Scarlett knew if she didn\u2019t bring out the big cannons and wow the top brass with acres of well-farmed information at the annual business review, she could be transferred out of the Atlanta office, or her Marketing Director job could be history or assigned to a thirty-something blue-suit in their Boston headquarters. The thought made her blood hotter than the devil\u2019s kitchen. Her frustration marching higher, she grabbed pages from last year\u2019s report, crumpled them in her hand, and raised a fistful of wadded paper over her head. \u201cI will not give up my turf.\u201d Scarlett had every intention of becoming Vice President of Marketing one day and nothing, no man, was going to stop her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was almost eight, long after dinner, and she was still in her office. When her phone rang, a number she didn\u2019t recognize appeared. \u201cFiddle-dee-dee, don\u2019t bother me now.\u201d She let it ring. Then, thinking something may have happened to her ailing father, she picked up. \u201cScarlett speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A breathy hello, followed by, \u201cOh, Honey, I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re still there.\u201d Marilyn took a sip of her drink. \u201cI thought you would be. I need a really, really big favor. Would you mind terribly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scarlett rolled her eyes. \u201cI need a big favor, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnything, anything, of course,\u201d squeak, squeal, giggle. \u201cJust name it, Sweetie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShow up at the office tomorrow morning and help finish this report. Our jobs are on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t do that. I took a vacation day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCancel it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I can\u2019t. I\u2019ve got a date with a very important man, and I just can\u2019t say no. He\u2019s picking me up in a helicopter! Isn\u2019t that just dreamy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDreamy?\u201d Scarlett threw her stapler at the wall. \u201cWe may both be kissin\u2019 our jobs good bye if you don\u2019t get in here and plow through this presentation with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be there tomorrow afternoon, after my helicopter date. But first, please, Honey, one favor? One itsy-bitsy favor?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scarlett rested her forehead in her hand. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince you\u2019re still there, could you look in my office and see if I left my nude pumps under my desk?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hearing glasses clinking and voices and music and laughter in the background, Scarlett asked, \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Giggle, squeal. \u201cThe Ritz-Carlton. There\u2019s more champagne at this party than I\u2019ve seen in my entire life. Hey, why don\u2019t you grab my pumps and meet me here. There\u2019s even more men than champagne.\u201d Squeak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do declare, are you insane?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marilyn giggled. \u201cJust a little tipsy maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMeet in my office tomorrow afternoon and ready to work. I\u2019ve been runnin\u2019 all over hell\u2019s half acre pullin\u2019 our presentation together. We\u2019ve got a long road to hoe if we don\u2019t want to lose our jobs or, worse, get transferred to the Boston office. Boston! So far north they have to pipe in the sunshine. And surrounded by all those yankees!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was married to a Yankee, once.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you listenin\u2019? We\u2019re fightin\u2019 for our territory here. Just meet in my office tomorrow at two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about my pumps?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFiddle-dee-dee!\u201d Scarlett squeezed her eyes tightly. \u201cFrankly, I don\u2019t give a damn!\u201d She slammed the phone and went back to her computer. After another hour of tedious power point numbers, graphs, pie charts, and research, words blurred. She found it hard to stay awake. \u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d She turned off her computer. \u201cAfter all, tomorrow is another day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At exactly two, Marilyn arrived at Scarlett\u2019s office and looked around at all the paper covering the desk, chairs, and tables. \u201cLet\u2019s get this party started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scarlett looked up from the reports she was collating and thought why<\/em> that girl\u2019s got the brains of a hoop skirt.<\/em> \u201cLook,\u201d Scarlett put down the stacks she had already assembled for the meeting. \u201cLord knows we\u2019re different as north and south, but you are not gonna shoot down our chances at advancin\u2019. This is our territory. And I plan to fight for what\u2019s ours. We have to work as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you want me to do?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett told Marilyn to handle the advertising portion of the report, analyze trends and the dollars competitors spent over the last five years, and compile an ad plan of their own. \u201cWe have three days. The meetin\u2019 is at 9am on Thursday. And it also happens to be the President\u2019s birthday. So, they\u2019ll probably have a cake or somethin\u2019 before it starts. Don\u2019t be late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d Marilyn offered a sloppy salute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett said, \u201cPlease, focus. We got a limited opportunity here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHoney, a wise girl knows her limits. A smart girl knows that she has none.\u201d Marilyn winked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, I\u2019m amazed at what\u2019s beneath all that blond hair,<\/em> Scarlett thought. \u201cIf we fail, they won\u2019t keep us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn straightened her shoulders. \u201cIf there is only one thing in my life that I am proud of, it\u2019s that I\u2019ve never been a kept woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett rolled her eyes. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh.\u201d Marilyn shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re gonna show them what we\u2019re made of and that we can play just fine by their rules.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With a cavalier wave, Marilyn said, \u201cIf I\u2019d observed all the rules, I\u2019d never got anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat I\u2019m sayin\u2019 is that it\u2019s plain as a pig on a sofa that they\u2019re lookin\u2019 for any reason to fire us. Even a blind man on a gallopin\u2019 horse could see that. It\u2019s a man\u2019s world. Those men think the sun comes up just to hear them crow. This is war. We gotta form our own little army, stick together. Show \u2018em we\u2019re not just pretty faces. If we\u2019re not buttoned up, everythin\u2019 we\u2019ve worked for will be gone with the wind. They\u2019ll see right through us. We can\u2019t fool them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHoney, I let men like them fool themselves.\u201d Giggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFiddle-dee-dee, Marilyn. We can\u2019t go down in flames. This is not a time to go in there at your worst.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn shrugged again. \u201cIf they can\u2019t handle me at my worst, they don\u2019t deserve me at my best.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease, do your best, Sugar. I do not intend losin\u2019 my job. I\u2019ve been unemployed before, and God as my witness, I\u2019ll never go hungry again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn poked at her cell phone until she found her playlist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you listenin\u2019? We got work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMusic makes me move better, and when I move better, I think better.\u201d Marilyn shimmied. \u201cNow, I\u2019m ready.\u201d Giggle, squeak. She popped her earbuds in, gathered up her assignment, and swayed out the door to her own office. Marilyn got in early the morning of the big meeting. She grabbed her mirror and emergency cosmetic bag from her desk drawer, fixed her hair, and touched up her makeup. \u201cNow, where are those pumps? Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charging in at 8:30, Scarlett was in a fighting mood. \u201cSubway was slow as a herd of lame turtles on a molasses road. I have all the copies and\u2013\u201d She walked around the desk to get a better look at Marilyn\u2019s dress. \u201cFloor-length sequins and beads?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHad to. Remember that important man I\u2019ve been dating? There was a big party at his hotel last night, and well, I came straight here.\u201d She looked down at her dress then smiled at Scarlett. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want me to come in the hotel bathrobe, now, would you?\u201d Marilyn stood, and the dress made its full impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett folded her arms. \u201cI do declare, that dress could cause the sun to rise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn extended her arm and moved it around so her bracelet could catch the light filtering through the blinds on the office window. She rotated her hand so her new bauble twinkled in the morning sun. \u201cAnd meet my new best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDiamonds? Are they real?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh huh. All three carats. A gift.\u201d Giggle. Squeak. \u201cIsn\u2019t it just perfect?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be.\u201d Scarlet took a closer look. \u201cWhy that\u2019s more than I can say grace over. Ain\u2019t it a bit much for an office meeting though?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn shook her head. \u201cHoney, I say it\u2019s just right.\u201d Marilyn pushed the bracelet around her wrist with one finger. \u201cDiamonds are hard-working coal\u2013you know, that no one pays much attention to\u2013but they shine under lots of pressure. Just like us. It\u2019s good luck.\u201d Marilyn put her mirror and makeup away. \u201cReady.\u201d She locked arms with Scarlett and winked. \u201cShall we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett winked back. \u201cTail up and stinger out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Together they marched toward the conference room. When they arrived, six or seven top executives, all wearing similar suits, were seated around the table, coffee in hand, heads nuzzled in conversation. Scarlett whispered to Marilyn, \u201cLook at them sittin\u2019 there in their pressed blue suits and fine ties, thick as flies on a dog\u2019s back. Didn\u2019t say so much as a good morning. And you in that dress.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Marilyn and Scarlett pulled out their chairs to sit and dropped their binders on the table, the men finally looked up\u2013looked them up and down, actually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood morning, y\u2019all,\u201d Scarlett said. Marilyn smiled. The men nodded. After a good, long stare, they went back to their huddle, whispering again, but glanced at the ladies every few seconds. Scarlett whispered to Marilyn, \u201cMaybe they think they can scare the horns off a billy goat, but they\u2019re sure wrong thinkin\u2019 they can scare us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn leaned toward Scarlett. \u201cFear is stupid. So are regrets. And, Honey, they are going to have plenty of them.\u201d Marilyn looked at the men across the table forming a big, navy blue boulder. \u201cBoys think girls are like books. If the cover doesn\u2019t catch their eye, they won\u2019t bother to read. Well, I got news for them. Beneath the makeup and behind the smile, I am just a girl who wishes for the world. I don\u2019t stop when I\u2019m tired. I stop when I\u2019m done.\u201d Marilyn and Scarlett locked in a determined gaze. A slow-growing smile appeared on each of their faces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone from cafeteria services entered pushing a cart with a large birthday cake. The men began to mumble, and the VP of Acquisitions and Mergers got up to sign the invoice. \u201cWhere are we charging the cake?\u201d The VP of Finance gave him an account number. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett whispered to Marilyn. \u201cHe\u2019ll be here any minute. Maybe we should have brought him a card or a plant or somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI got this,\u201d Marilyn said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company\u2019s top executive walked in, and everyone stood to shake his hand and mumble insincere greetings. As the muffled grumbling died down, Marilyn stood up. She ran her hands along her torso and over her hips. Marilyn curved her shoulders forward and began to sing. \u201cHappy birthday\u2026.to you. Happy birthday\u2026.to you.\u201d She let out a breathy sigh. \u201cHappy birthday, Mr. President. Happy birthday\u2026to you.\u201d Giggle, squeak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett scanned the room. Quieter than a mouse peeing on cotton.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn sat, and the suits lifted their jaws off the table. Scarlett laughed to herself then whispered to Marilyn, \u201cThey\u2019re grinnin\u2019 like possums eatin\u2019 a sweet potato.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn winked and a adjusted her bracelet, watching the facets blink in glistening sparks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett waved her hands and suggested they get the meeting started, but no one responded. I do declare, we may have just won the first battle.<\/em> She distributed the binders she and Marilyn had prepared, set up her power point, and readied herself for their presentation. Now, we win the war.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scarlett knew if she didn\u2019t bring out the big cannons and wow the top brass with acres of well-farmed information at the annual business review, she could be transferred out of the Atlanta office, or her Marketing Director job could be history or assigned to a thirty-something blue-suit in their Boston headquarters. The thought made … <\/p>\n
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New Yorker, Maureen Mancini Amaturo\u20132020 Bram Stoker Award nominee and Creative Writing MFA\u2013teaches writing, leads a writing group she founded in 2007, and produces literary events. Her fiction, non-fiction, essays, poetry, and comedy are widely published. A handwriting analyst diagnosed her with an overdeveloped imagination. She\u2019s working to live up to that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"