Published By
Ria Goff
Worcester, MA
Copyright © 2007 Ria Goff
ASIN : B0024NJZZM
For the last eleven years she had come to work 11 minutes early every single day and punched in at the time clock. Then she would tuck her lunch into the employee refrigerator and started the giant coffee maker into its daily drip. All day long she would refill this industrial sized coffee maker and all day long she would listen to it hiss and bitch just four feet from her desk. Last month two of the employees she had been hired with had been promoted to paralegal. The law firm of Montague, Norse, West and Post recognized outstanding employees and when the time was right they promoted from within. Since the day she had been hired she had gone out of her way to be indispensable. She had personally seen to two of the partners weddings in addition to her regular work load. She had baby sat sick children, acted as a girlfriend when an ex had come into town for Mr. Post. Anything and everything you could imagine, she had done. Short of lude acts and knocking people off, she had done it. She had never complained when new hirers were promoted above her. She never called in sick even when she got sick from baby sitting said sick child for one of her bosses. She never complained was the long and the short of it. She sucked it up, picked up lunches, made hair appointments for their wives, hand delivered letters to clients and reminded all four partners when it was in fact their anniversary. All around she was an excellent employee.
Up until yesterday her appearance however had left a lot to be desired. She wore old brown buckled shoes that looked like they belonged on a 75 year old woman, not someone who had just last week turned 31. She was unmarried, single as a matter of fact. She had boxy brown hair and eye brows that needed a good plucking, her nose hair was also in dire need of some attention. Then her sister had come to town and had taken pity on her. Today the mousie girl was gone and in her place sat this very shy and very uncomfortable replacement. People trickled in as the clock reached 9AM. None of them spared her a glance. She was today just as invisible as she had been for the last 4015 days. Today she wore a black mini skirt, not so mini it bordered on whorie, mini enough to cause her to flush whenever someone looked at her legs. Her lips were painted a bright red color and her boxy hair was no more. In it's place, underneath a black hunting cap, was a perfectly wavy cut long hair style that accentuated her bright blue eyes. Her make up was soft and made to bring out her features. Her mouth screamed of sex and promises all the things she had never been brave enough to say... or do for that matter. She didn't have to remind herself that in 31 years she had had sex exactly 0 times. She was a virgin that lived under the radar and not even her vibrator could summon up any happiness for her in that department. She was tired of being ignored, alone and passed over. She was just tired.
She thought back to days long ago before she had started Montague, Norse, West and Post and smiled sadly to herself. She had taken better care of herself then, she had been so young and so in love. The knife that pierced her heart stuck there. The person she had been so in love with had been in love with her best friend Chad and had left her shaking and alone. Crying in the winter snow as it swirled around her and landed at her feet. She could still remember the look on Chad's face and he had lead Sammie away from her. Sammie had preferred Chad to her. They all preferred people like him... no one ever wanted her. They would, she promised this to herself as she shuffled through a pile of papers on her desk, they would all want her in the end. Now as she began sorting the files on her desk for filing she saw the front door swing up and all four partners walk in together. Between then was a very pretty young lady no more than 25 years in age and she had all four partners captivated. Not one of them notice her new attire, accept the pretty little thing in the middle who smiles at her and causes her heart to do a full flutter, before she swallows and shoves her hair back out of her face. Moments after they disappear into Jonathon Posts office the intercom on her desk buzzes and she frowns at it.
“Yes, Mr. Post?” She says into the box that she hates so much.
“Five coffee's Annie and some danishes if we have them.”
“No danish, Sir, Mr. Montague had me pick up muffins for today. My apologies.” She said and snapped the button off. Mr. Post however left his on while they discussed their options. Outside the temperature had plummeted to just below freezing and outside the windows she could see the snow swirling as it fell to the ground. She looked down at the high heels on her feet and her heart dropped. She knew what would come next.
“Do you think you could walk across the street and get us some danishes from the bakery?” Mr. Post said through the intercom and Annie bit her lip, hard.
“But I brought muffins as I was asked, Sir.” She answered again and thought angrily about how she had stood in her kitchen till after midnight last night personally making those muffins because Mr. Montague 'loved' them so much and 'just had to have them'. Something in her head twisted slightly but she blew out a calming breath and straightened her skirt.
“Of course if you want me to go, Sir, I will.” She said as sweetly as she could into the intercom.
“Thank you so very much, Annie, hurry back.” Was the answer and she stood up and pulled her coat back on. She trudged to the elevator and pressed the down button and frowned as she heard the raised voices of laughter floating out of the inner office. She had dreamed for so long that after she finished law school, which she had attended at night for six years, that she would be moved up from her secretaries desk to a private office where she would become a paralegal and eventually take the board to become a lawyer herself. She could do so now, she told herself as she climbed into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby, but what would be the point? The partners would never look at her the way they had at the new girl. She didn't look like sex and millions. She just looked like Annie Hench.. peon.
Never in all this time working her had her temper gotten away from her, not once. Not when every year the partners celebrated every employee's birthday but her own. Sending every single one of them away for a months paid vacation in some tropical location if they had been with the firm more than 10 years. She had been there 11 now and not one single trip to anywhere, ever. She knew she was getting her tail feathers ruffled for no reason. She knew the next promotion was hers. She had finally graduated from her law program at the top of her class and she had presented all the partners her new degree over dinner. Granted it had been their private dinner that she had seen to and she had burst in with the degree in hand and had shoved into into West's hands all the while celebrating within herself that it was finally time for her to move up. That had been six months ago now. Six months, she reminded herself of this as she had stepped out onto cold, snow swept side walk, waiting for the walk sign to change. It did and the wind kicked up as she hurried across the street in heels that were hard to walk in no less run. She tripped, fumbled and ended up scraping her knee and ripping her panty hose on the side walk. The knee stung and bled some but she ignored it and pulled herself back to her feet. She pulled open the bakery door and stepped inside. She sniffed the air and frowned, her kitchen had smelt better and she was damn sure her coffee would have tasted better than theirs as well. What was so wrong with wanting to be acknowledged every now and again for doing things right anyway? Nothing. She ordered the danishes and drummed her fingers on the counter top. Inside her a storm of anger was brewing and she was doing her best to rid herself of it before heading back to work. She had never had to struggle with her temper before and having to do so now was perplexing. She felt that today was the day that she would finally get hers.. she felt it down to her bones. She knew how the partners looked when they united for a promotion or new hire. Today they had all worn their promotion faces and she knew it, knew it all the way down to her toes, that they had only sent her for danish because she herself loved them so much. Head held high she stepped back out into the snowy sleet mix and let it pelt her while she waited an extra long time to cross the street. Her hair was whipping her in the face and the bottom half of her body was freezing but she'd be damned if it ruined her mood. Not today, not on the day when she would finally rise to the top and grasp that golden ring she had been chasing for 11 years now. 11 years. That echoed inside her head she she finally crossed the street and climbed back into the elevator. She went up the 16 floors and waited till the doors slid open. Then everything slowed down time itself seemed to almost halt and everyone's voices seemed to slow to a point of monotone that she could barely make out what was being said. Their they stood all four partners side by side smiling into the faces of all their other employee's. They proudly showcased someone named Sloan Carpenter and all their many talents. They sang this persons praises as slowly Annie worked her way through the crowd to the front where she stood holding the pastries and trying to figure out what was going on. Then as if a rubber band snapped voices returned to normal and everything seemed to even out until Richard Montague Jr. stepped forward and shook Sloan's hand, Sloan being the pretty young thing that had walked in with them, then he welcomed her to the firm as a partner. The edges of Annie's vision turned a little red as she stood struggling to listen to them clucking on and on about how good Sloan was for the firm. They talked about how she had won some impossibly huge case that everyone had told her she was nuts to take on and she had done it alone. Mr. Post turned towards his employee's and announced finally that the sign on the front of the building would read Montague, Norse, West, Post and Carpenter as of Monday morning. People began to clap and the entire world went a little gray and shifted sideways before she heard Norse saying
“This was our last big hire people. This being said in house promotions are on hold until further notice. All five of them turned and walked back into the inner office, where Annie's office was supposed to be as of today. Her hands shook and her stomach turned and then not knowing what else to do, she fainted.
When she comes to she is on the floor with her skirt hiked up over her hips and the danishes are crushed to her chest. No one is trying to help her, around her everyone bustles on, shuffling papers and as she went to sit up, one guy actually stepped over her. Her head is aching, her insides are churning and her blood is steadily climbing to a boil. Her vision is red edged and her mind is spinning. Never in her entire life has she gotten so angry, ever. She straightens herself out as best she can and walks into the inner office with the crushed box of danishes and notices, just now, that her heel has broken off her left shoe causes her to walk like she is drunk. All five partners raise their eyes to her. Four pairs of them darken in annoyance. One pair remains amused. Sloan Carpenter smiles and stands up to shake her hand. Annie ignores her.
“Here are your danishes, Sir” Annie puts them down on the table in front of Montague and waits. He doesn't look up, he just continues to sign on the little dotted lines of the contract in front of him.
“You ate the muffins?” Annie asks, her voice hitches a little and she struggles to stay in control.
“This is the woman we were telling you about, Sloan.” Norse breaks in and smiles at his new associate warmly.
“She looks like she will do fine.” Sloan says and sits back down.
“These danishes are all ruined.” West says and looks at Annie puzzles.
“What happened to them?” Montague looks up finally and studies her openly.
“You are a mess.” He tells her.
“I slipped and fell, Sir.”
Without missing a beat he clears his throat and eyes the danishes.
“And you didn't think to dust yourself off and get new ones?” He tapped the box and clutched his tongue at her. She swallowed hard.
“No Sir.” She shakes her head. Montague looks at her like she has crawled out from under her special rock just to offend him.
“You are dismissed. Pack up your stuff.” He tells her. Confused she pauses for a long moment and stares at him openly.
“Wait.. you're firing me?” She says and waits a beat.
“No.”
Norse says finally.
“You are Sloan's secretary now.”
Norse tells her.
“Oh, am I?” She feels herself begin to shake. Not willing to be beaten down or peed on anymore today she turns on her good heel and walks out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The then walks to her desk and picks up an empty printer paper box and begins to pack up her possessions. The inner door opens again and Sloan Carpenter steps out into the hall and walks towards her desk.
“Annie.” She says her name softly and reaches out to touch her arm. Annie looks like she may bite her hand off if she does so.
“I can see you are upset but if you would only calm down I could tell you...”
“Tell me what?” Annie's head finally snaps up as their eyes lock.
“That I wasted 11 years of my life on this firm? I know that already. That I wasted over a hundred thousand dollars getting a legal degree I won't ever get to use? I understand that too. The only thing I don't understand is how I was so stupid as to let this happen to me.” Annie bit off and slammed the box down on the desk.
“Fuck it.” She said at long last and headed for the elevator as the door slid open. She stepped inside and closed the doors, she refused to cry all of the way out of the building. She would not let them break her, ever.
Much later she sat on her couch crying into a rapidly deteriorating tissue and watching an old movie. The lead female wanted nothing to do with the lead male. She told him she didn't feel anything for him and sent him on his way only because it was a movie he didn't go. No, instead he stayed behind and proved his love for her. This made Annie so sick and angry that she tossed the remote at the tv and shattered into tiny little plastic bullets which flew back at her.
“No one fights for the girl” She told herself in the mirror as she pulled her hair back and caught it in an elastic.
“At least not this girl” She sniffled at the glass. She had to get a grip on her emotions she told herself. The sound of someone knocking on the door caused her to growl towards it and wish whoever stood on the other side would leave and leave her alone. Didn't they all know how hard it was for her to keep the red out of her eyes? Couldn't they see just how hard it was for her to breathe? When the knocking sounded again she walked to the door and threw it open angrily.
“What?” She barked before her temper snapped back into place and caused her to catch her breath.
“I had no idea they had promised you a promotion.” Sloan said from outside the door. Where she stood holding flowers and an apologetic grin.
“I'd really rather not have company just now.” Annie told her and started to close the door.
“It took a lot of talking to keep the other partners from firing you. You at least owe me a cup of coffee.” Sloan told her and smiled kindly. Something loud and angry snapped inside Annie's head and caused her to smile a little bit sicker than she would have liked. The other lawyer took two full steps backwards before Annie fixed her smile and stepped aside to let her in.
“Sure, I guess you are right.” She said and lead her into the living room. Sloan looked a bit uncomfortable and Annie did her best to reassure her that everything was alright. She laughed off the broken remote and did her best to pick up some of the pieces.
“I am sorry you are stuck watching whatever this channel decides to show.” She told her and left the room quickly. She opened her coffee maker and dumped out the filter from just that morning. She filled the carafe and dumped it into the top then pulled a clean coffee filter from the box in the cupboard just above the coffee maker. She was always so meticulously organized. She measured the coffee carefully and then into the filter she dumped a whole bottle of pain reliever and a left over bottle of Valium from when her Mother had come to visit. She had such horrible nerves in the city. Then she turned on the coffee pot and let it brew up her feel no pain brew. Then she turned and made herself a quick cup of instant coffee in the microwave and when the pot was done brewing she carried both into the living room.