Life On the Run-Again (Part 2)

A month into sharpening pencils, and checking to see that the editors hadn't missed every last comma, quotation, and period, I got my big break. It wasn't really so big, but it was a break anyways. In that month I had made a few friends-Anette and Corise. Anette actually was a writer, she'd been working for The Wide Circle for eight years, and she'd only been writing for a year. That scared me. Was I going to have to stay here in Blackstone for seven years before someone even considered reading my work, before it was discovered that I-Miss. Pencil sharpener girl herself, really did know how to write? Corise had gotten lucky in his first year and had only been in Blackstone for three years. He wrote about the local happenings; marriages, parties, high school graduations, you know the like.1

Corise had read some of my stories and essays and really thought he'd found something big in me. Whatever that was, I really was clueless to it. He and I spent countless hours creating more and more columns together. Even though my name wasn't being published with his, I always smiled when I read the articles and knew that I had give a big chunk of idea to the birthing of that material. My big break came when some fancy secretary called my floor's supervisor and I was called up to the big boss's office. 2

When I got up to fourth floor and was ushered into the waiting room, Corise was already sitting in one of the ridiculously over sized chairs at the foot of a rather monstrous desk. 3

"What's going on Cor?"
He just smiled at me and shrugged.4

We were called into the office. Sitting on the overly large desk was a name plague that read, "Barnby Ule-Cheif Editor"5

"Elaine, Corise, take a seat."
I sat down in one of the chocolate leather chairs and Corise took the chair to my right.
"You know why I've called you here, I presume." He had a deep, rich voice that soothed my nerves. I really had no idea why I had been called here.6

"No, Mr. Ule, she doesn't. I haven't filled her in." Corise grinned at me then turned back to Ule.7

"Elaine, Corise has told me of the two of you working for quite some time on all the articles he turns in."8

Did this mean what I thought it meant? Was I finally going to get to write?9

"So, I've decided to make you and Corise partners in the human interest section. You'll begin and the start of next week."10

I beamed at Corise, shook the offered hand of Mr. Ule and nearly floated out of the office. I was finally going to get to write, I finally had what I wanted, even if it was a small step in the right direction. Beggars can't be choosers; I already knew that.