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I'm back!  This one will be more of a mid-length story (much shorter than what I've written in the past).  Hope you enjoy!

Friday

Mark couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  “Is it because I haven’t made a sale this month?  It’s just a temporary lull; I’m sure of it.  I know I’ll rebound next month.”

Janet, his boss, shook her head patiently.  “Everyone has lulls,” she said down to him.  “That’s not the reason, Mark.  Our company is simply struggling financially and we have to make a few cutbacks.  It’s nothing you did wrong, personally.”

His hands fretted nervously.  He always struggled talking with Janet, ever since she got promoted a few weeks ago.  They used to get along OK as coworkers, but now that she was his boss – and had gotten so much taller, too – their relationship had completely changed.  And not at all for the better.

He hated having to look up at her – and by more than a foot now, with her heels on.  It made things so much worse.  He wished Steve was still around – he had been a great boss, and far more approachable.  And not so damned tall!

He forced his fretting hands down and began unhappily, “But … but …”

“You may be misunderstanding me!” she reassured him.  “Don’t worry!  You still have a job.  And your hours will still be nearly full-time.”

“But why do I have to work from home now??”  That seemed like a very bad sign.

“With everything in flux right now, this works best for the company.”

That didn’t help at all.  “How will I even meet with clients?” he inquired.

“By phone, of course!  That’s how we handle most of our clients, anyway.”

“But not the big ones.  Can I still come in for in-person meetings?”

Janet visibly frowned.  “Hmm … we’ll see.”

A strangled groan left his lips.  That’s when it all clicked for him.  He finished the conversation in a daze, distractedly nodding when Janet said he could stay for the day but clean out his desk by 5 pm.  It was all very obvious, really.

* * *

At the bar after work, he told his friend and former coworker, Alan, what had happened.  Alan swore under his breath and shook his head.  “That sucks, man.  That really, really sucks.”

“They told you basically the same thing, right?” Mark inquired.

“Almost word for word.  Man, I’m sorry, buddy.”

Alan had been working at the company almost as long as Mark had, until he’d been abruptly laid off just three weeks ago.  After talking with Alan afterward, though, there had apparently been warning signs in the weeks leading up to it: Alan being shuffled off a few high-profile clients, being left out of several key in-person meetings (supposedly by ‘accident’), and finally being told outright that he’d be restricted to phone calls only, when dealing with clients.

“But what happened next?” Mark asked.  He hadn’t heard all the details.  “Did your remaining clients know what was happening?”

“I dunno.  Probably not.  But it didn’t matter.  Janet asked Breanne to start listening in on the phone calls, too – to ‘gain experience’, she claimed.  But then Breanne started calling them on her own after that, always with excuses like I was ‘in a meeting’ when they called, etcetera.  You know, I checked Breanne’s phone log – she’s the one who called them!  And I was free at the time!  One by one, all my clients went away like that – most of them to Breanne; some to other saleswomen.  But always women, Mark.  I’d call it a sexist conspiracy, but they’re barely even trying to hide it.  They just won’t admit it outright, for legal reasons.  I’m sure of it.”

Mark stared despondently at his glass. “Hey,” Alan said, clinking glasses with him.  “Bottoms up, man.  Nothing else we can do.”  And they drank to their sorrow.

* * *

Mark stepped inside his house and stood there glumly.  He was barely buzzed anymore, now just glum.

The door opened behind him twenty seconds later and his eldest daughter, Camilla, bumped into him and almost knocked him over on her way in.  “Oh – shit!  Sorry, Dad!” she said, stepping back and wiping some drops of sweat that transferred from her glistening body to him.  From her breathing, it sounded like she just got back from a run.

Like all women, she had gained height dramatically in recent months, and while the top of her head used to come only to his chin, now the situation was exactly reversed.  And her slender figure and waspy waist had filled out just as dramatically; her shoulders and hips were now far broader than his (distressingly so) and her newly-acquired penchant for weightlifting and exercise had turned his once-bookish and entirely nonathletic daughter into something resembling a WNBA all-star basketball center – only with exaggerated curves and pretty ridiculous breasts.

It was a terrible combination, that she’d grown a gajillion cup sizes while at the same time her height brought her chest so much closer to his face.  It was a constant annoyance and distraction every time they talked, now.  He didn’t want to notice his daughter’s breasts, but at that size and proximity they were impossible to simply ignore – particularly now, with them stuffed into a far too tight and much too revealing sports bra.  With nothing else to cover her torso, her wide, flared hips and washboard abs were on full display as well.  Not to mention her arms, which seemed more toned and formidable every day.  Unless he was just imagining things.

Mark regained his footing and brushed it off.  “That’s fine.  How are you today?”

“Great.  Just ran back from the gym.  Had an awesome workout!  I’m really loving it there.”

“That’s nice, dear.  You—wait … the gym on 9th and William?”

“Yeah.”

He frowned up at her.  “Isn’t that, like, 5 miles away?”

“Nah – not even 4 and a half, according to Google.”

He frowned.  She was breathing like she’d only run a mile or less, not 4.5.  “How long did that take you?” he asked dubiously.

She shrugged.  “I dunno.  But slower than I ran on the way there, though.”

What – nine miles total?  PLUS a workout?  Baloney.  I know she’s lying now.

But before he could call her out, she said, “Um, ‘scuse me, real quick.”  Her big chest whooshed past him as she poured herself a big glass of water, downed it in seconds, then repeated.  Her glistening limbs and back showed considerable tone … not to mention she was just huge now.  It wasn’t like he was intimidated or anything – the thought of her ever trying to challenge him physically was just ridiculous; he knew her well enough to know she’d never dream of such a thing.  But he did wonder if he would actually win a direct contest now – she did look pretty strong…

She started doing stretches – first tucking each leg behind her, then stretching her arms, then bending right over and touching her toes.  Holy jesus fuck … His eyes accidentally looked down her cleavage – it was impossible not to; there was so damned much of it.  He looked away immediately, of course, but the image was still seared in his mind.

He couldn’t help but groan and tell her, “Didn’t we talk about you wearing tops like that?  I mean, Christ, Camilla, you have to consider your body now.”

She straightened up and glared annoyedly.  “It’s just me and you here, Dad – why should that matter at all??”

“Well, it doesn’t!” he clarified quickly.  “Not for me.  I’m talking about when you’re in public.”

She was really peeved now, as she snatched a shirt out of her bag and waved it.  “I wore this the whole way there, AND at the gym, and most of the way home – until I got too hot.  And besides … I’m 20 years old, and why should you have any say in what I wear??”

He hesitated, then sighed reluctantly.  “You’re right – it’s not my place.  It’s just that, frankly, your body has changed a lot lately and I wanted to remind you.”

She sniffed angrily.  “No, you still wanted to dictate wh—Ugh, never mind!  Can we not argue, for once?”

He nodded amenably.  “Sounds good.  I won’t bring it up again.”  He knew he almost certainly would, but not for a while at least.  “Hey,” he added pacifyingly, “it is nice having you back home.”

She lightened up and nodded.  “Yeah – I’m glad to be back too.  Thanks for letting me stay here, by the way.”

“You’ve told me that already,” he reminded gently.  “But you’re welcome.  And again, stay as long as you want – I mean it.”

“Thanks, Dad.”  She smiled and went off to her old room.

Camilla had been away at college for the last two years but had gotten a bit burned out and wanted to take a break for a year.  Mark, despite applying perhaps a little more pressure on her to stay in school than he should have, ultimately welcomed her home with open arms.  She’d only been back a few weeks now (incidentally, she’d been about five inches shorter at the time she’d arrived … still much taller than she used to be, though), and although they found plenty of things to fight about, they usually were able to resolve it within a day or two, or sooner.

While she was home, she’d expressed interest in finding a job – something a little higher than grocery store attendant, something that could help pay the bills but also be a little rewarding.  He had told her there’s no rush, since the family was just fine in terms of money and all …

He frowned.  I might not have a job for long, he remembered.  But that was an issue for later.  He had the weekend to look forward to.

********************************

Monday

He was awoken by a knock on his door.  Moments later, Camilla barged in, carrying her younger sister Kayla on her back.  Kayla was 13 and normally much too old to be carried by piggyback – but her relationship with Camilla had taken a rather odd turn since Camilla had returned home.  Kayla had always looked up to her big sister a whole lot, and Camilla used to give Kayla piggyback rides some 8 or 10 years ago … but now that Camilla was so much bigger than Kayla again, they almost seemed to have reverted back to a similar dynamic, in some ways.  It was strange how much Kayla liked being around Camilla and being carried by her and so on.

Anyway, Camilla discovered their father was still in bed, and she said, “Whoops!  I assumed you were up.  Sorry.  C’mon, Kayla, let’s leave him alone for now.”

“OK, Cammy,” Kayla replied.  That was something she hadn’t called Camilla since elementary school, too.

They left, and Mark rolled his eyes.  So weird.  He sat up and rubbed his eyes.  Mark had somewhat intentionally slept in later than usual – working from home, he needn’t get up as early anymore.  But he also hadn’t mentioned the new arrangement to Camilla or his other kids yet.

This became quite awkward, when the younger kids went off to school and Camilla ended up sticking around past 9 AM before heading out.  At around 8:40, of course, she asked why he was still at home.  “I’m just … working from home today,” he admitted.

“Oh?  How come?”

This was the tricky part.  “I … think I might have a cold.  Don’t want to get anyone sick.”

“Huh.  You seem fine to me.”  She stepped toward him.

“Hey, hey, I don’t want to get you sick either,” he excused.

She laughed.  “Uh … alright.  But is everything OK at work?”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged.  “You hear stuff in the news about a lot of guys losing their jobs, or voluntarily staying at home, or … well, you know.  Times are changin’.”

Now things were getting uncomfortable.  He tried not to fidget.  “Uh … I guess.  But things are fine.”

“You promise?  I mean, you do still have a job, right?”

He guffawed.  “Of course!  Don’t be silly.”

She nodded, convinced.  “OK, cool.  Sorry to pry.  I just want you to know, Dad, that you can feel free to talk to me about these things.  In fact … well, I know you’re the head of the house, of course, but as another adult in the family, it’d be really nice if you could stay open with me and all that.  I’d like to help if I can.”

What a strange request.  “Um … sure.  Yes, of course.  And I appreciate it.”

As she nodded and went away, he wondered, Did she see through me?  Does she actually think I’m struggling at work, or was that truly just a random offer?

As he thought about it, her tone when she mentioned guys losing their jobs and all that almost made it seem like she thought it was inevitable.

Bah.  I’m just imagining things.

* * *

Right after Camilla left, Mark settled into his home office and got to work as usual.  It was actually a pretty normal day, other than being at home.  He got caught up on a few tasks, made some calls to clients, sent a few emails; all just like any other day.

He was a little surprised when none of his friends or close colleagues at work reached out to him about working from home, either by email or phone.  He would have expected someone at least to mention it at some point, maybe ask him how he was handling it; heck, even joke about it with him.  But there was nothing.

* * *

That afternoon, though, he realized he may have gotten calls to his work phone but he wasn’t there to answer them.  He decided to call his phone directly to bring up his voicemail.

But after two rings, a young woman answered.  “Hello?  This is Sherryl.”

He blinked.  “Sherryl Price?”  She was a new hire – straight out of college; quite sharp, great personality … and a real beauty, too, incidentally.  The few times they’d interacted, it seemed to have gone quite well.  If she wasn’t just half his age, he would undoubtedly have asked her out already.  Well, that and the fact that – like all women – she was at least several inches taller than him, which still really weirded him out.

“Yep,” the smart, attractive young blonde replied.  “Who is this?”

“This is Mark.”

“Mark who?”

“Mark Lawrence.”

He heard a creak – like she had suddenly jerked forward in her chair.  “Oh!” she exclaimed, seemingly suddenly flustered.  “Of … of course.”

What’s with the weird reaction?  And—wait … “Sherryl?  Can I ask what you’re doing in my office?”  He tried to say this as nicely as possible, but he was admittedly a little annoyed.  What good reason could she possibly have?

“They … said this room was available,” his young coworker explained sheepishly.

 It took him a second to suss this out, but then he laughed.  “Ah.  I see now.  They’re still deciding who gets to move in to my office, and you figured you’d slip in while it’s free, eh?  Haha – nice move.  But between you and me, Janet doesn’t take well to shenanigans, so you might want to clear out before she learns you snuck in.”

Silence.

“Sherryl?”

“Janet told me to come here.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, uh … this is my office now.”

Mark froze – then he laughed.  “Haha, you had me there.  What’d she really say?”

“She said this is my office.”

His smile faded.  Sherryl didn’t seem to be joking.  But she HAS to be joking, right??  It took me ten years to move out of the cubicles and get my own office!  And she’s only been working here a few months!

He expected Sherryl to say ‘sike!’ any moment now … but she didn’t.  Mark became uneasy.  “Would you mind putting me through to Janet?” he asked, forcing his voice steady.  “Extension 202.”

There was a long pause, and then: “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Mark’s eyes widened.  “What!??  Don’t be silly!  I just—“

“Um, sorry, Mark, but the Scoville Company should be here any minute and I’m supposed to meet them by Reception, so—“

“Wait … WHAT!?!  They’re my biggest client!!  Why would YOU be meeting them, and not … not …”

“Drat!” he heard her mutter – she clearly wasn’t supposed to have told him that.

His head swam, as reality set in.  Alan’s words were coming true; he just never expected it to happen so soon, or for Sherryl to be the one.  Someone with years of sales experience, he could understand – but SHERRYL!?!

“I really have to go,” the young employee said in a strained voice, before hanging up.

Mark ran his hands through his hair, then called Janet directly.  It went to voicemail, and he probably should have thought it through first, but he ended up in a tirade.  “Janet!” he exclaimed bitterly.  “This is Mark.  I guess I’m not surprised about my clients … but SHERRYL!?!  She just started here!!  You can’t possibly be serious!!  That’s just absolutely ridiculous!!!

He hung up angrily – but immediately regretted it.  He called back a minute later, calmer now, and left another message: “Janet – I’m sorry for flying off the handle.  That was out of line.  Please, just call me back.  I’ll … await your call.”

* * *

He didn’t get anything done after that; too busy fretting. It took over an hour, but finally he got a call back, from a company landline.  “Janet?” he answered.

“No – it’s Sherryl.”

“Huh?  Oh … hi, Sherryl.  Sorry, I was expecting a call from Janet.  She—“

“I talked to her.”

“You did?  So when’s she calling me back?”

After a pause: “She’s not.”

Mark blinked.  “Excuse me?”

“She said she was too busy, and she wanted me to—um … address your concerns myself.”  That clearly wasn’t the language Janet had used.  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the real words ...

“Umm,” he replied slowly, “OK, that’s really strange, but if I could just—“

“Oh … sorry to interrupt, Mark, but could I speak?  I kinda have a lot to do.  I’ll be honest, Mark – she’s not happy that you found out so soon.  The plan was to fill you in gradually, but you seem to know what’s going on, so she gave me the OK to fill you in on basically everything now.”  She paused respectfully.  “Mark … you’ll be let go at the end of the week.”

This hit Mark like a 2x4.  So soon??  He became emotional.

Sherryl went on, “Janet wanted me to thank you for your many years of hard work, and—“

“She can’t tell me that herself!?” he challenged angrily.

“Mark, I’m on your side.  Please just listen.  You still have important work to do, in helping transition your clients over to me and getting me up to speed on things.  You—“

“So you’re my replacement?  A twenty-year-old??”

“I’m twenty-two,” Sherryl deadpanned, starting to lose patience.  “Look, Mark, obviously this isn’t the ideal way to break this to you, and I understand your frustration, but I do need your help.  And I … well, I have to ask that you be cooperative with me.”

He scoffed bitterly.  “And what if I’m not – huh??  What if I just quit today?”

“You’ll lose your last two weeks’ pay – but more importantly, you may lose your pension, too.”

He fell into stunned silence.  This is bullshit!!

“Will you cooperate?”

He wanted to tell her off – and Janet, too.  Mostly Janet.  But although the pension wouldn’t kick in for another fifteen years, it was worth a good chunk of money later on.  He choked back his anger and said slowly, grimly, “OK.  I’ll cooperate.”

Sherryl sounded relieved.  “Good.  Thank you.”  Another pause, then: “So … while I have you … what can you tell me about the Samford account?”

* * *

Just minutes after he got off the phone with Sherryl – one of the most humiliating calls of his life – Camilla came home from her daily workout.  For all he knew, she supposedly ran to and from the gym again – nine miles, if she’s to be believed.

“How’s working from home?” she asked cheerfully, wiping sweat from her brow.

“It’s …”  His voice trailed off, and his mouth curled into a dismal frown.

He hid it quickly, but too late.  “What happened??” Camilla inquired, suddenly intently focused.  She knelt next to his desk and put a hand on his shoulder encouragingly.  “Are you losing your job?”

It was all too much – his shame, his frustration … and those goddamned breasts!!  He caught a glimpse of her deep cleavage again and groaned.  Why does she have to keep wearing that skimpy top!!  Why does she have to be so damned big and strong and curvy all over??  I can’t freaking focus!!

He was just emotional, he knew; it made things much harder.  But he ended up breaking down and admitting almost everything – that he was being phased out at work, that he’d be out of the job by Friday, even stupidly admitting that a 22-year-old was taking his place.

Oddly, Camilla didn’t balk at any of this.  She expressed sympathy and support, but he again got the sense that she saw this coming, that it was inevitable.  Why? he wondered.  Because I’m a man?  Is that it?  He decided he really didn’t like where society was headed, nowadays.  In fact, he fucking hated it.

********************************

Tuesday

After they saw the kids off the next morning, Camilla turned to Mark.  “I’d like to stay home for a while this morning,” she declared kindly.  “You’re going through a lot, and I want to help.”

He frowned.  “Really, that’s not necessary.  I’m sure you have things you want to do today.”

She laughed and kissed his forehead.  She had to bend down a smidge to do so.  Why can’t she be short again…

“Nothing I’d rather do than be here,” she assured him.  “Seriously – your wish is my command.  Want a nice breakfast?  Eggs?  Waffles?  French toast?”

“I, um …”  He shrugged.  “I guess, eggs and waffles, if you’re offering.”

“You bet!”  She began bustling about the kitchen, getting things ready.  He really didn’t have anything to do until 9:00 – Sherryl requested he be available then; the nerve!!! – so he just awkwardly loitered for a while.

Just before he decided to leave, Camilla smiled encouragingly and, while mixing ingredients in a bowl, said to him, “Really, we should view this as a good thing.  What if you’d stayed on at the firm?  How much longer could you really have held on, anyway?  And don’t you think it’d be stressful having to fight to survive, so to speak?  To constantly fight a losing battle?  At least this way, you know exactly when your job is ending, and you can move on.”

Mark’s jaw slowly dropped.  “That’s … incredibly offensive,” he accused.

She jerked her head up.  “What?  No, I'm just observing where society is heading."

"But you almost sound like you WANT things to change this way."

"That's not what I'm saying at all!  I think it really sucks that you're losing your job, for things outside your control. All I'm saying is it's better to accept and embrace things you can't control, rather than let yourself get dragged down by them."

"Easy for you to say," he retorted. "You're a woman.  You have it easy."

She huffed.  This really got under her skin. "Yeah, well, that wasn't always the case. Women haven't exactly had it easy in the past – or haven’t you noticed?  In situations like this, you just have to keep your head up and keep moving forward."

"Advice from a 20 year old," he grumbled, leaving the room. 

Camilla scowled unhappily.  I know he's going through a rough time, but does he have to be SO sour about it?  I hope this improves soon.

 

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