The restaurant was sparsely populated with patrons. The breakfast crowd was gone and it was too early for the lunch bunch. I wondered whether I could pick out Arrow, but before I had a chance to look around I saw an arm waving from a booth.

The young woman attached to the arm was much too good looking to be in business, but there was nobody else near me she could be waving to so I walked over to her and said, "Hi, I'm Karl."

"I'm Arrow. My pleasure. Have a seat."

We shook hands. She had a firm, dry grip. She indicated the part of the semi-circular, vinyl-covered seat opposite her and I sat down. She wore a red business skirt with matching jacket, over a white blouse. I didn't immediately recognize her ethnicity. Her skin was darker than mine and she had short black hair in tight curls.

"What would you like?" Arrow asked, summoning a waitress. She already had a cup of coffee and there was a glass of water in front of each of us, full of ice cubes, ready to freeze my esophagus.

"Uh…orange juice."

"Anything to eat?"

"No thanks." I'd eaten breakfast.

Arrow gave the order to the waitress before I could say anything.

"How did you know me?" I asked her, trying to break the ice.

"Well, number one, you look a lot like Richard-your father. Number two, he has a picture of you on his desk."

"He does?" I couldn't hide my surprise.

"With your sisters. I would guess it was taken about ten years ago."

"Oh."

"But you still look the same. Except your hair is shorter."

"That was my fake hippy period. So how do you like being one of his slaves?"

Arrow stared at me for a few seconds with her dark eyes, expressionless, then said, "Look, Karl, I know that you and Richard have had your differences, but if you and I are going to get along, please don't air them in front of me."