Chapter 5 - Concussion Interruption
Another weekend has come and gone and it is all she can do to get herself up for work and perform her work duties. Willow musters the strength to start another day at the soul sucking cave of darkness. She has formed this habit of calling her mother every morning before work, after she arrives at the downtown parking garage, asking her mother for encouragement to get through the day.
“You’re my daughter and my daughter is strong.”
“Thanks Mom but I am miserable here. The backstabbing is out of control and I trust no one here.”
“No one?”
“Well, maybe three people.”
Her soul felt empty and almost stuck in the dead end job that clearly was not for her. All of her life, as far back as she can remember she wanted to be a writer. She encouraged her kids to follow their dreams, why isn’t she taking her own advice?
The basics of life got in the way. Bad decisions. Bad relationships. Bills to be paid, children to feed and carpools to swimming, soccer, taekwondo, football – life became robotic. Work became robotic. The love for life was slowly being seeped from her soul.
It is not as if the hectic schedule created an unhappy life for Willow. Even though the anxiety filled her within, she always saw the glass half full.
It was the constant threats from her ex. It was the daily drama and antics from the wolves in sheep’s clothing at work. Every day was an uphill battle. She kept trying to envision that rainbow.
The first year at the district attorney’s office was good, filled with goals, hope and expectations. Even though she battled with Mitch and his spineless divorce attorney, who also happened to be a defense attorney, she felt a sense of pride, acquiring this full-time job on her own. Willow was grateful for her ability to gain her independence and vision for change with better days ahead.
She knew it didn’t need to be this way. She never went looking for trouble but it always seemed to find her.
Success. Willow made her way to her cubicle when she passed Penny in the break room. Penny arrived at work by 7:00 a.m. and she was already in her work groove by the time Willow arrived at 8:00 a.m.
“Good morning. Did you have a nice weekend?”
The softness of Penny’s voice was soothing.
“Yeah. It was nice. The kids and I cut down the Christmas tree over the weekend. I am so looking forward to the holiday break. How about you?”
“It was good. I joined this new church and the energy is amazing.”
Penny definitely saw the glass half full – always helping others and taking the back seat for her.
“I better get to my desk. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
Penny smiles when Willow laughs at her own lame attempt of humor. Penny knew there were petty co-workers trying to knock her down.
Willow was only at her desk a few minutes when Tonya sneaks up behind her, demanding more motions go out right away. This time, not even enough time to wait for the morning court run. According to Miss Tonya the motion must be filed NOW.
“I need this to go out right away. Preferably before the court run.”
Willow takes a deep breath and chooses her words oh so carefully. Why is it her poor planning always creates more work for me?
“1568 Motion – I’ll have it done within the hour.”
“Thanks Weeps. Hey, did you see who is at the front counter?”
It was much too early for morning guessing games, especially before her morning java, so she just continued with her morning routine and turned on her technology gadgets.
“Nope. Who is at the front counter?”
Tonya flashes a grin wider than the Cheshire Cat.
“Oh, no one special.”
She walks away grinning with her head cocked and swagger in full force.
Willow was a bit curious as to who could be at the front counter. After hearing the front office secretary, Rachael, buzz the mystery visitor inside the office, she peeks over her cubicle, only to lock eyes with Mitch’s divorce attorney. If looks could kill, she’d be dead. He glares through her when Willow slithers down in her seat.
That was shitty timing.
Mr. Wynn was commonly known within the office to be an unethical attorney with a rotten reputation. He was fed a crock load of bull from Mitch but it was no surprise to her. He has told such tales that have made their way back to her, that nothing really surprises her anymore.
Mitch had an ego taller than the Olympic Tower. He had this chip on his shoulder with something to prove… a fourth degree black belt with a black heart to match.
By the time Willow saw his true colors, it was too late. He was a salesman by trade and a damn good one. After all, his words were smoother than cream cheese spread on a warm bagel.
There was no time to worry over his unwanted presence; she had a motion to get out. She managed to get the motion done in record time, stopping by her supervisor’s office to let her know she had to run a motion over to the court.
“No problem. When you get back, please come and see me. I need to talk with you about something.”
What now? She thought to herself.
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
The moment she exited the building her shoulders felt a bit lighter. Freedom.
As she passed through the motion detectors, her friend Laurie was on duty, working security at the front entrance to the courts.
“How you doing girl?”
“Doing okay. One sweet day at a time.”
Willow passes through the metal detector when her boot’s buckles set off the detector, lifting her foot and pointing to the metal buckles.
“Your good, Willow. You can go through.”
When she reaches the front court counter, she is relieved to see more familiar faces.
“What brings you in Missy?”
“My last minute attorney needing another last minute filing.”
“Geez, this has become an almost daily thing. Why don’t they fire her ass?”
“It is amazing what some people can get away with in that place. I guess I am not kissing up to the right people.”
“Yeah, I hear it’s like that over there. Hang in there. …Oh…Willow, wait, I forgot to tell you, Mitch and his obnoxious girlfriend were in here today. They were searching for something in the archives.”
Willow pauses and looks over to where the archive files are located, overthinking what his next horrid move may be.
“He’s up to something. Thank you for letting me know…I better get back to the office.”
The rain starts to come down just as she gets back to the office. When she enters the lobby Mr. Wynn is just leaving and he continues with his vicious stares. Willow just smiles when they lock eyes again and Rachael buzzes her in. She feels somewhat protected as the glass separating the lobby and the office are bulletproof. It may come in handy one day.
She knocks on Abby’s door and hears her fidgeting with her drawers.
“Come in.”
Even though she is a bundle of nerves, Willow smiles and tries to hide her anxiety.
“Have a seat.”
Willow chooses small talk as it was the perfect shield to prolong the conversation she feared was at hand.
“It’s coming down out there. We sure could use the rain.”
“You know how much I appreciate your hard work – Tonya came in to my office this morning and said there was a motion that didn’t get out timely last week.”
So much for small talk.
“That’s not true. I have done backflips for her and to be frank, she is not an organized attorney. She gives me additional work by demanding last minute motions and tasks constantly.”
Abby grins as she shakes her head, looking out her office window at the rain coming down.
“We all know she is not the easiest attorney to work for but she is your attorney and please just try to stay on top of her demands. Believe me, I understand.”
Willow hangs her head and doesn’t know whether to react on her frustrations or cry.
“I don’t want to be that secretary that complains and blames someone else, but in this case, she sets me up. She doesn’t want to look incompetent so instead, she tries to blame me. Frankly, I’m sick of it.”
She is holding back so much more as most of the office seems to know Willow resembles a doormat, but there is an authentic inner strength they don’t see. She knows herself well and must devise a brilliant plan to leave this hellhole and move on.
They misread my kindness as a weakness.
It’s no surprise the conversation ends with small talk.
“Those darks clouds are rolling in.”
Willow smiles and exits Abby’s office with a lingering feeling of despair.
Most of the work week is much of the same robotic tasks and trivial conversations. She has become numb to the bullshit and unfortunate inability to address the problems within the office. It is almost as if her duties no longer have a thought process, her mind is weighed with the constant battles that are trying to pull her down. So the weekends and time away from the office become her saving grace.
Another beautiful Friday arrives. It is her weekend with the kids – Britney is in college but she pops in often as she in not living too far away. Louie and Charlie have another sleepover planned with a visit to the movie theater tonight.
As she sets down her keys, the screech of tires could be heard out front. Running to the front window, Willow sees Mitch speeding away with his rap music blaring for the entire neighborhood to hear.
Louie enters with a look of utter sadness.
“Hi Louie. What’s the matter?”
Before he can answer his mother, he runs for the nearest sink, losing his lunch.
She feels his forehead and thinks it is strange that he has no fever yet throws up so violently.
“You may be coming down with the flu. I’ll help you to bed and get you some ginger ale.”
“No Mom, please. Charlie and I are supposed to go to the movies tonight.”
As much as it broke her heart, she knew a sick child did not belong at the movie theater, infecting everyone else.
“I’m sorry Louie but you’re sick. You need to rest. You can do it another time. I promise.”
Tears welled up in his big brown eyes and she looked away in order to not cry with him.
She would discover months later that Louie would not have infected anyone at the movies. He had no fever. He had no flu. He had a concussion.
He was too terrified to tell her the truths of what really happened.