Dallas

This week you find yourself in Dallas, Texas. As you step out of the airport you feel the heat of the Texas summer hitting you in the face. You look up at the blue sky and take in a deep breath, feeling like you’ve stepped into another world. The smell is different, hotter, more humid. It’s almost intoxicating.

You quickly make your way to the rental car agency, where they hand you the keys to a Ford Mustang convertible. You can’t help but grin as you climb into the driver’s seat and start the engine. The roar of the motor is loud and satisfying, but the AC is even better.

You navigate through the busy streets of Dallas towards the client. It’s a small office building on the outskirts of downtown. You park your car in the underground parking lot, grab your backpack, and head up to the reception desk. The young girl behind the counter smiles sweetly at you and directs you to Jane’s office on the 5th floor.

You walk into the office suite feeling a bit out of place. It seems like everyone is older than you by at least ten years, and they all look very serious. You introduce yourself to Jane, who is seated behind her desk in a tailored business suit. She’s in her fifties, with a soft southern accent, and an air of calm professionalism about her that makes you feel instantly relaxed.

After going over the details of your contract for the week, she leads you to her server room where you get down to work. It seems like hours pass as you troubleshoot the network issues and install a new firewall. Jane keeps occasionally stopping by to ask how it’s going.

At around 5:30 pm, she stops by to check on you again.

“Everything alright, sweetie?” she asks softly.

“Yeah, I’m just about at a good stopping point for the day.” You reply, “I’ll be heading out shortly. I’m pretty sure I can finish up tomorrow.”

“So, any plans, while you are in Big D?” she asks.

“Nah,” you reply, “I’ll probably just go grab a burger and catch up on some shows I’ve been meaning to watch in my hotel room.”

“Now, sugar, I can’t let you do that.” She puts her hands on her hips like she is disciplining you, “why don’t you come over to my place tonight? I’ll call Todd and have him fire up the grill and get some steaks ready.”

Before you can say anything, she adds, “And I won’t take no for answer. You can’t come all the way to Texas and just sit in your hotel room.”