Julia: Part Two

~ beetleypete

This is the second part of a fiction serial, in 752 words.

As it got closer to six, Julia started to imagine how good it was going to feel to get home. Take off the work clothes and her annoying bra, change into some fluffy cosy pyjamas, and chill out on the sofa watching the mindless dating shows and reality shows that allowed her to relax. Harriet never left early, so Julia always felt the need to knock and ask if it was okay for her to go home.

The woman who sat next to her on the bus was enormous, and she felt squashed against the window all the way home. At least the bus terminated at her stop, so she didn’t have to squeeze past her to get off.

Once she was in her pyjamas and waiting for a very unhealthy pie to heat up in the oven, she poured a large glass of Cabernet Sauvignon into her favourite wine glass and took it through to the living room. The last hour at work had felt strange. Harriet had received many phone calls that afternoon, but the last one had lasted so long, she was still on the phone when Julia went in to ask if it was alright to go home.

She had been waved away as if she had been an irritating fly.

For some reason, she started to think about Richard. He had always complained about her drinking wine as soon as she got in from work, at least on the days when he stayed over and worked from his laptop. “Why do you always have to have wine? I can’t imagine your job is that stressful”.

Working at the Ministry of Health was not stressful? The man didn’t have a clue. Winter pressures, staff shortages, budget cuts, constant criticism from the media. Every day seemed like a literal combined assault on her department. And they didn’t even make the rules, just sorted out the mess created by the politicians.

He was a gym obsessive, and refused to pollute his body with alcohol, sugar, or fast food. He would have had a fit if he had seen her eating a meat pie. The thought made her smile.

She was better off without him.

Just after nine, the phone rang. It was her mum, and she thought twice about answering it but decided to get it over with. Mum was probably going to complain that she hadn’t been home to see them for six weeks, and Julia would eventually run out of excuses why she couldn’t make the short trip to Harpenden. But it wasn’t that at all.

“Have you heard from Teddy? We can’t reach him anywhere. It seems the network is down in his region, and nobody knows why”. Teddy again. She was short in her reply. “Why would I hear from Teddy? He never rings me, mum. I don’t think he even remembers I exist”. Her mum just hung up. That wasn’t like her in the least. Julia wasn’t bothered, and spoke out loud to herself. “Oh well, the golden child can sort out his own life, I’m sure”.

After streaming three episodes of ‘Don’t Tell The Bride’, she decided it was time for bed just after midnight. Tomorrow was Friday, her favourite day of the week. Films on Netflix over the weekend, and a look around Camden Market followed by an expensive lunch on her own.

The atmosphere at work the next day was different. There was something in the air. Harriet was missing in action and not answering her mobile, nobody was chatting in the coffee room, and some unfamiliar faces were walking around clutching files.

Julia spent most of the morning fending off calls for Harriet, and making up excuses for the fact she didn’t know where she was. It annoyed her that her boss hadn’t even bothered to let her know. After all, she was the Executive Officer and Personal Assistant, even if she was treated like a cross between a secretary and a waitress.

With no sign of her near the end of the day, Julia took the opportunity to slide off fifteen minutes early. Not such a good idea when she had to stand on the bus almost all of the way home. She couldn’t help wondering what had happened to Harriet though, That wasn’t like her at all. As she poured the wine, she thought she might order a Domino’s Pizza to be delivered. A calorific nightmare, with a stuffed crust. In memory of Richard.

Then someone rang the door buzzer.

44 thoughts on “Julia: Part Two”

  1. Pingback: Full Moon | DearTedandJody

  16. (1) My friend in Chicago complains constantly about an “annoying bro” in the ‘hood.
    (2) Whoever decided to come up with a derogatory meaning for squash was out of his gourd! #Cucurbita
    (3) Note to Richard: Stop whining about the wine!
    (4) Why am I thinking about War’s song, “Spill the Wine”? After all, I’m not an overfed long haired leaping gnome. (Well, not yet anyway!)
    (5) Teddy is not the Golden Child. The Golden Child is a kidnapped Tibetan boy with mystical powers who is said to be the savior of all humankind, and who is destined to be saved by a black social worker from L.A.
    (6) Julia Calder is no Julia Child, that’s for sure!
    (7) Where’s Teddy? Where’s Harriet? Where’s Waldo? (Oh, wait. Scratch that last one.)

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