Free Time to Control by Marie Pinkerton Page B

anymore, I
finished to myself.
    Dylan slumped back in the
chair.   “Ah, heavenly.   Think he'd be interested in me?”
    “I think he'd imagine you're
taken.”
    “Darn.   Tammy said she saw you two holding hands
in the break room.   What was up with
that?   Is something going on?”
    I hid my left hand under my desk
guiltily, and held up my right.   “He
was just admiring the bruises from waking up the upstairs neighbor.”
    My friend nodded; she had heard the
full story earlier that morning.   Dylan pulled herself up out of the chair stiffly.   “Sorry, gotta go.   The baby keeps kicking my bladder.   One more month, then he is so outta
here!”
    “Go!” I giggled after her.   Dylan wore the glow of pregnancy well,
and the love for the baby and her husband of five years showed on her face too.   I looked down at my wedding ring,
realizing that could be me in the not too distant future.   A grin grew across my face.   That wouldn't be so bad.
     
    It wasn't long after lunch when I
saw Joseph go past my doorway into Alan's office.  
    “Alan,” Joseph said loudly with the
door open.   He had to know I could
hear.   Eddie slipped down the hall
and into my office and perched on the edge of a seat, finger to his lips for me
to keep quiet.   “Do you know why
Schroeder is wearing sweats today?”
    “Because she's a selfish little
brat who doesn't think about the good of the company.   She knew Mr. Valenti-Kirby was coming
today, and didn't bother dressing up.   Trying to prove that she's above us all.”   We could hear the sneer in his
voice.   I rolled my eyes.
    “That's what she told you?”
    “I didn't ask.   No need.”
    “Did she try to explain?”
    “I don't need to hear excuses.”
    “Then you may be interested in
knowing that her apartment burned down this morning, and she has no other
clothes to wear.”
    “That's not true.   Where did you hear that?”   Eddie and I both winced for Alan.   Bad thing to say.
    “From her.”
    “She's lying, then.”
    “Think, Alan, why would she lie
about that?”
    There was silence.   “That's just what she does.”
    “No, that's just what you do.   Make things up, and not get the full
story.”   I could hear the controlled
anger in Joseph's voice.    “As
you know, we're in the process of being bought out.   Our new investors are looking into us,
and it is imperative that everyone here be behind IDI and the company
philosophy one hundred percent.   We
pride ourselves on taking care of our people, and you aren't living up to
that.   Your services are no longer
needed with the company.”
    “What?   You're not firing me.   Not over that bitch.”   My husband's face grew hard at the
insult.
    “You're being fired for poor
interpersonal skills.   I'd suggest
you work on those, and your language, before finding a new job.   Good luck.   Security will supervise your packing of
the office, and will escort you off of the premises within ten minutes.   Don't visit this building again.”
    I wiped the big grin off of my face
before Joseph stuck his head in my door.   He didn't say anything, just grinned at the two of us and gave a thumbs
up.  
    Eddie got up to leave, but bent
down to whisper in my ear first.   “See?   Told you there was
nothing to worry about.”
     
     
    Two o'clock couldn't come soon
enough, and the elevator down was crowded as it hit the scheduled smoke break
time.   Eddie was going down in the
same car, and moved into the back corner; I went to stand near him to make room
for more people to enter.
    Two people near the elevator doors
started joking loudly with the rest of the people in the car, getting
everyone's attention.   Eddie took
advantage of that to give my bottom a squeeze.   There wasn't room to move away, and
besides, any movement in the car would draw attention to us.   I took the groping, face flaming from
being in public.
    “I'll pick you up in front of the
hotel,” I whispered as