Lady Spinster
12-01-2004, 01:52 AM
Mini-Chapter One
Marcy sat in her cubicle and sighed. She'd been at this job for ten years and really had nothing to show for it except some hokay presents at the Christmas exchange and ten extra pounds of office butt.
At forty she was still attractive in, what she thought anyway, a slightly past due date way. The bloom of youth had faded to be replaced with fine laugh lines around her mouth and crows feet around her eyes. Her once bright blonde hair had gone a little mousey and there was that office butt.
As she put her claims files into order to be sent back into the stacks she knew in her heart it wasn't her job that was the source of her disatisfaction. It was her life in general. She'd gotten into a terriable rut of having no real life outside of work and her weekend visits from her daughter, who spend the weekdays at her dorm on campus.
She needed something more inspireing in her life. Sadly, she'd gotten to a point where she couldn't think of anything inspireing to do.
Lois, her friend as well as co-worker, swung by her desk. A frizzy redhead to had too much perm in too short of time, Lois had an easy going personality that made her popular in the office, and out of it.
"Hey hon, you look low. Wanna come out with me tonight? Margarita's at Carlo's?"
It was on the tip of Marcy's tounge to say no, but then a quiet thought came to her...why not?
"I...sure. Yes, that would be great." She smiled up at Lois. "That would really be great."
"Wonderful!" Lois smiled back. "It'll just be a girls night out, I'll ask a couple of others and see who can tag along."
When Marcy arrived at Carlo's Lois already had four women sitting with her in a deep booth laughing and drinking from lime green pitchers of iced drinks. She reconized two of them from adjustments, but the other two were from accounting.
After the thrid round Marcy found herself telling the other women her problem. "I just dont' have a life, and I guess I havent' had one for so long, I forgot what it was ...or I mean..what I liked..or what I wanted when I wanted it."
"I can understand that!" A woman named Debbie said. She was a pretty little thing from accounting with brown hair streaked gold. "I got so into my job that I dreamed in number formula's instead, ya know, colors and stuff. So I asked myself, when was I last really happy? I mean, for myself, by myself, not for my husband or my kids..ya know? So then I started taking dance classes..." She talked for the next twenty mintues about her dance class like she'd get a kick back if any of them signed up.
On the way home she tried to think of things that made her happy before Jenny was born, before she'd married Hank. It wasn't until she was drifting off to sleep she remembered she'd loved to draw. Even now she doodled and did quick sketches...
Drifting off to sleep she remembered the feel of a pencil in her hand and the feel of it as it moved over the paper.
On Friday, when she usally picked Jenny up, she stopped by the office first and looked at their class catolog. The lady at the desk said she could take just one or two classes if she wanted and the mid-term classes would be starting up the following week. Putting her money where her mouth was she signed up for "Life Drawing 101." before going to get Jenny.
Jenny bounded down the steps of her dorm with her laundry bag and a grin. "Hiya Mom!" She leaned over and kissed Marcy on the cheek, crushing the enrollment papers a bit. "How you doing, mom? What's this?" She pulled the papers out from under her behind.
"I've desided to take a class, it meets twice a week." Marcy felt both slightly embarassed and slightly proud.
"Mom, this is a life drawing class." Jenny looked suspious.
"I thought it'd be fun, you know. " MArcy glanced over at Jenny. "Drawing animals and stuff."
"Didn't you read the class description?"
"No, I just saw it in the mid-term offerings, why?"
Jenny smothered a grin. "Mom, a life drawing class is when you draw real people. Real NAKED people."
"Oh." Marcy said. She didn't say anything else. If she said anything else she might not take the class, or any class. Her mortifaction would be so complete she's lose herself entirely to her state of non-being-anyone.
Jenny rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but I gotta say, you surprize me sometimes!"
Marcy sat in her cubicle and sighed. She'd been at this job for ten years and really had nothing to show for it except some hokay presents at the Christmas exchange and ten extra pounds of office butt.
At forty she was still attractive in, what she thought anyway, a slightly past due date way. The bloom of youth had faded to be replaced with fine laugh lines around her mouth and crows feet around her eyes. Her once bright blonde hair had gone a little mousey and there was that office butt.
As she put her claims files into order to be sent back into the stacks she knew in her heart it wasn't her job that was the source of her disatisfaction. It was her life in general. She'd gotten into a terriable rut of having no real life outside of work and her weekend visits from her daughter, who spend the weekdays at her dorm on campus.
She needed something more inspireing in her life. Sadly, she'd gotten to a point where she couldn't think of anything inspireing to do.
Lois, her friend as well as co-worker, swung by her desk. A frizzy redhead to had too much perm in too short of time, Lois had an easy going personality that made her popular in the office, and out of it.
"Hey hon, you look low. Wanna come out with me tonight? Margarita's at Carlo's?"
It was on the tip of Marcy's tounge to say no, but then a quiet thought came to her...why not?
"I...sure. Yes, that would be great." She smiled up at Lois. "That would really be great."
"Wonderful!" Lois smiled back. "It'll just be a girls night out, I'll ask a couple of others and see who can tag along."
When Marcy arrived at Carlo's Lois already had four women sitting with her in a deep booth laughing and drinking from lime green pitchers of iced drinks. She reconized two of them from adjustments, but the other two were from accounting.
After the thrid round Marcy found herself telling the other women her problem. "I just dont' have a life, and I guess I havent' had one for so long, I forgot what it was ...or I mean..what I liked..or what I wanted when I wanted it."
"I can understand that!" A woman named Debbie said. She was a pretty little thing from accounting with brown hair streaked gold. "I got so into my job that I dreamed in number formula's instead, ya know, colors and stuff. So I asked myself, when was I last really happy? I mean, for myself, by myself, not for my husband or my kids..ya know? So then I started taking dance classes..." She talked for the next twenty mintues about her dance class like she'd get a kick back if any of them signed up.
On the way home she tried to think of things that made her happy before Jenny was born, before she'd married Hank. It wasn't until she was drifting off to sleep she remembered she'd loved to draw. Even now she doodled and did quick sketches...
Drifting off to sleep she remembered the feel of a pencil in her hand and the feel of it as it moved over the paper.
On Friday, when she usally picked Jenny up, she stopped by the office first and looked at their class catolog. The lady at the desk said she could take just one or two classes if she wanted and the mid-term classes would be starting up the following week. Putting her money where her mouth was she signed up for "Life Drawing 101." before going to get Jenny.
Jenny bounded down the steps of her dorm with her laundry bag and a grin. "Hiya Mom!" She leaned over and kissed Marcy on the cheek, crushing the enrollment papers a bit. "How you doing, mom? What's this?" She pulled the papers out from under her behind.
"I've desided to take a class, it meets twice a week." Marcy felt both slightly embarassed and slightly proud.
"Mom, this is a life drawing class." Jenny looked suspious.
"I thought it'd be fun, you know. " MArcy glanced over at Jenny. "Drawing animals and stuff."
"Didn't you read the class description?"
"No, I just saw it in the mid-term offerings, why?"
Jenny smothered a grin. "Mom, a life drawing class is when you draw real people. Real NAKED people."
"Oh." Marcy said. She didn't say anything else. If she said anything else she might not take the class, or any class. Her mortifaction would be so complete she's lose herself entirely to her state of non-being-anyone.
Jenny rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but I gotta say, you surprize me sometimes!"