Alfred glanced out the window of his studio apartment. Outside, people scurried by on Main Street, dressed for a variety of jobs. A woman in her late twenties waited at the bus stop. Her floral dress flapped in the breeze and she tapped her heeled boot impatiently. A man in navy workshop coveralls had his arm wrapped around a pudgy woman in a green t-shirt and khakis. A woman in a gray pantsuit walked briskly towards his apartment building. Her dark hair was loose at her shoulders and she… Oh. Alfred recognized the woman as his mother, Judith. What was she doing here? Alfred pulled his hair up into a neat bun and trudged to the front door. Just as he reached for the handle, a knock came from the other side. With a sigh, he unlocked and swung it open.
"Hey, Mom."
Judith brushed past him into the apartment. She settled her hands at her hips and looked her son up and down. After a moment, she adjusted his tie.
"Not bad, Al." She brushed off the collar of his suit jacket. "Remember, you'll be meeting our new Social Media Marketing Director at four. You need to look your best. We're lucky she even applied to work for us with her expertise. We can't afford for you to mess this up."
Alfred nodded and smirked.
"I know, Mom. I'll be the most professional that I've ever been. No one has ever been as gracious and professional as I'll be this afternoon."
Judith rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder.
"I'll hold you to that, Al. I'm headed to the office." She started to walk out the door but paused a moment to look over her shoulder. "Also, try and break from your comfort zone by not being late." She closed the door behind her. Alfred turned on his heel and strode to the coffee maker, filling his travel mug. A drip slid down the stainless steel and fell onto his tie. He groaned and used a wet paper towel to scrub at it. Today was going to be a long one.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Alfred ran towards the office, looking down to check the time on his phone. Three fifty-seven. Crap. He couldn't be late for this meeting. He'd been meeting with the company's main investor, Heahmund, and lost track of time. Heahmund was a family friend. They'd started catching up and telling stories, making Alfred forget about meeting the Social Media Marketing Director. Now he ran the risk of being late, and, in reality, he should have been there a few minutes early. Pushing through the rotating door, he raced to the conference room. Before stepping inside, he fixed his jacket and breathed deeply. He opened the door. A young woman, not much older than him, sat at the near end of the table. Her burgundy hair was pulled into a ponytail, which hung in loose curls down her back. She wore a royal blue wrap dress covered by a black blazer and peach-rimmed glasses. As Alfred pulled a chair out, she peered up at him.
"You're late."
Alfred checked his phone. Two minutes after four. Great. He'd screwed up already without even opening his mouth.
"Yes, I am late. I apologize for that. Normally, this kind of thing doesn't happen. I had a last minute meeting with an investor."
The woman pushed her glasses back up her nose and eyed him in a way that reminded Alfred of a lioness stalking her prey. Finally, she extended her hand across the table.
"Sigrun Edelson. Athel Sports' new Social Media Marketing Director."
Alfred shook her hand firmly.
"Glad to have you on our team."
Sigrun abruptly stood and made her way to the door.
"I'll be here at eight Monday morning. I expect you'll have found me an office by that time."