Entry #62

Breakthrough
by Precie


“I had that dream again.”

“Mm-hmm” was the only reply, followed by pen scratching against paper.

She’s playing sudoku, I‘ll bet! I tried again.

“I was trapped in a shopping mall,” I said. “The exits were all locked. The stores were closed. All I could do was wander up and down the escalators.”

“Have you been watching horror movies? You didn’t watch that zombie one again, did you?” Victoria didn’t even bother to look at me.

“No!” I replied. “I’ve been too busy with work! I barely have time to breathe, much less watch a movie.”

“Okay, so tell me about your work.”

“It’s nothing that would interest you. I’ve just had a lot on my plate, a few new projects. I might be up for promotion next month.”

“Uh-huh. So you’re feeling stressed by work?”

“No, no. I love my job. And I welcome the additional responsibilities…my company believes in me.”

“Okay.”

“So don’t you want to know more about my dream?”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Okay, I’ve had enough.

“I don’t think this is working,” I said.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been seeing you for five months now, and I can’t take it anymore. You don’t look at me when we talk. You don’t care about me. I want someone who really cares about what I want, what I need, what I say.”

“Excellent, Maggie!” Victoria smiled, perhaps for the first time since we’d met. “Great work articulating your concerns. Time’s up. See you next week.”