Status: one shot---done!
Leave This All Behind
1 of 1
“Carmen, you’re fired!” My boss exclaimed to me after handing him his morning coffee. I stared at him with surprise and confusion. Fired? Me? How?
“Um, sir, why?” I asked in a tiny voice.
“Just get out, Carmen!” He yelled.
Being scared of his 6’5 frame, I nodded my head quickly and bolted out of his office. I had been working as one of the many secretaries at this prestigious law firm for two years now and it all meant nothing now. My head hung low as I walked back to my desk to collect my things.
“Carmen, you okay?” My co-worker and close friend Aaron asked, watching as I collected the knick knacks from the top of my old desk.
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” I lied and pulled out my large purse to stuff some papers into.
He walked over to the desk that was now open for a new secretary and sat on top of it.
“Yeah, I can tell you’re absolutely fine when you’re packing all your stuff up. What happened?” He asked.
I stopped shoving things into my purse and dropped it in the rolling chair I sat in for two years, looking up into his crystal blue eyes.
“I got fired,” I replied sadly.
“What? Why?” He asked in surprise.
“I don’t know, but can we just talk about it later? When you get fired, you only have so much time to leave the building if you’ve been fired from here,” I picked up my purse and hung it on my shoulder. “See you after work, then?”
“Yeah, sure,” he agreed and watched as I slumped out of the office.
Later that night, my door bell rang, indicating that Aaron had stopped by. I buzzed him in and waited for him to knock on my door. He walked right in instead of knocking.
“I brought comfort food,” he held out a large paper bag of Chinese food as he walked through the door. “Everything from lo mien to dumplings to chocolate cake.”
“That means you stopped at my favorite place,” I smiled. “I always wondered why they served chocolate cake, but I’m up for it.”
Aaron walked into the kitchen and placed the bag of Chinese on the table. I took in the delicious smell of chicken and broccoli as I grabbed two plates and two forks for us.
“So,” Aaron started as he began to pull cartons of food from the bag. “What are you gonna do now?”
I was dreading that question since I had gotten fired earlier that day. Eventually it would come up in our conversation, and I suppose it was better now than later. I took the time during the rest of my day at home to think about it and I think I had a pretty good idea brewing.
“I think I’ll go to Boston,” I said as I began filling my plate with random foods.
Aaron stopped unpacking the bag and looked at me weirdly. I ignored his stare and continued piling food onto my plate.
“Boston,” he stated more than asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Why?”
“Well, why not?” I asked back, making him think for a moment.
“Well, what’s in Boston?” He stared deep into my eyes as if he could find the answer just by looking.
“Aaron, I’m tired of being here,” I answered honestly. “I mean, I’ve been at this job for two years and I just get fired out of the blue. What in the world did I do to deserve that? And who’s to say that I’ll ever work in this town again? This is Los Angeles; reputations about law firms travel fast. Remember Lily Walker?”
“Who?”
“Exactly,” I replied. “Boston is across the country and no one will know my name there. It’ll be like starting a brand new life. I’ll still be Carmen Ramirez, but I’ll be Carmen Ramirez of Boston. No one has to know that I was Carmen Ramirez of Los Angeles; leave this all behind.”
“You like saying your name a lot, don’t you?” He joked. I looked at him with arched eye brows; his smile quickly faded. “Sorry. But why do you have to go so far from here? You can just move a town over or something.”
I thought for a moment. Aaron had a good point, but that’s not what I wanted.
“No,” I said. “I want to be in a new town…that’s not in California.” I took a bite of my chicken and poked my food with my fork. “You just don’t understand.”
He looked down at his plate and began moving the food around before looking back up at me with a sad face.
“I’ll miss you,” he admitted sincerely. “I know you want something new and fresh, but I’m gonna miss you like crazy. You’re the only one who could keep me sane at work.”
I laughed, thinking about what I would be missing out on when I’m gone. But this was something I wanted to do. My eyes were burning slightly from the tears I was holding back.
“I miss you already, Aaron,” I got up and wrapped my arms around him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me too. “Thank you for caring.”
“Um, sir, why?” I asked in a tiny voice.
“Just get out, Carmen!” He yelled.
Being scared of his 6’5 frame, I nodded my head quickly and bolted out of his office. I had been working as one of the many secretaries at this prestigious law firm for two years now and it all meant nothing now. My head hung low as I walked back to my desk to collect my things.
“Carmen, you okay?” My co-worker and close friend Aaron asked, watching as I collected the knick knacks from the top of my old desk.
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” I lied and pulled out my large purse to stuff some papers into.
He walked over to the desk that was now open for a new secretary and sat on top of it.
“Yeah, I can tell you’re absolutely fine when you’re packing all your stuff up. What happened?” He asked.
I stopped shoving things into my purse and dropped it in the rolling chair I sat in for two years, looking up into his crystal blue eyes.
“I got fired,” I replied sadly.
“What? Why?” He asked in surprise.
“I don’t know, but can we just talk about it later? When you get fired, you only have so much time to leave the building if you’ve been fired from here,” I picked up my purse and hung it on my shoulder. “See you after work, then?”
“Yeah, sure,” he agreed and watched as I slumped out of the office.
Later that night, my door bell rang, indicating that Aaron had stopped by. I buzzed him in and waited for him to knock on my door. He walked right in instead of knocking.
“I brought comfort food,” he held out a large paper bag of Chinese food as he walked through the door. “Everything from lo mien to dumplings to chocolate cake.”
“That means you stopped at my favorite place,” I smiled. “I always wondered why they served chocolate cake, but I’m up for it.”
Aaron walked into the kitchen and placed the bag of Chinese on the table. I took in the delicious smell of chicken and broccoli as I grabbed two plates and two forks for us.
“So,” Aaron started as he began to pull cartons of food from the bag. “What are you gonna do now?”
I was dreading that question since I had gotten fired earlier that day. Eventually it would come up in our conversation, and I suppose it was better now than later. I took the time during the rest of my day at home to think about it and I think I had a pretty good idea brewing.
“I think I’ll go to Boston,” I said as I began filling my plate with random foods.
Aaron stopped unpacking the bag and looked at me weirdly. I ignored his stare and continued piling food onto my plate.
“Boston,” he stated more than asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Why?”
“Well, why not?” I asked back, making him think for a moment.
“Well, what’s in Boston?” He stared deep into my eyes as if he could find the answer just by looking.
“Aaron, I’m tired of being here,” I answered honestly. “I mean, I’ve been at this job for two years and I just get fired out of the blue. What in the world did I do to deserve that? And who’s to say that I’ll ever work in this town again? This is Los Angeles; reputations about law firms travel fast. Remember Lily Walker?”
“Who?”
“Exactly,” I replied. “Boston is across the country and no one will know my name there. It’ll be like starting a brand new life. I’ll still be Carmen Ramirez, but I’ll be Carmen Ramirez of Boston. No one has to know that I was Carmen Ramirez of Los Angeles; leave this all behind.”
“You like saying your name a lot, don’t you?” He joked. I looked at him with arched eye brows; his smile quickly faded. “Sorry. But why do you have to go so far from here? You can just move a town over or something.”
I thought for a moment. Aaron had a good point, but that’s not what I wanted.
“No,” I said. “I want to be in a new town…that’s not in California.” I took a bite of my chicken and poked my food with my fork. “You just don’t understand.”
He looked down at his plate and began moving the food around before looking back up at me with a sad face.
“I’ll miss you,” he admitted sincerely. “I know you want something new and fresh, but I’m gonna miss you like crazy. You’re the only one who could keep me sane at work.”
I laughed, thinking about what I would be missing out on when I’m gone. But this was something I wanted to do. My eyes were burning slightly from the tears I was holding back.
“I miss you already, Aaron,” I got up and wrapped my arms around him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me too. “Thank you for caring.”