Buried
Elli rummaged through documents looking for a file. "I know it's here somewhere…" She bit her lip nervously, trying desperately to recover lost information. Lately, working at the clinic was taking its toll on her. The late hours combined with the heavy workload wore her down. "Ow!" Elli shrieked in pain as a file sliced her skin. Nursing her wound, she placed the folder down.
The doctor came out to get a file and noticed the nurse neglecting her duties. "Elli, get back to work." He noticed Elli wince. "Oh come on, it's not that bad. It's just simple filing."
Elli sighed. "I'm sorry Tim. I just cut myself."
Tim glanced at the mark on her hand. "You should be more careful. Now get back to work. There's still a lot more to do." Grabbing the file he came out for, he returned to his cubicle. Elli rolled her eyes.
"How does he do it?" Elli wondered aloud. Tim was so impersonal and that bothered her. After working with him for six years, she had only recently gotten a thank-you. Elli muttered an obscenity under her breath.
Elli resumed filing. It was a boring and dreadful task but she had been appointed to do it. She remembered feeling overwhelmed by the workload when she first started working at the clinic, since then she'd grown accustomed to it.
Working at the clinic was a tedious job. Elli hated it but it paid the bills so she considered herself lucky. Barely anyone had ever visited her. Occasionally she'd write prescriptions for Lillia's monthly herbal remedy or bodigizer for sick patients but most of the time, she filed and inputted data. As hard as she tried, Elli found it difficult to remain focused. Often she was just tired due to her lack of sleep. She even fell asleep on the job once or twice.
After hours of filing and data entry, Elli's friend Karen had walked in wearing a long black dress and gold hoop earrings. "Hey girl, almost done?"
Elli shrugged. "I still have a lot of work to do, so I'm afraid not." Elli's eyes narrowed on the pile of papers on her desk. "It just never stops."
Karen frowned. "That doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun." Elli simply grunted her agreement. "Well, maybe after work we could get a few drinks at the Inn. What do you say?"
Elli shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, after work I have to go home. You know, I have to make Stu dinner and take care of Granny." Karen nodded sadly; she had expected Elli to bail on her again. "I'm sorry Karen."
"Don't be." Her friend insisted. "You have a lot on your plate. I understand."
Karen smiled weakly. "Well, I'll leave you to your work. Have a blast." With that said, Karen turned around and walked out.
Elli knew she had let her friend down once again. It wasn't something she enjoyed doing, but she'd always end up disappointing Karen. Between working at the clinic, and taking care of her ailing grandmother, maintaining a social life proved to be a difficult task.
She felt burdened by all of her responsibilities. She wanted to go out and have fun with her friends, but she couldn't. There was far too much work to do. There was always too much work to do. Elli felt trapped. Buried. She couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want her duties to isolate her. She was young too and wanted to go out and have fun just like everyone else. She just wanted to escape somehow. She wanted to be free.It was getting late and the doctor had finished his work for the night. He noticed Elli still working diligently at her desk. "All right. Well Elli, I'm off. Can you lock up tonight?" Elli looked up from her paperwork and nodded. "Thanks." Elli smiled, happy to finally feel appreciated. She waved to Tim as he left.
"You're welcome."
Once she was done, Elli sighed in relief only to come to the realization that her work was far from over. She still had to go home and tend to her family. Elli calmed herself. She was prone to anxiety attacks and knew she needed to take things slow. Quietly, she grabbed her coat and headed out the door. She knew there was a lot to do, but she would tackle each obstacle one step at a time.
