Liberty and Justice (Thomas)

The holiday was going to be relatively uneventful for Thomas. Perhaps he would have called his son, but he hardly wanted to disrupt a teenager who was likely having fun with his friends for the day off. He compromised by sending him a quick text, a happy fourth of July and a little smile. Though a smile from Thomas was never little.

He was delighted when Josh called and proposed going to lunch together. With the store closed for the day he hadn't figured out what else to do. Knowing him, he'd probably end up reading so he knew what he was talking about.

Thomas pulled the collar of his jacket up, trying his best to shield his face from the patter of rain. His beanie was doing an admiral job of shielding his head, but it meant his glasses definitely had a sequence of drops on their lenses. It hadn't been this bad when he left home. And on approach, he realised how crowded the place was. How was he supposed to find a table - or a friend, for that matter - in chaos like this?

After a miserable attempt to find Josh, he settled his eyes on a table as a couple up and left. Lucky he was close by, because with a few strategic steps and leans he fell into one of the seats and secured it for himself. Now it was a matter of finding the man in question.

Thomas kept his head down. Crowds he could handle, sure. But frustrated crowds made him a little uncomfortable. He just didn't like the energy that hung over the place, but he was somewhat confident it would fade away with time. People were hungry and didn't like to wait. He'd secured a table, so at least he had the edge on others? He hooked his ankles around a leg of the other chair, though. Just in case.

But now that he was sitting, it was almost impossible to see anyone coming. Even if he was on the outer edge.

He checked his phone a few times, before looking around and glancing from side to side. Nope, definitely no chance of seeing anyone coming. Maybe he got held up? Thomas was a patient guy, so he sought his phone from his pocket again and began typing out a message. That was when his phone rang, and he answered it.

"Hey!" Thomas called out sharply. Wait, did someone just elbow him in the head? He lifted away from the phone to check. Out of sight. Damn. "Where are you? Everything okay?"

Clasping his hand over the phone, Thomas looked around again, this time feeling the urgent need to double check his location. Finally his eyes settled on the signage nearby. Mimosa Sunday's.

"As am I." He replied eventually, "Right where you said. At a table surrounded by..." His voice dropped out as he let his eyes search the place. He couldn't see Josh. But he could see the people around him. How big was this place? "-People. At a two-person table near the kitchen, I think."

That would hardly help, especially since he wasn't sure he was actually near the kitchen to the place. "Can you see a... Woman in a bright blue dress with an even brighter yellow jacket on?" he asked, staring at the woman right in his sight line. Possibly waiting for a take-away order, he wasn't sure. But she might have been a beacon of hope at this point.

With recognition over the phone, Thomas had to sigh in relief. It meant they were in the same place, so that was a completely different crisis averted. He was searching the crowd with much more intention not, and when he saw a hand rise above others, he smiled. "Great!"

Hanging up the phone, Thomas released his ankle-hold of the opposing chair so the other man could take a seat.

"I can't believe I managed to get a table." He replied, offering his friend a reassuring smile. All had worked out; no harm, no foul. "What would you say the chances of getting served are?"