Diana at Work

Have to say.... writing the setup is hard. I want to get to the fun bits... but I need to get the pieces in place first.

She edged into the conference room, staying close to the door. Luckily nobody seemed to pay any attention to her. Except one. The wannabe soprano waved and motioned for Diana to join her. Despite the woman’s delusion about her musical prowess, Annie was actually very sweet and one of the few people Diana would miss if she left. An older lady, dishwater blonde hair well mixed with grey, Annie was in charge of most of the little office parties and knew everything that went on in the company. She took Diana under her wing when she first came to the office, stating that nobody else knew how to have fun, and proceeded to teach Diana everything she knew. She was also the head of payroll which made her a very powerful force in the office and Diana valued the guidance and friendship.

“Diana! Are you alright? I saw you sleeping at your desk, and I was going to wake you, but I figured that you never sleep at your desk so you must have needed the rest. Are you sick? Would you like me to get you some tea? There’s nothing here but cake and some soda, but I have an electric kettle in the kitchen if you want.” Annie looked so worried, Diana almost laughed.

“I’m fine Annie, honestly. Bobbie convinced me to hang out at the bar with her last night… and I helped close it down.”

Annie clucked her tongue. “Silly! I remember when I used to do things like that. My I had fun, although I don’t remember ever being tired, though I’m sure I must have been. I can’t even bring myself to stay up past midnight, and then I’m completely useless the next day. It’s such a shame. I hate becoming old. Enjoy being young and doing stupid things while you can – it won’t last forever. You’ll stop staying up all night, and then you settle down and start knitting, and next thing you know you’re old and alone and have a dozen cats. You should find a man, at least then the alone part won’t come so soon. Do you want some cake then?” Just listening to Annie made Diana’s head spin a little. Her trains of thought often took odd routes before derailing completely and the hangover wasn’t helping Diana keep up. She heard the word ‘cake’ and looked over at what was left on the table. It looked like a tribe of monkeys got to it. It was also one of those large grocery store sheet cakes with an obscene amount of cheap frosting. Her stomach rebelled a little at the thought.

“No thanks, Annie. I just came to wish Frank a happy birthday. I have to get back to work.” Not exactly true; she had to answer the phones, but the lull caused by the party meant she had time to beef up her resume. She knew it wasn’t exactly right to apply for jobs during work hours, but in the absence of actual work she didn’t see the harm in a little prep work. Still, she wasn’t about to tell Annie her plans. Just then she heard a phone ring, so she gave Annie a quick hug and ran back to her desk.

It turned out to be for the boss. She quickly transferred the call and turned back to her resume. Wasn’t bad, but it could definitely use some work, and a critical eye. Maybe Bobbie could help, although she wasn’t sure how. Bobbie wasn’t dumb, but she never got a job based on her resume. Ray barely worked as it was, and well, she didn’t know that many people outside of her work and she wasn’t about to show it to any of them. She pulled out her ancient cell to take a look at her contacts when a text popped up from Bobbie. Having dinner 2nite w Ray. Have seen presents. So CUTE!!!! She could almost hear the squeal. At least she had something to look forward to tonight. It was going to be a long afternoon.