A Few Days Off

"Marianne, I'm going to take a few days off." Mr. Madson called out to the outer office. "Mail the submissions that are ready and put the ..." He stood up from his desk and went to the connecting door. The outer office was the same as always but for the missing Marianne.

That's right. She got that job at the bank. When was that? Days ago? A week?

"That's okay Marianne, I'll just go ahead and close up." Mr. Madson looked at the outer office desk; no submissions to mail out. He locked the front door; flipped the window sign to Closed, and pulled the shade down.

After standing by the window for awhile, he pulled the shade aside and looked out to see if any one was standing by the door wanting in. No. Mr. Madson didn't have the sort of job that attracted customers. He wrote opinion pieces for local newspapers. Usually two a day. About one in five would make it to newsprint.

He turned off the lights in the outer office then went into his office, looked at the blank paper on his desk, opened the closet and pulled the fold down bed out to sit on the floor. He kicked off his shoes, rolled into bed, and stared at the ceiling.

Three nights later, Marianne's phone rang, "Hello. This is Marianne."

"I'm done with my break, so you can come in at the usual time tomorrow."

"Mr. Madson" Marianne replied, "I don't work for you. I work at the bank now. Remember?"

"Yes. Of course. Okay then, good night."

"Good night Mr. Madson."

He sat at his desk looking at the blank paper. I don't know what to write. Marianne would tell me about things going on in the World; Enough for me to have an opinion. Then I would write it up good enough that she liked it.

He got up and walked out to the outer desk. Maybe there is another Marianne. He picked up her chair and brought it to the window. One works at the bank. He pulled the blind aside and looked out. And one will show up at the door.

Mr. Madson set the chair down between the front door and the front window. He lifted the bottom of the shade and looked out.

a reply to: pthena

I hope he finds someone before it all becomes too much.

Fine writing pthena

S+F

a reply to: pthena

Nice, the drama of the workplace.

I recall when I worked, what it was like to lose key personnel. Felt like a punch in the gut.



Cheers

a reply to: pthena

Love the drama! Alway great to read your stories!

a reply to: pthena

That’s a fine story, something id like to emulate in a short short. Every sentence works hard and the language is clear. I definitely want to know more about Madson, which I must say strikes me as a rather Dickensian name for a character. Very very nice!

a reply to: midicon

We hope so.

A man without a muse
is not very amusing

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Seems Marianne was the key person for the whole enterprise.

a reply to: JJproductions


I wrote it because of the coffee.

a reply to: QRST4

That’s a fine story, something id like to emulate in a short short. Every sentence works hard and the language is clear.

I read a book while in the 6th grade; a collection of Scandinavian folk tales. Two of them were so perfect concise that I plagiarized them for future reference.

A few years ago, talking to my sister on the phone, she said "I still have those stories you wrote."

That's when I fessed up, "I didn't write those. I stole them. I wanted to write like that. So you can judge for yourself if I've succeeded or not."

I definitely want to know more about Madson, which I must say strikes me as a rather Dickensian name for a character.

Mad-son. He was the black sheep of the family. Melvillian (Bartleby the Scrivener) sort of.

a reply to: pthena

Madson seems like such a sad and lonely person... and a bit senile if he didn't realise his assistant was long gone.

a reply to: Encia22

Just a shock that he hadn't processed completely.
He should have gotten out on a vacation instead of a staycation.