Sleeping On The Glass Ceiling

Chapter 1

There were three dragons. A blue one was to her right. The green to her left. The red was in front of her, blocking her way. It was the most vicious. She knew the trick to this scenario. With a flick of her thumb, her avatar used both hands to heave up her bosom before she threw meat to the green dragon. A tap of a button caused her avatar to flip and sidestep the blue one, which caused the red dragon to lunge at her, but the blue dragon got it in its way. She skidded beneath the red dragon and was almost to the throne that got her to the next level when she saw her mom peek her head around the doorway. Three of her fingers hit keys at the same time, pausing the game and switching the screen to a document that contained a list of things she needed to accomplish before the night was over.

"Mom. Mom."

"Marcy, what are you doing? You have to pack. You're leaving tomorrow and you're wasting your time on that computer."

"Mom. Mom. I'm just saying goodbye to my friends."

She knew none of the people she gamed with were online. They lived in different time zones and it was the middle of the night for most of them. It was after ten pm where she was at on a Sunday.

"You and your computer games."

"Mom. Mom. I'm not playing any games."

"Why do you keep yelling 'Mom. Mom?'"

Marcy laughed. "Because you keep saying you'll miss it when I'm gone, so I'm getting you sick of it before I go."

Her mom laughed.

"You don't need to do that. I'm still going to miss you."

Her mom was fussing through her suitcase.

"Mom. I'm almost twenty-one years old. I can pack my own suitcase. There's not a lot I can take with me on the train."

"You're not taking your computer." Her mom's voice was firm.

"I know I can't take the computer. I'm just taking clothes.'

"Do you have your suit?"

"Yes, I'm carrying that in the garment bag so it doesn't get wrinkled, along with three blouses. Everything else will be in the suitcase."

"It doesn't look like much."

"That is all I can carry on the train. Besides, I just need enough until I get a job. Crystal is providing a place for me to stay so I don't need dishes or anything, you know."

Crystal was her cousin who already lived in the city. Marcy knew she was one of the few advantages she had. The coveted place to stay.

"Karen says she has a nice apartment," her mom said. "And that she has a good job and can be a reference for you."

Karen was her mom's sister, Crystal's mom.

"Yes, I know. I'm hoping my two-year degree gives me an edge. And being bilingual will help."

"No one speaks anything other than English. You're in the middle of the country. You won't be dealing with refuges or migrant workers. We don't even get migrant workers up here."

Marcy didn't like how her mom dismissed that skill. Her resume looked barren as it was. If anything, it provided some content. She thought her string of part-time jobs provided a sketchy job history.

"You'll have no problem finding a job," her mom said, sounding confident.

Her mom finished rifling through her suitcase and left the room. Marcy turned back to her list. No matter how many changes she made, including wearing a backpack purse, there was no way she could make room in the suitcase for her computer. If she had a laptop, that would be different, but she had a large monitor and CPU box.