“Well, what happened?” June leans in again, sensing my hesitation.
“I waited for a while, then finally, I left. About an hour later, I got a message from him.” I breathe deeply, embarrassed.
“What did the message say?” June is captivated, leaning t0ward me in rapt attention.
“He said that he did show up at the coffee shop, but when he saw me, he said that I’d lied to him about looking a certain way. Then he said my pictures must be fake, or at least heavily photoshopped. So he didn’t feel like he had to talk to me.” I shrug again, trying to pretend I’m over it but still bitter from the experience.
“What?” June gasps.
“Yeah,” I nod. “I did not photoshop those pics. There was a filter, but everyone uses filters these days.”
June merely shakes her head.
“Screw him,” she says. “What a loser! You’re cute, Michelle. I can’t believe a guy said that. L-O-S-E-R!”
A few office mates look up from their own cubicles at her outburst. June covers her mouth then lowers her naturally loud voice to a more subdued level.
“Michelle, you are a beautiful woman, and you don’t need to be with jerks like that.” Her tone is fierce and protective, and reminds me that this is why we’re friends – June always has my back.
I smile wanly.
“Honestly, I’m mostly okay from it. I mean, it hurt because I feel like all the guys in New York just want skinny blondes, but I’m sure I’ll meet someone nice eventually.” Upon seeing June’s face fall, I realize my mistake. “Oh no, June, I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant that generically, certain types run the dating scene here.”
This time it’s her turn to smile wanly.
“No, I get it. I know you didn’t mean it to hurt me. I’m just sorry that you feel that way, because it’s not true. Girl, curves are in.”
“Not according to professional office wear.” I gesture to my frumpy suit. “Look at this thing! It’s tight in all the wrong places, and loose in all the wrong ones too. Who designs these things? I look like a sausage in a boxy suit!”
June laughs, a pretty bell-like sound. “Suits do not do our bodies justice. Ugh, this place is so rigid sometimes, with its stupid dress-code and decoration rules.” She motions to my lamp. “You know Jensen is going to make you take that down, right?”
I look at the quirky light fixture. The shade is a subdued shade of pink, but the body of the lamp is faux-gold and covered with plump cherubs climbing a vine. From a distance, it just looks like a gold and pale pink lamp. But up close, it’s a daring addition to my otherwise tame cubicle.
“He already hates me, so what’s one more thing? It brings me joy.”
Which I don’t get a lot of in this place.
I know I could quit my job, but the reality is that between my student loan bills, the exorbitant cost of New York living, and general lack of financial support from my family, I am on my own. Plus, I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer. Starting out a prestigious firm like Draper Peabody is definitely taking me down the right path.
I just don’t want to get stuck on this path, I frown.
“So then you haven’t been on a date since?” June asks.
“What? No. And honestly I don’t have time. What with work and – ” but before I can finish my thought, I bite my tongue. June’s eyes go wide at my silence and she turns around in her chair.
We both stare up at our boss, standing over my desk looking more pissed than I’ve ever seen him look before. Jensen Draper is angry, and a tremor of fear runs down my spine.2MichelleJensen Draper is a strange little man. His hair is a dull brown color and his eyes are lifeless gray discs. When he smiles, his whole face creases up like an overripe tomato. His thinning hair is slicked back with old-fashioned pomade, but the comb over does little to hide his growing bald spot. He frequently wears too much cologne, the scent of which makes me want to gag. It’s as if a rotten cantaloupe were mixed with pepper of some sort. It’s gruesome, off-putting, and not at all attractive.
“I hope I’m not interrupting something important,” Jensen hisses sibilantly, his voice betraying how little he cares about disrupting my conversation with June.
“Hi Mr. Draper, no sir. Michelle and I were just wrapping up.” June flashes her prettiest smile, but Jensen’s dour face doesn’t budge.
“Miss Bee,” he practically sneers, “I want that deposition on my desk by two o’clock.”
June’s eyes go wide. “Sir, respectfully, it’s not due until next week?”
“I changed my mind.”
June doesn’t answer but flees to her cubicle, a soft blush creeping across her face. I watch her dash away and wince, feeling bad that my friend is suddenly in hot water just because our boss is in one of his vindictive moods. He’s so unfair.