The Man I Use To Be

My blonde curls bounced as I walked through the long marble corridor to the clicking of my heels. My keys jangled to the beat as the dangled limply from my hand, rests in the melody caused by them softly brushing against my skirt. I knew the men were looking at me, wondering if they had seen me before. I was more familiar to them than they could possibly have guessed.

Reaching the reception desk, I smiled at the young woman sitting at the computer. I was relieved to see she was hired within the last year. “Hello,” I said catching her attention, “I have an interview at 2:00 with Mr. Brisely for the engineering position.” Her attention slid back to her computer and she pulled up his schedule.

“What is your name?”

“Martina Mayfield.”

After affirming my appointment she said, “Ms. Mayfield, you can have a seat and I will let Mr. Brisely know you are here. He’s running a few minutes behind so you may need to wait a bit.” I smiled at the young woman and sat down in one of the low chairs across from the desk. Alternating between watching the clock and flipping through a home design magazine, I waited.

“Ms. Mayfield?” the receptionist called, “Mr. Brisely can see you now.”

Standing up, I smoothed down my skirt and picked up the small sachet I had brought with me that contained my resume, references, and other documents. Mr. Brisely met me at the door to his office and shook my hand forcefully. I tried to remain demure and not challenge the authority he was clearly communicating through the aggressive handshake. “Good afternoon Ms. Mayfield. Please have a seat.”

I sat in the chair across from his desk, the sachet across my crossed legs. He remained standing. “Ms. Mayfield, I am very sorry to have wasted your time this afternoon. I misread your resume and thought you were Mr. Martin Mayfield, the renowned engineer. Had I noticed that it was Ms. And not Mr…… Well, it’s a good ol’ boys club, Ms. Mayfield and I don’t think you would feel very welcomed here I am afraid. It was, however, very nice to meet you. You are a beautiful woman and I am sure you will find work through another company.”

I walked in shocked silence as he escorted me back out to the reception area less than two minutes after I had left it. As my heels clicked through the marble corridor down a floor, I smiled a victoriously and thought, “If only he knew that the person he was looking for was the man I use to be.”

*** Daily Writing Practice