We have some clouds already rolling in and I am sure rain is on the way. It is one of those cold and rainy days where going out seems like a really bad idea. It also is the kind of day that makes hot chocolate sound like an extra fabulous one. I sense a cup of hot chocolate in my future. But for now, it is the morning writing prompt. Are you ready? Excellent. Let’s get started.
This one was okay, but while I am curious I don’t feel compelled to continue this right away like I did with yesterday’s prompt. (I ended up making notes for about an hour on that one) But who knows, I may end up using it later.
Thursday, December 30th: She glared at me.
She glared at me. The look was both scorching hot and icy enough to chill me to the bone. I swallowed hard and tried to meet her gaze. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“I do,” I replied. And I did. This had been my last chance. “I have already packed up my desk.” I held out the single sheet of paper. She took it without looking away from me. “This is my letter of resignation, effective immediately.”
“I’m glad to see you still have some sense of responsibility.”
I nodded once and turned away. Keeping all of the words locked behind my teeth was the hardest thing I had ever done. But it was necessary. Right now I could leave and I would just be forgotten. If Cybil Wainwright took an interest in me after I left she could effectively prevent me from working anywhere.
My place at wainwright Enterprises put me between a rock and a hard place. My job was to work directly under Cybil’s son. Officially I was his personal assistant. The job included doing all of the work assigned to him as well as acting as his personal assistant, chauffer, therapist fashion consultant and his fixer. Lately the bulk of my job involved extricating him from various infractions. Early on in my time with the company, Michael’s infractions were merely social. I made certain his drunken forays were never part of anyone’s news cast and I kept any of his companions from selling their stories. Lately Michael Wainwright moved on from simple drunken antics to dodgy deals. Most if not all, were on the illegal side of things.
Not that Michael thought of it that way. He tended to believe that he was easing the way for more public business ventures later. He was earning their friendship and their trust so that when they came together for respectable business they would be friends and things would progress more smoothly. At least those were the beliefs he frequently espoused in private. As the person who had to clean up from such endearing friendships, I knew that all of his associates thought he was a joke. Many of them were highly offended by his attempts to draw them in. Those that took him up on the offer, were ones who saw Michael as their entre into the world of the powerful.
Lately even my best efforts to keep Michael under wraps were falling short. A few details of his adventures leaked in the direction of his mother’s ears. As Michael could not be blamed, it was the company he kept that took the hit. I was warned that if one more mishap occurred I would be gone.
Thoughts of telling her exactly where the blame lie flittered across my mind for a moment when I was called to her office. But when it came to Michael, she was blind. The truth would only hurt me in the end. So I cleaned out my desk, typed up my letter of resignation and was now free of the office. As I took the elevator down to the garage, I wondered what would happen. I shrugged it off. I knew what would happen. A new assistant would be hired and Michael would use that person as I was used. And the world would continue as it had before.
I reached my car and had my hand on the handle when I heard the sound of approaching foot steps. I turned, wondering if I was about to cap this day off with a mugging. There was a man in a three piece suit standing about eight feet from me. He was tailored to perfection and the creases in his pants legs looked sharp enough to cut. “Mr. Larsen?” he asked. “I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time.”
Ten til Midnight 