“Damn it.” Kelsey hissed in a low muted tone as if someone might hear.
A great breath in, a short massive exhale. Looking at herself in the mirror she ran the brush through her hair, applied some base, lipstick, the other nonsense that made her beautiful, and a spray of that scent stuff.
“Damn it.” Kelsey hissed in a low muted tone as if someone might hear.
A great breath in, a short massive exhale. Looking at herself in the mirror she ran the brush through her hair, applied some base, lipstick, the other nonsense that made her beautiful, and a spray of that scent stuff. Each little compact was snapped back into its organized place with just a little more force than the one before.
“Ok Kels, what are you going to do about this problem?”
She sat starring at her reflection quietly for a few more minutes, not really seeing it. The phone vibrated snapping her from her deep inner thoughts. It was Tim, a text.
“On my way see you in a few.”
Kelsey turned off the light as she exited the bathroom, stopped, and did the inventory as she turned 360 at the clear spot near the center of her room. Keys, purse, mace, pistol, lights off, closet door shut, dirty close in hamper, bed made, “Damn it.”, again in a low hiss, she went and made the bed, not quite how she would normally but if someone asked she could say yes.
“Tim, hi!”
“Kels.”
All smiles they hugged, went to the line and eyed the menu.
“What are you thinking,” Tim asked.
“I’m Hungry, you? I think I’ll get the panini breakfast sandwich and coffee of course.”
“We’re syncing again Kels, exactly what I was thinking, a hot lavender Latte, triple shot.”
“I love you so much Tim, triple shot lavender is the bomb, exactly what I need.”
At the table, they munched, sipped, and talked work, plans for the day, and the etceteras. Tim, cleared the table of debris, sat, and looked into Kelsey’s eyes.
“OK, so, what’s up, I know you didn’t call me last night all wigged out to arrange a play date. I’m here let’s get to it. I have an appointment at noon.”
They sat silent for a moment, Tim looking at Kels, Kels, looking through Tim, trying to construct the sentence before speaking it.
“Kels?”
“I’m being reassigned to the Panama office.”
“Panama, Nice, what’s the big deal, when you get there, see if there is a spot for me,” Tim said, a confused look on his face.
“Steve is the Chief there. That shit head is doing it to me again.”
“Oh, well, shit. You need to go up the chain here sweety, chiefs are intimately involved in choosing street agents, you know what this is. There is no way he isn’t involved in the reassignment.”
“Why is he doing this to me?”
“Cause, he is a total Alpha, oppressive, domineering ass. Not to mention a roid rage freak who beats women. You can’t let this happen, girl.”
“I was thinking about trying to change his mind through private communications. A threat or two of my own, a promise to make Panama stand out in the headlines.”
“Well you know that doesn’t exist, girl, private communications, you make me laugh. But no, fuck him, he is pressing the buttons, deliberately putting his future on the line. Destroy him, take it up the chain girl. Let them know who and what he is.”
“Damn it.”
“Damn him, Kels. Look, I know it is hard. It is personal. It has impacted you in so many horrible ways. No judgment girl, just truth, you cannot continue to let him pull any strings that impact your life. Don’t let it happen.”
“Right, I know, I was just hoping that it was all dealt with. You are right, I need to end it now, thanks.”
Kels and Tim parted ways both having important tasks to accomplish. Tim was working a sleeper agent from China who was propagating false stories of U.S. involvement in the Terror attack on Germany. Kels had to complete the report on the loss of five million dollars in a drug sting gone bad.
She would file the objection to reassignment while at the office. How much of the past would she reveal?
“Tell all baby, go big or go home.” Tim had said at the coffee shop.
Home for the day, Kelsey sat crying, immersed in a hot tube of bubbles, an empty drink glass near her, her phone on the counter, music playing a little too loud, she rocked back and forth.
“Damn it.”
Copyright: T. Mark Mangum, 2020. All rights reserved. No part of my story may be copied, reprinted, or published without my written consent.
T. Mark Mangum, is the product of the 60s and 70s, his imagination, wonder, thoughts, and ponderings, emboldened by Star Trek, Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, and The Hobbit. He loves a good story and hopes you will love reading his stories. Veteran, Father, TTRPG, and Board Game Junkie. He spent 20 years in the United States Army, another 10 working for the government, before realizing he should write.
Kelsey Had a Problem is published in the Medium online publication The Purple Pen. Please consider joining Medium as a paid subscriber. When you read my stories on Medium I get paid.