Modern Lunch

Two goats were having lunch together. The two rarely had a chance to meet up and have a nice, simple, lunch due to each of their respectively busy lives. However, after months of planning and scheduling and canceling and rescheduling they both managed to find time to sit down together. 

The first goat, Lakien, decided to ask the first question of his friend, Talum: 

"So, what's been new with you?" 

"Oh my gosh," Talum, started, "I don't even know where to begin... Why don't you start?" 

Lakien had just taken an enormous bite of his salad and didn't want to talk with his mouthful...

"No, please," Lakien said while holding his hoof in front of his mouth while he chewed, "You start, I wouldn't even know where to begin."

By this time, however, Talum had used the little bit of time he had gained in his day to shovel some of his own salad into his mouth as well. He politely held up one finger and chewed through the salad before responding: 

"Oh dear, well..." Talum continued to chew, "I must say... I think... I...Boy, this is a lot of salad to chew, huh?"

Lakien was watching Talum struggle to speak while he was chewing. Lakien figured if his friend Talum was anything like himself he would like to enjoy his food rather than worry about powering through it in order to tell a story so he offered a solution: 

"Okay, how about we both finish our salads and then we talk?" Lakien offered in between bites. 

"That would be wonderful... I feel like I have to talk through every one of my lunches and I never actually get to enjoy them." Talum replied. 

"Oh my gosh, me too!" Lakien commiserated, "How funny is that!" 

"This is why we get along buddy, we know what each other is going through and we can finally sit down and chat about..." 

Just then the server interrupted their conversation: 

"Here you fellas go, some sandwiches for you..." The server said as she placed their meals on the table 

Internally both goats looked at their sandwiches and thought... damn it... by the time we finish these salads then finish these sandwiches lunch will be over and I will have missed out on talking to my friend. 

They both stared at their sandwiches and half-eaten salads not knowing how to proceed. Each wanting to talk and wanting to eat and waiting for the other to make the first move. 

"Well..." The both started simultaneously, "Haha you go... oh sorry... no..."

Well, now they were doubly stuck. To eat or to talk? To catch-up or to chow-down? 

"How does the rest of your day look," Lakien asked. 

"Not much better to be honest with you," Talum replied. "Yours?" 

"Pretty much the same," Lakien answered. 

"How are we both this busy? 

"I know, What's the point of it all?" 

"Well, let's just eat I guess... I know we could both use a break and we might as well." Talum continued, "We'll have to try again another time."

"Yeah, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be another option..." Lakien confirmed. 

"Unless..." Talum's eyes widened, he had an idea.

Lakien perked up... He was ready to hear about Talum's great idea, this was going to be good, Talum's ideas were always good, this is why they were friends and... BeepBeep Beep... Lakien looked down at his phone

"Damn, that's my alarm for my next appointment I'm going to have to take this to go," Lakien said, motioning for the server to bring over some boxes. "But hey, glad we got to talk, let's do this again soon!"

"Agreed!" Talum replied, "This was fun!"

The two got their meals to go and left, at least they had someone to share the misery with for a moment, even if they weren't able to fully share a lunch…

“HEY!” Lakien called back to Talum as they both walked away, “How about drinks sometime?”

“Anytime, anywhere!” Talum agreed whole heartedly.

What a great lunch after all, the two thought as they went back to their busy lives.