Marlee laughed. Thanks. I cant wait to see you again.
I cant wait to see you. I need you here to help me deal with all the wedding craziness.
That bad, huh?
You try interviewing six caterers and three florists in one week. Its enough to make me want to elope.
Then why dont you?
I said I was crazy, not insane. Ive waited years for my dream wedding and I wont let anything stop me from having it. Including a maid of honor with no sense of direction.
Right, well, have this Craig guy give me a call. Well see if we cant work something out. She hung up the phone and relaxed in her chair, bouncing against the springy back. Susan sounded so happy. So in love. The tiniest pinch of jealousy grabbed hold of Marlee. Why did some women find love so easily while others never seemed to get a break?
She herself had had about as much luck finding Mr. Right as she did finding her way around the city in traffic. Maybe whatever genetic flaw led to her always getting lost was connected to her inability to sustain a relationship. Sure, she had plenty of male friends, but not one special man. Men didnt take her seriously. Her last boyfriend had flat-out told her he couldnt plan a future with a woman who didnt even think about lunch ahead of time.
So what was wrong with being spontaneous? Her motto was Be Preparedfor Anything!
She sat straight in her chair again and resolutely opened the file for RIF. Was her carefree attitude a sign of immaturity? After all, what kind of grown woman lost her license? And while all her friends had moved on to high-profile jobs and fancy homes and families of their own, she still lived in a funky little carriage-house apartment in Georgetown, and had a job that provided more satisfaction than salary. No wonder men looking to settle down steered clear of her.
She let out another sigh and told herself to concentrate on work. Marching along to a set plan for her life sounded like sheer drudgery. She couldnt see living in a certain kind of house or working a certain kind of job just because it was expected. She needed more freedom to move around, to go with the flow.
If that made her man-poison, so be it. Except for her lackluster love life, she was happy, and what more could a girl ask for?
Except maybe a better internal compass.
FROM: TopToque@govnet.net
To: Marlee@TWM.com
Subject: Driving to San Diego
Understand you need ride to Bry & Suzs wedding. Am leaving Sat. June 6, 8 a.m. sharp. Youre welcome if you can pay your expenses. Expect 5 nights on road. Let me know ASAP.
Marlee frowned at the e-mail message that showed up in her box two days after her conversation with Susan. She assumed this TopToque character was Craig Brinkman. He wasnt much on small talk, was he? A little Hello, how are you, my names Craig, wouldnt have been out of line, would it?
Okay, maybe she was being too hard on the guy. Maybe he was shy. Or he felt awkward about this whole give-a-ride-to-a-stranger thing. She could relate to that.
No problem, then. Shed be the one to break the ice. Shed show him how it was done.
From: Marlee@TWM.com
To: TopToque@govnet.net
Subject: Road Trip!
Hi Craig. Good to hear from you. Im Marlee Jones, erstwhile best woman in need of a ride to San Diego. Thanks so much for agreeing to help me out here. I promise Ill be good company and, of course, Ill pay my share of the costs.
Since were going to be spending some time together on the road, I thought it might be nice to get to know each other a little first. How about coffee or a drink sometime? Call me at 555-6129. Im looking forward to meeting you!
Marlee
Smiling to herself, she hit the Send button. That should thaw Craig out a little. They could meet for a drink, hammer out the details of the trip and when it was time to hit the road theyd practically be old friends instead of strangers.
Hey, Marl. Gretchen Wunderlich, her boss Garys secretary, slipped into Marlees closet/office. Gary told me to give these to you. She dumped a pile of multi-colored papers on Marlees desk.
What is all this? She frowned at the top sheet, Sterilization Techniques for Meat Handlers.
P.I.O. sheets that need to be updated. Gary says to work on them as you get the chance.
Public Information Office sheets always needed updating. Most of them dated from the forties and fifties. Marlee pulled a pale-pink sheet of paper from the stack. Safe Food Handling for the
Housewife was illustrated with drawings of a smiling woman in a full-skirted dress, apron and high heels. Why did Gary send these to me? she asked.
Gretchen leaned against the doorjamb and smacked a wad of gum the color of a honeydew melon. Theyve been cluttering up the office for months now. I got tired of moving them around and complained, so Gary had me bring them here.
So now they can clutter up my office. Gee, thanks. She frowned at the six-inch high tower of paper. I thought the interns were supposed to do this kind of grunt work. As a nonprofit, the agency relied on interns from George Washington University for free labor.