Albatross- a seemingly inescapable moral or emotional burden, as of guilt or responsibility.
(Morning of March 28th, 2014)
Lacië King is a little too young to be a CEO of a major organization, but that didn’t stop her from trying to fill the role fully. They were big shoes to fill, and they once belong to her father. Standing in front of the building she saw his corpse in the day before, she believed herself to be ready to hold this responsibility.
She willed herself otherwise and held her chin high. She was ready. She had to be.
She dropped herself off that morning, not wanting any of her friends to come. But she knew that request wasn’t going to be followed and allowed one: Andy, her newly appointed assistant. Lacië didn’t know what to expect. She never really knew what her dad did at work, but she didn’t want to be under prepared.
Bettie sat where she always did, behind her wall of a desk. She always looked so unapproachable (well to anyone but Lacië, and her husband) like that, not that she really minded.
Lacië straightened her deep brown blazer and pulled on the cuffs of her cream shirt. She brushed dust off her dark jeans, hoping for a good impression with her.. employees. Lacië had never led a group project, nor had she ever dreamed of being a boss of someone. It was baffling and honourable.
She smiled at Bettie, her cheeks flushed from the cold and from excitement. “Any news for your new King?” She joked, trying to hide her pain behind her statement. Bettie looked up from her screen bitterly, flashing Lacië a grimacing smile.
“Aren’t you supposed to be too young to be our new King, Lacië? You’re only 19. You should be out in the world, doing amazing things, not coming here to do paperwork. You don’t have to take over for him,” Bettie chattered worriedly, her face worrisome and kind.
Lacië shook her head, showcasing a brave grin. “It’s okay, Bettie. I don’t want you to worry about me. If Dad wanted me to be his successor, I’ll be the best successor that I can be. I swear.” She abjured calmly, her eyes weary and heavy lidded.
Bettie looked skeptical, but knew that no argument could ever get through Lacië’s stubbornness. “Floor 21 is all yours, Lacië. Have a good day.” She affirmed, her eyes lost in space and away from Lacië and her companion.
“Thank you, Bettie. Say hi to Henry for me.” She spoke lightly, looping her arm around Andy’s and walked towards the elevator. Lacië knew of the torture that forgetting about the elevator brought. She had to run up 21 flights of stairs the day before, and didn’t intend on doing so for a while.
She found her body pressed against Andy’s, unaware of how busy the contraption was going to be that day. 8 people breathing the same air. All eyes were on Lacië and she could feel their judgement stabbing into every square meter of her body. The sting was unbearable. What was their problem with her? Lacië cringed and Andy curled her fingers into a fist. The silence was deafening until one weasel-looking man decided it would be a good idea to break the tension with a figurative chain-saw.
“So, I’m expected to be alright with the fact that I’m going to be bossed around by a child barely out of her diapers.” He grumbled, causing the other workers to mumble into agreement. “If that’s not bullshit, then I don’t know what is.” He scoffed, spitting on the pocket of Lacië’s blazer.
A wolverine of a woman howled in laughter, pinning Lacië into the corner. “Little girl, why don’t you be a doll and go home to play with your toys? I think that would benefit all of us here, don’t you think?” The woman goaded, causing Lacië’s blood to boil.
