Digging In

by Loretta Nyhan

Jackie touched my shoulder. “I just need a chance. I’m really good at what I do.” “You don’t need to tell me that. I know.” She pulled a smoke from her purse but didn’t light it. “At this point in my career, I didn’t think I’d still need to prove myself. Did you?” “No,” I admitted. “I thought by now I’d at least have my own office.” “With a window,” Jackie added. “I thought I’d have a window.” “I never thought that was too much to ask.” Jackie lit her cigarette and took a long drag. “It wasn’t. That’s the sad part of it all. These kids want everything and want it now. Byron doesn’t want one window, he wants a floor-to-ceiling panoramic view. Rhiannon doesn’t just want her own office, she wants the whole floor.” “Do you think they’ll get it?” I asked. “Hell if I know,” Jackie said. “The only thing I do know is we aren’t.”