Page 23 of Glass Wings

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Hadley stepped inside the building and took the elevator in the undecorated lobby to the fifth floor. It came out to a long hallway with glass doors on both sides with the business names etched on them. She passed through the entire hallway until she reached one that read “Sullivan and Partners, Accounting Firm.”

This must be it.

Hadley grabbed the door handle and let herself inside. A check-in desk was on her right and a round woman in her late forties sat there, not bothering to look up from her computer screen as Hadley entered.

“Do you have an appointment?” the secretary asked, her long fingernails clattering on the keyboard.

“Yes, at two o’clock with David Sullivan. It should be under Hailey,” Hadley responded.

The waiting room sat a few feet beyond her, consisting of some black and brown chairs arranged in a semi-rectangle around a coffee table. Scattered torn magazines sat, waiting to be picked up. There was another man sitting, waiting, wearing a brown two-piece suit and glasses, eating a sandwich, and looking down at his phone.

“Sign in here, dear,” the secretary said, aggressively hitting her index finger on the clipboard that slid forward on the counter. “Then have a seat.”

Hadley signed using her alias and walked over to the chairs. Before she had a chance to sit down, one of the three interior doors opened.

“Hailey,” called the man inside the office. His eyes were wide, with creases lining his forehead.

“Oh, right here,” she answered and walked past him into his office. She sat down at his desk as he shut the door behind her. Framed photos of the man before her lined the shelf behind his desk with various kids and family members. He was short, thin, but clean shaven with salt and pepper hair. He wore a simple white button-down dress shirt.

“Thank you for coming in at such short notice,” he said, putting his fists on the other side of his desk and leaning his weight into his arms. He kept his gaze down, rocking back and forth.

“David, is it?” she asked, reaching over to the desk and putting her hand calmly on his left forearm.

He nodded before he took his arm back away from her, but only to dig in his pocket for his wallet. David pulled out a few hundred-dollar bills and placed them on the desk before sliding them towards her. Hadley couldn’t help but notice that he still hadn’t looked at her.

“One second,” she said after grabbing the cash and rolling it underneath her bra strap. She pulled out the phone from her purse and sent a quick text to Grant so he knew she wasn’t in any danger. She got a thumbs up as a reply before she set it back down on the table.

“So, what are we doing here today?” she asked, standing up and beginning to unbutton the front of her dress.

“No, no, stop that,” David said, rushing up to her and taking her hands in his. Hadley looked at him, confused. He let go in a panic.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “This was a mistake. I think you can go.” He turned around, putting his hands on his hips and leaned over, taking in deep breaths. Hadley had been there before, had felt the kind of stress and anxiety that he was clearly feeling.

She walked towards him, putting her hand on his back.

“Hey, hey, come here,” she said in a hushed voice, turning him back towards her. She put her arms around him and hugged him. Hadley counted to twenty, feeling him relax into her, and then pulled away.

“I can still go,” she said. “Just tell me what you want.”

David looked down at his feet, and he took Hadley’s hands again.

“I didn’t want this for my life,” he explained. “I didn’t want to be an accountant, but then I got Isabell pregnant. I changed my major in college to something practical. Now I own this entire firm. This place that I want no part of has become a large part of my life.”

“What did you want to do? There’s still time,” Hadley said, moving slowly back to her seat.

“Well, the six-year-old version of me wanted to be an astronaut. In high school, I settled for the goal of a master's in engineering, but I didn’t have that kind of time before I had to start making money to support a family. I couldn’t work towards a goal that took that long. My child needed to eat.

I found out a few weeks ago that Isabell has been seeing someone behind my back. All this sacrifice has been for nothing. I neededsomeone to talk to. Someone who couldn’t possibly judge. Seeing you here now, you’re a child, you're no older than my daughter is. This whole scenario feels even more ridiculous.”

“What is this scenario exactly?” Hadley asked abruptly, not understanding what this was. Why did he need her?

“I was considering executing my plan Z,” he said, aloof, looking out the window into the parking lot.

David turned around to look at her, tears streaming down his cheeks, splashing down to leave damp marks on the collar of his shirt.

“I was going to take my life before leaving this office for the day,” he said. “I was thinking that one last hurrah would be a good way to do it. Some sex, drugs, and rock and roll right here in this office that I can’t stand. A lastfuck youto the world.”

Hadley didn’t know what to do; she froze. She was not qualified to be here.