In the summer mornings of Downtown New York, the sky brightens early.
Jenny also woke early. She opened the French door connecting the bedroom to the balcony, letting the wind blow the linen curtains. Sitting at the dressing table, she slowly pinned up her hair and cheerfully decorated it with a ribbon bow hair accessory, matching the color scheme of her outfit.
Last night, she had eaten her fill at her superior's home dinner party. This morning, she wasn't hungry yet, so she headed to work on an empty stomach. Only when she arrived did she feel famished, so she bought a few cinnamon apple pastries from a small shop downstairs.
Upstairs, Jenny shared the food with colleagues who had already arrived. At her desk, she opened her work log and saw that today she needed to start compiling attendance and bonuses.
Finney had already resigned, leaving his position vacant. There were two days of missing punches on his timecard. Yesterday, Mr. Alpha had already started looking for a new assistant for Mr. Bard. He wanted to move Ronald from under Johnson, the editor of the serialized prose and poetry section, but Ronald himself had refused.
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