Conversation Starters

After the long early Wednesday morning walk along the sidewalks of Norfolk, he finally came to the high-rise building where the lawyer had his office. This was John's first visit to the office. He usually mailed his rent check and had never even met the lawyer. Most of his dealings had been through a management company who looked after John's office building. In the lobby of the high-rise, he saw that the lawyer's office was on the thirteenth floor.

The office was on the interior, situated right next to the set of elevators. John walked in and asked the very prim young woman behind the front desk if he could see Phillip King. She talked with someone using her headset and told him to go on back. She nodded to the open door beside her that led to a small hallway. Another woman waited at the end of the hallway and directed him into Phillip King's office.

The lawyer didn't stand or even look up. "Come on in," he said with a loud, booming voice. "Just trying to finish something up here. Have a seat for me."

John sat in the chair across from the lawyer's very orderly glass topped desk. The lawyer finally looked up and smiled. He was a chubby man with a round face. The flesh of his neck hung over the knot of his pink silk tie. On top of all of this he was balding and sported a pencil thin inky-black mustache.