Hello everyone,
After reading stories on this site for years I decided to finally write one of my own. I have to admit I'm a little nervous and thrilled to put myself out there but I welcome all constructive criticism. I've had a couple of issues finding an editor so you're interested in the story feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading and Enjoy!
*
The chime of the microwave snapped Sienna out of her daze. She pushed the button to open the microwave latch, clumsily shifted feet and almost tripped over. She was able to salvage most of her snack which consisted of a mini bag of popcorn. The corners of her mouth twitched a smile when she smelled the aroma.
There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh popcorn on your snack break. You're the instant envy of your co-workers. Sienna needed the distraction, today more than ever.
She was thinking about him again. Today she remembered because it was his birthday. She inevitably relived five years ago, when her world fell apart. How he must've felt, what had he been thinking of? Was he terrified those last moments or brave or both? What did Sienna last say to him? Did he know how much he meant to her?
When it happened, her boss told her to take some time off to regroup. But that was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to stay busy and not let her thoughts invade and take over.
She couldn't stop running. She needed to keep running. She just wanted to forget. Eventually she began to heal but every year on his birthday, she remembered.
Sienna sighed, she really should call her mom but she couldn't bear to hear her voice laced with pain.
She trudged over to her cubicle passing the floor to ceiling windows showcasing Manhattan's skyline. Her four inch peep-toe heels clicked as she walked on the highly polished granite floors. Her legs carried her voluptuous curves hidden in her unflattering gray suit. She worked in the most prestigious law firm in downtown Manhattan; she made a good living and rubbed elbows with influential people.
But as she exhaled plopping down in her chair, today was a day she did not want to be there. She pushed her black framed glasses to her face and they collided with her long thick eyelashes like they always did. Her honey colored eyes looked absently out the window. She grabbed a notebook and started doodling which ended up being a sketch of the view.
She was 25 years old and had graduated top of her class in college. As a freshman, she thought she had it all figured out. When she graduated class of 2008, the financial meltdown occurred. The workforce would never be the same for anyone... especially for recent grads.
She interned at Lloyd, Schmidt and Taylor her sophomore year to keep her options open. They liked her so much they insisted she come back the following summer.
Of course that summer was when it happened, when her perfect plans and her naïve outlook on life crumbled.
The associates at the firm had been very compassionate and understanding, it felt natural to accept the job offer when it became available right after graduation. She worked in the International Mergers and Acquisitions department as a consultant. It helped that she was fluent in 4 languages, which were Spanish, German, French and Italian and she was quickly learning Arabic.
All these languages she yearned to use in their respective countries when she finally traveled to her dream destinations. She had been saving up for a while now and hoped to be able to go somewhere, anywhere that required a flight of at least 4 hours preferably another continent.
She often debated whether to pursue law school but was just so tired of school. And today she was tired of it all. She was all caught up with her work but didn't want to make a show out of it because she just needed to take a breather.
She impassively looked at the clock and it read 3:12pm. Ugh. Could the day go by any slower?
She looked around her cubicle and wondered why someone would design such a horrible space?
These fake wall barriers were there as if to prevent you from escaping. Cube, cage, cave or home whatever it is; however you saw it, you were stuck. Some days it was her cave other days it was her cage.
Today it was definitely her cage.
Even though she was surrounded by sleek modern furniture, she felt suffocated. It was all too perfect and days like today it made her want to puke. She guessed it's better than most other places.
It's almost like putting a decorative throw pillow into the cage of that pathetic orangutan she saw in the Bronx zoo when she was little. That poor creature looked out of the iron bars with sad eyes wondering when he was going to cash in his vacation time.
So that was her in a gilded cage and today she sported those same sad eyes.
No... She had to stop being so damn pessimistic. She had a good job for God's sake! She was healthy; she had people who loved her and had a promising career. How many people could say that? But still she wondered when she traded her idealist dreams for reality.
She looked at the clock again, it had barely moved to 3:25pm.
"Oh my God!" she huffed a little too loud and caught the glance of a co-worker walking by.
She felt the heat of embarrassment flutter through her mocha colored skin. She tried to play it off by scratching her neck a little. She needed to get out of here, she wondered if anyone would notice. As soon as that thought surfaced, her boss Mr. Stein came around the corner.
"So how are you doing today Sienna?" he asked.
She cringed a little inside at the question but pulled off an, "I'm doing well sir. Thank you for asking."
He looked her over with his kind eyes and ran his hands through his silver hair and said, "Why don't you go ahead and get out of here, Sienna. I know full and well you've finished those reports."
Was he reading her mind? She thought. "Oh no, I couldn't Mr. Stein," she replied.
