-one year later-

"Happy Month-a-versary Manny!"

I looked up from the email I was composing to see Lenny and Megan standing in front of my desk with wide smiles and a cupcake. They're happy mood reaching my dull one in seconds.

"Guys, what is this?" I laughed while taking the cupcake from Lenny.

"Well, you have been here for exactly 6 months, two days, and three hours. We're celebrating." Megan fired off as she looked down at her phone.

Megan and Lenny had become good friends to me since I started working at Jones Enterprise six months ago. Megan was just like me, she liked to be in control of situations where she knew the outcome. She also had a slight case of OCD but it was perfect for her. Hence the accuracy in the length of my stay.

"Okay, why are we celebrating me only being here for six months? Shouldn't you have waited until I was at least a solid year in?" I dipped my finger into the icing licking the foamy goodness. Whipped icing, my favorite.

"Trust if you knew how many secretary's Mr. Jones go through you would see why you being here for six months was something to celebrate." Lenny said in a lower tone. We all turned and stared at the door that led to my boss's office as if he could be listening to our conversation.

"The last one he had only lasted for like three months before she ran out of here in tears. Rumor has it, she walked in on him and his wife and he fired her on the spot." Megan whispered.

"No that was one of his ex's." Lenny argued. I sat and watched with amusement as they went back and forth about which secretary lasted longer than three months here.

I honestly didn't see what they were talking about. Mr. Jones had been nothing but good to me. He's been patient, diligent, and fair. He's never given me anything I couldn't handle. My knack for needing control came in handy being his secretary. I made sure he never missed a meeting, his calendar was always in order, and I even set reminders to go to his phone for the most important things.

"Anyway!" Megan said in a loud whisper. "We have the rest of the day off, so whenever you can get free for lunch, we want to take you out. Our treat to our dear friend Manuela." She said with a sweet smile.

"I can do that. I should be able to take it in about twenty minutes. Mr. Jones has another meeting that should be here soon and he's going on lunch afterwards." I looked down at my planner I keep for work noting the time. "We can go to Mickey's Café."

"Sounds good to me. We'll meet you there." Lenny gave a small wave as he and Megan headed for the elevators. I scanned the planner over the next few days comparing it to the calendar that was on the computer making sure I didn't miss any of the dates.

"Um. Excuse me. I'm here to see Mr. Brandon Jones." A small timid voice called out.

I looked up at the woman with a polite smile. "Do you have an appointment?" I asked looking back down at the name of his actual appointment. No way this was Sarah McMahan.

"No, but it's important." She seemed nervous about something.

I nodded my head and pressed the button that allowed me to speak to Mr. Jones from his office.

"Mr. Jones, there's someone here to see you. She says it's important." I called out.

"Who is it? If it's Sarah send her right in." He answered quickly.

"No sir." I gave the girl a questioning look, silently asking for a name.

"My name is Laureen." She said softly.

"She says her name is Laureen." There was a moment of silence as we both sat there awkwardly waiting to hear if she was invited in, or getting kicked out.

"Send her in." At the sound of his voice, I knew whatever this was wasn't going to end well for either of them.

"Right away sir. But what should I do when Mrs. McMahan gets here?" I asked after pressing the entrance button letting her in.

"Just send her right in this shouldn't take long."

I disconnected the call and watched as the girl took a deep breath before entering. I sent them both a silent prayer of luck. It seems like they'll need it. After making sure both the planner and the calendar on my computer matched, I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through Groupon.

I always try and find new things to do. Things that make me let go of all the worry and just enjoy the moment. So far I didn't find much until I came across a deal for an Archery lesson. I saved the deal and read the reviews as well as the requirements. I could only buy the package if there were two or four people. Maybe Lenny and Megan would like to join me, which meant I needed to find a fourth person.

I continued scrolling saving more interesting deals until the ding of the elevator caught my attention. I checked the time and noted that it was two o'clock sharp. Mrs. McMahan. I looked back at his door and found the girl never came back out.

"Good afternoon Ms. Vine." She greeted with a forced smile. She was always snarky with me, no matter how nice I was to her.

"Good afternoon Mrs. McMahan. You can go right on in. Just a fair warning is in another meeting, but he did say you could go right in." I said just out of courtesy.

She nodded her head and made her way to his door.

"Mr. Jones, sorry to interrupt. Just letting you know Mrs. McMahan is heading in." I called as I pressed the enter button at the same time.

"Thank you, Ms. Vine." He answered back. "Before I start there are two things I need from you. I just sent over two files to your email. I need them sent down to accounting as soon as possible. The second thing; I need you to clear my schedule for the rest of the day and re-book my last two meetings for early tomorrow morning. Once all of that is complete you can leave for the day." He fired off.

"Right on it sir." I sat there in shock for a moment staring at the phone. In the six months I've worked here I've never known him to call it a day so early. Usually, we're here until six finalizing plans for the following week. Now he's sending me home? Whoever the girl is must have been really important?

I opened my email replying to the ones that required a response before printing off the files he sent over. I scanned the papers being sure nothing needed his immediate attention before placing them in two separate folders writing the names on the front. I then went into the calendar checking for his meetings and found he only had two.

I gave them both a call to reschedule for the morning. Luckily, they weren't too mad about the last-minute re-book and agreed to the new times. Once they were finalized in both the calendar and my planner, I sent a copy straight to his email and phone.

I gathered up my things tossing the cupcake wrapper in the trash. I took one last look at my planner to make sure I had things in order when the date jumped out at me like a viper.

February 4th.

Today should have been the happiest day of my life, instead, it's a reminder of how broken I am. Today should have been my wedding anniversary. Not the anniversary of being the longest secretary this place has ever seen. I felt my heart squeeze in on itself thinking back on that dreadful day. The day it all fell apart.

I took a deep breath ridding myself of the thoughts that were creeping up in my mind. I couldn't think about them right now. I didn't want to think about them right now. It took me a year and moving across the map to finally feel like that day is bearable to live with.

I gathered my jacket and my purse along with the two files. I shut everything down and sat my sign on the front of the desk.

Gone for the day. Be back tomorrow.

I rode the elevator down to the third floor stopping by the accounting office, dropping the files in their mailbox. I then got back on the elevator and headed to the parking lot. The thoughts of that day kept seeping through the barrier I had put up. I wanted to live like it never happened. Yet here I was reminded of that awful day. How broken I had become. How lost it made me feel.

I had become a shell of myself, only moving on autopilot. I couldn't tell you up from down if I wanted to. Everything from the moment I was in the café's bathroom went by in a blur. Before I knew it I was waking up on an airplane in California. I thought the meltdown I had in the hotel room was bad; as soon as I got off the plane and grabbed my bag, I had a full-on panic attack.

I had left my life behind, my friends, my family, my mother. She was the only living piece of my father I had left and vice versa. We needed each other and yet I just left her without even thinking about it. I remember wanting to go back and be with her, but the realization of it all set in and I just knew I couldn't go back. Not now. Not ever. I had to keep pushing forward.

It was hard at first in Cali. I knew nothing of where I had landed. I had no place to stay, nothing to keep me busy. I was just a lost soul wandering. I ended up staying in a hotel for about two months before I was able to find a decent-sized apartment to rent month to month. Finding a job was even harder.

I only had the money I had been saving for the last two years as well as some money I had put away from my paychecks when I did work. I had always thought that money was going to go towards Malcolm and I traveling the world together. Yet there I was a broken girl in a strange land. I called the banks and emptied all of my accounts transferring them into one I had opened in Cali using my middle name.

I didn't want anyone to find me. So the day before my 25th birthday I boarded a plane to New Haven, South Carolina. California gave me the break I needed to map out a game plan, so when I got here things wouldn't have been as hard. It allowed me the time to lick my wounds and find ways to bury the hurt. What killed me more than anything was not being able to call my mother and letting her know I was okay.

I hadn't called her until a month after I arrived in New Haven. She was heartbroken that I felt like I had to leave, but she understood completely. She told me that the letter for my inheritance had come just as Jack said. On my birthday. Apparently when my father died in his Will, he wanted whatever fortune he was leaving me to go along with what my grandfather had left me. Imagine my surprise when my mother told me I was the hire to 2 million dollars.

I couldn't do anything but laugh. No wonder Malcolm and Joelle wanted to take my money from me. That kind of money would make the Virgin Mary blush. She gave me the information to call Jack to set up my accounts and find a way to get the money sent to me.

I had him wire a few hundred to one of my accounts every two months and send my mother a little something as well.

I was lost in my thoughts I hadn't realized I was already parked outside of the café. I took a napkin I had stuffed in my glove box and wiped my face. I put a few drops of Visine to get rid of the redness and touched up my makeup a bit before going inside. I wouldn't let today ruin my mood. I was doing fine before; I can continue to do so now.