Trying to Throw my Arms Around the World

Mrs Henderson

Mrs Henderson

Lucy and I flew to New York together and it felt like liberation, like breaking through a thick bubble of drama, like, at last, seeing everything from a new perspective. I decided that, for my psychological well-being, I needed to take more holidays. I watched her in action as she navigated effortlessly through this frantic city, as if she was made for it. I admired her guts and her fearlessness, her willingness to accept defeat but not without trying her best. By the time we got back to the real world, she had grown on me considerably. It was too early for love, but something was brewing.

“Can’t we move to New York?” I asked, in full fantasy mode. “You lived in the US before.”

“As happy as I would be to have you fly to the other end of the world with me, I came back for a reason.”

We were on our way from Heathrow to Kensington and already the now obvious dreariness of London was weighing me down.

“I’m an English girl, Lee. This is where I thrive.”

I was shocked to hear this. Apparently business-savvy and cultured didn’t mean cosmopolitan.

“I’m never happier than when the plane touches down on British soil again.”

Hearing her say that reminded me of my dad, who got homesick the mere second he crossed the village borders. “But you run Blogging The Globe?”

“As long as I have a return ticket, I’m happy to travel anywhere. If New York works out, we may be looking east next. Possibly Hong Kong.”

In the provincial mindset of the poorly travelled girl I was back then, it seemed like something ungraspable, something from another world.

“Looks like you’ll be raking in some serious air miles.”

“I don’t have to go everywhere myself. I plan to train people who can do the job independently.”

“Hey, here’s an idea.” I trailed my fingertips over the heel of her hand. “Why don’t you send Annabelle to Australia, or somewhere equally far away. I wouldn’t want her to be my boss, but she’d have the skills for it. She’d always know exactly what was going on in her office.”

“You really thinks she’s on to us?”

“Oh yeah.”

“You know I can’t fire her.”

“Who on the board is she sleeping with, anyway?”

“Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

I nodded intently. Lucy had never been willing to share this juicy bit of information with me.

“Mrs Henderson.”

I didn’t see that one coming. “What?” I stammered. “But, isn’t she married to the CEO of—”

“Yes,” Lucy interrupted before I could identify him out loud. “Hence Annabelle’s power over Lynette Henderson and Blogging The Globe.”

“I’d never have guessed she was a lesbian. Not in a million years.”

“Trust me,” Lucy sighed, “she is.” 

“What are you trying to say?” I was getting quite agitated, puzzling all the missing pieces together. “Has she tried anything with you?”

“Well, no offence to Lynette, but she does have her best years behind her.”

“That’s why Annabelle has it in for me. She knows how you feel about me.”

“Don’t worry about her, as long as I’m in charge, she’s perfectly controllable.”

“Office politics are so exhaustingly dramatic.”

“It’s true what they say, you know. The world really does revolve around money, power and, most importantly, sex.”

“Have you ever said yes?” I asked before thinking, slightly lost in the craziness of the moment.

“God no, one office affair is more than complicated enough.”

“I can’t imagine she would be your type, anyway.”

“She’s an excellent assistant though. The lengths she goes to please me.”

To be continued…