The Fifteen Minute Novel is an attempt to take a single prompt and use the last sentence written each day as a start for the next day. This year I had several prompts circling around a similar story, so I have combined them. However, the story starts the same way each day, with the last line from the day before and a timer set for fifteen minutes. The hope is to end up with a complete, if very rough draft by the end of the year. Some stories are better than others, but I always learn a whole lot about my own writing when I do this so for me it is not only a nice way to work out a story, but it is a tool for helping my writing get better. And so, we continue this story for 2024 with…
Day 72: Sophie thought of the office.
Sophie thought of the office. There was always the possibility that things would get worse and she would end up leaving. ‘But there is that e-mail today,’ she though as she settled herself with dinner at the kitchen table. Sophie suspected that might change things.
‘It could make them worse,’ she thought. She couldn’t imagine Evers being happy to be countermanded by those on the upper floor. Their office was his kingdom and interference in how he ran it could make her work life intolerable.
‘So then I’d look for another job,’ Sophie reminded herself, her earlier decision returning and keeping worry from rising. While she had a decent enough savings to see her through for a while both in her regular savings and in her savings from the clothing sales, the monthly contract with sleepwear alone would be enough to pay her bills.
‘There wouldn’t be a lot left over, but it would get me by,’ She ate her dinner and thought about it. Knowing that she could get by for a while, even if she cut back on all her extras made the decision an easy one.
“I will take the contract,” she decided as she finished dinner and moved to wash her plate. “I’ll just have to run the numbers and see how much I can afford to spend on materials so it doesn’t eat into my profits.” As Sophie generally did that anyway she knew it wouldn’t be too terribly difficult to figure out. “I just can’t go too crazy with my purchases at the emporium. Although I will need to plan a trip out this weekend.”
Sophie dried her hands and decided to go ahead and start on her list of needed elements.
The next morning Sophie awoke feeling lighter than she had in a long time. In addition to breaking out the list of items she would need to add to her shopping list, she ran the numbers to make certain it was doable even if she lost her job. Surprisingly, Sophie found she was in even better shape than she thought. It took out some of the worry for the day. She dressed in her workout gear and headed down to the gym. She smiled and greeted those she knew and saw that Kevin was just wrapping up. As he began his cool down, she began her warmup.
“Didn’t see you at the food trucks yesterday,” Kevin said. He was panting from his exertions and slowly catching his breath as he slowed down.
“Work got the better of me,” she told him. “I’m hoping that today will be the day when things start to settle down,” Sophie tilted her head slightly in thought. “Or go completely bonkers. It is kind of a fifty-fifty at this point.”
Kevin smiled as his treadmill rolled to a stop. “I look forward to hearing which way it goes.”
“I’ll keep you posted.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” he said. “But for me, it is now water and a shower so I don’t send my entire office running for the hills.”
Sophie smiled and as he left, she focused on her own workout.
Ten til Midnight 