The Dignity of an Independent Woman

Katherine Dominguez

Bennett

WLH 5

4/24/15

Dignity of an Independent Woman

Years of college just to have people look down upon for several more years and for them to try and take advantage of you. Jessica was a sweet young girl who was good at what she did. She works as an intern in a law firm  Albany, New York which is 2,455 miles from her hometown in California. She was great at her job and she loved it. Not only was she a successful woman but she was beautiful. Everywhere she went she turned heads, due to her sleek black hair, her alabaster skin, her sweet pink lips, and her big curious eyes.

Jessica has been working with her law firm for a couple months but has missed her mother and the rest of her family terribly. She thought that she should be getting paid a little more since she’s so far from home. Asking for a promotion made Jessica very anxious because although she was beautiful and sweet she was also quite timid. But her asking for a promotion must be made, she needed the extra cash to get a place of her very own because it just wasn’t working out with her new roommate. Jessica needed her own place to spread her wings and fly.

Robert Callahan was Jessica’s boss. He was an older man of about 57, he was balding but he didn’t want anyone to know so he had a comb over but ironically it wasn’t fooling anyone. Anyways, Robert has a protruding beer gut to go along with his three failed marriages and two burnout kids with which he has no relationship with except his monthly alimony bill. He’s naturally sweaty and well just overall repulsive. And sadly he was also the founder of Callahan Corporate, which meant he was in charge of everyone including all of the interns which so happened to be Jessica and Mr. Callahan knew it. He had his eyes targeted on Jessica because of the simple fact that she was delightfully beautiful.

Knock, Knock. There was a gentle tapping on Robert’s office door. To his delight, it was Jessica.

“Mr. Callahan?” , she asked quietly.

“Oh, Jessica. Hi, how can I help you?” , Robert replied.

“Could I have a moment to speak with you, please?” , Jessica asked so quietly, it was almost incoherent.

“Of course, anything for you, Jessica” ,his eyes were lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July.

There was a sudden unease of tension in the air. Jessica was still a bit new to the office scene since she had only graduated from college about a year ago, which caused her to be naive in her relationships with her bosses and coworkers. Jessica was nervous ,but she knew that if she didn’t get this off her chest and take a stand, she would never advance in her career as a paralegal. She pursued on, although her stomach had told her to stop right in her tracks.

“Hehe” , Jessica laughed nervously. “Well, I wanted you to know that I really do enjoy working here for you and I love the people and the work I do here ,but I’ve been having some trouble at home and I need extra money to get going on my own. I feel incredibly awkward asking but do you think I could get a raise or maybe even a promotion.”

“Well,” Robert cleared his throat, “Thats a very bold thing of you to ask, but I’m glad you did have asked it shows courage. But as you know we have been having cut backs and aren’t able to give raises to employees at this moment in time. Imagine if I gave you a raise and left everyone else high and dry, you can see how that wouldn’t look very good on either you nor me.”

“Oh, I see. Well, thank you for listening to me Mr.Callahan. I completely underst-”

“Unless…,” Robert interjected.

“Unless what?” , Jessica asked with eyes big and full of hope.

“Unless you can offer me a sort of service,” Robert responded with a sadistic grin.

Robert walked around Jessica closing the doors and shutting the blinds of his large office. He was a cynical man that only looked out for his personal gain. This time his gain would be Jessica and he will have her all to himself.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I know what you mean? What kind of service?” , Jessica asked nervously hoping and wishing he wasn’t asking what she thought he was asking.

Jessica was remembering her mother now and the conversation they had before she had left home. They were on the family couch conversing about what they think it will be like for Jessica living in a new place. Jessica’s mother had told her not to lose herself in a new and dangerous areas. Jessica had promised her mother that she would hold onto her values and never lose sight of who she truly is. This would be a test of that promise.

“Jessica are you listening to me?” , Robert said interrupting her flashback.

“Sorry could you repeat that?” , Jessica answered trying to hide the fact she was day dreaming.

“I said maybe you and I could go behind my desk and you could get down and show me how much you really love this job and how bad you want the promotion,” he uttered with a fiendish smile.

Jessica was in utter shock, it was taking all her might to not slap this old sweaty man across the face. She restrained herself.

“Since I do not appreciate your disgusting offer I am going to have to decline it, because I have too much dignity for myself that I will not involve myself with a fat, old, horrendous man. So thank you, but no thank you. I quit.”

Jessica stormed out of the office angry and disgusted by the perversion from her now ex-boss. She got out of that building as soon as possible. She no longer had a job and probably set her career back 4 years, but she left with her dignity and that’s all that matters to her.