Page 1 of Dance for Me

Hook

Vanessa suddenly felt woozy as she stood there, staring directly at her boss who had her hands folded neatly on her desk. Matilda wore a bright summertime colored nail polish that sparkled on her perfectly manicured nails. Nails, that Vanessa assumed were a weekly gift from her married lover. Her too dramatic smokey eye for a workday morning, was a little overkill. Especially compared to Vanessa’s simple mascara and foundation, which were about all she wore to work, or ever. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had bought eye shadow or lipstick. Simple was always better. A rule to live by.

Her boss’s office not only had a temperature of freezing, but the way Matilda looked at Vanessa was ice on ice. Not sure why nice wasn’t in the woman’s daily approach considering she owned her own company. Guess that didn’t matter. Also, why did she have to have her office painted red? It felt like a vampire’s lair. Another reason maybe for the chill Vanessa felt every time she walked into that room. It looked like a blood bath, which is exactly why the vampire vibe fit perfectly.

She worked side by side with Matilda for four years. Well, almost side by side. Three of those years were spent bringing her coffee and picking up her annoying little dog. A dog which had Vanessa convinced, secretly despised her. Although, Vanessa would bet any amount of money that she trained her dog to try and eat her every time she picked it up from the training center. The training center was clearly a waste of money considering the fact.

Those three years were like being put through an initiation, only it lasted way too long for one. But even though those years weren’t the most fun, it paid off.

She was made into assistant fashion designer. So that’s why when Matilda said those two words to her on this lovely Tuesday morning, it was a complete shock. Vanessa was thinking that maybe, just maybe, Matilda’s wretched voice was being drowned out by the busy New York City traffic that sounded from below. It was nothing unusual for a Tuesday morning, even from the seventh floor of her boss’s office. So, in her defense, maybe her boss had told her something else, like you’re hired not, you're fired. Like maybe she got promoted or something else that wouldn’t completely ruin her day, week, or more.

“I’m sorry?” Vanessa asked her boss, as she nervously swallowed back the bile that rose from the back of her throat.

Getting up from her seated position, Matilda leaned against the front of the desk with palms lying flat. She straightened out the top of her very expensive Armani pant suit and exhaled. “Look, Vanessa, you are very talented at what you do.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “However, I just don’t think that this is the right place for you anymore. Your designs are a little… how should I put this?” She paused again. “Eccentric.” Her boss showed no remorse in that statement. Yup, vampire. Bitch was a vampire.

Vanessa stood there, mouth open, and jaw to the floor. If a dancing pig walked through the doors, she didn’t know if she would be more shocked.

Being an assistant designer, she thought she had killed it. Did she eventually want to be her own designer? Yes, that’s why when she was asked to help with the more creative aspect of it, she couldn’t be more excited. She thought for sure that her designs would be a hit. Instead, Matilda apparently thought they were too eccentric, whatever that meant. No, she knew what it meant. It was like she took a pinhole and deflated her newly found confidence balloon. They made her assistant designer, for what? So her boss could just toss them out like they were the Sunday trash.

“Wait! I have so many more ideas that I can show you.” Vanessa unlatched her bag and took out her sketch book. “I even started working on a lingerie line because I feel like every woman can appreciate lingerie. Something to make them feel sexy and…”

“Vanessa.” Her boss held up a hand in front of her. “I’m sorry, you are a very hard working and driven young woman, but we’re going to have to let you go.”

The dreaded words that she thought she would never hear, were a nightmare come true. Hard working and driven doesn’t lead to being fired.

Her boss was staring at her without any expression, like it didn’t affect her at all. Like she was just enjoying a midday stroll through Central Park with her Louis Vuitton bag clutched to her side. All while walking her yappy psychotic dog.

She could have at least faked sadness considering how long she had worked there. But no, nothing, nada, zip. More like, okay thanks for knowing you, see you again never. Thanks for all those years of getting my coffee. That’s what she should have told her, Vanessa thought.

When nothing else was being said and knowing that it would be pointless to try and reason with her, Vanessa gave up. More like, she wanted to escape before the tears of devastation started rolling down her face. Because let’s face it, the pissed off and anger quickly switched to sorrow.

So, with that, she held her hand out in front of her. “Thank you for the years of opportunity.” She smiled and Matilda returned the hand gesture. Then she walked out of her boss’s office.

She felt numb walking out of there. Had she known she was getting fired this morning, she would have just stayed in her pajamas. Came to work with her coffee mug in hand and some Baileys with her dark roast.

She headed straight for her desk to collect all of her personal things, which wasn’t much. Although, she did want to grab her favorite coffee mug. It had a picture of her cat printed on the front with a saying that read, Have a Meow Day. Maybe Matilda hated the coffee mug, it was a bit cheesy.

Someone must have already packed up her things because there was a box already sitting there. How nice of them, she sarcastically thought. Inside the box was her cheesy mug, a notepad, and her small succulent plant that she forgot she had. Which was obvious because it looked like a shriveled up old hag, which was exactly what she thought of Matilda right about now.

Scanning the office before she left, she wondered if there was anyone who she wanted to say goodbye to. But there wasn’t really and no one even looked her way. They just went about their everyday morning routine, like she wasn’t even there. Maybe she should say goodbye to Joe in sales because of that one time when they had lunch together. However, she was pretty sure she hadn’t talked to him since. She hadn’t really felt a real connection with anyone here. So, she picked up her box with her three things inside and left the building for the last time.

The hot and muggy July air hit her face as she pushed the doors open that led to the Manhattan sidewalk. Doors that she would never walk out of again.

She took in one last whiff of the corner mom and pop food stop, that she smelled every morning walking into work. The breakfast was to die for. Pancakes and hash browns there would never taste the same.

Dodging the jogger who almost plowed right into her, she wiped the tears that flowed down her cheeks. It was like being kicked in the stomach, without the foot and without physically being kicked, but the feeling was the same, she was sure of it. So, what was she supposed to do now?

She stood with her hand out, her other around the box, as she flagged down a taxi. After sliding into the backseat of the BO smelling cab, Vanessa took out her cell and dialed her best friend’s number. She thankfully answered after just two rings. The one good thing about having a great friend who lived in the same city, they answered when you called. Whenever she needed her, she was there. Always, no question.

“…If you kids don’t stop fighting, I’m calling your mom!”

Vanessa had to hold the phone away from her ear to avoid any possible ear damage. Guess she was watching the Patterson kids today.

Her best friend, Michelle, who was a professional nanny, had been her best friend since she first moved to the city four years ago. She met her when she accidently rode the subway all the way down to ground zero instead of uptown and Michelle was the one to show her how to get back on the right train. Apparently, different colored subway stations meant different drop offs. Something she had no clue about, considering she grew up in a small town in Ohio where there were no subway trains. You had to actually drive yourself, crazy.

“Sorry V. You know how these kids just love me,” Michelle bitingly laughed. “What’s up? Did you have the day off or something?”

Vanessa felt the burning tears start to form again as she looked out the taxi’s window. She wished that was all it was. “Well, if you consider getting fired as taking the day off, then yes.”

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