Chapter 1 part 1

Leah was a unique person. However, she didn’t look it this morning. Like everyone else, Leah woke late, jarred from sleep by the alarm. Zombie-like, she swung her arm in a wide arc to put an end the flurry of notes emanating for beside her. Straight from Liszt’s pen to her brain, the hammers struck hard and loud as Leah tried to end the rapturous torture. Her first swing missed and sent a wine glass flying to its demise on the hardwood floor. Coming back for another pass she swung her whole hand down on the alarm clock which caused an abrupt end to the piano mid-phrase. Leah sighed and put her head back down on the pillow. Morning was not her favorite time of the day and it came all too soon. Yet, the clock does not stop and she must be to work on time. Lifting the covers she slid lazily from the bed and resumed her zombie imitation. Straight from “Night of the Living Dead” she adopted a stiff walk and used her arms as a guide to the bathroom. This would not be a good day.
Leah went about her morning routine. A thoughtless set of rituals to take her from the state of half sleeping to full alertness, she ran through the steps much like anyone else does. Shower, dress, coffee, news, go; Leah knew these steps by heart and followed them to the letter. Towards the end of this custom, she sat drinking her coffee while listening to the morning news on television. Near a state of mental acuity, she took in the world and sipped her coffee.
“In other news today,” the anchor calmly said, “ a local man… sentenced to ten years…”
Leah took another sip of her coffee and wondered why she or anyone else should care.
“ Eyewitnesses claim…”
She took another sip.
“ The family of the victim…”
Staring at the grounds floating in the last few drops of coffee, Leah wondered whether or not to finish her cup.
“authorities say…”
Leah tipped her head back swiftly and downed the remaining contents of her cup and walked to the sink.
“…and now a look at the weather.

Leah flipped her jet black hair which she tied in a ponytail. She shouldered her laptop case and gave one final swipe of her hand to brush away any lint or crumbs that might spoil her otherwise immaculate appearance. In a dark blue pant suit, Leah looked even taller than normal. She was a slender woman who looked every bit the modern feminist. Leah murmured to herself while opening the door to her third floor apartment. The hallway matched the style of her room in every way except the wood floors. Maroon carpet accented the stylish and modern wallpaper that lined the hallways. A random set of lines and colors, the motif was like something out of the minimalist artist Piet Mondrian’s portfolio. It fit the downtown apartment building well, and it reflected Leah’s own preference for newness and modern sensibility.
She continued, alone, down the hall towards the parking ramp. She would be late if not for the brisk pace she always set. Navigating the halls in 4 inch heels, Leah still made record time to her car. She entered the cavernous expanse of the parking ramp. The empty echo of concrete continued, seemingly, forever as she approached her Silver, Toyota Prius. She opened the door with little ceremony. Much like her apartment, Leah kept her car extremely clean and was proud of the fact that it was in such a condition. Every part of her life reflected the control she asserted over the factors that governed her life. Leah was, in every way, an independent person. Individualistic, she knew how to have her way and use people and things to get what she wanted. It worked and she was applauded for her success.
The little Prius came to life with no hesitation and Leah swiftly navigated her way out of the ramp and onto the city streets. The quiet hum of her efficient vehicle was a calming respite from the chaos that was to come. Leah was a manager at the local wine shop. Albeit a successful manager, she felt the stress that came with the title. To combat the stress, music quietly played the background. A mix cd of jazz tunes mixed with the sounds of city driving to create its own background. The cd had been created by Leah’s brother, a local jazz musician, and he knew just which songs she might like. Stan Getz’s smooth Tenor Sax playing was in stark contrast to the virtuosic Liszt that had, just moments ago, revived Leah from her sleep. Jumping into her mind, Leah swore softly as she remembered the broken wine glass in her bedroom. It shattered her zen-like mental state and brought back the stress she fought hard to combat. She has been doing a little store “research” last night and may have had one glass too many. Though she rarely awoke with a hangover, Leah often felt one less glass might make her more alert in the mornings. Yet, she loved wine, its complexities, and the fun of thinking about wine’s merits while also getting a little buzz. Wine took the edge off and let Leah sleep in peace.
“Everyone needs a little medicating.” She thought.
Almost as quickly as it had started, Leah’s car ride came to an end. She sat in the car for a few moments allowing that last few notes to end the song. Leah would be strong, ready, and professional at work today. She took one last look at her outfit to check for lint or other debris that might distract the eye. Next she checked her face in the mirror, flipped it back up and exited the car. Leah was ready for whatever would come her way this morning, and she would rise above it all to prove she was the best.


Leah hated her job. The honor of being the manager for the local wine shop was not all it cracked up to be. Sure, it had helped her knowledge of fine wines and she could use that knowledge to gain connections, but it wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted her own business; a successful bookstore. Leah had the idea all figured out, with surefire ways for gain customers and grow her business, but she was stuck working for someone else.
Leah played with the pen on her desk and looked down at the empty schedule on her desk. The pen twirled around her thumb with ease as she coaxed it along with her pointer finger. The pen would move rapidly on it’s own; a trick many knew well and one she had added to her list of stupid tricks. Looking over her shoulder, Leah wished that she might at least be able to work on the floor, meet customers, or interact with employees. This was not the case, sadly, and she had many things to accomplish before the day was done. The schedule beckoned, and she went back to the task at hand. Leah had a habit of talking aloud to herself when trying to solve managerial puzzles.
“We’ll put Janice on weekdays from nine to five since she has other obligations. Now, Gary will have to be weekends and evenings so he can show Jeff, the new guy, how things work here. Robert will need to be a split schedule on Friday. He’s not going to like that, but he’ll have to make some sacrifices. Let’s see, that just leaves a hole on Wednesday evening…wait…Thursday, and…if Janice can learn to be flexible…or I could ask Susanna to take on more hours…but…”
Another brick wall and Leah was back to the pen trick. She leaned back in her chair and spun a few times while scanning the wall. They were mostly bear except for a few posters from distributors, this month’s schedule, and a picture of Napa Valley.
‘I’d rather be there right now.’ thought Leah ‘Even with this paperwork; at least I’d have something to look at.’
She was contemplating just why the designers of the building would neglect to put a window in the manager’s office when Janice walked into her office. The short and dainty employee searched the office quickly with her eyes not wanting to make eye contact with Leah. She nervously tugged on the cuffs of her dark blue blouse and tossed back her graying hair. Janice was a veteran and Leah respected her more than any of the other employees.
“Leah?”
“Yes Janice?”
“I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.”
“Well, what is it?” Leah was starting to get nervous. Janice was her best and most knowledgeable employee.
“The thing is I’ve really got a lot on my plate right now. With the kids growing up, my husband getting a promotion, and just my overall need to be there for my family. I’m having trouble keeping up with everything. You see, Charles, my husband, is gone more with this new promotion. He has more responsibilities and is in charge of a whole department instead of just a few people. My kids really need me to be there when they get home from school, and…”
“Spit it out Janice!”
“I’m quitting.” Janice looked timidly at the floor.
“I see.” Leah breathed a heavy sigh or resignation “Is there anything I can do to change your mind? I can cut back on you hours and find ways to be flexible.”
“No, I’m sorry, but my mind is made up in this case. Sometime you just have to move on for you family’s sake.”
“I’m sorry to hear this from you, but I wish you the best of luck.”

Janice left the office in a hurry, and Leah was left speechless. With her hands on her head, she wondered what to do now. She was without her best salesperson and already had one trainee. Now her afternoon was swamped with work and she wouldn’t see the outside of the office until she signed out. However, this was not new to her. Many good employees had come and gone for various reasons. Leah would simply forget about Janice and begin a swift search for another salesperson. She thought back to who was left and began to weigh her options to hold the store over until she might hire another worker. Her option were with a varied group of workers: Gary was a very solid employee and a real enthusiastic salesman; Robert new his wines but was slow to stock or work the register; Jeff was new and obviously needed total supervision; and Susanna never liked to work more than she had to. Besides them, she had a handful of near-worthless college students who had very restrictive schedules and knew less about wine than they did about Pabst Blue Ribbon. Leah needed help fast.
A few hours of phone calls and writing online “help wanted” ads, but Leah was no closer to a solution; she would have to take on more hours herself and start working on the sales floor. So, with an air of finality, she slowly rose up from her chair and opened the office door. A rush of fresh air blew forward as she moved from the closed space of her office into the open and relaxed atmosphere of the sales floor. Fluorescent lights hummed in nervous activity while they illuminated the racks and shelves. The unnatural glow bounced off the polished tile floors and gave the space a fresh look. Leah walked down an isle marked “Australia and New Zealand” and watched her feet hitting the floor. The reflected rows of lights moved backwards as she strode down forward. Shelf talkers, little bits of information to help guide shoppers to the right wines, filled the shelves as she looked up to eye level. They told the reader about important scores from critics and described the flavors to be expected; Leah walked up to one that described a “90 point” Auzzie Shiraz and “gobs of fruit, blackberries, cassis, and a finish for days.” She picked up a bottle and inspected the label looking for information on producer, distributor, alcohol content, and vintage. Leah enjoyed looking at the unique labels and bottle shapes, but couldn’t get a nagging feeling out of her head. Looking left, and then right, she scanned the store and its contents while making a final decision.
“It’s time to quit. I’m sick of this job and the headaches that go with it.” And with that she went back to the office to write her letter of resignation.