"Bruce," the young lab tech looked at him for guidance. She was in
love with him that was true but he never had eyes for anybody. Even when
he had started dating Betty everyone in the lab was quietly surprised. And
for her, her heart had broken. She had never once told him that she cared.
She had always been there for him when he needed a new report or a new test
done or anything. She had even helped him clean out his desk once. He
tousled her hair as if she was some forgotten lap dog. Whenever he walked
in the lab first thing in the morning, his eyes sought hers and he gave her
a small heads up and then he'd scrunch his nose at her with a small smile.
She lived for that small smile every morning. She lived to see his eyes
upon her. And, she had lived for him for so long. She now realized that
she had to leave or forever live her life waiting for something that would
never come to pass.
"Bruce," she touched his arm for affect this time. He was distracted almost like in his own little world. He turned to look at her and Leandra noticed that his whole demeanor softened.
"What is it, Lee-Lee?" His brown eyes inquisitively searched her face.
Leandra was taken aback. He had used his pet name for her. There had been a time when they had been quite close. She had been his student of sorts and he had been her teacher. She had graduated from college quite at a young age and when she had applied for the job in the lab, he had taken her under his wing. 'I guess he still thinks I am 16." She had been with the lab for at least 6 years and not once had she complained about being his lap dog. All the other people in the lab knew and they teased her to no end about it but she just quietly ignored them. It was her way. But then Betty had happened and she crawled back into the woodwork once again, loving him from afar.
She let go his arm and then whispered to him, "We have to talk, privately."
He nodded his head absentmindedly, "Oh, ok let's go to my office." He stepped aside to let her go in first. 'Always the gentleman,' thought Leandra to herself. He settled himself at his desk before he looked at her again. Bruce her Bruce as she had thought of him always her Bruce. His brown hair parted on the side looked luxurious to her, a haven of sorts. His eyes were a sanctuary that she would never have the opportunity to experience. And his smile, oh lord, his smile was life folded upon itself like eternity.
"Ok," he said. "What's up?" He leaned back in his chair nonchalantly.
"Bruce, I have to go." She cleared her throat. It had been the hardest decision she had ever had to make.
"You need to take the day off?" He reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a slip of paper. "You know you just have to ask..."
She interrupted him and shook her head no. "I mean leave here, the lab." She sighed and lowered her gaze to her shoes. Her white sneakers that she wore always to work looked really dingy today. The shoes went well with her other lab attire-khaki pants and whatever color golf shirt was clean in her closet. She raised her eyes to find his upon hers.
"What do you mean?" He frowned a bit making a furrow appear in his forehead. "Are you not happy here working in the lab?" He straightened up in his chair.
"It is not that Bruce." She gazed out the only window in his office. The trees outside were a lush green.
"Then what it is?" He wore a puzzled look on his face.
"I need to find myself to give the lamest excuse." She smiled then. It was the truth; she had already told her father she was leaving the job he had found for her. He was head of security in the building and had wanted to keep her close. It had worked for 6 years at least.
"You can't find yourself here?" A hurt look had begun to surface on Bruce's face.
Should she take the chance; take a running leap and ask him if he really cared whether she was alive or dead? She decided against it because she knew that he could not hurt a living creature and if she was dead it would only bother him because she too was a living creature like the lab rats and rabbits.
"Actually no." She placed her hands in her pockets. "You know Bruce that I have never known who my mother was..." she paused for she knew that was one of the reasons that Bruce had chosen to take her under his wing when she had first started. He too did now know who either of his parents were and he felt for her at least she thought.
He nodded. The hurt seen slightly before had sunk beneath the surface. "What does that have to do with you finding yourself?"
"My father has just told me that my mother has family in Argentina." She sighed. From out of nowhere she heard herself as if she was watching the scene in a movie theater. "Bruce I love you and since I mean nothing more to you than a co-worker, I have to go."
The look on Bruce's face was definitely surprise. Leandra winced. She almost began to cry when all she heard was silence. So to save face, she turned to run from the office when she felt his hand upon her shoulder. She turned to see his dark eyes looking intently at her possibly for the first time taking in her appearance. Her dark curly hair was pulled back severely into a bun and her face was sans makeup just a touch of gloss at the lips. Her clothes did not do much for her shape either; her clothes hid her body which was the point. The one thing that did stand out was the fact that she was petite; she was a tiny little thing that had always fit into the curve of his arm. Not that she had ever spent any time in that position well maybe only in her dreams.
"Lee-Lee I never knew..."
She interrupted him. "How could you not know?" A small sob escaped from deep within. She had not meant for it to turn into a melodrama. She covered her mouth with her hand, which seemed to stem the tide of emotions spilling forth. "I must go now Bruce." She took his large hand from her shoulder to hold it for a second too long before she let it go. "You must let me go. I can not stay here and mean nothing to you."
"But Lee-Lee you do mean something to me."
She placed her fingers on his lips. "Stop Bruce. Don't patronize me." And he grew silent. She let her hand fall and he grasped it in his. His touch was warm and it made her feel alive. They stood that for way for a bit just staring at one another. Each not knowing what was going on in the other's mind.
They could not be seen by any of the others in the lab for they were standing near the entrance of his office that was hidden from view unless you were right at the door. Neither one saw it coming. The door opened smacking Leandra on the back of the head. She yelped not only in pain but also for the fact that her last moment with Bruce had been cut short. She rubbed her head and when she turned to see who had walked in; it was her. Betty. The woman who had loved Bruce and had let him go. She had broken up with him. Leandra lowered her gaze and ran out. She grabbed her purse and was gone.
Bruce just quietly shut the door to the office. He went to his desk and sat down. He was speechless at what just transpired
All was not lost on Betty. "What did little monkey girl want?"
Bruce turned to look at her. "Betty, don't be mean..."
She laughed and pulled up a chair next to him. "That's what they call her you know; 'Lee-Lee the monkey faced girl'." Betty leaned forward to gaze at the report Bruce was reading. "You know she should be in a freak show with Jo-Jo the dog faced boy and Clara the bearded lady."
"She said she was leaving."
"Really?" Betty eased back in her chair after taking the report from his hands." "That is a surprise."
"Why do you say that?" Bruce leaned over his chair and took the report back. Betty just shrugged her shoulders. "Tell me what else they say about her?"
Betty smirked at him. "Why the sudden interest in Monkey girl?"
"It doesn't matter now does it? She is leaving to go I don't know I think she might have said South America." Bruce passed the report back to her.
"Well they say she is a loner. Never goes to lunch with anybody other than her father. She is a hard worker and well...Bruce I am surprised that you never noticed her before."
"What do you mean? I helped her out when she first started here." Bruce was going through more reports on his desk. Betty meanwhile was busy jotting down stats from the report he had given her.
"The others tease her about following you around like a dog. Don't tell me you have never noticed that?"
Bruce threw up his hands and shrugged his shoulders at her. "No I never noticed that." But in his head he began to add up the countless times, Leandra had given him a soda when he was thirsty or had brought an extra sandwich from home and had given it to him when he spent late nights at the office or the number of times she had loaned him one of her fathers jackets when it had begun to rain outside. He realized that Lee-Lee did care for him.
"She loves you you know." She smiled at him
"Bruce," she touched his arm for affect this time. He was distracted almost like in his own little world. He turned to look at her and Leandra noticed that his whole demeanor softened.
"What is it, Lee-Lee?" His brown eyes inquisitively searched her face.
Leandra was taken aback. He had used his pet name for her. There had been a time when they had been quite close. She had been his student of sorts and he had been her teacher. She had graduated from college quite at a young age and when she had applied for the job in the lab, he had taken her under his wing. 'I guess he still thinks I am 16." She had been with the lab for at least 6 years and not once had she complained about being his lap dog. All the other people in the lab knew and they teased her to no end about it but she just quietly ignored them. It was her way. But then Betty had happened and she crawled back into the woodwork once again, loving him from afar.
She let go his arm and then whispered to him, "We have to talk, privately."
He nodded his head absentmindedly, "Oh, ok let's go to my office." He stepped aside to let her go in first. 'Always the gentleman,' thought Leandra to herself. He settled himself at his desk before he looked at her again. Bruce her Bruce as she had thought of him always her Bruce. His brown hair parted on the side looked luxurious to her, a haven of sorts. His eyes were a sanctuary that she would never have the opportunity to experience. And his smile, oh lord, his smile was life folded upon itself like eternity.
"Ok," he said. "What's up?" He leaned back in his chair nonchalantly.
"Bruce, I have to go." She cleared her throat. It had been the hardest decision she had ever had to make.
"You need to take the day off?" He reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a slip of paper. "You know you just have to ask..."
She interrupted him and shook her head no. "I mean leave here, the lab." She sighed and lowered her gaze to her shoes. Her white sneakers that she wore always to work looked really dingy today. The shoes went well with her other lab attire-khaki pants and whatever color golf shirt was clean in her closet. She raised her eyes to find his upon hers.
"What do you mean?" He frowned a bit making a furrow appear in his forehead. "Are you not happy here working in the lab?" He straightened up in his chair.
"It is not that Bruce." She gazed out the only window in his office. The trees outside were a lush green.
"Then what it is?" He wore a puzzled look on his face.
"I need to find myself to give the lamest excuse." She smiled then. It was the truth; she had already told her father she was leaving the job he had found for her. He was head of security in the building and had wanted to keep her close. It had worked for 6 years at least.
"You can't find yourself here?" A hurt look had begun to surface on Bruce's face.
Should she take the chance; take a running leap and ask him if he really cared whether she was alive or dead? She decided against it because she knew that he could not hurt a living creature and if she was dead it would only bother him because she too was a living creature like the lab rats and rabbits.
"Actually no." She placed her hands in her pockets. "You know Bruce that I have never known who my mother was..." she paused for she knew that was one of the reasons that Bruce had chosen to take her under his wing when she had first started. He too did now know who either of his parents were and he felt for her at least she thought.
He nodded. The hurt seen slightly before had sunk beneath the surface. "What does that have to do with you finding yourself?"
"My father has just told me that my mother has family in Argentina." She sighed. From out of nowhere she heard herself as if she was watching the scene in a movie theater. "Bruce I love you and since I mean nothing more to you than a co-worker, I have to go."
The look on Bruce's face was definitely surprise. Leandra winced. She almost began to cry when all she heard was silence. So to save face, she turned to run from the office when she felt his hand upon her shoulder. She turned to see his dark eyes looking intently at her possibly for the first time taking in her appearance. Her dark curly hair was pulled back severely into a bun and her face was sans makeup just a touch of gloss at the lips. Her clothes did not do much for her shape either; her clothes hid her body which was the point. The one thing that did stand out was the fact that she was petite; she was a tiny little thing that had always fit into the curve of his arm. Not that she had ever spent any time in that position well maybe only in her dreams.
"Lee-Lee I never knew..."
She interrupted him. "How could you not know?" A small sob escaped from deep within. She had not meant for it to turn into a melodrama. She covered her mouth with her hand, which seemed to stem the tide of emotions spilling forth. "I must go now Bruce." She took his large hand from her shoulder to hold it for a second too long before she let it go. "You must let me go. I can not stay here and mean nothing to you."
"But Lee-Lee you do mean something to me."
She placed her fingers on his lips. "Stop Bruce. Don't patronize me." And he grew silent. She let her hand fall and he grasped it in his. His touch was warm and it made her feel alive. They stood that for way for a bit just staring at one another. Each not knowing what was going on in the other's mind.
They could not be seen by any of the others in the lab for they were standing near the entrance of his office that was hidden from view unless you were right at the door. Neither one saw it coming. The door opened smacking Leandra on the back of the head. She yelped not only in pain but also for the fact that her last moment with Bruce had been cut short. She rubbed her head and when she turned to see who had walked in; it was her. Betty. The woman who had loved Bruce and had let him go. She had broken up with him. Leandra lowered her gaze and ran out. She grabbed her purse and was gone.
Bruce just quietly shut the door to the office. He went to his desk and sat down. He was speechless at what just transpired
All was not lost on Betty. "What did little monkey girl want?"
Bruce turned to look at her. "Betty, don't be mean..."
She laughed and pulled up a chair next to him. "That's what they call her you know; 'Lee-Lee the monkey faced girl'." Betty leaned forward to gaze at the report Bruce was reading. "You know she should be in a freak show with Jo-Jo the dog faced boy and Clara the bearded lady."
"She said she was leaving."
"Really?" Betty eased back in her chair after taking the report from his hands." "That is a surprise."
"Why do you say that?" Bruce leaned over his chair and took the report back. Betty just shrugged her shoulders. "Tell me what else they say about her?"
Betty smirked at him. "Why the sudden interest in Monkey girl?"
"It doesn't matter now does it? She is leaving to go I don't know I think she might have said South America." Bruce passed the report back to her.
"Well they say she is a loner. Never goes to lunch with anybody other than her father. She is a hard worker and well...Bruce I am surprised that you never noticed her before."
"What do you mean? I helped her out when she first started here." Bruce was going through more reports on his desk. Betty meanwhile was busy jotting down stats from the report he had given her.
"The others tease her about following you around like a dog. Don't tell me you have never noticed that?"
Bruce threw up his hands and shrugged his shoulders at her. "No I never noticed that." But in his head he began to add up the countless times, Leandra had given him a soda when he was thirsty or had brought an extra sandwich from home and had given it to him when he spent late nights at the office or the number of times she had loaned him one of her fathers jackets when it had begun to rain outside. He realized that Lee-Lee did care for him.
"She loves you you know." She smiled at him