She nodded approvingly, sniffing as silent tears continued to pour down her face. “I was groomed for this job, out in California. Just moved here last week. The CEO put in a request for outside help with this new merger, and I was their top pick.”
I had to admit, I looked at her a little differently now. Was this weeping little waif actually my new boss? Should I have offered a second tissue?
“But I can’t do it,” she whispered. “I can’t be here.”
“Why not?” I asked before I could stop myself. I couldn’t help it—I was curious. I would have done anything to be in this girl’s shoes. You didn’t get transferred in at the request of the CEO without having a background even more daunting than mine. And now to be falling apart in the thirtieth story bathroom? It didn’t add up...
She flashed me another watery smile. “My fiancé left me.”
I blinked. Not the answer I was expecting. Not an answer I remotely respected.
Her eyes cooled as she read the subtle changes in my face. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. Not a young girl like you, fresh off your internship. This must seem like the stupidest thing in the world to you.”
“No, no,” I mumbled half-heartedly, “not at—”
“The thing is...I don’t even like finance. I like the lifestyle. I like the competition. But I don’t give a shit about the numbers.” She dabbed again at her eyes. “And now, by moving here, I’ve lost the only thing I’ve ever really cared about. Jeff.”
Note to self—stay away from men named Jeff. They made you crazy.
“So I’m leaving, going back. My high school sweetheart is picking me up at the airport when I fly in.” She stared with fierce determination in the mirror, daring her own reflection to disagree. “I can fly back to California this afternoon and everything will go back to the way it was before. But this...” Her eyes flickered up to the ceiling, and I knew that like me, she imagined the towering skyscraper overhead. “I can’t do this anymore. I hate this city with a passion. I’ve got to get out while I can.”
With a suddenly brisk gesture, she tossed the tissue into the trash and headed toward the door. I don’t know what exactly made me do it—probably just blatant disbelief at the golden opportunity she was throwing away—but I rushed after her.
“Wait,” I called. She turned back around, and I struggled to find the words. “I mean...are you at least going to tell them what’s going on? I’ve heard this new merger has everyone on their toes—they’ll need to know you won’t be—”
She held up a hand, and I fell silent. “I’m sure they’ll muddle along without me.” For the first time, her eyes sparkled as she glanced around. “What’s one missing cog, right? Consider my defection payback for those years wasted at grad school.”
My lips parted, then turned up in a disbelieving smile. “I just don’t...”
“Good luck, honey.” She winked. “Knock’em dead.” Then she was gone.
Only years later would I understand the significance of that moment. The moment that Katie McGill (I eventually discovered her name) walked out of the lobby and jumped in a cab for the airport. It was the moment when my entire life suddenly altered course. The single catalyst that sparked off a chain of events that would change things forever.
All I thought at the time was, wow—what an idiot! I headed back to the waiting room still shaking my head. To give up the dream...it was unthinkable! And then to give it up for a man? I actually rolled my eyes as I settled down into a suede chair. Another note to self, if I ever found myself wandering down such a ridiculous road—hire someone to shoot me.
“So, you got your resume all memorized?” the receptionist asked me, looking up from her meticulously potted plants with a bored stare.
I tapped my forehead with a grin. “Practiced it again in the cab.” I wondered how many of us rookie automatons she saw on a weekly basis. Twenty? Forty? Deciding to look it up later, I started going over my list of accomplishments again in my head when the door suddenly slammed open, and a harried looking woman stormed inside.