31. Obvious Ogling

Obvious Ogling

"Morning, Meghan," Hadley said through a yawn as she entered the office. She stayed up late last night, shifting from Dorothy's cards, to unpacking the collection of her mom's beautifully maintained dresses, draping them proudly on her bed as she associated each one to a specific memory. She shuddered when she hung her mom's vibrant and timeless wardrobe alongside her own thrift shop collection. The thought of tossing out her discount rack finds popped in her mind once or twice before she reminded herself they're only outfits and it would be wasteful to throw away perfectly fine, though dull, clothing.

While Hadley was eager to start wearing her mom's dresses, even though they would hang on her thin frame, today she wore one of her own. She smoothed her hands against the front of her dress before she sat. Touching the cheap modal fabric made her instantly regret not changing into one of her mom's more quality pieces. Up until now, though, the dress she slipped on this morning, which fit like a glove, made her feel pretty. The white dress had a pale blue trellis pattern and a slight flare ending at her knees with a bodice that formed snuggly to her waistline. The square neckline flattered her slender figure while the long sleeves kept it modest.

Meghan was standing at a small table against the back wall, stirring a packet of sugar into her coffee mug. Hadley watched from her desk as Meghan pushed her hair behind her shoulders, causing her glossy curls to bounce across the back of her emerald green dress.

The table Meghan occupied was just large enough to hold a small coffee maker, a red plastic container of ground coffee, a box with sugar packets, and a container of powdered creamer. Near the edge there was also a random collection of mismatched coffee mugs, one of which held plastic stirrers.

Meghan twisted her head around to make eye contact with Hadley and returned the friendly greeting. She then proceeded to finish messing with her coffee before returning to her seat. She took a moment to smooth her diamond printed maxi dress, in a similar fashion Hadley had, before she sat in her seat. Hadley marveled at how much more sophisticated the motion seemed when Meghan did it.

Meghan sat adjacent to Hadley's desk and immediately in front of her was Mary's unoccupied desk. On the other side of Hadley's desk, across from Meghan, were multiple black metal filing cabinets. The cabinets held client files, past and present, in alphabetical order. There were smaller versions of these rusty cabinets underneath each desk. Hadley's was somewhat empty but held copies of blank applications and tax forms. She wasn't sure what was kept in Meghan's two-drawer cabinet but knew all of the company contracts were kept inside of Mary's, protected by a lock and key.

Meghan blew at the steam from her coffee before she took a slow sip. She dropped her shoulders, closed her eyes, and released a quiet sigh. Hadley, on the other hand, futzed with the items on her desk, not all that sure what to be doing but afraid of looking lazy. "How was your night, Hadley? Do anything fun?"

Hadley let out a pfft noise in response, prompting a giggle from Meghan. "Girl, please. If that means you had a boring night, then I'm jealous. Amelia has no dial on her energy. It's like a switch, all on or all off. Last night it was all on. All. On." Her eyes round with emphasis.

Hadley smiled. "You say that, but it has to beat the dead silence I come home to. It gets eerie. I was thinking about getting a kitten but decided I better save my money for now. I just moved into my new apartment a few weeks ago, so we'll see. Maybe once I'm settled in."

"Cats are great pets and way less expensive than a dog. Less time consuming, too, since they tend to be self-sufficient."

"Yeah, very true." Hadley returned to the papers in front of her and mindlessly played with the corners. Avoiding eye contact, she continued, "So, this might be stupid, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing."

"No worries. And, that's not a stupid question… how would you know if we haven't told you?"

Hadley shrugged and lifted her eyes to meet Meghan's.

"So mornings are usually pretty slow for you. Please don't feel guilty about bringing a book or a crossword puzzle, or whatever you're into. There are definitely moments of down time. You'll just have to tuck whatever away when clients show up."

Hadley nodded, not wanting to admit she'd already planned to use the downtime to write to Dorothy. "Do they always have appointments or do people just show up?"

"Great question! We try to advertise ‘open interview' periods. This means we designate a chunk of time for new people to come in and fill out applications and get screened by me. But, we also tend to get random walk-ins. We don't turn people away, so be prepared for unexpected people. Oh! And sometimes our repeat clients will stop by looking for new assignments. They never make appointments. They feel much too entitled to be sitting among the squalor of new clients." Meghan's words dripped with sarcasm.

Hadley appreciated her humor. "Right, of course."

"We take lunch from twelve to one daily. You are welcome to eat at your desk or leave for the hour. I try to hit Morty's once a week, at least, but otherwise pack my lunch. The receptionist before you used to go home for the hour. She lived nearby and would use the time to let her dog out and eat in private. Totally up to you! You just need to be back by one. Then, our open hours are from two until five. Once the last one is complete, we lock up and head home. That part is just like yesterday."

"Okay, got it. Thanks for explaining."

"No problem. Just ask me again if you forget, it's really no worry." Hadley smiled while she listened. "In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this coffee and pretend it will actually jolt me to life. Yesterday was so slow, right? That usually means today will be busy. Buckle up!" Meghan laughed before she lifted the hot coffee she was cradling in her hands toward her mouth.

"I'm ready," Hadley said, eager to start on her letter. "Hey Meghan, do you think it's okay if I used a few pieces of paper? I don't want to take advantage, but I was really hoping to write a letter to… an old friend, during the slow moments."

"Oh of course. You don't even need to ask! We have more paper than we know what to do with. There's plenty of envelopes and stamps in that drawer in the corner you can grab once you're done."

Hadley looked over at where Meghan had pointed and nodded. "Thank you!"

***

Hadley greeted a few new clients throughout the morning, but overall it stayed slow. It took her longer than expected to find the right words to say to Dorothy and whenever she got into a groove, she'd hear the bells jingle and would quickly shift her focus.

Hadley found a rhythm with building the application packet and handing it through the window for the potential client to complete. While they were friendly enough so far, a few had eyes that lingered a beat too long. She regretted wearing a form fitting dress with a somewhat exposing neckline but did her best to ignore the obvious ogling, often finding reasons to temporarily step away from her desk. "So skeevy, right," Meghan whispered as Hadley walked to the coffee table, with no plans of getting coffee.

"Yeah," Hadley whispered, keeping her back to the window. "It's like they can see through my clothes." Meghan and Hadley both shook the thought off and made matching disgusted faces.

Hadley slowly made her way back to the desk and immediately felt eyes on her. She glanced over at the waiting room and returned the unwelcomed gaze with an uncomfortable smile. She then sat down and refocused on her half-written letter to Dorothy. She decided at that moment to stop at the corner market on her way home to pick up a word search activity book to keep in her desk drawer for future awkward moments. It was safer to appear busy, even if she wasn't.

"Miss?"

Hadley lifted her head at the gruff voice coming from the window at her back. She turned her attention to the man, sliding her draft under an empty manilla folder. "How may I help you?"

"Mmm, I can think of a few ways you could help me," the man said with a dirty smirk. He was short in stature and wore dirt-covered blue jeans and his bright orange t-shirt had an advertisement for a crane operating company across the front. His thin hair was tucked under an old baseball cap and his crooked smile was framed by chestnut and gray stubble.

Meghan was up out of her chair before the man uttered his next thought. She snatched the clipboard from his hands and looked at his name. "Is that so, let's see, Mark is it?"

"I was having myself a nice conversation with this here little bombshell. Jealous, Ariel?"

"First of all, not my name. Second of all, if you don't know how to respect a lady then you will not be working for Placers. Care to try again or should I remind you where the door is?"

Hadley was dumbfounded by Meghan's natural confidence, grateful she stepped in so quickly. Hadley sat like a statue, her eyes bouncing between her coworker and the man behind the window. She swallowed hard as silence filled the room. Meghan continued to stare at the man, unwavered.

Finally, the man responded. "My bad, ma'am. I was just having some fun." His eyes bounced down to his shoes before he shifted his gaze back up. "Miss?"

Hadley realized his words were directed at her. Nervous, she cleared her throat, and rotated her seat to face him. "Yes?"

"Sorry if I was rude. My packet is done."

Meghan gave him an annoyed head nod, rolled her eyes, and returned to her desk. She gave Hadley a wink of reassurance once she was out of view.

"Thank you," Hadley said to the man. "I just need your driver's license to photograph for the file."

"Here you go, Miss uh, Miss."

"You can call me Hadley," she responded. "Thank you for the license. Meghan will give it back to you once you've interviewed. You can have a seat for now."

Meghan had no other clients but still let the man sit in the waiting room for a few minutes before she called him back. In the two seconds it took for the man to pass by Hadley's desk, Hadley felt his dirt-colored eyes rake slowly across her body. Suddenly her dress felt paper thin. She was embarrassed by the vulgarity of his gaze and immediately turned her chair to face away from him so no one would see the heat that rose to her cheeks or the tears that threatened to escape. She forced herself to calm down not wanting to draw any more attention to herself. You're being silly. She held in a deep breath until she felt the pressure build, and then slowly, quietly exhaled.

She listened to the interview starting behind her, without turning back around. "Okay, Mark," Meghan began. "Let's take a look at your application, shall we?"

Hadley wasn't sure but she thought Meghan might have noticed the unwarranted body scan, too. She hoped it meant the guy wouldn't get a job. Or maybe he'd get a job somewhere where no women worked. She hated to think that someone else may get the same skeevy attention that she just had. On paper the interaction was mild, but to Hadley it felt gross.

***

"I guess that's what you meant," Hadley said once the office was empty.

"Actually that was fairly tame."

"Oh." Hadley's eyes went wide.

"Though I'm sure he would've pressed his luck if I hadn't gotten up to stop the conversation. I don't know what makes a man see a pretty young girl and suddenly think he's Don Juan. Totally perverse. Like no, thank you, dude… you don't even have a job," Meghan laughed.

Hadley laughed, too, as her shoulder muscles unwound. "It's not like he did anything but it felt so violating. His eyes were literally searing through me. I guess I should wear something looser tomorrow. I'm sorry if this dress isn't appropriate. I don't have a huge selection, but I figured the long sleeves made it okay for work. It is a little tight…" Hadley was spiraling. This never would've happened in one of mom's dresses.

"Girl, take a breath." Meghan bounced her eyes to Hadley's chair, motioning for her to sit back down.

Hadley sat. "I'm fine, I just feel silly showing up to work in this type of outfit."

"And what type of outfit is that? I think it's a beautiful dress. Perfectly appropriate for work."

"Okay." Hadley chewed at the inside of her cheek. "I just know it's important to dress correctly for work. I don't want to mess up, this job is really important to me."

"Well you're doing great so far." Meghan confirmed. "The receptionists before you never lasted long, if I'm being honest. The creeps that blow through here seem to scare them away. It's not a high paying or glamorous job, so it's easy enough to quit and move on. I am impressed that you are motivated and want to succeed." Meghan pivoted, hoping to convince Hadley to stay. "There's no reason to feel like you're to blame for other people's behavior. Yes, your dress fits your body great. Clothes are meant to fit us that way. We don't dress for anyone but ourselves. We shouldn't have to cover ourselves with potato sacks so men don't objectify us. It's their job to be polite and to remember their manners. What you are wearing is completely appropriate. Now, if you show up in hooker heels and a mini skirt, then we'll talk."

Hadley laughed. "Oh shoot."

"What's wrong?"

"Now I have to plan a different outfit for tomorrow. I had laid out my favorite hooker boots and a sequined mini skirt." They laughed as the tension in the air dissipated. After a few minutes, Hadley looked over at Meghan and smiled. "Thanks, again. I just don't want to mess this up."

"Stick around and before you know it, you'll see just how pathetic these guys are. You'll learn when to ignore them and when to bite back. I mean, we can keep hoping for the Mr. Rogers types to show up, but let's face it… those polite gentlemen don't need our help getting jobs."

Hadley nodded. "Yeah, good point." Meghan nodded back and let out a mhm noise before she returned to the papers in front of her. Hadley knew that Meghan would find Mark a job, despite the poor attitude, because that was what her job required. She watched Meghan flip through a file of open requisitions before she smirked and made a quick phone call.

"So guess what I did?" Meghan said, leaning back in her chair. Hadley looked at her curiously. "I assigned Mark to the waste station."

"That's awesome," Hadley chuckled.

"It's a second shift position that starts next week. He'll be stationed in the middle of a garbage heap for most of his day. He gets a few weeks before we get an evaluation on him and can go from there." Meghan giggled before adding, "Trash for trash, amiright?" Hadley joined in the laughter until they heard the jingle of bells at the front door. They quickly composed themselves before a young man approached.

"Hi, welcome to Placers Staffing," Hadley said, still smiling. "Have you been here before?"

"No, miss. I was hoping to fill out an application as I could really use the work." Hadley was relieved to hear manners. The young man, probably similar in age to herself, was wearing a clean pair of Levi jeans and a fitted light blue t-shirt. He stood tall with neatly styled wavy brown hair and a sincere smile. It was a stark contrast to the older man from earlier.

"Sure, give me a moment to grab a packet for you."

"Take your time."

Hadley turned around to compile a new packet and attach it to a clipboard. She paused to look over at Meghan who whispered a theatric "As I live and breathe, it's Mr. Rogers," causing Hadley to stifle a laugh. "Here you go. Fill this out and hand it back once you're done. Then we'll call you back for an interview and go from there."

"Got it. Thank you."

"Honestly, thank you." The young man didn't understand why he was being thanked but still nodded an acknowledgment. They're not all bad, Hadley reminded herself. They're not dad. The scars on her spirit would always be there and her trust in men forever marred, but still she worked hard to find the good. The boldness of Mark scared Hadley but the easy manners and gentle smile of the next guy helped Hadley remember the balance.

I can do this, she thought before returning her attention to the letter in front of her. She was determined to finish it before the end of the day so she could drop it in the mailbox on her way home. She couldn't wait for the letter to reach Dorothy. She made sure to include her current address and the apartment's lobby phone number at the bottom of the letter. With a little horseshoe luck, and a lot of patience, she'd get a call from Dorothy soon.