Coffee at Christmastime

"I know, " Dark nodded, which was his closest approximation to a smile, "I am very old, you know, most of the events of my younger years have long since been smoothed over." He wasn't trying to be dismissive, he only wanted to let the younger man know he didn't need to seek to comfort him.

"Oh, okay," Alexander nodded in return. He was tempted to ask Dark his age, but pushed it away. That was personal. "So, what have you been up to now?"

"Well..." Dark paused, and thought about it for some time before saying, "I am retired, and have been for a good few years, now... I used to be a professor, but it was never really what I wanted to do. I never found what I really wanted to do, career-wise, but I enjoyed it, fine. It let us live in an area that let my wife do her dream job, so I never minded. Now I am simply a grandparent with a few hobbies... Since my daughter works, I usually take care of her daughters, when they are not in school..." He shrugged his shoulders, and then looked at Alexander, and might have been sheepish, if he wasn't so comfortable in himself, "You must forgive me, I talk for too long. What do you do?"

"Oh, that's fine, and I do your typical borring office job, answering phones and taking notes. Although...I'm not sure about how long I can keep it, since...I tend to be a bit of a klutz," Alexander replied with a small laugh.

Dark nearly chuckled, but he wasn't one who laughed freely or often, "Well, as long as nothing important is broken or lost, I am sure you will not be fired, although if you are, perhaps it would not be the worst thing in the world, unless all you have ever wanted is to work a typical boring office job."

"That'st just it. I honestly have no idea what I want to do. I didn't attend college because I want to prove you can be successful without a degree, and I'm not a fan of working weekends," Alexander said, finishing his meal and wiping his beak. He sat back in his seat with a sigh.