Chapter 3: A Meeting at Work

...meanwhile Linda takes care of business at her job...

Linda sat tapping her index finger on a folder waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive at the meeting room.

Jane Steadham was there already, sipping coffee, looking through her owl-like glasses. In her fifties, she was in the department when Linda got there. She was comfortable in the self-contained job of being a buyer and didn’t have the stomach for management. She was an asset to Linda, as her suggestions focused on getting things right rather than her defects as a manager. If she screwed up, Jane would not be the one to replace her.

Maggie Draper was another matter. A few years younger than Linda, she also had a business degree from State. She was married and had a two-year old boy. Linda often studied Maggie thinking on the road not taken. Today Maggie looked like she was dragging, her short blonde hair still wet and her cotton dress limp, fashion a victim to practicality yet again. But she always seemed happy at work and her enthusiasm showed even through her weariness, as did her ambition. She was upfront about her desire to advance in the company, especially with the expense of a growing family.

The last member of the woman’s wear buying team, Rosalie Corvalis, sauntered in, smiling as she ended a conversation with someone outside the door. “Bye,” she shouted, her voice reverberating through the room causing Jane to hop in her seat. “Oops. Sorry,” she whispered.

Rosalie had a crown of black hair ending in a swirl across her chest like a vine of ivy exploring a wall. Her white blouse seemed a cut too small, her breasts overcoming the top three buttons. At least one of those buttons should be closed, Linda thought. Rosalie was the newest member of the team, coming up from sales. At twenty-five, she made her feel old. She was willing to do the job but always seemed to need a nudge to get started. Linda was already hoping she wouldn’t regret the hire.

“Let’s get started,” Linda said. Maggie volunteered to go first and began updating the team on her activity, starting with new vendors contacted and vetted.

Linda thought her department rivaled sales as most vital to the company. Without buyers to stock the store with merchandise, sales wouldn’t have a job. They ensured a steady stream of things to sell by being in constant contact with makers of clothes and accessories. There were thousands of vendors in the market, some well established, some new. They looked for dependable suppliers to provide quantity and quality at favorable prices.

Maggie had stopped talking. “Anything else?” Maggie nodded and began to list the items she recommended for purchase.

Linda interjected questions about volume price breaks and inventory on hand and Maggie fielded them expertly. Jane took notes, nodded her head and asked questions. Linda glanced at Rosalie who sat motionless. Her red lips, shaped in a permanent half smile, expanded when she noticed her look.

When Maggie finished, Jane made her report. She did so expertly but without Maggie’s enthusiasm. Then it was Rosalie’s turn. She didn’t have any new vendors, so she reported on her renewal orders. She touched the right issues, Linda thought, but without skill.

When the meeting broke up, Linda held her back to mention her blouse. It wasn’t business appropriate she told her, suggesting she fasten a button. She smiled gamely and tugged at it, inserting the button in the eye. As soon as she released it, it popped back out. “Oops. Sorry.”

“Maybe a size larger,” Linda mumbled, as she walked back to her office.

Chapter 4 will be posted December 6