Distortion

I closed the door and stuck my hand out. "Hi, Jack. It's very nice to meet you."

He shook my hand and smiled at me. "It's nice to meet you, too. You look wonderful."

I blushed. "Thank you. I would say the same, but considering you're still in gym shorts and a t-shirt, I don't think you've quite gotten ready yet."

He laughed. "You're right. I appreciate the thought, though." He was very attractive, I had to say - he looked similar to a young Mark Wahlberg. "Have you been to Sacramento before?" he asked.

"Once. I went to stay with a friend when I was a teenager and saw the Tower Bridge and some of California's museums, I think, like a typical tourist. But I haven't had any other reason to come here until today. You?"

"Many times. I was one of those kids that was always caught in between being a doctor and a lawyer. These medical conferences happen in the same place, on the same weekend every year. Surgeons of all kinds come from across the country to distribute their new medical knowledge and discoveries. My parents are both surgeons, so they would always take me here. But I eventually lost interest in the medical field and went with where my heart was set, which was law. And I'm sure as hell glad I did."

"I heard that you're great at defense law. Is that what you want to do specifically?"

Jack smiled at me. "It is." He checked his watch. "You're a pleasure to talk to, so I would love to chat more, but I'm afraid it's already 5:00 and, like you said, I'm still in my gym shorts and t-shirt."

I laughed. "I'll save you a seat."

I rode the elevator down to the lobby. There was another quote on the back wall, written in gold; this one by George Jean Nathan: "Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote."

I headed down to the ballroom where the lecture was being held. There were tons of people leaving the hotel, so I guessed the medical conference wasn't in the hotel itself. There were already about 150 people in the ballroom, and Professor Fried was at the podium shaking hands and talking with a large group of people. I found two seats in one of the middle rows and sat down.

10 minutes later, of the many people that were flooding into the room, Jack come in, dressed in a gray collared shirt tucked into black slacks. I waved, and he came and sat down next me.

"Now I can finally say you look nice," I laughed.

He smiled. "It is a nice change, isn't it?"

The ballroom doors were shut and everyone proceeded to their seats, and the room silenced quickly. Barbara Fried cleared her throat into the microphone. "Hello everyone, and thank you so much for coming. It's been a few years since I've done something like this. It's wonderful to see old friends, former colleagues, and fresh faces alike. I'd like to begin by reading an excerpt from my review essay, 'Left Libertarianism.'"



"...And that concludes my lecture tonight. Again, thank you all for coming."

A roar of applause rang out across the ballroom. I leaned over to Jack. "That was fantastic, wasn't it?" He nodded, smiling.

Most of the people stood up and walked out of the ballroom, heading to another one where I assumed the dinner was being held. A few people stayed behind to talk to the professor, but I figured we would see her at the dinner table anyway, so Jack and I headed to the dining room.

This room was even more formally set up than the previous one. There were waiters at every table, taking the drink orders of those who had already sat and waiting for those who had yet to come. We walked around, looking for ours, and finally found it at the very front of the room. I sat in between Jack and the professor's seat.

The waitress, a tall, dark-haired woman, asked for our orders. "I'll have a water with lemon, please," Jack told her. The waitress glanced at me. "A glass of chardonnay for me."

A few minutes later, Barbara came and sat down next to me. "Professor, your lecture was amazing. I absolutely loved it," I told her, smiling. Jack agreed. "It was astounding. You're a wonderful inspiration."

"Oh, stop it, you two. Thank you." She grinned. "So, you ready to eat?"