The sagebrush rattled absently in the afternoon sun. Its scent permeated the fall air as I drove by with the windows down. My vacation was turning out just fine.
My boss was angry with me for taking my vacation just now. It was scheduled six months ago. Just because his “favorite” decided to quit isn’t my fault. It would’ve cost me a fortune in fees if I canceled my plans. And, since Mr. Saunders wasn’t willing to cover those fees, then I guess he didn’t really need me that badly after all. He’ll just have to cancel one or two golf games and do some real work for a change.
I can just hear him, though. When I get back to the office he’s going to say “Shasta! Why didn’t This get done?” If he wouldn’t keep interrupting me with his golf stories, more would get done in the first place. Keeping his priorities consistent would help too.
The benefit of being a paid slave is that one can always get work somewhere else. That’s assuming, of course, that one doesn’t get blackballed. The trick, I think, is to get another job before quitting the current one. And, it helps, to get the new employer to think they’re stealing something valuable from the old employer.
The writer’s workshop in Taos, New Mexico should give me some perspective and relief. If not, then I’ll put in at Sobel’s. I’ll have to start at the bottom again with less pay. But then what’s more important, my sanity or a big paycheck?
I fell into bed after the first day of the workshop. The cool evening breeze carried a soothing scent of wild sage past the open window. I dreamed of dancing orange wild fires, silhouettes of range riders, rolling in a field of purple flowers, and of horses running free and unhurried. Snatches of soaring like a kite and swimming like a dolphin blessed my slumber.
It seemed like I had just recently closed my eyes when the alarm startled me awake.
As I slurped down my soggy Golden Crisps, my pen scratched across the yellow note pad. “I should’ve had this finished last night” I muttered to myself.
I got to the workshop class just in time to hear the announcement that the instructor had an emergency. I volunteered to take her place. We had fun brainstorming first line story starters. I paired them up and they had to write a story about the other person using one of six first liners.
I returned to work that following week feeling refreshed. I was also looking forward to teaching another weekend workshop in Taos!
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