Image by cdu445 on Pixabay

By Andrew Samworth

Everything was in the right place. The pencil lay four inches from the stack of paper, and an unused eraser held its position at the top right of the desk. The top left was home to a brown coffee being hidden by a Stardeers cup but some of the stain still shows. At a precise 90-degree angle was another desk. It had a computer with two perfectly aligned monitors and a 65% keyboard in front of them. A small wireless mouse faced the monitors. The chair was neatly tucked in leaving a centimetre between it and the desk. The office was illuminated by a lamp in the corner, the light switches on the wall unused and covered with dust.

“Evelynn, you can’t just leave a meeting like that!”

A small woman huddled on the inside of the office leaning against the door, her hands holding her knees and head hidden between her arms. The outside of the door read “Evelynn Knorb.”

“Eve, don’t lock yourself in your office like that. I’m sure it was just a suggestion. He didn’t mean any harm by saying it. Can you just come out of your office so we can talk?”

A taller woman with blond hair and forest green eyes fixed the nameplate back to the door, sliding it into its compartment. She brought the sleeve of her shirt up to the plate, breathed on it and polished it. 

“Look Eve, you need to talk to them if you don’t want this.”

“And what are they going to do? Listen to me!? They never do.” 

Inside the office, Evelynn sat in a corner with the lights now turned off, her face hidden by her long brown hair.

“Eve, I know it’s upsetting what they are asking, and it’s demeaning to your work and all the effort you’ve put in, but sitting in your office isn’t gonna help.”

“Emily, I don’t…  I don’t even know what to say.”

“Well, we just have to go at it together, just like we have for the past 6 years.”

Emily wrapped her hands in a fist, head leaning against the door, eyes closed. Suddenly, a click. She lost her balance for a second as the door opened to reveal the dishevelled Evelynn. Without giving her a second to leave the office, Emily embraced her.
“You had me worried there, Eve.”

“Let’s just get this over with.” 

Evelynn and Emily started down the hallway. Evelynn ran her fingers through her hair trying to make herself look more professional. In the end, she grabbed a hair tie, scrunched up her hair and made herself a bun. She reached for her eyes, trying to grab something but ending up with just air.

“Here,” said Emily, “Thought you might want these.” 

Emily passed her a pair of glasses, rosy red and round framed. 

“Can I at least get a thank you?” 

Emily chuckled to herself. The pair of them walked down the hallway towards a large pair of doors. They look like Hell’s Gate to me, Evelynn thought. She reached towards the door handle and paused before opening it.

“What exactly are we going to say?” Evelynn said, looking up at Emily.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.” 

Without hesitation, Emily placed her hand over Evelynn’s and pushed the door handle open.

In front of them was an army of suits. At a large oval-shaped table sat eight other people. Each looked like the other, and in the eyes of Eve, they might as well have been the exact same person. At the back of the room was a large whiteboard, and written on it in large letters was, “How YOU Can Improve.” Sitting beside the board with a marker sat a man in a navy blue suit, white shirt and navy blue tie. He was white, with white hair and a face filled with wrinkles.  

“Well, I’m glad you decided to make it back today.”

Small chuckles came from each man in the room, bothering the ears of Evelynn but ignored by Emily. They shared a look back and forth with each other, trying to communicate without opening their mouths. 

“I have to say it was quite rude for you to just leave without saying anything Eve.” 

The man in the blue tie sat up. He clapped his hands together, put his elbows on the table and leaned his chin on his knuckles. He stared at Evelynn, two spears shattering her glasses and piercing her eye. Sweat started to trickle down the back of her neck. She tried to speak, but her mouth wouldn’t even open. 

“What do you mean by that?” Emily blurted, interrupting the silence and breaking the man’s stare.

Emily spoke in a more calm voice. “Sorry, Mr. Hurburt, but I just don’t understand the point of saying that. She was clearly hurt by your proposition.” 

“Well, Emily,” Mr. Hurburt said as her face winced, “I, and everyone else, think it was extremely inappropriate for Evelynn to leave a meeting like that. Mr. Donker was in the middle sentence when she just got up and left.” 

He pointed to a man who nodded in agreement. Before Emily could get another word in, Evelynn put her arm in front of her saying, 

“Let’s just forget about it. I’m sorry. Let’s just continue the meeting.”

Emily tried again to get words out but was stopped by the pleading eyes of Evelynn. They each pulled a chair out and took a seat. 

“Well then, I’m glad we learned a lesson here. Let’s continue from where you left off Mr. Donker.” 

A brown-haired man stood up. He had on a similar navy blue suit and a white shirt but with no tie. He headed down the room toward the whiteboard. Mr. Hurburt handed him the marker with a smirk drawn on his face. 

“Well, as I was saying Evelynn: as my department is close to yours, I have been watching and observing what you have been doing. I was just discussing with my colleagues how I think you could improve, along with your department.” Mr. Donker seemed to be enjoying speaking about Evelynn’s faults. His face grew a smile and he was standing high and mighty, like an apostle preaching. 

Evelynn tried to respond with confidence. She pushed her glasses up and lifted her chin. The mask she tried putting on didn’t fool anyone. Everyone could see her hand shaking. Before she had a chance to respond he continued his sermon. 

“I think it will be for the best if another person comes in and helps your run things.  A co-department head. Now, let’s go over how these changes will be happening.”

Everything was in the right place. The pen lay seven inches from the stack of paper, and a framed sports card sat at the top right of the desk. The top left was home to a brown coffee stain mostly covered by a Timhootens cup. At a precise 70-degree angle was another desk. It had a computer with two perfectly aligned monitors and a large keyboard in front of them. A clunky mouse with a wire coming out of it faced the monitors. The chair was pulled away from the desk facing the wall. The office was lit up with bright ceiling light, the light switches scuffed and dirty. Outside the door a shiny new nameplate.