The Promotion

Tammy ran to the conference room, tripping on a floor mat. The files in her arms flew down the hall. She heard laughter. She didn’t belong in a corporate setting. She missed her field work in local streams.

“I can’t catch a break,” she said, realizing she had broken a nail in her fall.

“You’re late!” Mark said as she slid into her seat at the conference table. She slid down in her seat.

“I’m sorry,” she offered.

“We don’t care for tardiness, Miss Luther.”

“Yessir.” It was all she could think of. She straightened her skirt. She didn’t want to get fired. She had bills to pay. But she yearned for her old job. A promotion, she scoffed to herself. This was no promotion. This was politics and bureaucracy, all of the things she hated.

“Are you with us, Miss Luther?” Marks snarky tone pulled her from her thoughts. “We’d like your presentation - if you have the time.” Chuckles came from all around the table.

The message tone on her phone drew more attention to her. She felt her face get hot as she blushed.

“Care to come back to the field?” The text message was from Bart, her field supervisor. She shrieked with excitement, drawing stares from around the conference table.

She jumped up and threw her files into the trash as she strode toward the door. She stopped and poked her head back into the conference room.

“Don’t bother waiting for my return.” She laughed as the color drained from Mark’s face. Good riddance, she thought. She was headed back to field work!

Word Count: 266