Office Coffee Girl

Trigger Warning: pregnancy termination

A lot of life was lived leading up to this moment.

I decided to start my own company in 2020, Spaulding Murals and Painting. I loved painting, I'm an artist and I have enough knowledge and experience painting interiors to make money doing it, I figured.

I painted murals in a few homes and filled my house with my own expression from wall to wall. I loved this job, but it was short-lived, as the market for murals is very small and pretty cornered by other artists who need work (most artists). I ended up branching off into plain-old interior painting. I was good at it! I loved it, besides the taxes and stressors of owning my own business. I made pretty decent money doing this, more than I have since I stopped dancing before the pandemic.

My customers were always happy and I even gained friendships from my business! After a couple years of painting interiors, I had a $17,500.00 job in front of me. This was a whole house and the place was HUGE (and beautiful, might I add). I would later learn that even with that price ticket, I could have charged much more but I was still in the early days of Spaulding Painting Services, so I didn't sweat it. I was so excited for yet afraid of starting this job; it was the largest project I have ever managed and the dollar amount was not something I was used to seeing everyday. I walked into the empty house which was literally my canvas and got to prepping and by then I was calm and had a plan.

Connie was my main point of contact, her husband Kent may or may not have actually existed for all I know. She was so sweet to me and my small crew. One time we showed up to the job and she had bought us head lamps which was so thoughtful and nice. She held my infant son when I had to occasionally bring him to the job because we couldn't afford daycare, and she reminisced on her days as a mother of young boys. We talked about having children and she seemed to be a "good" mother from what I could tell. I quote "good" because that may be one of the most subjective things to judge in the world. I remember being surprised when she told me to rub whiskey on my son's gums to aid his teething pain. My partner would never go for that for his own reasons, I was all about it.

Well, she was that person until her invoice came (which, per usual, was lower than the estimated amount to be paid). She started sending me photos of teeny paint speckles on her hardwood floor which weren't of our doing because we had the floor covered for the entire timeline of the project. Then came photos of her tile which wasn't damaged at all. These messages didn't stop. I cleaned the floor of any perceived paint speckles and she said that did permanent damage to her floor.

With everything said, she was suing me for $57,000.00 and had nothing nice to say to or about me. This was after we did a walk-through, during which she had nothing but praise for the work we did. Her transition from an acquaintance to fraud and the aftermath traumatized me.

I no longer enjoyed painting and I couldn't afford to pay my workers or for business insurance. I needed to sow my oats in a different field. I had also just found out that I was pregnant - we decided it was not time and I could barely take care of one child, mentally. "They" always say "there's never the perfect time" but this was definitely not the time. There's a reason I took plan B, but I learned the hard way that it's not 100% effective. There were so many reasons including medications I was taking and my own health, to terminate this pregnancy. Let me make this clear; I don't think any person sets out in their actions to end up terminating a pregnancy. It doesn't sound fun and it's the hardest decision I have ever had to make. I love how even with nobody listening, I am defending my choice so thoroughly. Oh, to be a woman.

I started looking for a job, interviewed for multiple and was denied by every one until I interviewed at an insurance group as a receptionist. They loved me and it seemed like a good fit. The interview was the day after my abortion. Something that paid for my time and I could leave work at work completely. I wasn't very excited to start this job because it's ~insurance~, but I had to do something. Today I love this job, but that isn't the end of the story.

My first day came; the commute wasn't horrible and I made it early. When I arrived, I was welcomed by the two Marks who ran the joint and Amy who was HR and accounting. I went to the kitchen first to grind and brew coffee for the office. This coffee machine was like one you would find in a diner, industrial with two pots and an extra warmer on top. I put the water in and it the machine quickly turned it into magma-hot water which was spraying like a fountain all over itself and the counter, soaking all of the coffee accessories and my outfit which I was so proud of (I hadn't had a job where I got to wear nice clothes in years). I am horrible in these situations, so the first thing I do is try to catch the lava with my cupped hands, instantly scorching them. I call for help and Amy comes to my relief, she got towels and told me everything was okay and to take a few breaths.

I still have marks from where the blisters were, but I do love this job and I'm so thankful for everyone and everything that got me here, including Connie and her imaginary husband.

The court proceedings have yet to be scheduled.