Unraveled

Author's Note: This story is the conclusion of "Web of Lies" 

Valerie sat in her car Wednesday morning. A few days out of town was just what she needed, but her voicemails made it clear that everything came unraveled in her absence:

“Valerie, this is Leigh. I know your mother’s sick, but we have to finish the interviews for the assistant manager position today. Call me by the end of the day if you’re still interested and I’ll see if I can accommodate you.” Leigh was the manager and Valerie’s boss. The message was date stamped Monday morning.

“Valerie, this is Megan. We were supposed to go shopping for bridesmaid dresses today, remember? Give me a call.” Megan was her best friend. Valerie agreed to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. The message was date stamped Sunday.

“Valerie, this is Hailey. A young man named Keith turned in the spare key to your apartment. Do you want to pick it up, or should I keep it?” Hailey was the apartment manager, and Keith was Valerie’s boyfriend. He hadn’t called since their conversation Saturday afternoon.

Valerie studied herself in the mirror and saw anxiety in her blue eyes. She straightened her long, blonde hair, smoothed her black dress, and told herself to calm down. Her life was a mess, but she spent three days with her mother devising a plan to bring everything back under control. It was time to put that plan into action. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and walked into work. Leigh was waiting by Valerie’s desk in the reception area. She looked very prim and proper in her stiff white shirt and long, black skirt. Her dark brown hair was pulled in a tight bun and her hazel eyes were carefully made up behind small, gold rimmed glasses.

“Welcome back! How’s your mother?”

“Much better, thank you,” Valerie said as she locked her purse in a desk drawer. “Since she and Dad divorced, she doesn’t have any family up there to turn to.”

“Family comes first,” Leigh said, handing Valerie a memo, “The first thing I need you to do today is schedule a staff meeting for three o’clock this afternoon. I want to introduce my new assistant to the staff and talk about the future of this office.”

Valerie nearly dropped the memo. “I thought you were still interviewing for that position.”

“The director asked me to fill the position by Labor Day, and that’s next week. We had to step up our schedule.”

“You left me a message on Monday asking if I was interested in interviewing for the position,” Valerie stammered. “I am interested.”

“I also asked you to get back to me by the end of the day. We completed the interviews Monday, but the director gave me permission to interview you yesterday if you could come in. You never called. We figured you weren’t interested.”

“I just got the message last night!”

Leigh put her hands on her hips. “Isn’t the number on your file a cell phone?”

“It is, but my mother was sick …”

“You applied for a promotion,” Leigh said sharply. “You knew we were interviewing for the position. I’m sorry your mother was sick, but it was your responsibility to stay in contact with the office if you were serious about pursuing this position. I tried to accommodate you, but you left me with no choice when you didn’t respond to my message. I’m sorry Valerie. We’ve hired for the position.”

“I couldn’t help it …”

“Then maybe it wasn’t meant to be,” Leigh said. “Get that meeting scheduled and send a high priority E-mail to the staff. I want everybody there. There are big changes coming to this office.”

“Not for me,” Valerie mumbled as Leigh walked up the hall.

Valerie tried to keep on a cheerful face, even though she felt like screaming. She couldn’t believe how mean Leigh was being about the assistant manager position. Valerie felt like everybody in the office was snickering behind her back. Leigh must have it in for her, but why? Megan would know. Their companies worked together a lot. She called Megan later that morning, but Megan was going to a meeting and couldn’t talk. She agreed to meet Valerie for lunch at a nearby café.

Valerie couldn’t get out of the building fast enough once noon rolled around. She practically ran the two blocks to the café and found Megan waiting at a table near the entrance. Megan looked elegant as always in her grey pantsuit. Her long, brown hair was pulled in a French twist. Megan was usually happy, but her smile looked pinched as Valerie approached.

“What a terrible day!” Valerie said, dropping in a chair. “Wait until I tell you what chaos my life has been recently.”

“I imagine you’ve been under a lot of strain between the fight with Keith and a sick mother,” Megan said. “Leigh told me she was sick. How is she?”

“Mom’s fine,” Valerie said, “but I’ve got bigger problems. Can you believe Leigh cut me out of the interview process for the assistant manager position?” Valerie rolled her eyes and sipped her water. “What a witch! I thought the people in management liked me, but my mother gets sick and they turn on me like a pack of wolves.”

Megan shifted uncomfortably. “She’s under a lot of pressure. We all are with the merger coming up …”

“What merger?” Valerie asked.

Megan’s brown eyes widened. “They haven’t told you?”

Valerie glared. “Told me what? We have a staff meeting this afternoon.”

Megan looked around and leaned forward. “Our companies are merging at the beginning of October. That’s probably why Leigh was in a hurry to hire an assistant. She wants them trained before we move in.”

Valerie reeled in shock. “That’s a little over a month away!”

“It’s been under discussion for a while. We were going to wait until January, but with the bad economy our executive staff decided it would be better for the bottom line to do it in the last quarter of this year,” Megan rubbed her eyes. “Please don’t tell anybody until they make the announcement. They’ve already told our staff. I thought you knew.”

“It’s not your fault.” Valerie sighed. “What does this mean for me? For our staff, I mean?”

“I don’t know,” Megan said. “We have several offices around the state and it might be necessary to move people around if they want to stay with the company.”

Valerie’s attention was ripped from Megan when Keith walked in the door. He sat at a table with a pretty redhead in a short green dress. Valerie stood up. “Excuse me; I have something to attend to.”

Megan turned to follow Valerie’s gaze and paled. “Oh no. Valerie, come back!”

It was too late. Valerie grabbed a water pitcher from a waiter’s tray, stormed across the restaurant, and poured it over the redhead.

“What are you doing with my fiancé?!” Valerie shouted.

Keith jumped out of his chair. “What are you doing?”

Valerie grabbed his glass and threw water in his face. “What are you doing, you cheating bastard?”

The redhead jumped up and glared at Keith. “You’re engaged?”

“No!” he said. “Simone, this is the crazy ex-girlfriend I told you about.”

“Crazy ex-girlfriend?!” Valerie screamed. “I don’t think so. We didn’t break up.”

“I told you we were through,” Keith said, wiping water from his face and brown hair. “That means we broke up!” He turned to Megan, who approached shyly. “Megan, hold out your left hand please.”

Megan held out her hand. Her one carat diamond sparkled under the florescent lights.

“That’s engaged,” Keith said, pointing at Megan’s diamond. He grabbed Valerie’s hand and poked at her ring finger. “No ring. That means not engaged.”

“We’re getting engaged soon!” Valerie countered.

“No we aren’t!” Keith said. “I told you we don’t have a future together! It’s really been over for a while and I’m not going to pretend that I have any respect for you any more. I was very clear with you Saturday. Do yourself a favor. Accept reality and move on.”

A short, balding man burst out of the kitchen and stormed toward them. He handed Simone a towel, then poked a finger at Valerie. “You! Get out now!”

Valerie spun on him. “This is personal business. Stay out of it!”

“This is my restaurant!” the man said, pointing to the sign that read Don’s Café. “I can serve whoever I wish and I won’t tolerate this behavior in my establishment. Get out and don’t come back!”

“I’m sorry, Don,” Megan said.

Don patted her back. “It’s not your fault. You stay.” He motioned to Keith and the redhead. “Free lunch for all three of you.”

“Thanks,” Megan said. “Can you wrap my sandwich up? I’ll take it back to the office.”

Don ran in the kitchen and came out with a brown bag and a drink in a paper cup. Megan took her lunch and ushered Valerie to the door. Just before walking out, Valerie turned to Keith.

“This isn’t over!”

“Yes it is,” he said. “I returned your spare key. If you contact me again, I’ll get a restraining order. Stay away from me.” He sat and took Simone’s hand.

Megan had to literally drag Valerie out of the café. Once they were outside, Valerie blew up.

“Can you believe that? What’s wrong with everybody?!”

“It’s not everybody else Valerie; it’s you!”

Valerie stared at Megan in shock. They had been friends since their freshman year in college, and this was the first time she heard Megan raise her voice. She was usually calm.

“What are you talking about?” Valerie asked. “What’s your problem?”

“Take a look in the mirror,” Megan said. “I’ve tried to be patient and understanding, but I’m at my wits end. I’m tired of your games, Valerie. I can’t take it anymore.”

“What games?”

Megan counted on her fingers. “You lied to me about Keith. You said he hit you during that fight, but he showed me a scratch on his arm from where you threw a plate at him!”

“Of course I defended myself …”

“Then you stand Leigh up for your interview Monday after I went to a lot of trouble to give you a reference and talked to several of your managers about how great you’d be for the job.”

“That wasn’t my fault!”

“Enough is enough. I had to answer for that at my meeting this morning! It made me look bad and I don’t appreciate it. I’m under enough pressure with the merger and planning a wedding, but you’re still gallivanting around with no consideration for how your actions affect others. By the way, you stood me up Sunday. We were supposed to go shopping for bridesmaid dresses, remember?”

Valerie stared at Megan. “I’m sorry, I did forget. It’s just that things have been so hard and it seems everybody is out to get me …”

“Nobody’s out to get you,” Megan snapped. “You’re doing it to yourself!”

“How can you be so cold and insensitive?” Valerie shouted.

“When was the last time you asked how I was doing?” Megan asked. “Just now, you plopped in the chair and started bemoaning your life without even saying hello. Then you see something more interesting and walk away in the middle of a conversation. I’m nothing but a tool to you.”

“That’s not true. We’ve been friends for seven years!”

“You’ve only called when you needed a reference or help with something since we graduated college three years ago,” Megan said. “You have problems I can’t handle. I’m sorry Valerie, but you’re out of the wedding. I can’t have your drama in my life right now.”

Valerie’s jaw dropped. “My life is falling apart and you don’t want to be friends anymore?”

Megan sighed. “I want to help you, but the truth is that you haven’t been a friend to me for a long time. I can’t do any more for you, and my life is too full to have you weighing me down. I’m sorry.” Megan walked away.

“Don’t walk away from me!” Valerie shouted.

“Good luck working out your problems,” Megan called, and disappeared around a corner.

Valerie sighed and checked her watch. Her lunch hour was almost over. She stopped by the office canteen and bought the last salad they had available. She ate as quickly as she could before dashing back to her desk. Leigh was waiting for her.

“Valerie, can I have a word with you in my office?”

Valerie followed Leigh to her corner office, smoothing her hair. She sat in a chair as Leigh closed the office door. “I’m sorry I was late getting back. I got held up.”

Leigh sat at her desk and peered at Valerie over her glasses. “I heard there was an incident at the café during your lunch break.”

Valerie’s jaw fell open. “I wouldn’t call it an incident.”

Leigh rubbed her head. “In the past hour four people told me they saw you pour a pitcher of water over a young woman’s head and throw a glass of water in a young man’s face at Don’s Café. Seven people said they heard you shouting at one of our business associates outside the café. I think ‘incident’ is a mild word to describe that kind of scene.”

Valerie slumped. “I was having lunch with Megan and caught my boyfriend with another woman.”

Leigh took off her glasses. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know your lunch hour is your own, but that is not acceptable behavior when you’re wearing a company identification badge.”

“It won’t happen again.”

Leigh put her glasses back on and studied a file. Valerie’s stomach turned when she realized it was her personnel file. “The director wants me to put a formal reprimand on your record, but I negotiated a deal. Your record with us has been stellar until this week.”

Valerie’s eyes welled up. “I’m sorry. My life has been difficult lately. Everything’s falling apart.”

Leigh handed Valerie a tissue and allowed her a few moments to calm down. When Valerie finished sobbing, Leigh closed the personnel folder and put her hands on top of it.

“I want you to take the rest of the week off. Obviously, you’re under too much emotional strain to function effectively right now.”

Valerie sniffed. “Am I being put on administrative leave?”

Leigh shook her head. “No, you still have a few vacation days. Take them now and use them to consider my offer.”

“What offer?”

“I’m going to announce that our office is going through a merger at the meeting this afternoon,” Leigh said. “Once it’s complete, we’ll have several satellite offices around the state. We’d like to transfer some people to fill vacancies in those offices. We still have to go through the formal interview process, of course, but internal candidates will be given top consideration.” Leigh picked up a file from the corner of her desk and flipped through it. “The upstate office has an opening as an Accounting Clerk. You took enough Accounting courses in college to qualify for it. I’d like you to consider applying for that position. I would personally provide a professional reference for you and would speak to the hiring manager on your behalf.”

Valerie gazed out the window. “That would put me closer to my mother.”

Leigh nodded. “It’s the first thing I though about when you told me she’s all alone up there. I also considered that you’ve applied for a promotion. There’s a lot of room for advancement from that position. If you do well, you could work your way up to working directly with the head CPA for that office.”

“Wouldn’t the reprimand on my record be a stumbling block?”

“The director agreed that he wouldn’t put a reprimand on your record for your actions during lunch today if you apply for this position,” Leigh said.

“Do I really have a choice?”

Leigh spread her hands. “You always have a choice. You’re current job isn’t in jeopardy.”

Valerie sighed. “I get a reprimand on my record if I stay. That would make career advancement a lot more difficult around here.”

“It’s the best I could do, given the circumstances. I’m not trying to back you in a corner but …”

“I did it to myself,” Valerie said.

Leigh leaned back. “They want the transfers moved by the first of October, so we have to start interviewing for these positions next week. Think it over and give me a call before we close Friday.”

Valerie stood. “Do I need to clean out my desk?”

Leigh stood. “No, let’s see what happens between now and next week.”

Valerie left the building without speaking to anybody. The plans she and her mother spent three days devising were in ruins. She lost her boyfriend and her best friend, and now her career had been threatened. She was fighting tears at a traffic light on the outskirts of town when a lovely fountain at a small Catholic church caught her eye. Something about it tugged at her. She found herself pulling in the parking lot and sitting at a bench. The fountain was surrounded by young plants and several small mounds, obviously where bulbs had been planted. Clouds blew in as her mind drifted in the melody of the water trickling around the angel with outspread arms.

“You look like something’s heavy on your heart.”

The voice startled Valerie. She turned to find a tall woman in a white shirt and grey skirt sitting next to her. The woman’s dark hair was pulled in a loose bun, so loose that wisps were flying around her face in the breeze. She looked like she a bit older than Valerie, perhaps in her early thirties.

“I’m sorry,” Valerie stammered. “I thought it would be ok to sit here a while.”

“It is,” the woman said. “Our prayer garden is open to anybody that needs a quiet place to retreat from the world.” The woman laughed. “Well, it won’t be much of a garden until everything we planted starts growing next spring.”

“It’s still nice,” Valerie said. “It’s peaceful. Do you work here?”

The woman held out a hand. “I’m Sister Jackie. My given name is Jacqueline, but that’s so formal and it takes too long to say.”

“I’m Valerie. You’re a nun? You aren’t dressed like one.”

Jackie smiled. “They think we’ll be more effective in an urban setting if we blend in better.”

Valerie smiled back. “You caught me off guard.”

“I’m sorry,” Jackie said. “I came out to turn on the sprinklers, but I figured you didn’t need watering. For some reason, I feel the need to talk to you. Are you alright?”

Valerie shook her head. “My life is falling apart. My boyfriend left me. My best friend kicked me out of her wedding. I missed out on a promotion and was just told I’ll be in trouble at work if I don’t apply for a transfer.” Valerie curled up and hugged her knees to her chest. Her dress bunched around her ankles. “My whole life is falling apart and I don’t know what to do.”

Jackie patted Valerie on the back. “I’m sorry to hear that. Are you a person of faith?”

“I’m a member of a church but I don’t attend regularly.”

“I see,” Jackie leaned forward and studied the fountain. “Life has it’s highs and lows. It sounds like you’re in a low right now.”

“I’ve tried everything I can think of to make things right again, but nothing works,” Valerie said. “I’m at the end of my rope.”

Jackie stared at Valerie with large, grey eyes. “Sometimes things fall apart because they aren’t meant to be. They’re passing out of our life because there’s something greater for us ahead, but we have to let go of what we have to accept the new blessing.”

Valerie uncurled and let her legs dangle over the bench. “I know. One door closes and another door opens. I want my life back in order but there’s no going back, is there?”

Jackie shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m not going to ask for details on how you got where you are – whether it was through bad decisions or bad luck.”

Valerie thought about the arguments she had with Keith and Megan. Both accused her of being selfish. Was it true? She needed their help to get her life established. Sure she told a few lies along the way to keep things moving, but it was for the greater good. She didn’t mean any harm, but Megan discovered her lie about the fight with Keith and everything went downhill from there. She was lucky nobody knew that she lied about her mother being sick so she could get away for a few days. That visit was to heal her own soul, not her mother’s health. Still, that lie was a reaction to being caught in the lie about Keith and it came back to haunt her with a missed promotion. Valerie had no idea that the thread of one lie could unravel her whole life. She sniffed and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her dress.

“A little bit of both, I guess.”

Jackie put an arm around Valerie. “We’ve all been there, even me. Several years ago, I went through a time when it seemed everything went wrong. One day I was so upset that I walked in a church a lot like this to get my head on straight. A kindly priest gave me the best advice I ever received. He said to take a long, hard look at life and notice what was right instead of what was wrong. People tend to see problems, and that keeps us stuck in a rut. If we flip our perspective, we can see a clear direction. The blessings are an indicator of where to build the foundation of a new future. You can pick up the pieces and start over.”

Valerie studied Jackie. “Did it work?”

Jackie smiled. “It led me to dedicate my life to the faith. I might not be successful in the eyes of the world, but this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. So you tell me, did it work?”

Valerie thought. “I’ve worked so hard to get established in life – to get my degree, find a job, create a home, and establish a social network – but that’s falling apart. I guess I was looking for happiness through those things.”

“Then consider a new direction. Take that long, hard look at your life. I know you’ll find an answer.” Jackie checked her watch and stood. “I better get going. I have a few more things to do before dinner.”

Valerie smiled. “Thanks. I’m glad you talked to me.”

Jackie hugged Valerie. “It’s always a pleasure to help a soul in need. Bless you, and may you find happiness in life.”

Valerie sat on the bench. She had made a mess of things. Getting Keith back was impossible, and Megan was probably a lost cause as well. Her career was at a standstill unless she agreed to interview for that accounting position. On the other hand, there could be merits to moving upstate. She would have a clean slate and could start over. Plus, she would be closer to her mother. It took three and a half hours to get to her mother’s house from here. The upstate office was a little under and hour and a half away from her mother’s house. They could talk and visit more often.

Valerie took her cell phone out of her purse. She knew she should wait until Friday to make this call, but she was through playing games. It was time to start a new life. She dialed the number.

“Good afternoon, this is Leigh.”

“Hi, this is Valerie. I’m interested in interviewing for the accounting clerk position in the upstate office.”

“You made a decision so soon?” Leigh asked. “Are you sure you don’t want to think it over?”

“There’s nothing to think over. You’re right. It’s time for me to move on.”

“Great, let’s get you scheduled. Monday is Labor Day, so we’ll set you up to interview first thing Tuesday morning.”

“I’ll be there. Thanks for working this out for me.”

“We’ve all been through tough times,” Leigh said. “I hope this works out.”

“Me too. I’ll see you Tuesday.”




Three weeks later:

Valerie broke down the last box and tossed it in a pile to go to the dumpster. Moving in such a short time was a challenge, but she felt refreshed despite her sore muscles. She got the accounting job and was able to find a small, one bedroom apartment near the office. Her mother was so happy about the new job and relocation that she paid for the movers and the first month’s rent.

Valerie was dragging the pile of boxes out the door when a guy with dark hair and striking blue eyes walked up the stairs. He flashed a dazzling smile.
“Hi! You must be my new neighbor,” he stuck out a hand. “I’m Blake.”

Valerie shook his hand. “I’m Valerie.” She jerked a thumb behind her. “I’m finally getting settled in there.”

“I saw the moving van pulling in as I left this morning. I’m sorry I wasn’t around to help,” he said. “I’m a computer technician, and I got called in today.”

She wrinkled a nose. “Working weekends stinks, doesn’t it?”

“I usually work weekdays, but my company merged with another one in Columbia. They called a bunch of us in today so we could make sure everything’s ready when they come in for orientation Monday morning.”

Valerie’s jaw dropped. “I’m one of those new employees!”

“No kidding!” Blake said, pulling a clipboard out of his briefcase. “You sure are. I installed your computer in Room 202.” He looked up. “I guess I’ve helped you move already, in an unexpected way!”

“Imagine that,” Valerie said. “I know you just got home, but would you care to join me for dinner? I’m starving, and I don’t know where to track down a decent meal around these parts.” She paused. “Unless you have a girlfriend, of course.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m a lonely old bachelor. I’d love to show you around. In fact, it’s my treat. Give me fifteen minutes to put this stuff away and change. I know the perfect place for dinner.”

“Great!” she said. Valerie couldn’t stop smiling as she rushed in her apartment to throw on a dress and brush her hair. Things were looking up already.
She was determined not to screw up this time.

Word Count: 4,471