Random scene

[hrj]

Not sure where this came from or where it might possibly go, given that I don't tend to write contemporary. But the following scene popped into my brain fully-formed while I was doing the grocery shopping.

# # #

Amanda brandished her pen like a magic wand— or maybe a sword—and flipped open the logo notepad so that the name and image could catch the client’s eye. All In: Corporate Team-Building and Events. “So what did you have in mind,” she asked with what she hoped was the right balance of crisp professionalism and chirpy enthusiasm.

The woman fixed her with a gaze likely to wilt crispness and silence chirping. “I don’t do trust-falls. I don’t do Secret Santas. I definitely do not do surprise parties.”
 

Amanda took a slow, deep breath and jotted down, “control issues” on the first line of the page.

Comments

[vittoriosa]

i would definitely read the rest of this, whatever it turns out to be :)

[hrj]

I think it's clearly a workplace romance, but the question is where to take it. (I'm not even sure that the romance is between the two characters in this scene.) Whatever it is, it is NOT "Ice Queen meets Manic Pixie Dream Girl" even if that's what it looks like superficially.

[vittoriosa]

excellent. the world definitely does not need more manic pixie dream girls :)

[choirwoman]

I'll audition for the role of the client in the movie of this. (I don't do those things either.)

[hrj]

Let's just say that there's a certain amount of me in that character. I definitely do not do trust-falls. When I saved this text off into a file in my fiction-ideas folder, I did name it "Trust Fall" which has enough alternate readings that it would make a good title.

[choirwoman]

I mostly don't do surprises (if I can help it). I was appalled when I learned that the "surpriiiiise!" birthday parties really exist, and pray that nobody will ever do it to me.

[brooksmoses]

Our 8-year-old wanted to do a surprise birthday party for my partner, and being a properly perceptive and empathetic child, started the process by telling her something like, "I know you don't like surprises, but I want to give you a surprise birthday party, so I'm telling you a week in advance so you can be surprised." And it did not involve any extra people.

[choirwoman]

Oh wow that's BRILLIANT.

[katerit]

I love the scene and hope something comes of it.