Essays

An Unexpected Moment

She gasped as something cold hit her cheek. She was puzzled for a moment. 

How could this be? she thought as she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

It wasn't meant to be possible. Could it be such a well timed coincidence or did it really mean more?

Sara wasn't one to believe in fate or dreams coming true.  She had felt the brunt of life and had no silly fairy-tale delusions about it. She was never a girl of faith and simply believed that what you see is what you get.

At age twenty-one, she had had her fair share of crappy jobs and this one was really no different. It wasn't going to get her anywhere but work was work. Money was money. A boring receptionist job was probably better than waitressing, although she was sure that she could make more tips with waitressing than her actual salary. Unfortunately, 'waitressing' is not the type of job on your resume that gets you hired for high-paying jobs, unless you consider working as a stripper as a good high-paying job. Sara had nothing against strippers, she just couldn't imagine having to sell her body to get somewhere. Her mother would turn in her grave at the thought.

If I have to hear my name being called one more time today, I'm going to lose it. Sara's boss was not a bad man, but he was definitely as lazy as could be. The type to call you and make you come all the way to his office in order to hand him his stapler that's about two feet away from him. And just as if life couldn't get any more ironic, she heard her name being called.

Rolling her eyes, Sara got up and made her way to her boss' office. 

"Yes, Mr Evans? What can I help you with?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice, trying her best not to sound too sarcastic.

He handed her an envelope. A small frown made its way onto her face as she looked at it. Her name was on the envelope. She wanted to ask, but his words cut hers off. 

"This will be your last day here. In there is your recommendation letter and your last paycheck. Good luck for the future."

Turning around and walking back was automatic. She barely realized that she was sitting at her desk again. What the hell just happened? Sara started packing up her things, making sure not to leave one paperclip out of place on the desk that was no longer hers.

What am I supposed to do now? Where do I even start? Eight months of work and I don't even get a heads-up on being fired? It was barely three in the afternoon but since she had been fired, it probably didn't matter that she was supposed to work until five. Thoughts started flashing through her mind. She would need to go buy some newspapers and look for vacancies. The upcoming payment on her car repairs came to mind and she winced. Not now. Why this month? She didn't want to lose her car. Yes, it was so to say worthless and could technically not even really be considered as a car, but it took her where she needed to be. 

"Well, universe. Thank you for completely messing up my miserable life. You probably heard me thinking about how I actually hated my job and thought you were doing me a favor. Well, you're not." She stomped off towards her car on the far side of the parking lot. She didn't need too many people seeing what she drove.

Sara snorted and spoke her last words to the universe. "You know what, if you are so good, how about you give me the damn sign and I'll walk up to the first multi-million dollar company and apply for a job, whether they have a job open or not. Make it rain, and I'll do it, you bastard!"

Rain was impossible at this time of year, and yet, that's when she felt the first drop on her cheek...

(678 Words)