Cubicles by Camika Spencer

Author:Camika Spencer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780345509932
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2008-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

Margaret

I spent the morning handling on-site business dispatches and by noon, I was ready for lunch. I could always tell when it was time to put a little something in my stomach because my mood would change from whatever to depression. It was funny how my high blood pressure and diabetes seemed to choose depression when I needed sugar or food or rest. Sometimes it went from depression to depression times two, which meant it was time for my medicine.

I stayed at my desk and pulled out a dry turkey sandwich, bottled water, an orange, and a peppermint, plus Faulkner would bring me a salad. I liked eating lunch at my desk, for one, because it kept me from having to walk to the elevator, and, two, I could turn my radio to my favorite gospel station and listen to some good music while I ate. All of the team members were gone, so I welcomed the peace of being alone in the cube area. I peeled the fresh-looking orange, but when I bit into it, the taste was bitter. It tasted like tired lemonade. I trashed what was left of it and attempted to eat my sandwich, but it wasn’t much better. I trashed it too and decided to wait for my salad. I searched around my purse for my medication. My hands had started to shake. I wasn’t used to the feeling hitting me so fast. As I looked into my purse, objects blurred. I squinted through my glasses, but the view didn’t change. My arms began to feel hot, as if the sun were shining directly on them. I sat back, closed my eyes, and counted to ten, trying to relax the rising panic inside me. Now was not the time for one of my spells, but I felt it coming. Just as my vision began to fail me more, my hand curled around the pill bottle, gripping it until my fingertips were white. I released the bottle and struggled to reach for my water, knocking it over and watching it roll to the floor. My arms and hands tingled and then went numb. The things on my desk swayed as my body rocked, until my head hit the desk and I stared motionless at a photo of my grandbabies. I felt captured inside the heaviness of my being. The warmth was now making its way to my stomach and down to my knees. I closed my eyes and tried to count to ten.

I woke to find myself at a desk with a typewriter, a normal twelve-dial telephone, a small plant, a pencil holder, and a photo of me and Ms. Patterson, from my high school graduation. I looked around and noticed the office was a wide, open space with several other desks that looked like mine, with different women seated at each one. There were no cloth-covered walls separating us. I recognized the faces, and a few of the names I knew. This was my office from some time ago.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.