Summer's Day

The Day it Started


She was waltzing with Pierre Casiraghi. In an ethereal confection by Versace, her swift feet clad in Manolo Blahniks and the whole room only had eyes for her. She is fashion savvy and one of the most talented editors of New York's most coveted magazine. She is the reason for everyone's presence in this most magical of nights.
   
         Even the moon seems to agree that this is the perfect night any girl would dream of shining in its perfect circumference. From across the room came the envious looks from countless women and admiration from a veritable sea of men. They want her, they want to be like her. She is the epitome of beauty, grace and utter satisfaction. She is everything that is good. From the roots of her artfully coiffed hair to the tips of her freshly coated nails, she is flawless.

It was as if the heavens have spent more time with her conception than everyone else and the greatest thing is she seems to be oblivious of just how blessed she is. A creature so full of joy and light and goodness. . .

“Goodness! Summer! What the hell are you doing?”

Just like that, her perfect little world crashed. If anyone’s wondering where that shrill ugly voice was coming from, then don’t. It’s safer that way.

“I’m typing the proposal you gave me earlier Ms. Grace.” By the way, don’t be misled by her name. She is nothing but graceful. Violet Grace is Manhattan’s leading fashion editor. She knows everyone and everything that needed knowing and she knows it. But don’t think too badly of her. She will be vital to our heroine’s journey towards her destiny.

But enough of the future we must go back to the present where, “You are doing nothing of that sort.” Oh by the way, she’s British which was terribly tragic since Summer loved England. What with Jude Law and Hugh Grant, you would have to be stupid not to like England. Oh and did I mention Prince Harry? And here is Madame Grace, trying her best to destroy her illusions. “If I know better, you are day dreaming again. That reminds me that I told you countless of times before not to do so while in the office. Frankly my dear, I could care less if you dream your life away but kindly do not do it on my time.”

“I really was typing that proposal Ms. Grace.” Summer appealed.

A raised brow and thin lips later, “Well, let me see it then.”

Summer let go a sigh of relief and hit the print button. While the jet printer slid the printed pages out, her boss, impatience grew. It was a relief when the pages were finished and a clip was slid to gather them together at the top upper left corner of the paper. She waited as her boss flipped through them. She must have decided that Summer was telling the truth for the only thing she said was, “Coffee, for two. The other must be black.”

Her boss, was inside her office before Clair from across her cubicle rolled her eyes in exasperation. Summer just shrugged and went to grab her coat. She had managed to slip into it when Jonathan breezed in the coat room looking like his world had a bigger rash than hers.

“What’s wrong?” Summer asked concerned.

“I got fired!” he exclaimed in disbelief.
Now at this point, you would have thought that Summer would have panicked but this is not the case. “Terry Parker fires you every other day, Jon.”

“He really means it this time.”

“He always says he means it but look at you. After three months of getting fired every other day, you still have a cubicle at this office. Don’t take it so seriously. I am sure he’ll get over whatever’s been bothering him and he’ll be asking you back in no time.”

This speech usually soothes the ruffled Jonathan but he went on and insisted. “No. This time, its my head off.”

Summer tucked her arm through her friend’s and pulled him to the elevator. Ms. Disgrace, as the employees called her boss behind her back, will not be happy if her coffee is not available in fifteen minutes. Now, Summer was a post master when it comes to multi tasking and she can get the coffee and soothe Jon’s nerves at the same time.

When they have exited the building a gust of Chicago November air slapped at their faces and Summer watched Jonathan snap out of his trance and tugged on the coat Summer considerately picked up from the racks for him. “It’s cold outside.”

Summer smiled at her confused friend. This was a scene she had been a witness to once too many. Jonathan acts as one of Terry Parker assistants. Well, of all his assistants, Jonathan was probably the most overworked for he was the in charge of liaisons. There is no other word how to describe Jon’s relationship with his boss but volatile. Summer suddenly felt just marginally luckier than Jon for even if there is no love lost between her and Disgrace, she at least could not afford to fire Summer, because the seasons may come and go but Summer is the only one who can take her sadistic schedule.

You should feel sorry for Summer, working for a boss like that but she really is well compensated. Seeing as Violet has no life, this meant Summer also had no life. Now that would be tragic for others but for a girl so painfully shy and inexperienced as our Summer, it is better that she had no life. Well, that’s what Violet keeps telling her and sadly Summer was starting to believe her.

Marco was smiling at them from across the counter and Summer need not say, “Mocha Latte, no foam,” to him for this is Disgrace’s favorite and this was where Summer always cot her coffee. “Oh,” she exclaimed in her quiet charming way, “And a tall black Americano too.”

Unaware of how charming she looked in her blue coat and brown top boots, she smiled at Marco, who I might add had long been nurturing a hidden crush for her, thus making his day.

Adjusting her wire rimmed glasses, she sat Jonathan down. “What happened?”

“Well, he was supposed to have lunch with someone named Manuel Pellegrini and then have a late lunch with Karl Armstrong. Then later he told me to cancel lunch and so I did. I called Mr. Pellegrini’s assistant and did so. How would I know he meant the later lunch.”

Summer who has spent most of her waking life listening to her brothers argue about football immediately knew who Manuel Pellegrini is. The question now is does Jonathan?
“Who is Karl Armstrong?”

“He’s Mr. Parker’s estate manager.”

“And who is Emanuel Pellegrini?”

“I have no idea actually.”

Summer nodded. “Have you done your research?” Summer asked because she had always done her research. Everytime Disgrace asks her to schedule an appointment, she makes sure she at the very least googled the person. Now she did not want to hurt her friend. “He is a very important Italian.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” she smiled. At Marco’s approach, Summer stood up and accepted the cups from him and headed out of the rather crowded café.

“Is that all you’re going to say?” Jon asked in exasperation.

This was actually a deliberate move on her part. She had to get her friend’s mind off his worry and she managed to transfer it to Emanuel Pellegrini. “Oh Jon.” She looked at him with a frustrated face. “You should have done research on him. He is the current manager of one of the best football clubs in the world. When I say football, I mean European football.”

To give Jonathan credit he really did not know who Emanuel Pellegrini is. He is afterall gay and therefore expected not to have much interest in football at all. However, this did not excuse the fact that he did something wrong which made Summer think.

“Oh dear! I think you are in trouble.”

“What?” Jon agonized.

“Isn’t Mr. Parker a fan of football?”

“Yes. I really am losing my job.”

Summer held her tongue as the elevator doors slid open and she got off her floor. With a sad wave she watched the doors close again and felt sorry for Jonathan. She shook his crestfallen expression off her head and walked to her boss office, shedding her coat on her table, she knocked twice and opened the door.

There, talking with Disgrace was the very object of her and Jon’s conversation. “Are those the coffee Summer?”

“Yes Ms. Grace.” Summer thus stepped hastily forward and handed her boss the cups. “Do you need anything else?”

“Not right now.”

Thus dismissed, summer turned to leave but as she was closing the door after her, she could not help but take another glance at Mr. Parker only to freeze as he was looking at her too.  Her eyes widened and she shut the door immediately.

Summer went back to her seat and blindly opened a program on her computer. Everybody knows about him but no one really knew him; at least not from their department. The magazine was only a small part of the big business that Terry Parker handled. They were fairly a minority that was why seeing him there was a complete shocker to Summer.

She had heard about him before and now all the things that have been said about him were confirmed. The women claim him to be very attractive and so he is. With his jet black hair and amazing cobalt blue eyes, he was a man through and through. It was also those eyes that are capable of freezing you to the spot and intimidating anybody to doing what he wants.

According to Jonathan, he ate his enemies alive and had their assistants for dessert. His choice of figure of speech did not exactly help because at that moment, Summer could really believe him. That bone jarring moment where she met his eyes will be the most unforgettable moment of her life. Never had Summer seen eyes like that before.

Sure when Disgrace was angry her green eyes spit fire but it was never like Terry Parker’s. They were simply cruel. There was not a single speck of warmth in this glacial stare and Summer felt a shiver of fear. It looked as is he was mad at her. There was something foreboding about that stare as if he knew something that Summer does not and it reeked of malevolence.

She felt rather than heard the door being opened and seconds later, he strode out. Summer did not take her eyes off her computer screen lest her fear be seen but he was like an animal, he smelled fear and gravitated towards it to cause further havoc.

“Next time, do not add sugar to my coffee.”

Summer was terrified but reticence made her golden brown eye look up from her computer through her wire rimmed glasses and into his dark face. What did she reply to that? “Yes, Mr. Parker.” Summer had never in her life wished anybody ill but at this moment, she wished never to see him again.

As if he read her thoughts, he added. “Keep it in mind Ms. Townsend.”

Summer had not moved a full minute after he left that Clair stood up and queried in concern. “Are you alright?”

Summer mutely nodded. She was about to ask her something again when the intercom beeped. “Yes, Ms. Grace”

“Come into the office summer. I have something to talk to you about.”

Now, it was unlike Summer to lose focus and she admonished herself never to do it again. Shaking her head for the second time that day, she walked to her boss’s office slightly winded.

“Take a seat Summer.”

Summer sat.

“As you well know, Mr. Parker has just been to see me. The reason he came here is to congratulate me for a good rating this month.” Summer can see by the smile on her boss’s face that it was indeed what happened. She looked very happy and Summer was genuinely happy about her for there were very little Violet Grace cared for in her life and they were the magazine, fashion and money. If she gets awarded for a job well done, then she deserves it.

By the way, have I mentioned that Summer does not know her fellow employees call her boss ‘Disgrace’? Oh yes! Summer was that kind of person. A person who gives her loyalty unconditionally and if she was to hear Violet Grace being called that, a reprimand for the person audacious enough to do so was at hand.

All the time Summer was being happy for her boss, Violet had not ceased talking. “I thanked him of course and told him that I have to credit my staff too for their job and my two assistants. He said I was lucky with my assistants and that now he was in a fix because he just recently fired his. I feel sorry for the poor incompetent but Mr. Parker must have had his reasons and I can only imagine his dismissal.”
“Now the point is, I felt sorry for so I told him he can have you?”

That last statement jarred Summer back into reality. “Have me?” she repeated despite herself.

Violet Grace nodded her head in affirmation. “Yes, I told him he can have you.”

Summer thought of all those rumors spreading about him and her eyes widened. Images of being eaten alive came to her mind. Graphic images of this big stone of a monster came into her mind and she was positively petrified. “Ms. Grace, why me?” she asked close to tears.

“Because I’m done with you Summer. It’s time for a new face and so I told him I will be happy to let him have you. I told him how efficient you are and I have convinced him of this. You are to report to him this Monday.”

“But why?” a sob escaped Summer’s lips and this caused her employer to look up from the papers she was reading. Summer thought that she was about to tell her the reason for this abrupt dismissal but it seemed Violet changed her mind. “Because I said so Summer. Now stop being dramatic and start teaching Clair your responsibilities so she can in turn start teaching the new assistant I plan to hire hers.”

Summer stared at her boss well coiffed hair as if hoping that somewhere inside that arctic exterior remains a little humanity but nothing. There was nothing Violet Grace did to betray that fact. As she was leaving, she thought she heard her say, “Just be careful Summer. Beneath that exterior is a different man altogether.”



End of Chapter One