Pull At My Heart

by Ellie Malouff

  Julie

  “CloudSoft Solutions, this is Leonna, please hold,” barks the receptionist into the telephone headset she’s wearing. Leonna has pitch-black hair, pulled into a tight bun, and her beady eyes are outlined by thick black eyeliner. Those beady eyes snap over to me. “Yes?”

  I take a cautious step forward. “Hi, I’m Julie Rodriguez. I, umm, work here.”

  “Right. We’ve been expecting you,” she says, not softening up in the slightest. She pushes a clipboard an inch or two forward and orders me to sign in. While I put pen to paper, she adjusts her headset. “How may I direct your call?” She pauses as she listens. “Mr. Kelly is not available. I’ll send you to his voicemail.”

  Disappointment drops on me. Aiden is my lifeline here. We should have set a time to meet.

  Leonna hands me an employee badge that already has my picture on it. “Wow, you move fast,” I comment.

  “I do my job,” she says, and points to a pair of lime green lobby chairs. “Sit there.”

  “Okay…” I trail off and do as she says. Leonna is not to be argued with. I’m smart enough to know that allying with a person like Leonna, in her position, is supremely advantageous. She’s the type to take care of everything on your behalf or make you suffer.

  The wait isn’t long before a door to my left opens and a woman wearing gray slacks and a thin yellow blouse emerges. “Juliana?” she asks, and brushes a few of her brown locks off her shoulder.

  “Yes, hi. I’m Julie Rodriguez.”

  “I’m Deidre Baker. We’ve spoken on the phone before.”

  “Of course,” I tell her, remembering the few times we’ve been on conference calls together to talk about the new support team we’re going to build. Deidre’s a senior manager and reports to Aiden, too.

  “Follow me,” she says, and leads me through the door into a vibrant, somewhat boisterous workforce. The walls are lined with offices that have glass walls and doors, while the center of the space is open concept with round worktables that have short dividers between stations. It isn’t exactly like the private cubicle I had back in San Diego, but I like it.

  “On the ground floor we have core support, and then there’s the first and the second floors above that. We’re on two.”

  A tiny elevator takes us up to our floor and we exit to a similar configuration of offices and desks.

  “Here’s the break room,” she motions, and it’s similar to what we have back in San Diego, with a fridge, sink, snacks, and fruit, and a beautiful big espresso machine. Just the sight of it makes me miss home and miss Cara. “Feel free to help yourself.”

  “Thanks.”

  As she walks me around the desks, toward the other side, my eyes scan the offices. I spot Aiden in one of the big corner offices, sitting at his desk, on the phone, with his feet propped up on the desk. His laptop rests on his thighs and he’s focused on it while he chats into his headset.

  Deidre looks from me to him and then back to me. Then she stops at an empty station, just across from Aiden’s office. “Here you are.”

  “Oh, this is mine?”

  “Yes, we’re short on offices,” she answers defensively.

  “No, this is fine. I didn’t expect an office,” I explain, but I wonder if I’m selling myself short. With the new position, I probably deserve one, but I’m brand new here and don’t want to make waves.

  “I’m right there, next to Aiden. I look forward to working with you.” She turns on her heel and goes back into her office, leaving me on my own. I take a seat at my desk, unsure of what to do with myself. When Aiden mentioned coming into the office, I thought he had a plan for me. Suddenly, I feel super out of place and a little embarrassed for showing up.

  Just when I figure I’ll go visit the break room and get a drink so that I have something to do, a woman at the station next to me rolls over and says in a hushed voice, “Hi, you’re Julie, right?”

  “Hi, yes.”

  “I’m Brigid O’Brian, a cloud solutions engineer.”

  “Cool, great to meet you.”

  We quickly shake hands. She has a kind freckled face, dyed reddish hair, and cute pink glasses. She’s wearing a chunky cardigan and black leggings with red shoes.

  “And this is Javier García,” she says, and wheels back toward a man who’s typing away at his desk. She grabs on to his chair and pulls him toward where I am. He turns around and gives me the dopiest grin that I’m not expecting, especially since he is clearly in the middle of doing something.

  “Javier, nice to meet you, I’m Julie.”

  He nods happily and says in broken English, “Yes, welcome.”

  “Where are you from?” I ask, delighted to meet someone else who has a darker complexion like me.

  “España. Valencia,” he answers.

  “Cool, I’m not the only expat,” I say with delight.

  “Not by a long shot,” Brigid chimes in. “Okay, Javie, go back to work.” She pushes him back to his desk and he goes back to typing like nothing even happened.

  I giggle a little bit at how she handles him. She catches on and waves it off. “He doesn’t mind. He’s like a little puppy. Totally adorable and just happy to be here.”

  I smile and feel relieved that I’m having an easier time meeting people than I thought I might.

  “So, when did you get in?” she asks.

  “Yesterday afternoon.”

  She looks me up and down dramatically. “And you’re here. At work. Aren’t you the model employee, like?”

  I shake my head. “Oh no, I’m not working today. Just here to check it all out. That’s what Aiden suggested.”

  She frowns briefly. “Where’re ya staying?”

  “Right now, I’m at the McCallister Hotel in the city, but I’m looking for a place to rent.”

  “Stay in the city. You’ll have loads more fun there.”

  “Is that where you live?”

  “No, no, not since I was in school. My husband and I live out in the country a ways.”

  “So why Cork?”

  “Because you’ll be desperately bored if you’re not in Cork. You can move out when you settle down. Unless, of course, you already are.”

  “No, I’m not settled down…not at all, in fact.”

  “Lucky,” she says under her breath as her cardigan falls to the sides and I notice she’s pregnant.

  “When are you due?” I ask, hoping I’m not making the wrong assumption. I doubt I am, because her belly is the size of boulder and the rest of her is stick thin.

  “In three months,” she replies, and rubs her belly a bit.

  “Congratulations, that’s really exciting. Your first one?”

  “Yep, the first of many, I’m guessing,” she says, then leans forward and whispers, “It’s kind of what us Irish people do.”

  I giggle at her joke and feel warm fuzzies about making a new friend. If I can’t have Cara, it would be nice to have someone to hang out with, even if she’s on the verge of motherhood.

  “Javie, get me a cuppa?”

  He turns around and nods quickly before taking off toward the kitchen with a bounce in his step.

  “Is he always that eager to do stuff?”

  “Always,” she says, completely serious. “The pregnancy made him even more that way.”

  “I’ll have to remember that.”

  “There’s plenty of Javie to go around. I don’t mind sharing.”

  “Julie,” a familiar voice says from behind me. Aiden is standing beside my desk with a giant smile on his face. “You came.”

  Brigid immediately wheels back to her desk and goes back to work.

  I stand up to greet him. “I did. Thanks for having me.”

  “You look well-adjusted already. How’s your day been?”

  “Grand,” I decide to answer, using one of their favorite words. It reminds me of Eoghan’s t-shirt and a small smile creeps up on my face.

  “Did Deidre show you around?” he asks, and looks back ove
r his shoulder at her. She’s sitting at her desk, staring at us.

  “Yeah, for the most part,” I answer. If I were to be completely honest, I would tell him that she half-assed it.

  “Good, good. What now?” he asks and shoves his hands into his pockets.

  “Well, I was hoping you would tell me. I didn’t bring my laptop, so I can’t really work. I figured I might just go back to town whenever you’re ready. I mean, if you can give me a ride back.”

  “Oh, Julie, I’m sorry. I’m stuck in meetings and then I’m off to a stag party for the weekend. I’m sure someone else can give you a ride to Cork. I’ll ask Deidre if she can take you,” he says and turns around toward her office. I cringe behind his back.

  “I’ll give you a ride,” Brigid speaks up from her desk.

  I jump on it quickly. “Really? Thank you so much, Brigid!”

  Aiden shrugs his shoulders. “Cheers.” Brigid doesn’t respond and turns back to her computer.

  “I’ll see you Monday, then?” I tell him.

  “Yes, I’m looking forward to it,” he replies and winks at me. It’s a little flirtatious, but I decide not to take it the wrong way. It just feels good to be a part of the team.

  When he gets back to his office, he gets on the phone again, but this time, he looks more at me than at his laptop. Deidre is also looking at me quite a bit and it feels like I’m the one in a fishbowl office.

  “Want a real tour?” Brigid asks and I nod, happy to get up and move around.

  Brigid takes me all around the building and introduces me to just about everyone. She also whispers lots of little comments about people when we’re far enough away.

  “That’s Desmond,” she says before we approach him. “Went through an ugly divorce.”

  “There’s Mary. Quite a lush.”

  “And Felix, watch out for him at pub night. He gets handsy.”

  This must be what Aiden meant about gossip, but it isn’t anything that unusual. The office back in San Diego was the same way.

  After we finish the tour, we head back to our area and she packs up her things. Watching her reminds me that I don’t have my own bag.

  “Crap!”

  “What’s wrong?” she asks.

  “I left my camera bag in the taxi.”

  Her mouth drops open and she looks alarmed. “Oh no, Julie. That’s horrible. Maybe you can call the company. Do you remember which one it was?”

  “Oh, it’s okay. I didn’t leave it in a stranger’s taxi. It’s someone I know…well, kind of. I know where he works.”

  She looks a little puzzled. “Okay, can I take you to get it?”

  “Yes, thanks. Do you know Murrough’s pub in Cork?”

  She smiles. “Of course I do. It’s one of the most famous pubs in County Cork. He works there?”

  “I think he owns it.”

  “Are you sure he’ll be there?”

  My gut says yes, so I nod.

  She grabs her keys. “Then the first round is on me,” she says.

  Dancing In The Dark

  Julie

  Brigid O’Brian is a scary driver. As grateful as I am for the ride, I have to hold on to the “Oh Shit” handle a few times as she speeds along some curvy back roads on the way to run her various errands. I learn a lot about my new coworker. She’s from a huge family and smack dab in the middle of seven kids. She married her college sweetheart, got into technology on a fluke, and believes the hardest part about being pregnant is giving up Guinness.

  “Wait, you drink Guinness?”

  “Of course, I do,” she responds like it’s a no-brainer.

  “You don’t subscribe to this whole Murphy’s thing?”

  “Oh yes, I do. I’m from Cork. I’m a Murphy’s girl through and through.”

  “But, you…cheat?”

  “Have you tried Guinness? It’s so feckin’ good,” she remarks.

  “Yes! It is good. I haven’t tried Murphy’s yet, but I have a feeling I will soon.”

  “Oh yeah?” she asks curiously. It’s obvious there’s more to the story. “Did this Murrough fella tell you about Murphy’s?”

  “All of you Cork people won’t shut up about it,” I reply, not exactly telling her the whole truth.

  She laughs at that. “What do you expect? We take our drink seriously.”

  By the time we finish her errands, I’m famished. “How about some dinner? My treat,” I offer.

  “Yeah, all right. I know just the place, but it’s my treat. You’re new. We need to make a good impression so you’ll stay.”

  Brigid takes us to a restaurant downtown that’s right beside the River Lee. We stick to the bar side of the restaurant and sit in overstuffed leather couches around a dark wooden coffee table that serves as our dining surface. I order a glass of wine and she has a soda. We both have fish and chips and talk more about the office.

  “What’s up with Deidre? Is she nice?”

  Brigid groans. “To be honest, and this stays between us, she’s not my favorite person.”

  “No?”

  “No. She has a constant scowl like she’s got a broom up her arse.”

  I fall back against the couch and laugh. “I noticed that.”

  “But she’s a good worker. It’s good to see a woman move up the ranks at CSS.”

  “You call it CSS?” I ask about CloudSoft Solutions.

  “Yeah, don’t you?”

  “I will now. That’s so much easier.”

  After dinner, we stroll along the river back toward the car. I expect to get in, but she keeps going. “Murrough’s isn’t far, and I’ll never be able to park near it. Come on.”

  The city is alive on the warm August night. Bachelor and bachelorette parties are everywhere we turn.

  “It’s wedding season,” Brigid explains, which doesn’t surprise me since half her errands had something to do with a wedding.

  “Is that what a stag party is? Like a bachelor party?”

  “One and the same,” she says.

  We turn down a small street that I recognize from earlier in the day. Music pours out from Eoghan’s corner pub and there are lots of people packed inside and out.

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” I ask her. “We don’t have to stay. We can just get my bag and go.”

  She’s already dancing along to the music and has a wide smile on her face. “Don’t worry, we’ll get a table no problem.” I raise a skeptical eyebrow and she chirps, “Follow me.”

  We weave around some outdoor smokers and enter through the double doors. The pub is most definitely packed. Each table is crammed with people and the bar is three people deep. There’s a live band playing some songs I’ve never heard before. It’s folksy and a little bit sad, but I like it. I look around for Eoghan, but don’t see him.

  Brigid approaches a table with a couple of men sitting at it. She takes off her cardigan and sticks out her belly, then places a hand on her back.

  “Oh, how I ache,” she whines loud enough for them to hear.

  The men look up at her with concerned expressions and then immediately stand from their chairs. “Here, have our table,” says one of them in a thick Irish accent while the other one pulls out a chair for her.

  “Thanks a million,” she says and takes a load off, huffing dramatically as she goes down. I take the other chair and thank the men, who walk over to the bar like it’s no big deal.

  “That was incredible,” I yell over the music. “I can’t believe they did that for you.”

  “One of the first things you’ll learn about Cork men—all of them are mammy’s boys. It’s a blessing and a curse, really. Marry a Cork boy and you’ll never come first if his mam is still breathing.”

  Brigid is a total delight.

  A familiar face bends down toward us. “What can I get ye?” Ruth shouts, not recognizing me.

  “Hi again,” I say and she looks at my face, then lights up.

  “Julie, right?”

  “Yep, this is Brigi
d, a new friend from work. Brigid, this is Ruth.”

  “Welcome to ye,” Ruth says, a whole lot more frazzled then when I encountered her earlier.

  I get right to the point. “Say, is Eoghan here? He has my camera.”

  She nods. “Yeah, he’s tending bar.”

  I sit up taller and look around until I finally spot him. He’s pouring a pint with a dashing smile on his face. I’m frozen there, watching him as his muscles flex and his eyes shine. It’s only been a few hours, but I think I’ve kind of missed him. “Thanks,” I murmur back to Ruth.

  “Can I have a water, please?” Brigid asks, breaking the spell I’m under.

  Ruth nods and asks, “And what would you like?”

  Feeling gutsy, and knowing exactly what I want, I order a Guinness.

  Ruth shakes her head. “Eoghan will flat out murder me if I get that for you again, and I’ve got plans. I’ve got to make it to New York.”

  “What’s in New York?”

  “New York Dance Academy. It’s my dream to attend. I’m saving up for it, so that’s why you can’t order a Guinness. So how about a nice Murphy’s instead?”

  “I like you a lot, Ruth, but I want that Guinness.” Mostly, I just want to watch Eoghan’s reaction. He’s such a character when he gets worked up.

  Ruth shakes her head and walks back to the bar. Eoghan goes up to her with a towel in his hand to get her order. She explains to him what’s up and points over at me. A faint smile forms on his face. He looks at me from across the bar and then wags his finger. He grabs a pint glass and starts to pull a draught. When she returns with our drinks, it’s clear I didn’t get what I ordered. The Murphy’s Irish Stout logo stares back at me and I shake my head and laugh.

  “That’s not what you ordered,” Brigid notes.

  “I know, but it’s fine.”

  My eyes snap back to Eoghan and I catch him watching me closely. I take a sip and it’s good, but different from Guinness. As much as it would pain Eoghan, I have to admit that the Guinness is better. Just to mess with him, I pucker up like I sucked on a lemon, then set the beer down. He grins and shakes his head before going back to work.

  “You don’t like it?” Brigid asks.