Upside Down Read Online Free PDF Page B

stopped in my tracks, turned around and sto od in front of her.
    “Is there something wrong, Ms…,” I wasn’t pretending. I had forgotten her surname.
    “Cindy . You can call me, Cindy. There’s nothing wrong,” she gave me a bright smile and cocked her head to one side before going on. “It’s just that I’ve been working here for over two weeks now and I haven’t had a chance to talk to you again. You are always rushing in or out.”
    I stomped a foot in frustration but took a deep breath to control my anger before saying anything. I wasn’t famous for my patience and if it had been any other person I would have slashed out without thinking twice. But she was new to the company. I needed to remember that. Besides, I had remembered her surname, all of a sudden, along with other things, so my voice was very cold when I spoke.
    “I don’t have time for idle chat, Miss O’Rourke. As you so well pointed out – I’m always rushing around. I do that because I have a lot of work. So, if you excuse me,” I turned to go on my way to the staff meeting but she held my arm.
    “I’m sorry, Ms. Sullivan, ” she kept her hold of my arm even when I frowned at her. “I didn’t mean to distract you from your work or take time away from your busy schedule. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated the chance you’ve given me to work here. I’ve learned more here, over these past weeks, than I did in my first year at Columbia.”
    She let go of my arm but I stood there for a few seconds after she finished speaking. If I had been honest with myself I would have admitted I felt uncomfortable because of her unexpected touch and the hurt in her voice. Instead, I told myself I felt embarrassed because I had treated her rudely.
    “I’m sorry, Ms. O’Rourke. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did. It’s just that things have been crazy lately. I’m tired but that’s no excuse for being mean. I’m glad you feel that way about working here. And feel free to tell me if you need anything.”
    “I will ,” she replied promptly and the bright, wide smile was back on her face making me doubt if the hurt I had just heard in her voice was real.
    Before I turned around to head back to the conference room, I thought I saw her winking at me. I chose to ignore that instead of clarifying the issue, shook my head and went inside the room where my staff had been waiting for me to start our meeting.
    “Good morning, everyone ,” I greeted before apologizing. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting. Mark, what’s the agenda today?”
    I put Ms. O’Rourke out of my mind to concentrate on the serious matters on the agenda but some disturbing sensations lingered. Once more, I decided to ignore them and this time the international crisis helped me a great deal with that.
    But putting Ms. O’Rourke completely out of my mind proved to be harder than I had imagined. The following days made that very clear. Every time I passed by her counter, I had the distinct feeling she was flirting with me. It made me uncomfortable but I couldn’t do much about the discomfort because I wasn’t sure of her behavior. It wasn’t anything out in the open, it was rather subtle and discreet and I could easily have misjudged her intentions. Also, I didn’t know her well enough to distinguish the way she treated me from the way she treated others. For instance, she used to greet me with a wide smile, cocking her head to one side. Whenever I had to stop by the counter, she would cross her arms under her breasts and lean on the counter to talk. That movement would bring the neckline of her uniform blouse lower exposing a large expanse of her chest to anyone standing opposite the counter. She also had the annoying habit of touching me whenever she was talking to me or standing by. I never liked people doing that to me.
    I decided to talk to her about such behavior but first I would pay more attention to her interactions with the rest of the staff in