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CONNECTIONA Short Story about Today’s WorkplaceA Fiction StoryBy Joe Cappello4tc2@comcast.net ©Joe Cappello--2009
 
2 The Medi-Serv Corporation is located in a two story rectangular building on astreet appropriately named “Medi-Serv Drive”. The driveway winds past a circulargarden with shrubs and plants arranged in the shape of the Medi-Serv logo. Thereare rows of parking spaces on either side of the main entrance and visitors oftenlean back before entering to take in the dazzling exterior finish that looks likepolished white Legos snapped together; the windows seem opaque, but the peopleinside actually enjoy an undetected view of assorted liaisons taking place in carsparked in remote corners of the lot on this wintry Monday morning. Melissa Frankwalks through the lobby with its marble-tiled floor arranged in imposing black andwhite squares past a display of Medi-Serv products. There are walkers, hospitalbeds, nebulizers and blood analyzers, all designed to keep aging baby boomersalive long enough to clog an already choking health care system. Despite theirpromise of a longer life, she can’t help but think of mortality every time she passes.Melissa enters the elevator with a bag full of bagels and removes her graywool hat shaking the few flakes gathered on its fibers from a brief snow showerbefore they have a chance to melt. She presses the “2” button and watches herreflection appear as the metal door closes. Her face is blurred and her long blondhair lies unkempt on her shoulders. Her green eyes are overpowered by eyebrowsthat seem permanently wrinkled. Her face is drawn and pale and her lips are anupside down “U,” like one of those unhappy smiley faces. I look like shit, she thinksas the door opens. But with rumors of layoffs spreading like an airborne disease,Melissa’s looks are the last thing on her mind.Melissa enters Medi-Serv’s Marketing department through a door marked“201.” The office is a large open square with desks/work stations in three successive
 
3corners; a round table, used for department meetings, is located in the center. There is an office in the fourth corner which is walled off by cubicle partitions. Thisbelongs to Art Swendon, the department head and Melissa’s boss for the five yearssince she graduated college. One side of the square features high partitions toseparate it from the adjacent customer service office. Melissa places the bagels ona counter to the right of the door which also features a small sink and refrigerator.She notices her colleague, Phil Guerdon at his desk.“ Hey, Phil.”“Morning, Melissa.”She gets a platter from under the counter and begins arranging bagels on it.“What are you doing in so early?”Phil points a bony finger with manicured nail at his computer screen. “Puttingthe finishing touches on this trade journal ad. Wanted to have it ready if Art decidesto go with it.”Melissa butters two bagels and brings one to Phil. She is always surprisedhow neat he is compared to other graphic artists she has known. His brown wavyhair always parted and never out of place; his moustache and goatee trimmed torazor sharp edges; his face leathery smooth for his 36 years with never a trace of stubble on it. Melissa often wonders if his beard even grows or if he somehow founda way to stop it. Melissa regards the screen.“Yeah, I like that…’Let Medi-Serv Help You Serve your Patients’…that’ll getattention.” Melissa goes to her desk in the corner directly opposite Phil’s and turns
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