The Facade

Chapter 44

A few days burned on that December. It was a cold atmosphere in our joint office. We sat in our connected L shaped desks. I could feel his eyes on me. Occasionally I'd glimpse diagonally over at him.

Then finally Glenn came up with a wise idea. "I want us to be friends."

I paused, wondering what common grounds me and this boy had. Placing my papers down in front of me, I lifted my chin. "You're young, Glenn. I can see that." I sighed.

"I'm twenty years old." He corrected. "And I don't want tension between us. We're here for the same reason, to do the job we love."

"I don't know about a friendship." I pouted. "But being cordial with one another would be nice."

"Great." Glenn smiled. Then he looked down at some papers he had sprawled on the desk, then put on reading glasses.

"I didn't know you wore glasses." I observed.

He looked up at me with wide eyes. "Well, sometimes I need them. Most people don't know I wear them. I just thought I'd get a little comfortable."

Comfortable. I didn't want him to get comfortable anywhere near me. Still, I carried on. "As long as it'll help you do your work."

There was a silence in the room. Both of us circled, crossed and starred our papers. Editing out frivolous mistakes before the editor gets it. Then, Glenn spoke. "So how's married life treating you?"

"I've been married for months." I scoffed calmly, almost without any emotion. At this point, I was too busy in my work. "You didn't even know me beforehand... Before I was a wife."

"I've heard so many stories, I feel like I know you. You're kind of an idol around here." Glenn said nonchalantly.

"Well they surely don't pay me like one." I joked. Glenn let out a laugh, then I stood up from my seat slowly. Looking down at my clothes, I adjusted the fabric. Fluffing my blouse, slicking down my pencil skirt.

Glenn looked up at me, his eyes scaling up and down. We made eye contact, he was caught. There was an awkward static between us, so he quickly looked back down at his papers. The silence was more uncomfortable than the eye contact. He couldn't just let it sit. He had to speak. "Where are you headed to?"

"Since when did I need to tell you where I'm headed to?" I rolled my eyes. Picking up my coat off of the rack in my office, I began shrugging it on. Walking out of my office, I headed over to Gladys' station. "Ready, Gladys?"

"Thank God..." She sighed as she stood up. "Are you starving too?"

"You bet I am." We entered the elevator together. The elevator boy glimpsed over at us while we stood there. I held my purse handle with both hands.

Gladys looked in a hand mirror as we descended. "So how's the husband?"

"Everything is dandy." I shrugged. "Why is everyone asking that today?"

"Well who else asked?" Gladys asked with a risen brow, her lips pouted. I looked to her, then shot my eyes to the opposite wall of the elevator.

"Glenn." I admitted. Gladys, being the Vicky personality she was smiled excitedly. "And you know, he was so strange today. He offered up friendship, as if to make a truce."

"You know, you might be a little lucky to be cooped up in that office with him." Gladys smiled as we both walked out of the opening elevator doors. "He's definitely a looker."

"Gladys! I'm a married woman now." I corrected her. The elevator dung and the both of us exited.

"What? You lose your eyes when you're married?" She joked as she stuck out her thumb to haul a cab. One pulled up on the curb, then she leaned over to the window. The man leaned over and cranked his window down. It seemed to take a lifetime just to get it halfway. "How much to go a few blocks?"

"Well, it depends where ya headed... but uh... for lovely working ladies like you... ten bucks." The driver stuttered.

"Yeah, we'll walk." Gladys rolled her eyes. The taxi immediately jetted off in search of it's next victim. She turned around to me and crossed her arms over her light brown coat. "I'm starving and now I have to walk on top of it."

"The diners aren't too far away... it won't kill us." I lifted up my thumb in that direction.

"It's the principle! And it's cold as balls out here!" She shouted out. Both of us began walking down the sidewalk together slowly. "Anyway, back to Glenn."

"Why are we talking about Glenn?" I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut. She took my hand and squeezed it.

"All I'm saying is that he is a cutie. Sure, you have a husband but uh... who needs husbands anyway?" Gladys' voice went down a few octaves.

"Are you saying to cheat on my husband?" I asked her out of shock. "And with that teeny bopper no less?"

"Of course not!" Gladys insisted. "But all I'm saying is that if you don't interest yourself in others you might start to lose that spark at home. You know, keep the pipes going."

"You act as if I've been married for decades." I stopped walking once we reached a corner. "And besides, Marlon is the only one that keeps my pipes going. The sex is great."

"Then why did I catch you looking at Glenn's muscles the other day?" Gladys looked at me from the side of her eye with a grin. I knew exactly the moment she was speaking of. The office was freezing from broken heat. I was sitting there as Glenn shook off his blazer.

I always knew he had a large frame, but it looked so appetizing that day. Then he stood up on a chair and began looking about a brass air vent up on the wall. I couldn't deny he looked good that day. But of course, I did with Gladys in that moment.

"I don't even know what you're talking about." I lied as we crossed the street together.

"Well I know what I'm talking about... and I thought you'd drown in your drool at the sight of his behind." Gladys teased with a smile. "I know he stays in the gymnasium."

"And so what if he does? He could be the most attractive man on the planet— I still wouldn't have interest! I'm in love with my husband. He's a movie star for goodness sakes!" I insisted with Gladys.

"And I'm saying just because a girl has a ring on her finger, doesn't mean she can't look." Gladys pursed her lips together. "And trust me, when you're not there, your husband is looking."