established a routine of sorts, and I was
starting to feel less like a guest and more like I belonged there.
I no longer felt like I was intruding upon her each and every time
we crossed paths. She really seemed to enjoy having me around, as
if I filled some kind of a void in her life. I didn’t question the
strangeness of the situation: a young, talented, beautiful success
story who only associated with her brother and needed a roommate to
find a friend.
One of the things I had quickly learned was
that Blake was not an early riser. Being self-employed, she chose
to open her business later in the morning and work equally late
into the evening. I couldn’t call her lazy, however. After we ate,
most nights she would retreat upstairs and work for a couple hours
more.
As for Matthew, he had stopped by several
times. Once he heard that I was actually a pretty good cook, those
visits seemed to come around dinner time. I attempted to keep my
distance at first, but was drawn to his outgoing personality. After
I decided that he wasn’t acting any differently towards me than he
did his sister, I began to relax. This I could handle. As an only
child, I had always wanted a sibling and now he was going to make
that dream come true. So what if my older “brother” was totally
hot?
In a moment of that brotherly type of
concern, he had grabbed my cell phone and entered in his contact
information. As he explained, since I was two hours away from most
of the people that I knew, I couldn’t exactly call one of them if I
locked myself out of the house or had car trouble. With a fifteen
year old car, he had a point. I just hoped that Eric wouldn’t
notice the addition to my address book.
I stood in front of the mirror on my first
day of my new job, critiquing my appearance. I was dressed to
impress in a conservative navy blue pantsuit and beige high heels.
My hair and makeup had been toned down for the workplace and I
looked every bit management material.
Of course, I had the kitchen all to myself. I
shuffled around as quietly as possible, selecting a bowl of cereal
and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I sat on a barstool and stared
outside at nothing in particular as I ate.
My anticipation had caused me to wake up
extra early, and I had plenty of time before I had to leave.
Finally, I couldn’t stand waiting any longer and I decided to get
going. I loaded the dishwasher, grabbed my purse and keys and
headed out the door.
During the week I had been here, I had
ventured out a couple times to help myself get acclimated to my new
city. Therefore, I knew right where I needed to go and the best way
to get there. Even with the morning traffic adding a few minutes to
my commute I still was one of the first cars in the parking lot. I
drove to the far side of the lot, selecting a spot on the outer
edge. I hoped I was not taking someone else’s place. I didn’t want
to create enemies on my first day over something stupid.
Corporate headquarters was a large brick
building that architecturally resembled a rectangle. All on one
level, it stretched expansively across the lot. Since this was
strictly employee-only territory, the focus was on form and
functionality, not on creating a good first impression. I laughed
as I strode up the sidewalk, wondering what Blake would have to say
about that.
The automatic doors slid open for me as I
approached. I walked into the lobby, taking a quick look around as
I went to the receptionist’s desk. No inspiration here either. Grey
commercial carpeting lined the floors, contrasting with the ivory
walls. Someone had attempted to add color by setting giant potted
plants around randomly. A few large prints hung on the walls,
obvious reproductions.
The receptionist was already at her post. She
was a younger looking redhead, perhaps fresh out of college. The
nameplate on her desk informed me that her name was Rebecca. She
smiled brightly as I came closer, greeting me with a polite “May I
help you?”
“I’m
starting to feel less like a guest and more like I belonged there.
I no longer felt like I was intruding upon her each and every time
we crossed paths. She really seemed to enjoy having me around, as
if I filled some kind of a void in her life. I didn’t question the
strangeness of the situation: a young, talented, beautiful success
story who only associated with her brother and needed a roommate to
find a friend.
One of the things I had quickly learned was
that Blake was not an early riser. Being self-employed, she chose
to open her business later in the morning and work equally late
into the evening. I couldn’t call her lazy, however. After we ate,
most nights she would retreat upstairs and work for a couple hours
more.
As for Matthew, he had stopped by several
times. Once he heard that I was actually a pretty good cook, those
visits seemed to come around dinner time. I attempted to keep my
distance at first, but was drawn to his outgoing personality. After
I decided that he wasn’t acting any differently towards me than he
did his sister, I began to relax. This I could handle. As an only
child, I had always wanted a sibling and now he was going to make
that dream come true. So what if my older “brother” was totally
hot?
In a moment of that brotherly type of
concern, he had grabbed my cell phone and entered in his contact
information. As he explained, since I was two hours away from most
of the people that I knew, I couldn’t exactly call one of them if I
locked myself out of the house or had car trouble. With a fifteen
year old car, he had a point. I just hoped that Eric wouldn’t
notice the addition to my address book.
I stood in front of the mirror on my first
day of my new job, critiquing my appearance. I was dressed to
impress in a conservative navy blue pantsuit and beige high heels.
My hair and makeup had been toned down for the workplace and I
looked every bit management material.
Of course, I had the kitchen all to myself. I
shuffled around as quietly as possible, selecting a bowl of cereal
and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I sat on a barstool and stared
outside at nothing in particular as I ate.
My anticipation had caused me to wake up
extra early, and I had plenty of time before I had to leave.
Finally, I couldn’t stand waiting any longer and I decided to get
going. I loaded the dishwasher, grabbed my purse and keys and
headed out the door.
During the week I had been here, I had
ventured out a couple times to help myself get acclimated to my new
city. Therefore, I knew right where I needed to go and the best way
to get there. Even with the morning traffic adding a few minutes to
my commute I still was one of the first cars in the parking lot. I
drove to the far side of the lot, selecting a spot on the outer
edge. I hoped I was not taking someone else’s place. I didn’t want
to create enemies on my first day over something stupid.
Corporate headquarters was a large brick
building that architecturally resembled a rectangle. All on one
level, it stretched expansively across the lot. Since this was
strictly employee-only territory, the focus was on form and
functionality, not on creating a good first impression. I laughed
as I strode up the sidewalk, wondering what Blake would have to say
about that.
The automatic doors slid open for me as I
approached. I walked into the lobby, taking a quick look around as
I went to the receptionist’s desk. No inspiration here either. Grey
commercial carpeting lined the floors, contrasting with the ivory
walls. Someone had attempted to add color by setting giant potted
plants around randomly. A few large prints hung on the walls,
obvious reproductions.
The receptionist was already at her post. She
was a younger looking redhead, perhaps fresh out of college. The
nameplate on her desk informed me that her name was Rebecca. She
smiled brightly as I came closer, greeting me with a polite “May I
help you?”
“I’m
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