Steven wished he was more like Alexis Zorba.
Alexis Zorba had passion. Shelly probably liked passionate men.
Steven carefully put his glasses back on and repositioned the headset. While the Monday night movie continued its mocking mental replay, he pushed the button and waited for connection. Steven's eyes drifted unconsciously to the beige cubicle wall that harbored Shelly as he spoke. “Hello, this is Alex in Tech Support – may I have your telephone number, area code first, please?”
BRAVO!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the story!
Like An Officer and a Gentleman meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Isn't Anthony Quinn just the biggest, swarthiest hunk ever?
Poor Alex... a boy can only dream. I feel like him a LOT of days, sitting here in my cubicle-less cubicle, dreaming of Anthony..
So happy to see you back in your spot.
YAY CJ!
We dream in cubes. Great short.
ReplyDeleteas a reformed cube worker, i can relate. heh. how you could fit a story in such a tiny little cube, and still have it work so well is so far beyond me... i'm jealous! well done :)
ReplyDeleteNice slice, daydreaming to survive the cubicles. I did tech support years ago. Daydreaming saved me.
ReplyDeleteFabulous little story here. Yes, yes! We should ALL go outside!
ReplyDeleteHey, I bellow that line at least once a day. It's from a movie???
ReplyDelete[subliminal stealing isn't wrong.... right?]
nicely done.
made me smile.
The whole concept of the call center with its impersonal and detached cubicle workers is so depressing. I supervised in one for awhile. You need your daydreams to make it through the day. Terrific story, well written and makes every word count.
ReplyDeleteSuper-short, but you got me to laugh better than a lot of longer ones!
ReplyDeleteLoving the short ones this week - lacking time but loving the laugh!!!
ReplyDeleteHa! Steven clearly knows that faint heart never won fair lady, so he should do something about his situation!!
ReplyDeleteZorbas is one of only five books I have read in Greek (my mother tongue). I should read it again really.
Thanks all for the comments - I often wish I was Shelly in Steven's little fantasy. So it was fun to switch sides a bit. Mazzz - oooh teach me Greek! How cool.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this -- you managed to convey a lot in a very short piece. I tend to be a lot more wordy in my stories. I'll admit though I had to read it twice to fully understand what had happened. For a second I didn't realize it was a daydream and was a little confused by the ending! Teaches me not to read things too quickly....
ReplyDeleteLittle tiny boxes and headsets can't contain all our dreams. How much of this is truth and how much fiction?
ReplyDeleteOh yes! I'm a man not a number! Smooth short CJ. Das Capital for the Twitstream! Like this.
ReplyDelete(Also loved your photographs!)
Simon.
Love how you managed to get a Tarzan and Jane moment into a sea of cubicles! Fab visual juxtaposition in a great flash!
ReplyDeleteBetter than Dilbert. All that yearning in a box. And like your cubicle, you packed quite a wallop in a constrained box. Peace, Linda
ReplyDeletePoor Steven...just waiting to break out of his cubicle and sweep the lady off her feet. Enjoyed the laugh!
ReplyDeleteI've seen this movie, or maybe wishful thinking. Squares in squares think strange and terrible things. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteInteresting concept, I like your approach, very nice! :)
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, cubicals. Nice ending. I like the twists in this story. The transitions are rad. Well done.
ReplyDeleteHe'd better be careful or he'll end up washing dishes. Come to think of it, I once knew a dish washer who reminded me of Zorba.
ReplyDeleteHeart-wrenching truth in this one. One of those scenes where you wish you could reach in and give the characters a little shove. The amount of care put into these characters in such a short space, especially one we never actually see, is inspiring. Beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteAww, I found this one actually quite sad.
ReplyDeleteAs an office worker I sympathize with escapist daydreams.
Perfect sized story. No longer than it needs to be in order to make its poignant point.
ReplyDelete