20 October 2012
Chapter 39:
The room was open and airy with the huge glass windows welcoming the cool breeze. A small sofa looked onto the New York skyline, whilst bright yellow cabs shot by, occasionally stopping to pick up busy Americans.
I crashed on the bed, staring at the ceiling trying to think of what to do first. I decided to just walk around and admire the beautiful city, after all, there was plenty to see on this short trip lined up.
I couldn't count how many people I saw chatting rapidly on their mobile phones, some shouting sternly to the person on the other end. I took a bus to Times Square, that was only situated a couple of miles from my hotel. What I thought were huge crowds before now turned into a stampede of people, preventing me from seeing anything but heads in front of me. The typical screens and cabs were there, each portraying colour and fun. As well as this, there were the odd tattooist and piercing salons, in which I carefully avoided. One small building did catch my eye though; "Hart's Law Firm."
I thought cautiously before going in, but reassured myself that it would do no harm.
I was instantly alarmed by the constant telephones ringing out of sync, as well as the many voices calling across the offices. Sheets of important documents were neatly piled on top of each other, not matching the chaos in the workplace. One woman stood out from the crowd: she'd organised her fiery red hair in a messy bun, a biro used to keep it all together, and wore a bright blue dress and red jumper. She busied herself round the place, shouting at her workers for not answering the phones, and I thought it would be a good time to leave, until she spotted me.
She rolled her eyes as she paced in my direction, ridiculously high heels clanking on the hard floor. "Now, what can I do for you, sweet cheeks?" The impact of her strong Jersey accent left me intimidated as well as giggling slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can see you're busy. I just wanted to see what a real law firm looked like." I backed away slightly. "Sweetheart, this isn't just any law firm; it's only the best in the country." She gave herself a satisfactory smile. "Wow, well I'm honoured to have seen it, thank you for your time." I made my way to the exit until I heard her shoes following behind me. "Well wait a second, were you interested in a job or something? You wouldn't come in here unless there was something you wanted, and we could do with the help." "Oh, I have a law degree, but I own a wedding shop back in London." "Really," she said, suddenly interested, "come with me."
She lead me through the parting between the many desks until we reached her office. "Please, sit down." She said, gesturing towards a chair. "I'm Sarah Hart, leading US lawyer. I've been in this industry from a young age, and can't thing of anything that makes me happier. Now, tell me, who are you?" "I'm Sophia, Sophia Anderson." "Sophia," she began to daydream, until she suddenly gestured towards her computer, typing frantically on the keyboard. "Well, well, well, Sophia, not bad. Not bad at all." She grinned cheekily "how do you fancy working for me?" She leaned forward on her desk. "Work for you! I'm only here on holiday! Besides, I have a shop to look after." "Well, how long are you here?" "A week, two max." "Great! I'll see you tomorrow." She stood up and opened the door. I tried to speak but she wouldn't hear a word of it.
As I walked out the building, my mind still trying to make sense of what just happened, I felt confused but also quite excited. I had no idea what was lined up for me or if I was even going to show up, but maybe it was a sign, showing me the other route I could have gone down. There was no harm in trying, after all.
by vera©
The Wedding Shop • Opuss № I