"I'll have this one," Laura said, pointing to the picture on the menu. She smiled at the waiter, who then smiled back, but only slightly. He probably thought it was strange for a prudishly-dressed middle-aged woman to be acting that way towards him, someone who was about half her age.
"Okay, I'll get your drinks," the waiter said, before he headed back towards the kitchen.
"Were you flirting with him?" Margaret asked, nearly whispering as she leaned forward over the table. She had a very concerned look on her face.
"Yeah, so what?" Laura asked.
"So what? Laura, you're married."
"I know that. It's not like I'm asking the guy out on a date. I was just being friendly."
"Yeah, well, maybe you should keep your friendliness to yourself. Laura, I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but you really need to take a breath and reexamine a few things. Believe me, I like the new hair and the make-up ... it's okay. But this. Flirting with strangers. That's not the actions of a married woman. I know you. You're better than that. So what's going on? Come on, tell me. You're not feeling unwell or something, are you?"
"No, I feel fine. In fact, I feel better than I have in a while." She turned and looked at their waiter. He was getting their drinks. When he looked up from what he was doing, Laura flashed a smile.
"Stop it," Margaret snapped.
Laura looked at her friend. "What?"
"You know what."
Laura shook her head, then looked out the window. They sat in silence until their food and drinks came. Laura had never fought with Margaret before. But Margaret was being ridiculous. Since when was flirting considered the same thing as having an affair? Sure, she had never flirted before, but did that make it wrong? She just never realized the benefits of it before now. She heard once that happiness was contagious. Well, happiness was a good thing, right? By flirting, she was adding a little bit of joy to the waiter's otherwise-mundane day. So what was wrong with that? As she ate her food, she glanced up at Margaret. Her friend was always supportive of anything she did. So why was she being so unsupportive now? They had never been at odds with each other before and Laura did not like that. If there was only some way to convince her that Laura was right.
After lunch was over, Laura headed over to the nearby shoe store. Margaret, however, decided to go to a different store. But that was okay. Laura wanted a little time alone.
