Society's Mask

I started to run into the office after checking the clock I was almost late.  You're not allowed to be late in this society I whispered under my breath as I tried to look professional.  The town clock has four sides and is viewable by every living space and workspace.  I looked up at the tall post and the 4 sided clock which sat on top.  Only five minutes to get to the building.  As my feet carried me through the town I started switching over my leisure brain to my work brain.  As my heels clicked with every step my trench coat tail flew in the wind.  The streets were almost empty.  A couple late people as well briskly walking into their buildings.  Everyone is at their correct workspaces in their correct attires.  Finally, as I arrive I run through the door with the female sex symbol.  I allow the security guard to check my card which has a picture of me, my name, and my citizen number. After she gave me the go-ahead which felt like forever I ran as professionally as possible walking around each corner then picking up into the fast pace as I reached the elevator. Phew! I thought I was in the clear.  I let my breath catch up as it seems nobody was in the hallway.  I always wondered what the male entrance to the building looked like I thought while scanning my card for the elevator.  The doors clicked open immediately as if awaiting my arrival, I reached out and pushed the second-floor button and the button lit up under my finger.  The doors closed and immediately I began to fix my ruffled hair and slightly smeared mascara.  I also brushed off my shoes which had small traces of water.  When The elevator dinged and the doors opened I looked like the basic employee going to work.  My briefcase held in my right hand and my badge cleanly pinned to my left shirt pocket.  My beige dress had not one wrinkled and the skirt hit about mid-calf.  My shoulders covered by not only my dress but also the required female cardigan, mine is grey.  I slowly walked to the female line, my heels clicked at a comfortable pace.  I could see the men through the partition as we waited to get our badges checked.  Every morning we waited in line and every morning I created stories in my head of one day men and women interacting as friends or acquaintances rather than them only being available for marriage.   I lifted my right arm perfectly and pretended to admire my bracelet while secretly allowing my peripheral vision to soak up whatever male was across from me.  Oh, I've seen him before, button nose, beige suit, and a light blue shirt signaling he was in the 3rd year.  His hair a dark brown and his eyes also seemed to be brown from this distance I couldn't tell from here.  I returned my arm to its proper positioning and moved my head up to face the back of the women in front of me.  "Mrs.Jane, how are you?"  a deep voice sang in my head with the man's image next to it.

"Well, I'm doing just fine.  How are you, Mr.Daniel?" It was the only male name I knew.  It was my brother's name.

"I'm quite alright. How was work?" he replies, instigating a conversation with me.

"It was nice, I finished those reports that are due in two weeks so I am ahead of schedule!" I replied excitedly in my head.

"well, that is just incredible! Let's go celebrate! Wanna go out and eat?" He asks me because in my head men and women can eat together as friends.  You don't have to marry a man to talk to one.  But atlast I am just a 2nd year business woman with no repertoire and all I or anyone does is go to work and then go home.  I felt a tap on my shoulder, I swung around, I forgot I was in the office.  I have a pretty heavy daydream mind.

"Excuse me mrs, the line has moved forward." she leaned into my ear and pointed forward, I looked ahead and there was a good five feet of space between me and the next woman.

"My apologies.  I was reviewing a presentation in my head." I told a white lie and smiled then moved up.  I need to get my head out of the clouds and focus.  Work was about to begin so I began to review what happened yesterday at work.  I finished the report due in one week, not two weeks like I daydreamed about, but beside the point I turned that in and the boss gave me a special presentation.  She believes I can move up to level 3.  I'm hoping to fast track to level 5 business because then I can apply for a husband and I can go into the male and female work section.  Which is where you can collaborate with both the male and female sex.  I've heard it's amazing for business which is why I don't understand why they don't do it for everyone and not just the married people.  To me I find that ridiculous but then again I don't make the rules.  I have all of today to prepare my presentation and then I present tomorrow.  It's supposed to be on business strategies and on how to grow and gain more customers for the local markets.  I thought about pitching my idea of maybe saying what I actually am thinking but that would mean writing it down which is illegal.  But if I say it then I would go through the two week lecture circuit of why the world is the way it is.  But maybe it would get people talking.  Right? Maybe not, it would take longer for me to achieve level 4 business then.  Thoughts swirled in my head, like the swirl of water down a sink.  As the line moved closer I found it harder to focus on reality, once I got to my desk I knew I could slip into my day dream once again.  I was given a private work suite for the day so I could focus on the presentation.  When I reached the counter the women took my badge and we exchanged smiles.

"Mrs.Harlem is waiting around the corner to take you to your suite.  Have a good day Mrs.Jane" I can't wait to earn my last name at marriage.

"You too, thank you Mrs.Bennett" I found her last name to be beautiful.  I walked to the coat rack to hang up my coat, scarf and hat like everyone else.

"Oh Mrs.Jane, that's not necessary, your suit has a personal coat rack." a woman briskly walked over to me, heels clicking, big smile.  I assumed her to be Mrs.Harlem.  "I'm mrs.Harlem Im here to take you to your personal suite if you would just follow me please." I nodded and grabbed my already hanged hat and coat.  As we left the women's floor she showed her badge to the security guard and got waved out.  We walked over to the elevator and waited for it to arrive.  I watched as she illuminated the 4 buttons.  How exciting.  I had never been to another floor before.  We waited in silence, with perfect posture, gaze locked on the elevator doors.  When the doors opened the line was gone and there sat a male and female security guard waiting for closing.  We walked up and showed our badges then Mrs.Harlem guided me to the back of the office where a closed door had a metal name tag for me.  "Mr.Harlem wanted you to have a bigger suit than 3's.  He is very excited to watch the presentation."  How would he watch? It was not allowed, I am not married yet and I am not even level 5 business yet.

"Thank you.  Will he be joining us in the room?"

"Yes he requested special permission from the head chairman of the company and the mayor.  Both were approved as long as he is silent and sits in the far end of the room."

"Thank you for letting me know." The boss is trying to contain himself to seem professional.  I had heard that the boss had fast tracked another woman just a month ago.  She had gone from level two all the way up to four.  This presentation had to be fantastic.  I walked through the door with my name and saw that the whole wall was a window with a beautiful view of the city. There was a writing desk facing it, a projector and a couch two doors off to the left.

"You will be locked in here for the work day and I will come get you when it is time to leave.  Have a good day." she replied and before I could ask about food, and using the restroom she left and the door clicked signalling I was stuck in here.  I went over to the two doors. I decided to open the one on the right first. It was a full kitchen and I saw food with my name on it.  Then the second door was a bathroom with a sink and soap.  Wow, this suite is incredible.  I walked over to the hardwood writers desk which faced the view.  I sat in the dark brown wheely chair which was resting underneath the table.  Paper sat on the table with a cup of pens and a freshly opened computer sat neatly next to it.  I opened the computer and used my logins to find the presentation.  I looked at what I had begun yesterday but decided that I just need to start fresh.  This room was giving me a whole new inspiration, a new feely, one I had never had before.

So I started, typing out all my ideas for consumer growth.  That was going to be my main focus.  Getting more people interested in the products we produce.  Our company produces teaching materials.  We have one store and it is quite large.  Though what I wrote wasn't really what I thought we should change.  I think it should be a female and male and child experience, everyone is accepted through one door.  But I wrote more about how we should begin doing shipments to school systems, make the store more for the people rather than the career.  Which I guess was part of my real ideas.  As I continued to write the presentation, taking breaks only to grab an apple and water, and of course to use the restroom.  Finally once everything was typed and planned I began the slideshow.  This is how I would captivate my fellow employees.  Then strike with my well thought out ideas.  I decided on ten slides, which would hold my ten part plan to my ideas. 

While working on the 4th slide I heard tapping at the door.  Not as loud as a knock but as if something bumped it.  I turned to face the door but I couldn't see anything, plus I was locked in her so I returned to my work.  After the 6th slide the tapping happened again. I got a weird feeling in my gut but I continued on my presentation.  I looked out the window at the business cock, two hours until work was done. I had just finished the slide show and now was working on how I would present it.  I used the slideshow and angled the couch towards the screen and pretended the cushions were people delighted by my performance.  Again the tapping happened, then it happened every ten minutes.  When it finally stopped it restarted but once every minute.

"Im working right now, is there something you need?" I said as I walked up towards the door.  "It is not kind to not answer." I stated louder and closer to the door.  Suddenly the door came flying open and wanked my hand, I quickly grabbed my hand, wincing in pain.

"Come with us," two burly men in unique gray suits yelled.  They quickly grabbed me by both arms, crushing my bruised hand and put handcuffs on me.

"Sir, you have the wrong person, I did nothing," I screeched, my voice stuttering and my heart racing.  Trying to recount every life event seeing what am I being arrested for and I came up short handed.

"You know what you did Mrs.Jane'' But I had no idea. "Remain silent please." I nodded, still unsure what their motives were for taking me when I have done absolutely nothing to deserve this.  We walked through the office and into the male part of the office into the male elevator.  He clicked floor 0 which I had never seen anyone go there.  I had forgotten it existed until now.  as the elevator moved we were silent, breathing and mechanical moving is all I could hear. As we descend past floor 1 and under the ground my brain freezes.  What did I do? I can't remember any bad thing that would be an arrestable offense. As we reach floor 0 they lead me through a metal door.  It looks like a giant freezer but it wasn't cold.  A chair placed in the center of the room with straps surrounding it.  Did each career building have this? What looked like a torture room laid infront of me or maybe an interrigation room.  The men sat me at the chair and strapped my arms and legs to the chair.  Both the guys backed away to the edges of the room.  Daniel stepped forward staring at me.  Then behind him a woman stepped forward leaving her head shadowed.  Bright studio lights shined in my eyes, locking my view.

"Mrs.Jane you have been brought here because you have wronged this society.'' It was a female voice that rang a familiarity to me.

"What did I do?" I ask her.  As she steps into the light her face becomes clear.  Mrs.Harlem.

"You are not being truthful about your identity ... Lane H"I haven't heard that name in years.  My blood felt my soul left me and everything depleted into nothingness.

"I, I ... I '' words felt like cereal spilling from my mouth as my ears canceled all other noises.

"Lane H, you killed your husband and changed names did you not?" Still shell shocked I divert my eyes to my hands.  They began to be covered with blood. Blood was taking over my skin crawling over every where it felt like a thousand bugs swarming me.

"AHHHH" I screamed louder and louder at the top of my lungs until my voice cut and I went black but the quiet was drenched in my thoughts.

I opened my eyes to see blood drooled over my hands, over a man who looked to be daniel.  When I stood to look in a mirror, there I was Lane Harlems.  Mr.Harlem’s wife.  A spitting image of my mother, Jane Harlem.