.  Still, I suppose him being happy is better than him being pissed.”

 

“I guess so.  Still want to get the camping supplies.”

 

“Hell Yes!”  David replied, getting excited.

 

We drove quietly for a while, David seeming lost in his thoughts.  I was lost in some of my own as well. 

 

We drove up to Kim Hosta’s Camping Outfitters.  Kim’s was one of those high end camping stores that had all the newest and highest tech camping gear.  David and I figured we might as well get the best, especially if our lives might depend on it.  We headed inside. 

 

Inside the store there was the usual stuff to catch your eye – the flashy tents and canoes and so forth – and there was so much stuff it was almost overwhelming, but David seemed to know where to go, and took me towards the back of the store, where a few more tents were set up, and a large array of camping gear was on display.

 

“I’ve been thinking.”  He began.  “We need a 4-man tent, with a chimney, and two good sleeping bags, two tarps, two good frame backpacks, a first aid kit that we can carry for each of us, plus food.  I can come up with a pile of military rations, so there’s that, but we might need some compact energy food too.  We’ll need a hatchet and maybe a folding swede saw for wood, and we’ll each need a hunting knife.  Rope – and some parachute cord too, cause it’s light and strong.  A small cook stove, some cans of Sterno, waterproof matches, two canteens – preferably filtration canteens, and a few boxes of water purification pills.  That should start us off.  We’ll need good hiking boots too, and probably raincoats and all-season jackets.”

 

“Jesus!  That’s a hell of a list, David.  It sounds like we’re going for a month or two!”

 

“Jeff, be realistic.  We might get there and find out we can’t come back right away.  There might be circumstances beyond our control.  I’d rather have too much stuff, and either sell it or toss it, than desperately need something and not have it.  You know I’m right about virtually all of this stuff.”

 

Oh my god, I thought.  “You’re not coming back, are you?”

 

David looked at me, sadly.  “I don’t know yet.  Probably not, at least not for a long while.”

 

“Why?”  I asked.  “Why haven’t you mentioned this before?  What’s so wrong in your life you want to leave it behind?”

 

David sighed.  “I’ll tell you.  I promise.  Just, let’s get the stuff first.  I don’t want to talk about it in the store.”

 

I nodded, and we started comparing the quality of the tents and gear, pretty much ignoring the prices, and staying away from too much technology.  If people were still using swords and chainmail on the other side of the portal, we didn’t want to stand out too much – although that was probably already a lost cause.  In the end we bought a very light 4-man dome tent, with replacement poles and elastic cord, and all the other stuff that David had lined out.  It cost a bloody fortune too, but fortunately David had spent the last two days pawning some of the gold and silver coins, and we easily had enough, plus a few hundred left over for gas and food.   David had told me he had got close to 1,000$ for one one ounce gold coin.  He’d sold three of them, plus a dozen of the silver coins, which were also one ounce.  

 

Three hours later, we were fully equipped – except for some of the rations we’d need – for a journey to another world, or the apocalypse, whichever came first.  We got the car loaded – my little Kia Rio was stuffed to the gills – including the case of Sterno his dad wanted.  We got into the car, and I drove, looking for someplace for lunch where we could talk.