Inhale, Exhale - By Sarah M. Ross Page 0,2
intense South Georgia heat, we’d have been friends with her if she was the Jolly Green Giant or had a tail. But we’d lucked out because she was awesome.
Now, we’d all completed our first year at Georgia State University, and it was time to reward ourselves with some retail therapy. Since there was only one mall in our small suburban town outside of Brunswick, Georgia, we had been regulars here since middle school. We did everything at this mall: got our nails done, flirted with boys, saw movies, and hung out. Today, we were on the hunt for new shoes.
“So your mom got you a job for the summer, too?” Trish asked as she tried on a new pair of sandals, holding her foot out in front of her as she inspected how they looked from every angle. “And here I was looking forward to sleeping in for a change.”
Trish had an unhealthy love of shoes, more than anyone I knew. She always said it was the one thing she didn’t have to worry about fitting when her weight yo-yoed, which it often did. With the start of a new summer and bathing suit season, I was sure she was about to begin another crash diet, if she hadn’t done so already. Ava and I loved her no matter how she looked, and she always had a string of guys who lusted after her curvaceous body. She exuded self-confidence in public, but her closest friends saw through that. She always said she wanted to be super skinny like Ava, or petite like me. I had no idea why. I mean, at least she had boobs that required a bra.
“Trish, none of your classes this semester started before noon. You slept in every day!” Ava pulled one of the nylon footies out of the box the store provided and flung it like a slingshot at Trish.
“Yeah, but when you go to bed at five AM, it’s not really sleeping in, is it?”
“Anyway,” I interrupted my friends before they could continue their footie war and get us kicked out of the store. “Yes, my mom got me this job answering phones or something. One of her friends from church is the manager and had an opening. I start tomorrow. I don’t even get more than a week’s vacation before I’m back at it.”
I kicked off the nude peep-toe pumps I was ogling and replaced them in the box. Maybe after my first paycheck I could afford the designer label, but today they would not be coming home with me.
Trish saw my defeated face and wrapped me in a hug. “Well, we still have two days to enjoy our freedom, so enough about dreams and work. We have some shoes to buy!”
CHAPTER TWO
“Welcome to Allegro Corporation, Jillian. I’m Connie, the senior administrative assistant here. We’re so happy to have you aboard this summer. Your mother talks about you all the time.”
I smiled at the older, heavyset woman as she showed me around. The woman’s kitten heels clicked loudly as we walked. She paused every few seconds as she said “hey” to another co-worker and asked about their weekend. Connie cheerfully pointed out the copy machine, coffee maker, and mailroom.
This woman is way too cheerful for eight o’clock in the morning, I thought. But at least I know where the coffee maker is now.
“I’m so grateful you had a spot here for me, Connie. But forgive me, my mom didn’t really explain to me what exactly I would be doing here.”
“Allegro is an advertising agency specializing in Internet advertisements and sales. We’re one of the largest employers here in Brunswick, with about six-hundred employees throughout the company. You are going to be answering phones and transferring calls for the sales department. It’s quite simple really.” She paused as we entered a bland cubicle at the end of a row. The cubicles to my left and right were empty, and the closest person was only in shouting distance. It appeared I would be all alone.
“Well, here we are. We’ll hire a few temps throughout the summer, so you won’t be alone for long.” I glanced around my workstation. It was empty save for a computer, chair, and phone. The phone was massive, with dozens of little green and red lights blinking away like a Christmas tree.
“I’ll send someone over to show you the ropes, but basically, you answer the calls using our standard greeting and look up the status of the person the caller wishes