The Discovery
Jen was leaving work. She was late again, having agreed to finish off some work for someone else. She knew she probably shouldn't, but she really didn't like to feel that she wasn't meeting someone's expectations. She waited for the elevator to arrive. Her rationale had always been that if she felt less stress from just doing what was asked, then it had to be worth it. The elevator arrived and she entered.
"Hold the lift," someone yelled from down the corridor.
Jen pressed and held the 'door open' button. A woman ran in.
She wore an expensive skirt-suit and glasses, her raven hair was tied tightly to the back of her head and she was carrying a brief case. She was tall, especially as she was wearing high heels. Jen assumed from the way that she dressed and carried herself that she held an important position.
Jen felt this was just the sort of person that she wasn't. This person no doubt relished making decisions. Jen's experience of getting things wrong as a child had taught her from an early age that it was best to let other people have the ideas. If
they
made the decisions then
they
took the responsibility. It was far easier to just do what you were told, that way you were free of the consequences. This was somehow liberating, she was still young, but this philosophy had suited her well so far.
"Hi" said the woman, "I have to collect some papers from an office on the tenth floor, you don't mind do you?"
They were on the third floor. Jen knew it would be quicker for her to go down first than for this woman to go up. Her finger hovered by the buttons. She couldn't look at the woman, she felt embarrassed. Why was that? She knew she would be perfectly within her rights to insist that they went down first, but she felt awkward about it, she didn't like conflict. She felt that she would be being unreasonable if she didn't give in to the woman's request. If the woman hadn't thought it reasonable for them to go up then she wouldn't have asked would she reasoned Jen.
"No of course not," she said meekly, "not a problem." And she pressed button 10.
She could feel the woman watching her, hesitantly raised her head to look at the woman and confirmed that she was indeed looking at her. She instantly dropped her eyes again. Not quite sure what to do, her arms at her side and her head bobbing up and down, glancing up but darting back down again to avoid eye contact each time. The woman seemed to be studying her. Jen wasn't sure but she thought she'd seen a smirk on the woman's face.
"What do you do here?" asked the woman
"Oh, umm, I'm ah, a secretary" Jen nervously mumbled. She was actually a receptionist on the third floor. She directed visitors toward the companies they were looking for that had rented space on that floor.
"You don't dress like a secretary," said the woman, "You look far too covered up."
"Ah, well actually, no I meant receptionist. On the third floor." Jen swivelled letting her arm loosely swing out to indicate the floor numbers in the lift, her eyes on the floor the whole time.
"Ah," reflected the woman, "I see. Well, you should wear tighter tops, it may get you a promotion."
"Yes Miss." Jen wasn't sure why she'd said it.
The woman hadn't made the statement in the form of an order or anything, but the response had just come out. She was flustered and nervous, that must have been why. It was the first thing that came to mind. And of course now she was even more flustered and nervous. She dared not look at the woman, but somehow she now sensed the smirk, there was definitely some tension in the air. The elevator had reached the tenth floor and the door began to open.
"I need to get my papers. Hold the lift for me." The woman left.
Jen noticed how her words had not been formed as a request. Why should she be expected to wait around while this woman sorted her things out? But her finger was pressed to the 'door open' button. 'I'm sure she has something important to get too' thought Jen, 'that's why I should help her. After all its not like I have anything planned.'
The seconds ticked by until it was time to start counting in minutes. 'Well I can't leave now, that would be rude. Just imagine if I bumped into her again having left her here when she clearly asked me to hold the lift.' Jen pushed to the back of her mind the follow on thought, but it was there... 'No, she
told
you to hold the lift.'
Jen tried to understand why she was happy to stand there, with her thumb pressed to the 'door open' button, waiting. 'Would I do this for anyone? Did she impress me? She was very attractive, and successful, was helping her a way of sharing in that success? Where is she?!' But the real thoughts were sneaking around in the background. 'She told me to do it, that's why I'm doing this. If I don't do as she told me and something goes wrong then it would be my fault.'
After what must have been five or ten minutes Jen poked her head out into the corridor. She saw the woman making her way back along the corridor. She was walking casually, no attempt to rush. She quickly pulled her head back into the lift and waited.
The woman entered.
"Right, let's go." She said, looking at Jen, who without returning the look pressed the ground floor button.
As the lift descended the woman moved closer to Jen. Jen's discomfort was obvious.
"Do I intimidate you?" asked the woman.
Jen panicked again, and as she did in those circumstances, blurted out what was in her mind, which invariably was the truth.
"Yes" she said.
The woman reached out a hand and took Jen's chin in it. She moved Jen's face to make the younger girl look at her. The woman had very strong features, beautiful but strong. Her eyes were dark and deep; her skin was immaculate. After a long pause she said "Good."