The Maid
January 16th 2008 10:34
The Maid
"He was just soooooo cute!" Angela gushed to her sister. "I swear he's the best dresser in the whole Department and you know what else?"
"What?" Mary asked, indifferent. It seemed to be a yearly ritual with her sister. Every time it hit her birthday month, she'd go on the war path trying to find a potential mate – or as their mother would put it, husband material. The fact that she would be forty in exactly two weeks just made this latest foray into her manhunt that much more desperate.
"He's wears the cutest shoes!" Angela squealed with delight. "I've never known a man who dresses better than a woman."
"You don't know him," Mary reminded her, "you just work at the same Department he does. Has he spoken to you? Has he asked you out for a coffee? Has he attempted to know anything about you? Has he…"
Angela's face cringed the more her sister went on. "Enough already. You're obviously too busy so I'm going home."
Mary bit her lower lip. She didn't really mean to be so harsh but how many times had she gone through this scenario with her only to pick up the pieces later on. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I've got the same shift as him tomorrow so maybe we'll get a chance to formally introduce ourselves."
Mary laughed. If her sister had anything to do with it, she might just pull it off.
"Anyway, what are you typing that is such a distraction from my life?"
Mary turned off her computer. "Was just editing something, that's all."
Loose papers lay all over her desk with one bunch clipped together with a bulldog clip. "Good. I forgot to buy a new book. I'll read this on the train to work tomorrow and review it for you."
Before Mary could do anything, Angela had taken the first draft of six chapters Mary had been working on and shoved them in her bag. "See you tomorrow," she waved and left.
Mary let out a deep breath and tried to recall how bad those chapters really were, comforted in the fact that she probably wouldn't read it and have it back to her the next day.
Angela enjoyed the run into work. On a packed commuter train, there was no absence of people reading over your shoulder, even if it was for something to do until they arrived at their destination. She even managed to turn the pages slower so the young University Student breathing down her neck could finish the paragraph. Not that she understood what she read, but that didn't matter.
Once at work, the manuscript was left lying on her desk and there it remained until the end of her shift when she rushed home. Her head ached. All day she tried to catch his eye and all day he was in and out of meetings.
It wasn't until later that evening, when she was comfortably in bed, that she remembered she didn't bring the manuscript home. Well, her sister couldn't expect her to read and review the entire lot in one day, did she?
The next day Angela bound up the stairs with a renewed spring in her step. Her girlfriend had sent her a message that he was going to be in their team that morning and to make a beehive for her desk.
But before Angela could take her seat, a jolt hit her stomach.
No manuscript.
"Hell! Where is it?" she asked no-one. "Shit! She's going to kill me."
"Not while you're in my team?"
Angela looked up to see him staring at her. And those shoes! She loved his shoes! "Um – um – nothing," she stuttered, "I just lost some papers, that's - - "
The Team Manager, Andrew, produced the manuscript from behind his back. "Is this what you were missing?"
Angela could feel her face burn. Pursing her lips she nodded.
"Did you write this?" Andrew asked, excitement in his voice.
He was smiling at her. Wow, Angela thought to herself, what if she said she did? "Um – um -," remembering she knew nothing of what was in it, she reluctantly informed him it was her sister's work.
"Are there any more chapters? I enjoyed reading it to my partner in bed last night – "
Partner in bed - Angela heard. Great! My knight in shinning armour is married, she thought to herself. This time biting the inside of her face so she showed absolutely no emotion, Angela took the manuscript and softly said, "I'm really happy you and your wife enjoyed it."
"Oh, my partner's not a she, it’s a he. I'm gay."
Now Angela gasped. "Well – " She didn't know what to do; where to look. This guy was the love of her life. He belonged to her. The wedding; the children; even the residence… Everything she sacrificed for him – the dieting so she could wear the best seductive blouse she owned. "She's not writing any more. It was a one off thing!"
And she left the office.
But instead of going home, she marched straight into her sister's home and dumped the manuscript on the bench, pouring her soul out to her sister while the coffee brewed.
She did however take note of how inconsiderate her sister was. Laughing uncontrollably throughout the entire heart-wrenching experience. "I'm destined to become an old maid!" she wailed over and over again.
Mary laughed so hard she was now holding her stomach and hiccupping.
"That's all you're going to do? Laugh?"
Mary hugged her. "Darling I'm so pleased it was my manuscript that got him talking to you, but don't you think that before you came home, you could have asked for a Review?"
For the second time that day, Angela grabbed her bag and left.
A quiet time in the seclusion of her bedroom with her cat was all she wanted for at least a week!
"He was just soooooo cute!" Angela gushed to her sister. "I swear he's the best dresser in the whole Department and you know what else?"
"What?" Mary asked, indifferent. It seemed to be a yearly ritual with her sister. Every time it hit her birthday month, she'd go on the war path trying to find a potential mate – or as their mother would put it, husband material. The fact that she would be forty in exactly two weeks just made this latest foray into her manhunt that much more desperate.
"He's wears the cutest shoes!" Angela squealed with delight. "I've never known a man who dresses better than a woman."
"You don't know him," Mary reminded her, "you just work at the same Department he does. Has he spoken to you? Has he asked you out for a coffee? Has he attempted to know anything about you? Has he…"
Angela's face cringed the more her sister went on. "Enough already. You're obviously too busy so I'm going home."
Mary bit her lower lip. She didn't really mean to be so harsh but how many times had she gone through this scenario with her only to pick up the pieces later on. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I've got the same shift as him tomorrow so maybe we'll get a chance to formally introduce ourselves."
Mary laughed. If her sister had anything to do with it, she might just pull it off.
"Anyway, what are you typing that is such a distraction from my life?"
Mary turned off her computer. "Was just editing something, that's all."
Loose papers lay all over her desk with one bunch clipped together with a bulldog clip. "Good. I forgot to buy a new book. I'll read this on the train to work tomorrow and review it for you."
Before Mary could do anything, Angela had taken the first draft of six chapters Mary had been working on and shoved them in her bag. "See you tomorrow," she waved and left.
Mary let out a deep breath and tried to recall how bad those chapters really were, comforted in the fact that she probably wouldn't read it and have it back to her the next day.
...000…
Angela enjoyed the run into work. On a packed commuter train, there was no absence of people reading over your shoulder, even if it was for something to do until they arrived at their destination. She even managed to turn the pages slower so the young University Student breathing down her neck could finish the paragraph. Not that she understood what she read, but that didn't matter.
Once at work, the manuscript was left lying on her desk and there it remained until the end of her shift when she rushed home. Her head ached. All day she tried to catch his eye and all day he was in and out of meetings.
It wasn't until later that evening, when she was comfortably in bed, that she remembered she didn't bring the manuscript home. Well, her sister couldn't expect her to read and review the entire lot in one day, did she?
...000…
The next day Angela bound up the stairs with a renewed spring in her step. Her girlfriend had sent her a message that he was going to be in their team that morning and to make a beehive for her desk.
But before Angela could take her seat, a jolt hit her stomach.
No manuscript.
"Hell! Where is it?" she asked no-one. "Shit! She's going to kill me."
"Not while you're in my team?"
Angela looked up to see him staring at her. And those shoes! She loved his shoes! "Um – um – nothing," she stuttered, "I just lost some papers, that's - - "
The Team Manager, Andrew, produced the manuscript from behind his back. "Is this what you were missing?"
Angela could feel her face burn. Pursing her lips she nodded.
"Did you write this?" Andrew asked, excitement in his voice.
He was smiling at her. Wow, Angela thought to herself, what if she said she did? "Um – um -," remembering she knew nothing of what was in it, she reluctantly informed him it was her sister's work.
"Are there any more chapters? I enjoyed reading it to my partner in bed last night – "
Partner in bed - Angela heard. Great! My knight in shinning armour is married, she thought to herself. This time biting the inside of her face so she showed absolutely no emotion, Angela took the manuscript and softly said, "I'm really happy you and your wife enjoyed it."
"Oh, my partner's not a she, it’s a he. I'm gay."
Now Angela gasped. "Well – " She didn't know what to do; where to look. This guy was the love of her life. He belonged to her. The wedding; the children; even the residence… Everything she sacrificed for him – the dieting so she could wear the best seductive blouse she owned. "She's not writing any more. It was a one off thing!"
And she left the office.
But instead of going home, she marched straight into her sister's home and dumped the manuscript on the bench, pouring her soul out to her sister while the coffee brewed.
She did however take note of how inconsiderate her sister was. Laughing uncontrollably throughout the entire heart-wrenching experience. "I'm destined to become an old maid!" she wailed over and over again.
Mary laughed so hard she was now holding her stomach and hiccupping.
"That's all you're going to do? Laugh?"
Mary hugged her. "Darling I'm so pleased it was my manuscript that got him talking to you, but don't you think that before you came home, you could have asked for a Review?"
For the second time that day, Angela grabbed her bag and left.
A quiet time in the seclusion of her bedroom with her cat was all she wanted for at least a week!
...000…
[ Text and original characters copyright © 2007 by Teresa Strati ]
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