Lost Hope

Author's Notes - This is a fiction response to the novel, Rules of the Road, by Joan Bauer. I took the scene where the main character, Jenna, had been fired and retold it as Mrs. Gladstone, the company owner, who hadn't known that Jenna had been fired.

There was fifteen minutes before the stockholder meeting and Jenna had just dropped Alice and myself off at the front door. She was a true gem, Jenna was, and I'm not sure what I would've done without her. There wasn't a time since Elden entered the shoe business that I had been completely at ease with myself until she started showing me the truth. For years and years, I held his problems upon my shoulders -- feeling that I was responsible for his deceiving and corrupt personality. This was until I saw something in Jenna that she didn't even see in herself: a loving, passionate young lady who cares for many more people than herself. She was able to help me along the road to this building with more courage and strength than I could ever muster up myself.

These thoughts kept swirling around my mind while I entered the meeting room with new and improved hope running through my veins. As I took my seat, I looked around for Jenna. She should've been entering any minute. When she still hadn't arrived, I started to wonder what was taking her so long. As I was contemplating the thoughts and reasons of why she should be late, Elden entered with a smug smile on his evil face.

"Who are you looking for mother, is someone missing?" he said as if he knew something I didn't.

"Why actually I am, Elden, my dearest son," I answered, trying to be as sweet as possible, "I was just wondering where Jenna was. You remember her, don't you dear?"

"Of course, how could I forget that tall, gangly, disrespectful teenager that you lug around with you everywhere?" he replied, acting more arrogant than ever. "Actually, I just saw her and let her know that we wouldn't be needing her services anymore because of your retirement. In other words, I fired her!"

I couldn't believe him, I was astonished! How could he? He knew how much strength Jenna supplied me with, how I could hardly go on without her. It must have been part of his plan to steal my company, to make me weak and angry. I should have seen it coming! Letting him get to me would have surely ruined my chances at staying with this company, staying calm was the only way to fight back. I told myself that I must be strong, not only for myself, but for Jenna and all that she had done for me and this company.