The Producer - Ricky Wilson Fan Fiction

New Beginning

There was an excited hum around the office. Chats around the water cooler. You must know so and so conversations. A group of people suddenly put together to make a change, bring a new look and feel to a once declining radio station. A week before launch day was little notice to be joining what was already becoming a close knit department of a major radio production company. But Laura was little phased. She'd begun jobs last minute before, stepping in at the eleventh hour.

There was the warmth of the final days of summer on her face, as she crossed the square in London, small rucksack on her shoulder and the screwed up copy of the book she had been reading on the tube in her hand. She could have walked to work, she should have jogged to work, but first day impressions and all that, she'd chosen to sit on what turned out to be the slowest tube train from Chalk Farm into the centre of town. She passed commuters, as she walked, hell bent on maintaining a single path to their place of work. Having to step sideways out of their way, she heard the odd tut if her movement wasn't speedy enough for them.

When she saw the converted office block at the corner of the square, she paused for a moment. This was her new beginning. She hadn't expected to be having one at 36 years old. Her divorce had come through some weeks before. A new start, a new job, new possibilities and who knows, a new love. There had been no one since she had left Aidan. His constant deceit and wandering eyes (and other parts of the body as she had come to discover) had gotten too much for her to contend with. There were only so many times you can forgive a person and Laura's friends had thought she was mad to even go back to him the first time. "Benefit of the doubt," she'd said. "I must have done something wrong," she'd said. But she'd returned home early one afternoon to get ready to go out with a friend for the evening and caught him in their bed with Suzi! She'd never trusted that name let alone the woman. If you were going to find your husband in bed with another women it would be a Suzi, his PA. Legs up to her armpits and fake bottle blonde hair. Well Suzi could have him and all his philandering ways. She wanted out.

She watched as people entered the building. Taking her rucksack from her shoulder she buried her book ready for the tube ride home. Or maybe she'd walk....Let's see how the day goes, she thought to herself as with her head held high she walked into what was to become her new place of work.

She gave her name to the woman at the front desk who greeted her with an over exaggerated smile and teeth so white Laura was glad she'd forgotten to take her sunglasses off until that moment. Buttons were pressed and names mentioned. She was to go up to the second floor where Stefan would meet her. After being wished a pleasant day, Laura too showed as many teeth as she could when she smiled without seemingly mimicking the receptionist.

As she pushed open the door at the entrance to the second floor, there was in fact no Stefan there to meet her. Laura gazed upon a selection of modern looking desks, white in colour, which matched the walls emblazoned with the company logo. A group of people, who had been deep in conversation when she'd entered the room, suddenly erupted in to fits of laughter. As she gazed over to them, she couldn't help but smile. She recognised one of the faces. A man, a little older than her she'd have said, greying hair, very familiar. The woman of the group raised her head and made eye contact with Laura. Still smiling she approached her.

"Hi. Can I help you?" She continued to turn towards the group of men she'd left, not wanting to be left out of the next part of the joke. "Sorry." She realised her rudeness.

"That's alright." Without realising Laura had nervously begun rubbing her hands together, a bad habit that she'd willed herself many times to stop. "I'm meant to be meeting Stefan. I'm Laura." She paused as she saw a look of realisation spread across the woman's face. "The last minute producer," Laura continued, though unnecessarily.