Author's Note: All characters are above the age of 18. I want to thank my wife for editing and my friend Ann for her encouragement.
Persephone held a rolled blanket as she walked beside Vince. He carried a picnic basket and looked around the park grounds. Persephone saw her before he did. She pointed to a pair of trees that were about 7 feet apart. Under one of the trees was a statuesque African American woman wearing a light yellow sundress.
"Why are we having a picnic with Kassandra again?" Persephone asked.
"Because it's good to get you out in public. Because we both need the fresh air. Because it's a beautiful day," he answered.
"Yes but, why HER?" she retorted.
"Because it was her idea, Sephie!" Vince whispered with a smile as they got within earshot of Kassandra.
Kassandra stood up. "Lovely day for a socially distanced picnic," she said with a pained smile.
"Good spot you picked out!" Vince said.
"I thought it was perfect," Kassandra said as she sat back down.
"That's a lovely dress you're wearing," Persephone observed with a polite smile. She spread out their blanket under the tree next to where Kassandra was sitting.
"Thank you, but honestly, I've had this for years," Kassandra said.
"You forget that I work in the fashion industry. I saw that dress on the catwalk just six months before COVID hit; it must have set you back three hundred dollars," Persephone smirked. "False modesty isn't virtuous."
Vince sat down on the blanket and opened his picnic basket.
"Three hundred and sixty. We don't all dress for comfort," Kassandra said as her eyes scanned Persephone.
Persephone was wearing sandals, jeans, and a pink t-shirt embroidered with black rhinestones in the shape of a cat's face. Underneath it read 'Bad Kitty' in cursive lettering. Persephone sat down on the blanket next to Vince.
"It's occasion appropriate," she shot back at Kassandra. "The shirt is a gift Vince got me. It's an inside joke." Persephone smiled at Kassandra. "I don't suppose you had any of those when you dated Vince..."
"Do I have to remind the two of you that we're on friendly terms?" Vince chided.
"She started it," Kassandra snapped.
"I did not," Persephone said.
"Are these two women I'm speaking to, or have they both regressed to middle school girls?" he asked.
Persephone felt the weight of Vince's judgment on her. "I find false modesty annoying," she argued. "If she would have been honest, I wouldn't have pointed it out."
"I'm sorry I lied. I'm used to telling little white lies to make it in the business world. It's become a habit," Kassandra said with a frown.
"I'm sorry for the jab about your relationship with Vince," Persephone said. "That was unfair of me."
Vince shook his head. "Yes, Persephone, we had inside jokes," he said as he took out a container of macaroni salad.
"Still eating junk food, I see," Kassandra teased.
"This is picnic food," Vince shot back. "I've also got homemade potato salad, homemade coleslaw, and sandwich fixings. You're welcome to have some if you'd like."
"No, thank you. I've got a salad of my own," Kassandra said as she pulled out a kale and spinach salad from her bag.
"Still eating like a rabbit, I see," Vince mocked.
"Okay - could we not criticize each other's food choices?" Persephone asked.
"Sorry. I get cranky when I get hungry," Kassandra admitted.
"Given how she eats, that's all the time..." Vince said under his breath.
"I heard that..."
"You were just admonishing us both for being catty," Persephone pointed out. "You should take your own advice, Sir."
Vince rolled his eyes and glared at Persephone.
"It's an old argument," Kassandra explained. She poured balsamic vinaigrette onto her salad. "He always wanted me to eat more, and I was always more concerned about my girlish figure."
"Pizza. Lots of pizza," Persephone said.
"What?" Kassandra asked.
"Uh, nothing. What are you doing these days? Still in finance?" she asked.
"Yes, actually, although I don't know how much longer that will be," Kassandra admitted. "The current CEO of my firm was caught money laundering for a ring of human traffickers. The FBI is tearing apart our records for evidence of other collaborators and state-side clients."
Persephone and Vince glanced at each other.
"Apparently, someone from Teleigence brought them to the attention of law enforcement," Kassandra continued. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Vince?"
"Yeah, you could say that," he said with a pained smile.
"You?" she asked.
Vince nodded. "They were digging their claws into someone I held dear; I had to stop them."
Persephone looked away and pretended to be more interested in making herself a sandwich.
"You?" Kassandra asked as she pointed to Persephone.
Persephone glanced at Kassandra and then quickly looked away in shame.
"But I heard they were using BDSM as a front to lure impressionable women into becoming sex slaves," Kassandra said. "I wouldn't expect that of you, Persephone."
"Yeah. There's a lot people don't expect of me," she answered bitterly as she piled lettuce onto her sandwich.
"You're not really into that BDSM shit, are you? I mean - that's some fucked up misogynist shit right there," Kassandra said. "A little kinkiness is one thing, but the whole submissive thing..."
"Shut up," Persephone snapped. "You have no idea what you're talking about - no idea what it's like."
"Oh my God. Vince - I just realized she called you 'Sir.' You're not both really into this shit, are you?"
Vince clenched his jaw. "You know, you're becoming awfully judgy."