"I'm Stuck!"

“I’m Stuck!” 

“I’m Stuck.” Even with all the tapping of keyboards, mail robot rolling up and down between out cubicles, phones ringing and just trying to focus on my own work I could hear the insistent whisper. The new girl was fresh out of school and had taken this job making cold calls to customers all over North Amerca. I really had been keeping an eye on her since meeting her the week before as my next door cubicle neighbour. She was very tall and very thin. If she had a bit more weight on her, she could have been considered willowy. Pale brown hair hung straight and loose past her shoulders with bangs that were crying to be trimmed. I remembered a delicate face and long lashes that her demeanor hid from the world.

“Can I help?” 

Tannis jumped as if I had fired a gun in the air. Everything on her desk jumped. The computer keyboard went sideways and the mouse clattered to the floor.

“OMG. Who are you?”

“We met last week at the staff meeting. My name is Horace Atchinson. I am in the cubicle right beside you. I heard you say you were stuck.”

Tannis spun around in her chair. 

“I am literally stuck. This chair won’t move, except to swivel. Is that how the boss keeps you at your desk? Wow, that is hilarious. Yes, you can help. Can you pull me back from this desk so I can stand up? 

Horace, always the gentleman, tugged politely on Tannis’ chair. Then he tugged a bit harder. Then he just yanked it while Tannis pushed against the edge of her desk. Horace stumbled backwards. Tannis fell forward, face on the desk, knees hit the floor. Her glasses flew off and slid across the room.

“What on earth? These chairs have never given me a problem. Oh, I see the problem now. You must have raised the chair after you rolled yourself under the desk.”

“You are amazing to figure it out so fast! I have to have my chair up high because I’m so tall. Are you always this amazing?”

Horace helped Tannis to her feet and looked up at her almost losing his balance again. She did at least have a beautiful smile. 

“Now that we’ve got you unstuck, let’s call the Maintenance department and get your desk raised so this doesn’t happen again.”

Tannis grabbed Horace’s hand in both of hers, pumping it up and down. 

“Thank you thank you thank you. I just know that you’ll be able to help me with everything. You are just amazing!”

Horace extricated his hand from Tannis’ grip and backed toward his cubicle.

“Please call on me if you need anything. Oh, but I’m busy for the rest of the day, so please just send me an email. And..and.. I leave early today as well. Oh, here’s Joe from the Maintenance department.  Must get back to work. Good-bye.”

“At times, you need to be forceful to get things that are stuck unstuck.”

~ Christine Quinn

Author's note: Edited February 05, 2024