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 171: The man at the end of the table cleared his throat.
The man at the end of the table cleared his throat. “Thank you for joining us,” he said. “In light of recent events we are trying to get all of our information sorted.”
Sophie wondered what recent events he meant but figured someone would mention it.
“As you know there was a wrongful termination suit filed from both Donald Evers and Kristen Weathersby,” he continued. “We have examined all of the paperwork and while we have found just cause with the termination based on work record, there are personal issues that may be brought up.”
The man looked over to the man with the reflective spectacles. He nodded, his eyes seeming to glow behind the lenses. Sophie found it off putting. ‘But at least I know what recent events are.’
Knowing helped her relax a little. “We need all of you to answer each question openly and honestly.” The man who seemed to be the spokesman for the rest began. He looked directly at Sophie. She blinked and nodded. He smiled slightly in return and shuffled his file folders. “We will begin with Ms. Daniels as I doubt she has an interest in sitting through the administrative details.”
Sophie found she was sitting up just a little straighter as the questioning began. The questions were not unexpected. She was asked what she knew of the others both in and out of the office. She was asked about taking files and she was asked both about events before and after her month of paid time off.
Sophie answered honestly and succinctly, adding more if a follow up was needed. She tried not to point fingers or place blame. She was inordinately pleased that no one asked about her vacations. ‘Or even referred to them as vacations.’
She felt her mouth go dry as she talked but in the end it was soon over. She was finished answering all of their questions. She restated everything she stated already to Elizabeth, to Sean and once even to this group of people, minus the man with the spectacles. And in the end she was allowed to leave and head back to her office while the others continued to relay their informational bits.
Sophie took the elevator down, feeling a bit wrung out. She made it back to her office, having been gone longer than expected. As she sat down she heard her phone beep. As very few people ever called herr during the day, Sophie took the phone out wondering if Janine was having some sort of emergency or if something happened to her apartment building. When she pulled up her messages, Sophie instead found that two of the companies she interviewed with were offering her positions.
Sophie blinked and set the phone down. She interviewed for the positions thinking that if this business with Kristen didn’t die down she would have a way out. She then thought it had died down. Sophie thought of the people still in the boardroom.
Ten til Midnight 