Feed Them Silence

by Lee Mandelo

At the front of the pub, the double doors swung open with a gust of chill air. Riya stood framed in evening lamplight, a jaunty mustard scarf draped across her throat and the right shoulder of her leather jacket. Hands in her pockets, she scanned the room, catching Sean dumbstruck at the figure she cut. And then, she smiled. Cool red lipstick, a handsome flash of teeth, threads of silver shining in the thick waves of her black hair; the golden tinge of the pub lighting made her dark skin glow. Since the grant celebration, neither of them had appeared at one of the other’s work-related gatherings. Sean had to admit, her reception among colleagues had gone stiff without Riya’s steady assistance. A détente appeared to have begun, though Sean couldn’t guess why tonight was the night. She swallowed another mouthful of cider to ease her parched throat while her wife approached the table, unzipping her jacket over a cream shell blouse tucked into high-waisted black jeans. Dahye whistled approvingly and Riya winked in response as she took her seat beside Sean.