From a Different Perspective

Here’s some of my fiction in response to Topic #36 at the Daily Post.

I want to develop Sadie, see where she goes, maybe see her grow into something I can use in greater detail. That is why I’ve chosen her as my stand-in, and instead of a coworker writing about me, I chose Sadie’s boss, Erin (who you can meet in the first post about Sadie) to ponder a bit about her.

 

Erin was busy today. Managing a non-profit was tough enough without losing a top analyst for the week. For Erin, Sadie’s absence from work highlighted how much responsibility she’d given her over the past year. Not only was Sadie responsible for breaking down the numbers, she also organized the fundraising and motivated her team. Without her, the other analysts and volunteers simply sat around, or so it appeared to Erin.

There was a knock at the door to her office, but Erin could barely see the door over her daunting stack of paperwork. She mindlessly gestured for the guest to enter without realizing that she, too, was hidden from sight. “Come in!” she yelled after a moment had passed.

Clare, a volunteer from the morning crew, stepped inside and slowly closed Erin’s door behind her. With an insecure smile, she said, “Hi Erin. I was just wondering…” She let her voice trail as she noted the leaning tower of paperwork on Erin’s desk and Erin’s frazzled, distracted expression. “When is Sadie coming back?” she finished abruptly.

“On Monday, or so she claimed,” Erin answered without looking up.

“You’re not sure?” Clare asked, biting her lip.

“Oh what does it matter, Clare? Is there a problem?” Erin asked, obviously agitated. With a sigh, Erin leaned back in her worn-out leather desk chair, and removed her glasses. She glared up at Clare, glasses in hand, and waited with impatience for her answer.

“No, ” Clare admitted. “Just that… we’re not really sure what we should be doing, you know. She made our schedules every week. And, it’s like, we did the routine stuff, but I’m not even sure where to send the data. And usually-”

“Okay, I get it,” interrupted Erin. “I’ll give her a call and see if she can email me your directives.” With that, Erin turned away from her paperwork to face her computer and replaced her glasses.

Clare, understanding that the conversation was over, quietly left the room.

Erin did not call Sadie, however. She wanted the staff to know she had everything under control, but she knew that was a lie. She wasn’t even sure that Sadie was returning to work at all, and she thought she was at least partially to blame for that. Erin had a tendency to speak without thinking, and she wondered if she had insulted Sadie by mistake. She also recognized, now that Sadie was absent, how much Sadie had juggled in a single day at the office. There was no doubt that she was underpaid and underappreciated, but then again, so was Erin. So where did Sadie get off just taking an impromptu vacation? Where was Erin’s vacation?

Erin’s brow wrinkled. On one hand, Sadie was an asset. On the other, Erin thought she was being unreasonable. Maybe even a bit whiny. They all had their weight to pull. If her priorities did not lie with the organization, where did they lie? If her heart no longer belonged to their cause, she would not be a good role model for her team.

Things were changing; Erin knew that much. So far, she didn’t like it, but she had to admit it was out of her control. Monday could bring good things and a return to normalcy, or it could bring some unnecessary drama. Of course, it could bring nothing. Sadie might be gone for good.

Erin was not sure what she wanted to happen.

Read more about Sadie under the category, Fragments of Fiction.

© Alexis Jenny, 2011.

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Coloring the Page

 

“As a writer, words are your paint. Use all the colors.”

-Rhys Alexander

This is my favorite quote from the list of 30 at The Urban Muse. You can also check out the Daily Post’s article by Scott Berkun that links to The Urban Muse.

 

Image by NeeZhom Photomalaya via Flickr