X Roads of Michelle R Sweeny & ZETAZEN

Avalon Mandalay wanted to scream. The piece of junk died on her. It wasn’t the first time that her hard drive made a strange sound and the monitor went black without any warning. Government! She didn’t rank high enough in the hierarchy to get a decent computer. Her computer was someone else’s throw away. Avalon didn’t complain. She got her work out. But today was the last straw. It went down at a very crucial time.

Loverboy wasn’t going be on the message board too much longer. She wanted to send him a message before he logged off.

Avalon pulled out her hair brush from the desk drawer and started brushing her hair, long deliberate strokes over and over again. She counted each stroke as she stared at herself in the small mirror that she had propped up on her desk. She needed at least a hundred strokes to calm down. After many years of doing it, she knew exactly what stroke would ease the tension. Her hairstylist told her she was going to pull out the little hair she had left on her head. Some people screamed, beat pillows or someone else. She brushed her hair. She had read somewhere that this was some type of compulsive behavior disorder that helped her to relieve anxiety.

After Avalon calmed down, she picked up the new phone with its caller ID, which was just installed, and dialed the IT help desk number. She thought to herself, at least the Government had that right; they have to, how would anyone know when not answer the phone? 

Please God, she silently begged, let fat boy answer the phone, even though she found him to be disgusting, she needed him now more than ever. If one of the others in IT answered, she was doomed as she is to use government computers for official government business only. It was Friday afternoon and those good government workers didn’t work after noon on Fridays, if they worked at all. Avalon could feel her heart pounding with every ring of the phone.

“IT Help Desk, Terry speaking, how may I help you?” Fat boy said slightly annoyed. “Fa - - Terry.” She quickly corrected herself and rolled her eyes in the mirror on her desk and continued to brush her hair, “This is Avalon, in Human Resources, and my computer is down again.” She tried to sound as sweet as possible.

“Well, hellllo Avalooon.” He said in a perky voice as he rolled her name off of his tongue. Avalon thought to herself, ‘If I didn’t need this fat fool I would tell him where he could stick that looon.’ 

“Can you come up?” She crossed her fingers with one hand, brushed with the other, as she propped the phone between her ear and shoulder.

 “I’ll be getting off in 15 minutes. Can’t it wait until Monday?" “Terry, please I’m working on a report for the director. He needs it before I leave today. This is important. A good girl like me shouldn’t have to beg.” 

Avalon stuck her finger in her mouth as if she was about to barf.

“It’s Friday, brown sugar.” Fat boy uttered back trying to play into Avalon’s despair.

Avalon's face twisted with more disgust. If she really didn’t need this, there was no way in this world, Avalon would have played the woman in distress card.

“Baby, come on up here and take care of me.” There she said it. She hated it when she had to stoop that low especially for someone like fat boy. What she really wanted to say to him was, ‘fat boy get your fat ass up here now, before I call your team leader to step to you.’

“I love it when a woman talks dirty to me. I’ll be right up, if you promise to let me…” Before he could finish, Avalon hung the phone up in his ear before she could even hear the rest.

To be continued.....