Generation 02, Chapter 16: Good-bye

I return to the city.  I've made up the excuse that I've got a doctor appointment.  Only Champ knows I'm here to "patch up my relationship" and even that's not the total truth.  I'm actually coming down to confront Rusty about what he did.

I manage to sneak into the building, convincing the security guards I'm there to cater to Rusty's going away party.

I run up the stairs to Rusty's office but it's empty.  As I walk out, I bump into Rusty.  Well, what a coincidence.

"Calla, is that you?" he asks innocently.

"You have me fired.  On purpose!" I start.

"What blasphemy are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about.  You used me!  You wrecked my career and watched me suffer because of it.  When???  When did you put that document on my desk???"

"If you really must know, I put it there on the 28th of May," he replies calmly.  His eyes are icy as he continues.  "Now, I'm going to have to have you ejected from the building if you do not leave now."

I take his warning seriously and walk out, hot and angry.  I think back to May 28th and thank the Lord for my eidetic memory.  And of course, he lied.  The 28th was the day that we were all attending a conference in Starlight Shores and Rusty had just come back from France.  He hadn't even been to the office.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

I go to my lonely apartment building and bump into Kar.  Fortunately, she is just the person I wanted to speak with.

"Kar?  Uh, may I speak to you?"

"Calla?  Is that you?"  She asks.

"I know this is unexpected and you probably don't want to see me but I have something serious to talk about.  Please just listen to what I have to say and I won't bother you again."

Kar contemplates for a second and finally says, "Go on."

For once I am happy that Kar lives in the same building as me.  It's very convenient and quick to get to my room and fall fast asleep in my messy apartment.  After our talk, I realize that she isn't as heartless as I had thought her to be.  She actually listened to what I had to say.  She promises to investigate and she will contact me tomorrow about any news.

The next morning, I wake up to the sight (and smell) of my apartment, which is in horrible condition.  It hasn't changed at all since I left but I never realize how dirty and plain it was before I left.  The clothes I have here are basically all suits and/or dark clothes.  I just throw on what I wore yesterday.

Of course, there's no food or cooking supplies in the kitchen so I quickly run out to the store and buy all the necessary kitchen staples as well as a good vacuum and some cleaning solution.  Then I get to work cleaning, dusting, and cooking some meals in my apartment.  Kar rings as I finish vacuuming.

"Hello?"

"Calla, I've spoken to a few people and I want you to too.  I need to know if you're available."

"Right, of course.  Yes, I'm available."

"Okay, meet in the Gainsboro office room at 8 tonight."

"Sure thing," I say and we hang up.  Hope rises in my chest.  They're could be offering me partnership.  I could get my job back!

After cleaning, I whip up some of the ingredients I bought and produce a beautiful plate of french toast.

Then I invite Ms. Rosado over to eat it with me.  She agrees confused and a bit wary.

"What brought this up, Calla?" She asks me as she sits down.

"I just wanted to thank you for watching out for me all those years and for taking my mail and packages"

She smiles and says it was no problem.  Then there's silence and finally she says, "You made this?"

"Yes, I've learned how to cook.  Please, take it.  It's a token of my thanks."
She just stares at it.

"Don't worry, it's not poisonous or anything," I chuckle.

She finally takes her fork and tastes a piece.

"You made this?  By hand?" She asks me again.

"Yes, I've learned a lot of new things while I was away."

"Where is it that you have been, my dear?"

"Just somewhere.  Somewhere different from here."

"Well, wherever it has been, it has transformed you.  You look so much healthier and.. and happy!"

"Thanks," I smile.  She thanks me again for the meal and after she leaves, I get ready to go to the office.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

I arrive at the office in my usual lawyer attire.  It feels weird wearing such bland colors.  I wait outside of the meeting room while Kar, Blake, and the other partners discuss me situation.  During one of the breaks, Blake comes out and talks to me.  Before doing so, however, he takes out his phone and stares at it while he talks.  I've noticed that everyone seems to be addicted to their technology all the time.  Was I really like that?

"Calla!  Wow you look amazing.  Oh my God, and the way you figured out the thing with Rusty, I was shocked.  I knew you could never make a mistake."
What?

"No you didn't.  You specifically said that I had made errors and that I was unreliable.  Remember?"

"No, I said that other people said you had made errors."

I groan, "Fine, whatever.  It really makes no difference."

"Hey, where are you working now?  Hopefully not with any of our rivals," Blake grins.

"Oh no, of course not.  Uh, it's no one you'd know," I drift off.  "Alright, looks like the meeting is starting up again," I notice and he heads back in.

"We would like to offer you full equity partnership in the firm, starting immediately."

The words ring in my ears like heaven's song.

"Welcome back," Blake tells me.  I'm stunned.  I had been imagining this very moment but I have no idea how to react now that it has actually happened.
"Um, I actually haven't said it I'll accept the offer," I announce awkwardly.

"Excuse me?" Kar asks.

"Well, I'm flattered, really.  But... I've come to realize I didn't come here to get my job back.  I cam back to clear my name.  So I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline.  I've moved on to a job that I really enjoy."

They both stare at me as thought purple liquid is pouring out of my ears.

"Are you crazy?" Blake sputters.

"If it's a matter of salary we'll speak to the senior partner to wherever you've gone to.  Where are you now?"

"There isn't a senior partner.  Or a director."

"How can there not be?"  Kar asks horrified.

"I didn't say I was working as a lawyer," I say at last.

Now Kar and Blake have focused their attention on me.  "I'm working as... as a housekeeper."

"What do you mean?  Is this a new term I'm not familiar with?"

"No, I mean I'm a legit housekeeper.  I cook meals for my employers and wash their clothes," I explain slowly.

"You're... a housekeeper?" Kar repeats as though it's a foreign word.

"Yes, and I'm very happy with what I do.  I feel fulfilled and... alive.  So I'm sorry.  I'm going to have to decline your offer.  And uh, bye," I say and I walk out of the room, out the building, onto a train, and back to the world that I have grown love.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

I find Champ in the bar, cleaning up some glasses.  He sets them down and runs toward me.

"How was the trip?  Is it over?" He questions me eagerly, grasping my hands in his own.

"Yes, it's over," I smile and lean in towards him.  I feel content and happy.

It's over.

It's actually finally over.

Generation 02, Chapter 03: Seven Years Later...

My first day of work was nearly seven years ago and I am currently laying on a table in a dark room, taking advantage of the free spa treatment coupon that Char gave me last year.  Today is my 28th birthday and I really need to get the heck out of here.  I have the morning off (by some miracle) but I keep checking my phone underneath my towel for a message that I know will come.  There's a 99% chance that I'll have to go and run back to work.

"Relax, your muscles are extremely tense, dear," my masseuse for the morning, Ciruela, clucks disapprovingly as she digs her fingers into my back.  I don't quite understand how people like massages.  It's quite painful on my back.  Not enough to complain about it, fortunately.

My phone vibrates under my robe and I flinch.

"Is something wrong?"

"No!" I say, my voice high.  "I'm just a little tense, as you said.  It makes me, um, jumpy."

She looks at me quizzically but shrugs and turns away to get some lotion for her hands.  I quickly sneak my phone out.  It could be a call from Kar, and everyone knows that you do not miss calls from her.  I believe it was last year when this guy from the ninth floor didn't answer his phone and was twenty minutes late for a meeting.  Kar terminated him from the firm right then and there in the conference room.  It is rumored that he is now living with his mother and hasn't returned to work since then.

Fear of getting canned overcomes my need to obey the rules of the spa and I quickly pull out my phone from my towel while Ciruela isn't looking.

"What is that?!" Ciruela screeches as she whirls around unexpectedly.  Damn, I've been caught.

I jump and push the phone back into my towel.  Fortunately, I was able to catch a few words of the text: the deal is back on. get back here now. meeting at 10.

Apologetically I confess.  "I"m sorry, I really need to go.  Like, right now."

Ciruela's face is a mix of shock and horror, as if she's never heard of a high-powered job before.

"You workaholics," she finally sighs.  "This is your time."

"I really am sorry, but at Gainsboro, my time is their time.  Now if you will excuse me, I must leave immediately."

As of now, we are working with a huge client so I cannot miss this meeting.  I made it to the office at about 9:30.  Kar is standing above my desk but she doesn't intimidate my much anymore.  She stares down at my cluttered desk.  It's messy, but it's organized messy.  Besides, I've been meaning to clean it. Once I find a free six minute interval I'll get right to it.

Kar is very tense right now because she and the other partners are deciding on which associates will become partner this year.  If I get it, I'll be the youngest to be partner in all of Gainsboro history.  If that's not an incentive to do well, then I don't know what is.

Last week, a few other associates and I gave presentations explaining why we'd make good partners and what we'd bring to the firm.  It was difficult to tell if my presentation made them happy.  All the partners, except for Blake and Rusty were frowning.  Tomorrow will be the big reveal and I'm as nervous as one of mom's cats.

"Just get your desk clean, before the meeting, Miss Cohen," Kar finally says.  "Oh, and I emailed you a rather large file that I'd like you to deal with by Thursday " she adds as she walks out the door.

I open up the file and scan it quickly for errors.  I've learned to do everything quickly ever since I started working here.  I eat, walk, talk, and even have sex a lot faster.  Not that I've had much of that lately.  Plus, my stubbornness  refusal to ask for help, and the stress help me to get through the files that partners have been dumping on me much faster.  They're some of my top qualities.  Even Kar complimented me once on my speediness.  And it made my day.  Unfortunately, it only happened once.

After scanning through a bit of the file, I begin to put a few folders away when Rusty comes walking in.

"Calla!  How are you?"  He asks.  Before I can respond, he cuts to the chase.  "I've got a letter of appreciation about you from the chairman of that client you were working with last month.  He's very happy so I'm assuming you saved his company a few million?"

"Yeah, something like that," I blush.

Rusty walks out and another person walks in.  It's Griselda, my secretary and friend.  She lets me know that I have received a message.

"It's from Amber.  Your cleaner.  She wants to know where you keep your vacuum cleaner bags."

What?

With my mean charisma skills, I carefully manage to escape this conversation.  "Look, I have to go to the meeting now, uh, just tell her that I'll figure it out when I get home."

Griselda nods worriedly but takes the bait.  I have no idea what vacuum cleaner bags are but I'll just buy a new vacuum cleaner.  I did see a commercial for vacuums and they kept repeating the fact that the vacuum didn't have bags so I'll get that.

Griselda leaves and I quickly shuffle the papers on my desk so they look a little better.  I didn't get much cleaning done but it's not like Kar actually thought I'd get it completely cleaned.  At least it looks a little better than before.

"Calla?"  I jump.  Looking up I smile when I realized it's only Blake.  He has now become one of my best friends here.  "Coming to the meeting?"  He asks quietly.

"Yeah, let me grab a few things...," I reply distractedly as I fumble around on my desk.  Eventually I don't grab anything.  Meetings almost always supply pens and paper.

If you're wondering about Blake and I, I never did ask him out.  A few weeks after I had started working, I found out that he had apparently noticed me.  He had asked Griselda if I was available.  Unfortunately, stupid stupid me forgot to tell Griselda that I had broken up with Farran.  I was single.  But she didn't know that so she told him I was going out with a partner from another firm (Farran).

Things got awkward after that and Blake started to ignore me for about three months.  During that time I found out that he was going out with a girl named Charna and as of today they are living together.  So, because he just happened to ask Griselda and I just happened to forget to update her on my status, there is now an absolute zero chance of getting together with him.  Fortunately, we are now friends.  I'm fine with this but... there's always those moments when I secretly fantasize about him.

I start to get up and while doing so, I peer at Blake.  His eyes are normally a beautiful blue grey but today they're red-rimmed and baggy.  "You look tired.  Are you okay?"

"I could be better.  Took an all-nighter.  No big deal though."

"I definitely sympathize with you, my friend.  Okay, I'm ready to go."

"What's twenty-seven times thirty-six?"  He quizzes me as we walk down the hall toward the meeting room.

"972," I reply absent-mindedly.

I don't know if my mom told you this but I have always had this weird gift.  I can compute large mathematical problems in my head without a calculator.  Blake is extremely obsessed with my gift and constantly throws out random equations.  It gets really annoying but one time I gave him the wrong number on purpose.  Unfortunately, he actually needed the answer and it nearly ruined the big deal he was working on.  So now I always tell people the correct answer (When in reality, they should just use a calculator).

"Your presentation was amazing.  I heard the other partners talking about it after you had left.  Seriously, Calla, tell me something.  Do you ever make mistakes?"

Are we talking about work because if not, I've made the biggest mistake of my life by not telling you I was single the moment I laid eyes on you, I want to say.

"A ton," I finally answer.  I check my phone.

"I don't believe that," Blake says knowingly as we enter the meeting room.

The meeting was not worth the full ten hours we spent in there.  Halfway through the meeting I had to text mom to let her know that I'd be missing my birthday dinner.

They can't make you stay there on your birthday she replied.  Much her to dismay, they can and they did.

I get home at around 11 o'clock that night and Kar is standing right outside the front door of my apartment buildings.  I nearly walk right passed her until she make a loud cough.

"Cohen," she barks.  "I recently purchased apartment 4D.  Mr. Nero told me you lived here so I suppose we're neighbors for the time being," she adds rather pleasantly.

My legs go weak.  It's that same feeling when you know you've done something horrible and can't escape it.  Oh my God.  This is my worst nightmare.  And yes, I had a dream about this exact situation happening.  Only in the dream the roles were reverse, I was partner and Kar was my lowly associate.

"Welcome to the building," is all I can muster.

I finally escape Kar when she gets off at the 4th floor.  On my way to my room, I drop my keys on the wood floor.  This causes Ms. Rosado to open her door.

"Calla, my dear.  This arrived for you today.  As well as this package.  I didn't know it was your birthday.  Happy Birthday m'dear."

Ever since I met Ms. Rosado, I've learned two things about her.  First of all, she's very nosy and talkative.  Secondly, she's extremely frugal.  The inside of her house looks like a thrift store from the 60s.

"Thank you," I say as I get my door to open.  I turn around to grab the parcels from her but she barges unexpectedly into my apartment.

"I'll help you carry them in," she says as she walks into the TV area.

"You know, you could save a lot of money if you washed the shirts yourself."

Yeah... no.  Not only do I not have the skills, I don't have the time.

I manage to get the older woman to leave my apartment before she starts badgering me about other ways I can save money.  I understand her concern for me, but doesn't she get that I have absolutely no time to do all that stuff?

Sighing, I collapse into my bed after eating some stale chips.  A few minutes later, I open my eyes wide, remembering that I need to set my alarm.  The meeting to decide who is partner starts at 8:00 and I want to know as soon as possible so I set the alarm on my phone for 6:00.  Then I settle back into bed and fall asleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NOTE

I'm so sorry for not posting for so long!  :O  I got very distracted with school (it's nearly the end of the semester) and working for my new cat and dog pages on Facebook (Calista's Crazy Colorful Cats and my new page that I'm working on with a few friends, Pawsitively Adorable Puppies).  Feel free to check them out on the right side of this blog.  :)

Again, sorry for not posting for so long!  I hope you guys are still interested in this story.  All feed back is accepted!  :D

Thanks for reading!  And I hope there aren't any errors, I was very desperate to post this post because I've had the pictures and the writing all ready to go (I just had to post the pictures into the post) for a while now.  :P  Anywho, have a nice day/night!

Generation 02, Chapter 02: So, what's your boss like?

THE NEXT WEEK

"How is dinner?"  I ask Farran.  He smiles and nods, his mouth tense as he checks his phone.  I take the opportunity to check mine as well (Oh, and if you're wondering, I did, in fact, attend my birthday party.  Unlike last year, I actually remembered to attend it this time).

"It's been good," he murmurs.  "Listen, I have to take this call... it might be a while."

I perk up.  "Oh!  No problem.  I'll just wait here."

Farran walks out of the hallway, and I can hear excitement in his voice as he chats to whoever is on the phone.  After about twenty minutes by myself, I finally hear his voice disappear and the sound of the elevator shaft fills my eardrums.  He left me.  Did he forget where he was?

Suddenly, my phone rings.  I hit speaker and Farran's voice fills the small apartment.  "I'm so sorry for leaving like that.  My job... they gave me an offer in Starlight Shores.  I couldn't not take it.  They said I had to leave right away and I didn't have a chance to say goodbye."

Goodbye?  Wait, what's happening?

"Farran?"

"I'm sorry Calla, things won't work out with us."

Why am I not surprised? I think.  I stand up and begin to clear up the plates as he continues to speak.

"I'm going to have to break us up.  I'm really sorry.  Please forgive me."

"No, it's fine.  I understand," I say like a broken robot.  My voice is steady and monotone.

"Thank Calla, you know you mean the world to me."

I don't say anything.  I realize that I wasn't really interested in him.  And the only thing that we had in common was our love of work, which is obviously not something that should connect to people.  Oh well, I suppose he was pretty decent, for a first boyfriend.

"So, um, I'll see you," I finally say.

"Yeah, see you.  And I'm sorry."

I mumble something like, "Yeah, it's okay."

Then we hang up.  I brush my teeth, throw on some sweats, and crawl into bed.  Tomorrow is my first day at work.  I hope it's better than today was.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I wake up at 5:30, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, slip on my new black suit, tie my hair up, and walk out the door.  It's my first day at Gainsboro and I don't want to start out my career by being late.  I've always been known for my punctuality and I'm not going to ruin that.

The Gainsboro building is tall.  And extremely intimidating.  But I'm excited as adrenaline and excitement rushes through my veins.

I make my way up to the floor as directed by the receptionist.  It's white.  And black.  Just like my apartment.  People are walking around in suits.  A woman sits at a desk.  I squint my eyes and see that her name is Griselda Gris.  Well, that's an unfortunate name.

"Calla Cohen?"

I turn my head to the left and see a man in a bright blue jacket greet me.

"I'm Rusty Turkessa.  And you must be Mrs. Cohen. Nice to meet you, and welcome to Gainsboro.  You're our new associate, correct?"

"Yes," I say confidently.

"Good!  I'll show you around and then you can get straight to work."

"Yay," I exclaim, genuinely enthused.

I get home that night at 10.  It has been an exhausting day at work, yet I loved it.  It was almost better than law school.  I met a ton of new people, as well as my freaky boss, a woman named Krystal Kar (she was the downside of today).  I swear, she must be related to some evil person....

I was just sitting in the breakout room, taking a break (of course), when she yelled at me for wasting money.  She went into this lengthy explanation that here at Gainsboro, everyone's lives are segmented into six-minute intervals.  Every interval is worth money so if I were to waste six minutes staring out a window or doing some other menial task, I'd lose the company about §50, twelve minutes would lose §100, and so on.

Her scary nose was practically poking me by the time the conversation was over so after that I made sure that I was occupied at all times, especially when I knew I was in her line of view.  Anyway, after that talk, she dumped a bunch of files for me to begin working on.  Griselda, a woman who I've made friends with, told me that all of the senior partners, like Kar (as everyone calls her) and Rusty do it.  With my work ethic, I know I will get it done.  And hopefully before she expects it.  That will surely prove to her that I am no wimpy new girl.  And I will force myself to get used to measuring my time by sixes.  I don't want to have that talk again.

On the plus side, I met the most handsome man on the planet.  His name is Blake Nero and I've never had a crush harder than this one.  In fact, it makes me happy that Farran broke up with me.  I can still remember his grey eyes staring back at me.  I just hope that he hadn't seen me blush.  From what I've gathered from our brief conversation, he's intelligent and kind.  Not to mention, gorgeous.  He just transferred to Gainsboro as a partner from another firm so not only is he perfect, he's also of high status at the firm.

If I hated work (which I don't), he'd be the only reason for me to come back.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

NOTE

Happy Holidays!  

Seriously, I hope that you guys aren't reading this today.  I hope you're spending time (forced or voluntary) with your families, significant others, hobos... anyway *clears throat* I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you are or have been celebrating.  

And if you're spending the holidays alone (and I really hope you're not), just remember that I love you.  ^_^  See you guys in 2013 if I don't post before then!

Also, I hope you like my new banner.  I finally found time to work on it!