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807 Words
There was no way for Ellory to anticipate when Sean would next steal his parking spot, but he thought he would risk it that morning. Before the break he’d tried arriving earlier than usual, but sometimes Sean would already be parked there, walking easily up the front marble steps, whistling and twirling his keys. Boiling, Ellory would have to reverse and squeeze into one of the farther spaces. Other times, he just rode his bike into campus. He didn’t mind the exercise, but it was often difficult maneuvering through the children, or controlling his bike on some of the more steep hills leading to his building. Ellory reported the coach and waited for something to happen, but nothing ever did. Maybe Sean was friends with the director of transportation services. He seemed to be friends with everyone.
He decided to run the risk at the end of September, thinking perhaps Sean had matured somewhat over the summer break and would cease all his petty shenanigans. Highly doubtful, as the man was clearly in his early thirties, so all hope was probably lost on that count. It wasn’t until he was pulling into the faculty parking lot that his hopes were truly dashed. Sean had to ruin everything, always, the ridiculous wanker. Sean’s silver car came zipping around the corner and nearly clipped the front corner of Ellory’s vehicle. He slammed his breaks and watched, incredulous and fuming, as Sean drove down the row and into Ellory’s parking space.
“That ridiculous…” He gritted his teeth and hurried into the lot, pulling up beside Sean, who was hitching his sports bag onto his shoulder. His silver Aviator glasses only made to irritate Ellory all the more.
“Hey!” he called, rolling down the window. Sean turned and then glanced behind him before pointing a finger at his own chest. Me? “Yes, you! What the hell is your bloody problem?”
“My problem?” Sean flashed that wide smile. “I don’t have a problem, bud. Just heading into work.” He started back toward the school again, and Ellory eased up on the brake, tailing him.
“You certainly do have a problem. That’s my parking spot. It has my bloody name on it. And you’ve taken it now dozens of times. You can’t do that!”
Sean shrugged, walking still. “Just did.” He flashed another smile and then hopped onto the curb, taking the stairs at a casual gait.
Ellory’s grip on the steering wheel was deadly, knuckles white. “f*****g idiot.” Ignoring the broad slant of those shoulders, Ellory pulled out of the lot and took one of the spaces near the end, hurrying up the steps and toward his office where Delia waited. She was probably already typing up more of his notes from Venezuela.
He and Delia had been spending almost too much time together, going over the research they’d done in Venezuela. Ellory worried about Delia at times, wondering if she missed being part of the social world of her generation, but she was an impeccable worker. Grabbing coffee for their late nights, ordering in from the Italian place downtown, singlehandedly aiding his work as well as completing her own. She was pixyish, like a fairy, flighty but grounded in her silver ballerina flats. Wrapped in a scarf and light sweater, she checked out books and articles for him, retrieved his mail, silenced the queue of chattering students outside his office with but a whisper and a sharp look, sitting quietly in the corner as he met with them one by one, typing, always typing. With all she did for him, Ellory found himself almost paternally protective of her.
Which was why he found himself quickly boiling over when he rounded the corner to find her taking the full brunt of Chase Thompson’s verbal abuse. Ellory had just stepped onto the landing when he heard raised voices from down the hall. It was still early and most of the other faculty had yet to arrive, but he and Delia tended to be morning people. Quickening his steps, he frowned as he caught the tail end of the argument.
"I've already told you, he's not in just yet—."
"Look, I don't care what you said. I need to see him. And he's bound to be here soon, so I'll just wait."
"You can't wait in here! It's a private office, only I'm allowed in—."
"Why, are you his little b***h secretary, or something?"
"How dare you—."
Ellory rounded the corner and stepped between Delia and Chase.
“What is the meaning of this?”
- Writer
