CHAPTER 1
I admit it, I'm a little plump. Not overweight, just big boned and under-short. This was an anomaly in our office full of sticks and bones, and hurtful words. The other girls talked about their weight-loss diets and gym memberships, I talked about watching movies with a bowl of popcorn in my lap. I was thrilled when Twinkies were brought back, everyone else was horrified. I think some of them were a little jealous that I ate without caring what or how much I ate. I was a little jealous of them for having enough self-control to keep to those crazy diets and exercise machines.
So that was the situation in the office regarding my relationships with my coworkers. It was a love-hate type of one where we tolerated each other for the sake of office peace. That is, until he showed up and turned everything upside down.
We'd all heard there was an up-and-coming manager climbing the ranks, and our floor was one of the stops up to greatness. I joked that it was a rest stop, since we weren't really all that important in the company. Nobody laughed. Anyway, we were going to get a new manager since the old one, Ms. Finner, was retiring. After so many years of herding high-strung women through their daily chores, she was glad to be rid of us. I for one was going to be sad to see her go; she was a strict judge, but fair. If one of us screwed up she'd tell us that, point-blank. If we performed well, we got a cookie. Literally. She'd hand out a cookie for a job well done. Now you know why I liked her, and why everyone else hated her.
Her last day was also the day we were going to meet our new manager, kind of in a transition, passing-the-key sort of thing. Everyone on the floor was excited to meet him for several reasons. One was his rumored good looks. He was said to be the reincarnation of a god; I just hoped it wasn't going to be Hephaestus. That would have disappointed everyone and made them extra bitchy. The other was that, with him being so good at his job and climbing the office ladder, he was a good catch for any prospective woman. That brought me to the last reason; he was single. That meant our new manager was rich, single and aspiring to great heights in our successful company, all neatly stuffed in a cute package of availability.
The day arrived and everyone was ready for their prospective mate. The clothes never looked so clean and lacked creases, and everyone's hair looked like they'd dropped it out of a fashion magazine. Well, everyone was ready for him except me and the guys. I had on my usual dress pants with my long brown hair tied up in a ponytail; that kept it out of the way. There was also my white blouse that had a neckline too low for my tastes, but the price had been right; cheap.
Before the grand entrance of our soon to be anointed new manager, Ms. Finner came up to me with a sad smile on her face. "Good morning, Miss Mitsy." My real name was Monica Collins, but she had that pet name for me. Everyone else called me other not-so-nice names, at least behind my back. "You look nice today," she complimented.
I glanced down at myself. "Oh, it's just the usual. I figured I'd shock the new manager the first day so he'd get over it faster."
"Well, I still think you look nice, and is that some makeup I see next to your lips?"
I flicked my finger up and stared at what came off. "Nope, white donut powder."
Finner snorted and clapped her hand over her mouth. She always liked me being funny, even when I wasn't trying to be funny. Finner straightened up and brushed her hand across the front of her shirt. That was her way of trying to save face. "Oh, I see. Anyway, I came by to say my goodbyes to you in person. I had to write enough goodbye letters last night that my hands are cramped. Besides, you were always my best friend here."
I blushed at the compliment and looked down at the floor. "You were always really nice to me. I hope you have fun in your retirement."
Her voice sounded eager, tired and excited all
I admit it, I'm a little plump. Not overweight, just big boned and under-short. This was an anomaly in our office full of sticks and bones, and hurtful words. The other girls talked about their weight-loss diets and gym memberships, I talked about watching movies with a bowl of popcorn in my lap. I was thrilled when Twinkies were brought back, everyone else was horrified. I think some of them were a little jealous that I ate without caring what or how much I ate. I was a little jealous of them for having enough self-control to keep to those crazy diets and exercise machines.
So that was the situation in the office regarding my relationships with my coworkers. It was a love-hate type of one where we tolerated each other for the sake of office peace. That is, until he showed up and turned everything upside down.
We'd all heard there was an up-and-coming manager climbing the ranks, and our floor was one of the stops up to greatness. I joked that it was a rest stop, since we weren't really all that important in the company. Nobody laughed. Anyway, we were going to get a new manager since the old one, Ms. Finner, was retiring. After so many years of herding high-strung women through their daily chores, she was glad to be rid of us. I for one was going to be sad to see her go; she was a strict judge, but fair. If one of us screwed up she'd tell us that, point-blank. If we performed well, we got a cookie. Literally. She'd hand out a cookie for a job well done. Now you know why I liked her, and why everyone else hated her.
Her last day was also the day we were going to meet our new manager, kind of in a transition, passing-the-key sort of thing. Everyone on the floor was excited to meet him for several reasons. One was his rumored good looks. He was said to be the reincarnation of a god; I just hoped it wasn't going to be Hephaestus. That would have disappointed everyone and made them extra bitchy. The other was that, with him being so good at his job and climbing the office ladder, he was a good catch for any prospective woman. That brought me to the last reason; he was single. That meant our new manager was rich, single and aspiring to great heights in our successful company, all neatly stuffed in a cute package of availability.
The day arrived and everyone was ready for their prospective mate. The clothes never looked so clean and lacked creases, and everyone's hair looked like they'd dropped it out of a fashion magazine. Well, everyone was ready for him except me and the guys. I had on my usual dress pants with my long brown hair tied up in a ponytail; that kept it out of the way. There was also my white blouse that had a neckline too low for my tastes, but the price had been right; cheap.
Before the grand entrance of our soon to be anointed new manager, Ms. Finner came up to me with a sad smile on her face. "Good morning, Miss Mitsy." My real name was Monica Collins, but she had that pet name for me. Everyone else called me other not-so-nice names, at least behind my back. "You look nice today," she complimented.
I glanced down at myself. "Oh, it's just the usual. I figured I'd shock the new manager the first day so he'd get over it faster."
"Well, I still think you look nice, and is that some makeup I see next to your lips?"
I flicked my finger up and stared at what came off. "Nope, white donut powder."
Finner snorted and clapped her hand over her mouth. She always liked me being funny, even when I wasn't trying to be funny. Finner straightened up and brushed her hand across the front of her shirt. That was her way of trying to save face. "Oh, I see. Anyway, I came by to say my goodbyes to you in person. I had to write enough goodbye letters last night that my hands are cramped. Besides, you were always my best friend here."
I blushed at the compliment and looked down at the floor. "You were always really nice to me. I hope you have fun in your retirement."
Her voice sounded eager, tired and excited all
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