Chapter 14: The Strides We Make. Part 2

By the time Hayden made it to Fox Vinyl, the fatigue of a long, difficult week finally hit her. She tried to suppress her yawns but her day began at 5:00 A.M. every single weekday and didn't end until 11:00 P.M. The only thing that got her going each morning was the fact that her daily workout gave her energy and woke her better than a strong cup of coffee. However, that energy was long gone by now.

When she arrived in the evenings everyone else on her team would already be present – not counting breaks to the canteen – since they worked a full shift to her part-time hours. The first thing she did as she headed to her desk tonight was to check the board for the number of sales. Brian and Marcus each had two, Abdullah had four, and there was one each for her and Pam. Only two for Brian? He usually led the team in sales.

She looked over at his desk and saw that it was empty. It appeared that he hadn't been in all day. Well she hoped that he took the weekend to get some rest and to get over his illness. The last thing she needed was to catch someone's germs and to end up sick and flat on her back.

Hayden sat down and got her materials together and then she looked over at Abdullah. He was scanning the phonebook, his finger scrolling down the page and his mouth moving as he read to himself. The way I treat people who I seek and expect nothing from is the same way I treat those I hope to gain and learn from…

Taking a deep breath, she stood and trudged across the aisle to his desk. He looked at her without changing his posture.

"Abdullah, I just wanted to apologize again about yesterday. And I hope that…" what do I hope? I didn't want to be friends and I am not about to lie about it. "…we can put that behind us."

The ensuing silence dragged on. Okay… When he didn't move she made to turn, but then, he nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry as well. I should not have yelled at you. I had no right."

She was surprised by his apology, but she simply nodded and then returned to her seat with a smile. That had felt good. Pam returned to her desk a few minutes later from her smoke break in the canteen. Hayden couldn't force herself to speak to that one and decided that the next best thing was to just disregard her.

A little later, Marcus, or Mr. Doo Wop, asked her if she wanted a cup of coffee after he walked past and saw her mouth wide open in a deep yawn. With embarrassment, she explained that she no longer drank coffee. Equally important was that she wouldn't dare eat or drink anything that had come from that dirty canteen, but she kept that little tidbit to herself.

"You let me know if you need something to perk you up," he whispered before walking back to his desk.

Hayden froze. Did he just offer her drugs… or something sexual? Ugh… he was her daddy's age! Double ugh, as if she would take unknown drugs from some stranger! She tried to wipe the yuck-look from her face as she returned to her work feeling slightly traumatized.

Four hours moved by quickly and by the end of the evening she had another sale. Woot! Woot! She wasted no time leaving work. Then after her shower, she fell into bed naked, and was deeply asleep right on top of her neatly made bed.

For once in a very long time, Hayden found clothes' shopping was actually enjoyable. When she picked out slacks to try on, she found that they were way too big and she had to send Dani running around the store for smaller and then even smaller sizes. Then when she stepped out of the dressing room wearing pants that actually hugged her legs and butt and, they looked so good that she was in awe.

She had wanted simple blouses, but Dani convinced her to find pretty shirts that accentuated a waistline that she hadn't had in ages. Now she could see that Dani was right. The prettier blouses, the better fitting clothes… made her feel pretty.

"I told you!" Dani was standing beside her as she looked in the large mirror that stood at the entrance of the dressing room. Hayden looked at the reflection of her and her best friend standing side-by-side.

She was smaller than Dani, but… Hayden allowed her eyes to move to Dani's face and then to her own. Wide brown eyes stared back at her from a golden brown face that could no longer be called round. Neat twirls from her teeny weeny afro haloed her head. She didn't have a pig face at all…

Her eyes scanned her entire form. No, she wasn't thin, but she was far from being the fat girl that she had been in her mind's eye. So why was it that when she took off her clothes, she still saw nothing but rolls of ugly fat?

Hayden did a slight turn and checked out her side view. Wow, was that her butt? When had it lifted like that, when it had always been wide and flat before?

Dani was smiling at her in the mirror. "See? You look good."

Hayden blushed and looked away and then she headed back to the dressing room to change, but while she did she had a smile on her face. She glanced down at her body in just panties and a bra. Yeah, that extra roll on each side of her body was gone now… she was down to just one. There was still work to be done, but she really had made great strides.

Hayden spent the weekend sorting through her old clothes and she actually got rid of any sizes that were now too big for her. She would never allow herself to get that big again, and if she did, then she would just have to bear the consequences of having to buy an entirely new wardrobe. Two garbage bags of clothes went into her trunk to be donated to the nearby Good Will.