ONE
MARILYN
The roar of a diesel engine broke the morning quiet–my only coveted moment of peace in a day that promised to demand my usual high-octane performance. Reaching the window in time, I watched as the colossal shiny culprit backed up into the impossibly small space. Large moving trucks weren't common around here, especially next door. The metal monster barely fit into the driveway, but that wasn't my problem.
On this typical sunny day in California, USA, I couldn’t wait to get outside and enjoy the heat. I finished the last of my coffee, brushed my teeth, and applied fresh lipstick. It was allsoroutine. I never thought about it anymore. What mattered was achieving the right look; one that announced that I, a high-powered lawyer specializing in civil suits, had arrived. I had no time for neighborhood pleasantries and Sunday BBQs anyway, so the new neighbor moving in had nothing to do with me. But, I must admit that as I backed my BMW out of the garage, I caught a glimpse of why my peace had been disturbed.Maybe just one barbecue wouldn’t hurt.He was kind of sexy, in a clumsy sort of way. I decided that his sandy blond, blue-eyed appeal more than made up for the disturbance.
I was met with a mountain of paperwork at the office, but it was just another day at the grind. I viewed it as a testament to my success and dove right in, shutting out mundane conversations around the water cooler about weekend plans and sports news.I have got to get a better office, with much less traffic outside my door.I plowed through my work for the rest of the morning.
The phone must have been ringing for a while, but I hadn’t noticed. “Marilyn, could you join us in the boardroom in fifteen, please?” Mr. Wright’s clipped voice resounded in my ear like a death sentence, and paranoia had me going through a long list of possible reasons for being summoned.Calm down. You’ve been busting your tail on your current caseloads, and you’re at the top of your game. Nobody in the entire company can push out work as well as you do. Just calm the hell down.
I took a brisk walk to the ladies’ room to brace myself for whatever they threw at me–grateful for my ensemble choice today. The deep, burgundy-colored skirt, paired with a pearl-colored silk blouse, and finished off with a mile-high pair of Jimmy Choo’s that screamed “ballbuster.” With my ridiculously soft brown hair pulled back into a severe bun at my nape, I fancied that I looked more distinguished. A delicate silver bracelet and matching earrings set off my smokey gray eyes. Studying my twenty-six-year-old reflection in the ladies’ room, I managed a quick pep talk.You are a winner! You will become the youngest partner ever to get in. Now go get 'em, tigress!
“Aah, Marilyn. Punctual as always, and perfectly poised at that. Please have a seat,” greeted Mr. Wright cheerfully, motioning for me to sit. All the partners were there. I felt like I was facing the firing squad but managed to remain calm.
“You must know that we have been watching you mow through your cases with something akin to awe and wonder, Marilyn. You are a phenomenal asset to the company, and…well, we don’t know how you do it–” Chase Ferdinand gushed and then looked around the table for someone else to take over the blow I felt was coming. Although Chase was a senior partner, he never passed up an opportunity to hit on me shamelessly, and I looked forward to the day I could put him in his place.
“Well, we are not a bunch of heartless slave drivers around here, Marilyn,” scoffed Eldric Luke Farthington, the Third CEO and wise sage of the company, trying to soften the blow. As always, I found the dark brown age spot on his left temple rather distracting. He spoke in his characteristic monotone while struggling to breathe, thanks to an advanced stage of emphysema.He must be what…80 years old by now?
“We have decided that if you are going to insist on being our hottest rising star, we might as well safeguard our assets by hiring you a PA,” announced Farthington, beaming from ear to ear so that his face looked like a shar pei.
The horror of having a shadow hovering over me was too much to bear. “While I appreciate your consideration and concern for my ability to handle my workload, I wish to respectfully decline the offer of assist–” I began but was cut off by that thorn in my side, my junior partner who leaped at every opportunity to take a dig at me: Cheryl Cranston.
“You have misunderstood, my dear. It is done. You have a PA. He will be in on Monday,” she smirked. I wanted to slap that smug look off her face but composed myself as if this news had not fazed me in the least and simply responded, “In that case, I thank you for your consideration and will try to adapt to having an assistant. I just hope that they will be able to keep up with my pace. If there is nothing else, I would like to be excused to get back to work.”
As I walked briskly back to my office, Chase Ferdinand practically jogged to catch up with me. “Hey, Marilyn. Don’t sweat it. This could be great for you. At least now you might find some time to have a little fun, you know. Maybe have dinner with me… hmm?” He leaned closer as he cut me off by placing himself right in my path.Dinner with him! As if!
“Chase, how many times do I have to tell you, I–”
“I was just kidding, Marilyn. Boy, you really need to lighten up. Jee wiz!” he mocked, shaking his head as he walked away.
The day was a whirlwind of activity, but at the back of my mind, apprehension gnawed at me. I’m a maverick and don’t play well with others. I’ve always hated teamwork and team sports and team…well, anything really.
* * *
I pulled into the driveway,hoping to have a quiet evening with a bit of wine and music while I worked on the lighter caseloads, which I always reserved for the end of the day. My new neighbor, meanwhile, had other plans. He had AC/DC blaring from a boombox right beneath my bedroom window while using an electric saw to cut up wood planks. This was not what I’d had in mind for my evening.
By now, all the self-control I had managed to muster during the long day had petered out, and all I had was a bunch of frayed nerves. So, I stepped out of my car and made a beeline for my victim.
“Just what do you think you’re doing? This is a quiet neighborhood, and I paid a lot of money to live here for that very reason!” I ranted.
He was so irritatingly calm. He even smiled a dashing smile that made my breath a bit ragged, and my tummy gave a sickening lurch.Traitor!I was disappointed with my body for not cooperating with my obviously enraged mind, but I was determined to put this peace interloper in his place.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you,” he said good-naturedly as he turned off that racket. “Chris Miller. I just moved in,” he said as he stuck his wiry hand over the fence. I had no choice but to take it. His bulbous knuckles gave him a rather geekish look, softening my resolve to bust his chops somewhat.
“Marilyn. And I’m exhausted from a very long day at the office, Chris Miller. Do you think you could find a quieter way to draw attention to yourself?” I asked impatiently.
His clean-cut boyish charm was having an unwelcome effect on me. I blamed it on the intense grind and lack of any kind of social life but still felt the need to have a dig at him.
“Oh, shoot. I’m so sorry. I must have lost track of time. Once I get going on something, I tend to get a bit carried away,” he scoffed sheepishly–his dimples that I was trying to ignore deepened, and I found myself staring.
“I start work on Monday and just wanted to get my little outdoor project off the ground before I let work interfere with all the things that really matter,” he explained sarcastically.
“I see. Well, Chris, some of us value and love our work, and sleep really matters to us. So please try to keep that in mind in the future, understood?” I gave him an icy smile as I delivered my request, dripping with condescension. I then promptly turned on my heels and stomped off into the house.
“Well, I guess I’ll be seeing ya,” he called after my retreat.
I waved my hand dismissively without turning around and got back to my evening routine–I’d have to make up for the ten-minute delay, but I could just go to bed a bit later–as I usually did anyway.