In the Night

Scarlett

I straightened my shirt for what must have been the hundredth time since I left my apartment. Was it too low cut? Did it even matter? It wasn't like I was flashing anyone anything significant. I sighed and decided to leave it be, just focusing on finding the front desk and reporting to my post. First days were always the hardest, that was what my dad had always told me, and after being turned down for a handful of jobs while living in D.C. I believed it. It was a miracle in and of itself that I even snagged this one.

The Purpose Advocacy Group was one of the largest lobbyist groups in Washington, millions of dollars passed through its doors daily, and somehow I had managed to worm my way inside. Not that my job was significant in any way. I was just a receptionist, but that meant I was one of the first faces that people saw and I had to pretend to be that perky girl who smiled at everything. Just part of the job. I kept that in mind as I approached the front desk, spotting a red-haired woman shuffling about behind the counter with a corded phone glued to her ear and a hand full of papers cradled in her arms.

"Purpose Advocacy Group, please hold-" The woman pressed a button on the phone and continued to pace to the opposite side of the desk. "Yes sir, Mr. Sterling is currently in a meeting and will be back in his office later this afternoon. Would you like to leave a message for him?"

I stood there like a deer in headlights, holding my bag like my life depended on it while I waited for her to finish with her phone calls. Once she hung the phone up, our eyes locked, a smile spreading across her face.

"Good morning, welcome to the Purpose Advocacy Group. How can I help you?" She seemed almost too chipper to be behind a desk. The flustered nature from before had all but disappeared, the woman now well put together. Far better than how I would have acted.

"Hi, I'm Scarlett. I'm the new receptionist." I offered a nervous smile. "I'm not exactly sure where I'm supposed to go." I breathed a laugh, wringing the strap of my poor bag.

The red head blinked then waved a hand at me, lifting a section of the desk that acted as a gate. "Oh, I was wondering when you were going to get here." Her tone shifted an octave, that fake smile finally giving way to something real. "You're right where you need to be! I'm Julia, it's nice to finally meet you."

She shook my hand as I passed through the gate, Julia closing it behind me. "Likewise. I'm excited to get started." Lies. I was terrified.

"Of course, it's not too complicated. I'll show you how the phone systems work and the fax machine. They're a pain in the ass but they're a part of the job." Julia rambled about the filing system and color coding for a moment. She must have seen the dazed look on my face because she stopped, a sly grin lining her lips. "Don't worry it's not as bad as it sounds. You've got plenty of time to learn and I'm a great teacher."

That was comforting. This ditsy receptionist was going to train me for the next few weeks and possibly ruin my chances of moving up the rungs of a prestigious company. I figured I had to start somewhere.

So for the next week I struggled with the phones, jamming the copier, and accidentally sending a fax to the wrong number. I did great! Apparently it wasn't as bad as Julia's first week where she transferred the boss's calls to a different department and lost his dry cleaning. How she still had a job at all was beyond me. Julia explained that there were a handful of receptionists that also acted as assistants to Mr. Sterling from time to time, so we had shifts, as it were. I dreaded the idea of screwing up anything that had to do with my boss. That definitely was a one-way ticket out onto the street.

After some trial and error, I managed to get the hang of the system, with some hiccups here and there. I even had a stint working the only computer in the office. It was some fancy IBM nonsense that I had no clue how to operate, but I was hellbent that I was going to master it. Overall I did fine, nothing to get excited over. Basic office work, nothing like the dragon slaying that happened on the upper floors. I watched businessmen come and go. Lobbyists and lawyers, most working for the company and some visitors looking to get funding for their clients. Usually Julia or one of the other receptionists would handle the patrons who came up to the desk, the girls keeping me busy with grunt work, but on rare occasions someone caught me, and I was forced to be social.