It's All a Matter of Choice Read online

  Both Herman and Emmet looked at Anita’s plate. She had meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy, some crisp green beans, a small salad, and apple juice. It smelled heavenly. Emmet looked down at his puny sandwich, his nose wrinkled as Herman practically salivated.

  “Maybe I will go…” Herman began, then suddenly a ringtone began to play. It was the beginning strain of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,”

  ”Excuse me, I have a call,” Herman said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and flicking it open, a strained look on his face. Both Anita and Emmet could just hear a voice on the other end, talking incessantly.

  “Yes dear, I’m at lunch. Yes. Yes. No,” Herman was saying, the strained look still on his face. “Two granola bars and a low fat milk. Yes dear. That’s it. Yes. Okay. Okay. I’ll pick up eggs on my way home. Yes. Yes dear. Yes. Yes. Bye.”

  Herman stared at the phone and sighed before folding it back and replacing it in his pocket.

  “The wife,” he said to Emmet and Anita before slowly opening one of the granola bars.

  “That’s quite an interesting ringtone, Herman,” Anita said to him. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

  ”They didn’t have any music about shrews,” Herman replied darkly, biting into his granola bar.

  Anita bit back a laugh and Emmet smirked a bit. But he knew how Herman felt. His mom was rather shrewish too. Emmet popped the top on his coke and Anita looked at him, her eyes falling on his sandwich.

  “What kind of sandwich is that, Emmet? Chicken salad?” she asked him.

  “Tuna fish,” he replied.

  Anita thought it looked rather plain and watched Emmet bite into it. He chewed studiously but didn’t seem to enjoy it very much. He took a sip of coke to wash it down. Again Anita’s eyes washed over him. A better haircut, better glasses and a better fit clothes-wise and he would look fine. He had beautiful brown eyes with long dark lashes. It seemed like all men had beautiful lashes while women had to brush on mascara to make their own stand out. It wasn’t fair of nature to do that. Anita cut into her meatloaf, swirled it in the gravy and ate it.

  “Mmmm, this is delicious,” she said as both Emmet and Herman looked at her. Herman finished his first granola bar, his face slightly contorted. He looked down at the wrapper.

  “These are too sweet. If I hadn’t promised Emma I’d eat them, I swear I’d go get myself some meatloaf,” he said, looking at Anita’s plate.

  Anita looked up at him.

  “Do you do everything your wife tells you?” she asked him curiously.

  Herman self-consciously smoothed his comb over.

  ”Pretty much. Life is easier that way. That woman could nag a brick wall until it crumbled,” Herman replied. “Going along with her is the only way I get any peace.”

  Emmet listened. He was in the same boat.

  “I see,” Anita said, “That’s commendable, Herman…but you know…your wife isn’t here. There’s no way she’d know if you had meatloaf or not.”

  Herman sighed.

  “She’d know. She always knows,” Herman said, unwrapping the next granola bar. “She’d have a confession out of me in five minutes. It’s like she can see inside my head.”

  “How long have you been married Herman?” she asked him.

  “Sometimes I think too long,” he said, “But almost twenty-five years now. We married young. I got her pregnant and back then women didn’t raise children alone.”

  Then Herman’s face went a bit soft.

  “God, she was something. Wild for me. I had thick, wavy hair then and an athletic body. I ran cross-country. Emma was something else. Really something else,” he said softly. Then he suddenly looked embarrassed and quickly took another bite of his granola bar.

  Anita smiled at him.

  “You’ve been together a long time, Herman. You know, I bet she nags you because she worries about you. You should bring her some flowers or candy and let her know you appreciate her worrying so much,” Anita suggested.

  “I haven’t brought her anything like that in ages, unless for Valentine’s day,” the associate said, looking at Anita with both eyebrows raised. “She probably would pass out from shock.”

  “She couldn’t nag you if she were passed out,” Anita said, grinning. “And when she woke up…she probably wouldn’t nag you afterwards either.”

  Herman looked thoughtful. Flowers for Emma. Maybe flowers and some wine.

  “You really think so?” he asked Anita.

  Anita nodded.

  “I’ll try it,” Herman said. “All she can do is not accept them. But she loves flowers. She’ll take them.”

  Herman felt a bit heartened as he finished his granola bar and gulped down his milk. He plucked a napkin from the holder, wiped his mouth then stood up.

  “Well, back to the grind. Thanks for the advice, Anita. Emmet, I’ll see you later, buddy,” Herman said with a smile.

  “Bye Herman,” Emmet and Anita said at the same time.

  Herman walked toward the elevator thinking Emmet would be a very lucky young man if he could land Anita. She was a nice girl. Pretty too.

  Emmet and Anita finished their meal in silence, Anita glancing at Emmet from time to time, and Emmet focusing hard on his sandwich so he didn’t meet her eyes. Damn he was so lame. He was sitting with a pretty girl and didn’t know what the hell to say to her.

  Presently, they both finished their meal. Anita patted her stomach, then belched…Emmet looking at her, startled. That had been a deep belch.

  Anita pressed her hand to her mouth delicately and said, “Excuse me.”

  Emmet couldn’t help but smile at her very feminine response to what surely sounded like a man’s belch.

  “It’s all right,” he said, “That was a full meal.”

  “Yes it was. I think you would have liked it better than your sandwich,” she replied.

  “Probably,” Emmet agreed, draining his coke.

  “How about you have lunch with me tomorrow from the line? I’ll buy,” Anita said to him.

  Emmet scowled slightly. He didn’t have much experience with women but he knew enough that she shouldn’t pay for his meal.

  “No,” he said, frowning.

  Anita looked very disappointed. Maybe Emmet didn’t like her.

  Seeing the disappointed look on Anita’s face, Emmet quickly amended his statement.

  “Um…I meant no, you won’t buy. You just started working. I’ll buy,” he said, his stomach in knots. It was just lunch, but still…

  “Oh…ok,” Anita said, relieved. She found Emmet appealing and would like to get to know him better.

  Emmet put the remains of his lunch in the brown bag, stood up and picked up Anita’s tray.

  “I’ll take care of this for you,” he said, carrying everything over to a garbage pail on the far wall. He threw his bag away, then dumped her tray, leaving it in the dirty tray holder to be collected by the dishwashers later.

  Anita stood up and waited for him to return. She noticed Emmet’s eyes washed over her for a moment as he approached, then shifted guiltily. He flushed a little. She found it adorable and for a moment was tempted to hug him like a little boy.

  But he wasn’t a little boy. Despite his obvious shyness, he was a man.

  “We’d better get back,” Emmet said, “I’ve got a lot of work to finish.”

  Anita’s eyes darkened as she took his arm again.

  “We’ll see about that,” she said with a bit of iron in her voice.

  Brandon Luster, sitting at a table with Jeffrey and a few other office studmuffins scowled after them.

  “What does she see in that nerd? And Herman? How could she even sit with him, the old fart,” Brandon groused.

  “Maybe she’s got a soft spot for losers,” Jeffrey said, “Or maybe she feels safe with them…for now. After she gets to know the rest of us, she’ll come around. They all do.”

  Brandon continued to frown at the couple as they waited for the elevator.

 
He hated being snubbed.

  *

  Susan and the girls were chatting, a few leisurely filling out paperwork. Susan was looking into a compact when Anita walked over to the desk Janice had assigned her, her arms full of paperwork. She set it down, rifled three quarters of the way down and picked up a few folders. She walked around their area, putting files on any desks that were empty until they were all distributed.

  “What are you doing?” Susan demanded as Anita plunked paperwork on her desk.

  “This paperwork needs filling out. That’s what we do, isn’t it?” Anita responded.

  Susan looked at the brunette.

  “Yes, but whose paperwork is it?” she asked Anita.

  “Various associates who brought it to Emmet. But mostly Emmet’s” Anita replied, sitting down at her desk.

  The girls all looked at each other. Emmet’s paperwork?

  ”Emmet does his own paperwork since he doesn’t close,” Susan fumed.

  “Not anymore. His leads are what make it possible for the others to make closing deals. He has arranged so many closings that he is loaded down with all the resulting paperwork. It’s unfair, and like I said, it’s our job to get the paperwork out, and I’m not going to do it all myself,” Anita said.

  “You just got here. Who do you think you are?” Susan snarled at Anita.

  “I’ve worked in a lot of places like this. I’m an employee who believes in doing the work I’m supposed to do. And I’m not going to do it myself while you look into a compact and fix your face. I divided the work evenly. There shouldn’t be any complaints. Now, if you don’t mind, I have paperwork to fill out,” Anita said evenly. “I suggest you do the same.”

  Anita took out a pen and began working, pointedly ignoring the other girls. Slowly each one sat down and started working. All except Susan, who glowered at Anita.

  Who did this bitch think she was? She was going to complain to Mr. Allen right now.

  Susan stood up and stalked over to the boss’ door and knocked on it sharply.

  “Who is it?” Mr. Allen called.

  “Susan, sir. I’d like to speak to you,” Susan replied in a low and sultry voice.

  Inside his office, Mr. Allen straightened his tie.

  “Come in, Susan,” he said and watched as the buxom office worker entered, his eyes resting on her large, inviting breasts. He hardened instantly. Mr. Allen had never fucked Susan. He was a married man after all, and happily so. But he didn’t see any harm in copping a feel now and then.

  “Mr. Allen, I have a complaint about the new girl,” Susan said.

  Mr. Allan scowled at her slightly.

  “You should go to Janice concerning that. She’s your supervisor,” he replied.

  Lecherous as Mr. Allen was, he stuck to protocol.

  “But Janice isn’t going to do anything,” Susan whined.

  Mr. Allen sighed. Susan’s whining turned him off and he softened just as quickly as he had hardened.

  “All right. Tell me what the problem is,” he said to the blonde.

  Mr. Allen listened carefully as Susan explained how Anita had arbitrarily plunked paperwork on their desks.

  “Did she take any paperwork?” he asked Susan.

  “Why, yes…but,” Susan began.

  “I don’t see that Anita did anything wrong. There was work to do and she collected it and divided it among you. Don’t think I don’t see you girls lounging around for most of the day. I’ve seen Emmet’s desk. You are all slackers, Susan,” Mr. Allen said, arching an eyebrow. “You should have been helping that young man all along. From now on, you will check to see what paperwork he has and collect it as you do the other associates’ work. Do you understand me? I expect all the girls to do this. Or else each and every one of you will be bounced out on your pretty little asses. I can always find more office workers. Now, good day Susan.”

  Susan swelled visibly, her breasts threatening to pop out of her blouse…but it had no effect on Mr. Allen, who was quite angry. There was nothing else the woman could do. Susan spun on her heel angrily and stormed out the office door. She didn’t dare slam it. Mr. Allen might feel her up now and again, but he was still her boss and wouldn’t allow any disrespect on her part. Susan stalked over to her desk, sat down and glared over her shoulder at Anita, who continued to ignore her.

  Susan picked up a pen and started writing.

  “Bitch,” she thought as she filled out the first line with Emmet Barrows’ name, followed by Brandon Luster’s. “She hasn’t been here a day and already she’s taking over.”

  The office supervisor Janice walked by, surprised to see all the girls working. She straightened her blazer proudly.

  It seemed she finally reached the lazy women. It took time, but they were finally responding.

  And she hadn’t had to fire a single one.

  Janice was very much into self-preservation. If workers kept getting fired or quitting, it would be considered a reflection of her abilities as a supervisor. So she kept them on in an effort to appear to have everything under control. They worked, but did only the minimum. She too was aware of Emmet’s situation, but since he didn’t complain…she didn’t do anything about it.

  Janice walked by Emmet’s desk, and for the first time in the three years she’d been there, she saw it was completely empty of paperwork. Emmet was on the phone contacting new businesses.

  “Well, maybe Emmet’s finally grown a backbone,” she said to herself, not realizing the young man’s backbone was sitting with the other girls and filling out paperwork.

  Chapter 3 ~ Meeting John Bowen

  Joan Cameron, a matronly looking woman of fifty-eight was sitting at her kitchen table and going over her tenant receipts when there was a pounding on her door. Joan had a little four-apartment complex which she had built out of a standard two story house. After getting the proper permits, she rented out three of the apartments and lived in the fourth herself. The gray-haired landlady stood up, walked to her front door and looked out of the peephole. She scowled when she saw who was on the landing. She pulled open the door.

  “Yes?” she asked in an irritated voice.

  John Bowen stood on the landing dressed in wrinkled blue jeans, a wrinkled gray shirt, and dusty brown boots. A week’s worth of stubble speckled his chin. His gray-brown hair was unkempt and he smelled, as usual, of old booze.

  “Where is she? Where’s my daughter? I almost beat the door down but she’s not answering,” he said, frowning at the landlady as if she were hiding Anita someplace in the depths of her apartment.

  “Miss Bowen moved out a week ago,” Joan said primly.

  John blinked at her.

  “Moved? Without her dad?” he said incredulously.

  “Apparently so, Mr. Bowen,” Joan replied.

  Anita was a sweet girl and no trouble at all when she first moved in eight months ago. Nice, quiet…no running in and out with men or throwing wild parties. At first, Joan was reluctant to let a single young woman move in, but took a chance on Anita. She seemed quite mature. She proved to be an excellent tenant, paying her rent on time and not causing any problems at all.

  Then, about four months later, her father, John Bowen appeared on her doorstep, claiming to have no place to go. Anita approached Joan and asked if he could stay there, and since it was a two bedroom apartment, Joan agreed…although she noticed Anita did not seem very happy about her father’s arrival.

  Joan soon found out why.

  John Bowen hadn’t been there a week before there was a loud party and a brawl in Anita’s apartment. It seemed he had brought home several people he met at a local hole-in-the-wall at two in the morning, determined to continue the party. Anita woke up, and an argument started as she told her father everyone had to go.

  John was drunk and refused to send his guests away, saying he lived there too and had a right to have some fun if he wanted to. One thing led to another and while John and Anita argued, two of the men began to fight over a drunken woman,
and a window was broken and the front door sill cracked. Anita and Joan both called the police, who hauled off almost everyone for public intoxication, except for John Bowen who fell asleep on the couch in the middle of everything. Anita told the police he lived there so they didn’t take him.

  The next day it took a lot of convincing on Anita’s part to convince Joan not to evict her, and John toned it down after that, but he continued to get drunk and would bring strange women into her apartment. More than once she came home to the scent of sour sex, smoke and God knew what else. Anita talked to her father about his behavior and he always promised to change, but he made very little effort.

  John Bowen was married to her mother Marion until her death, but went to prison shortly after Anita was born and served ten years for attempted bank robbery. He didn’t have a gun, but that made little difference to the D.A. or the judge. When John got out, her mother had moved on emotionally and wanted nothing to do with him. He made an effort to straighten himself out, but soon returned to a life of crime, once again getting locked up for burglary and grand theft auto.

  Anita’s mother died of a heart attack when Anita was nineteen. It was quite sudden and unexpected. Marion had a very small life insurance policy and after the cost of the burial, there was about one thousand dollars left. The house they lived in was rented and Anita had no siblings, thanks to her father’s incarceration, so the young woman rented a tiny room for fifty dollars a week, used what skills she had from high school and became an office temp. She worked in offices all over town and learned new skills in the process. Anita had a nice little apartment when John Bowen got out again.

  Anita couldn’t understand how he tracked her down, but John had made some friends in prison, one of which could locate anyone if he had a social security number. It didn’t take long for him to find out where Anita was employed. Her father simply showed up at her job. Quite a surprise for the young woman.

  John was trouble from day one. When he first found Anita, he gave her a long, heartfelt monologue about how he had changed and they only had each other now, and should support each other. The only problem was, Anita did all the supporting while John took whatever money he made at odd jobs and spent it boozing and womanizing. He told his daughter the reason he acted this way was because he was locked up so long and would tone down as soon as he worked it out his system. But he never did.