Triggers11

   Charlotte leaned forward at the small table, concern wrinkling
her face.
   “Do you think she would be able to introduce me to her
fiancée, or possib”, she stopped, startled by the small beeping
of the watch alarm, at exactly nine in the morning.
   Charlotte slowly lifted her chin, eyes glassy and fixed. She
stood, not caring to wipe the wrinkles from her expensive
business skirt. Once fully standing, she turned and walked toward
the counter.
   Amy looked at Kristen, and mouthed the word “uh oh”, and
bounced up, scooting the wrought iron with a screech. She pivoted
on her heel, and was beside the strangely acting business lady.
   Without asking, Charlotte picked up the receiver of the phone,
and dialed. The number glowed in the window, stored into memory
as she hit the green send button. She raised the phone to her
ear, her head unmoving, eyes staring blankly out the window.
Kristen and Amy were writing down the phone number, and the
conversation, as Kristen hit the intercom button on the body of
the cordless phone. The ringing was loud, till a small click was
heard, then generic industrial music ground out from the speaker.
   “Thank you for calling Blueblood Marketing Research, this is
Doctor Lewis.”
   Amy and Kristen gasped. Charlotte spoke easily as if making
just another business deal.
   “Hello, this is Charlotte, I was calling about a purchase.”
   The music got a little louder.
   “Charlotte. Yes. We have a lunch appointment at my apartment.
Nothing special, just another sales pitch. Let the background
music lift you, erase you, blank you, blank, blank. You need to
pee Charlotte. Go take care of that, and while you are there, put
on your MP3 player and listen to song 5.”
   Charlotte hung up the phone, and pulled a small silver MP3
player from her handbag, earphones just a wad of wire and small
black buds. Amy ran for the bathroom, to wait there, while
Kristen ran upstairs to Andy’s old office, to retrieve some
mental conditioning equipment. Kristen had studied a little about
its usage in her advanced psychology courses, but she was at last
about to put her knowledge to the test. By the time she got back
down the steps, Charlotte had finally meandered back to the
bathroom. As the two ladies entered the spacious bathroom,
joining Amy who sat on the cabinet sink, the front doorbells
clanged and jangled.