OMG! You actually clicked! Thanks so much for that. Seriously. Anyway, here's the first chapter of the book I'm thinking of publishing. Let me know what you think....
Taking Her Time
by Janene Murphy
Chapter One
No parents. No money. No Princeton.
Laura Fenway was used to ‘no.’ No matter how hard she worked, no matter how hard she studied, she never got what she wanted. But things were about to change for her, or at least that’s what she hoped. It all depended on the man she would meet in a moment. That scared her to death.
Heart racing, she stared at his office door, a mere fifteen feet from her chair. A massive wooden slab, it had a thick, gold nameplate befitting a man of great power.
“Mr. Emberlin is ready to see you now.”
Her hands began to sweat. Giving his secretary a nod, she rose from her seat and tried her best to look calm. She couldn’t blow this thing. She’d worked too hard for this moment. Robert Emberlin was just another person.
Yeah, right, she scoffed. Just another person, and the Big Bang was just another theory. Inventor of Scrub-Rite and other household products, he’d created a dynasty. His company, Emberlin Industries, employed over three thousand people. Most of them lived right in Freesboro, Indiana. Many neighbors of hers worked for him. Even at the crumbly old age of seventy-something, Mr. Emberlin had the world in his grasp. He also had a scholarship -- hers, or at least hers to win.
Treading across the plush beige carpet, she worked hard to keep herself steady. Why in the world did she choose to wear heels? They not only hurt, they wobbled. Instead of looking mature, she looked like a dork that couldn’t walk. She couldn’t do anything about that now, though. Only her words could save her.
With her hand on the door knob, she took a deep breath and then turned it with a little push. The door opened, revealing a warmly lit office colored in golds and browns. Wood shelves heavy with books and antiques lined the entire back wall. Another wall featured a large oil painting she knew she had seen in a book. This man had lived life. He’d experienced things she could only dream about. How would she impress him? She had no idea but she’d gotten this far, hadn’t she?
Zeroing in on the corner of the room she saw Mr. Emberlin, himself. He sat behind a mahogany desk as big as his reputation. Though he rarely appeared in the media, she’d seen photos of him on the web. In person, he looked older and much less healthy with his bald head and hunched over back. Yet, something about him touched her soul. His eyes. They had a youthful glisten. Then she scanned further down his face and cringed. Clear tubes ran from his nostrils.
“Laura,” he said, sounding wheezy but firm. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Forcing a smile, she walked up to his desk and shook his hand. “Me, too. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Indeed! It’s wonderful meeting you, too.” Was it her, or did he seem too excited? “Please don’t mind the oxygen tank. Just promise you’ll never smoke.”
“I’m sorry….”
“Lung cancer is a nasty business. The doctors say I have little time left. In fact, that’s the reason why you’re here.”
She blinked. “I thought I was here about a scholarship.”
“You are. Though scholarships normally go to employee’s children, you’re an exceptional case.”
“I am?”
"My dear, you have no idea.” He leaned back in his chair. “You know, your grandfather, Archibald Fenway, worked for me back in the Sixties.”
“I did.” And that’s about all she knew. Grandpa Archie died well before her birth. “Did you know him?”
“Yes.”
“What was he like?”
“He was an interesting man.”
Mr. Emberlin said that in a strange tone of voice, the kind that begged more questions. But before she could think, he gestured to a beige cushioned chair in front of his desk.
“Take a seat, Laura. I expect you’re ready for your interview?”
“I am,” she said, more confident that she was ready for a heart attack, instead.
Easing into her chair, her blood pumped hard throughout her entire body. Her hands started shaking. Her mouth grew dry. This was it, the big questions. Smoothing her skirt, she sat up straight and braced herself for the assault.
“So, Laura,” he said. “How are you doing? Has your life been all right growing up?”
“I’m fine, sir. Everything’s been just fine.”
“Not working too hard? Having fun?”
“Um, sure.”
“Let’s talk about your parents, then.” He glanced down at a sheet on his desk. “Your application says they died when you were very young.”
“Yes, sir. They were in a car crash. I was just a baby.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. I see your mother’s sister raised you.”
“Yes. Tina Hickman. I still live with her now.”
“And how has that been for you?”
She swallowed hard. Were interview questions always so personal? What should she say? Should she tell him the truth? It wasn’t very pretty. Her Aunt Tina, at the age of nineteen, had a one year-old dumped in her lap. Life had been tough. It still was. They struggled in every way.
“It’s been great, sir,” she said, her cheeks hot from the lie. No one liked a loser.
“I see. Well, from the looks of your application, you qualify for financial hardship. Without a scholarship, your chances of attending a top notch university look grim. Luckily, I can help.” He leaned in toward her and smiled. “How would you feel about a full-ride scholarship to the college of your choice, followed by guaranteed employment at Emberlin Industries?”
She almost fell out of her chair. “Are you serious?”
“Quite.”
“But, what’s the catch? I mean, I’d be grateful and all, but why so much? Why me?”
“Like I said, Laura, you’re an exceptional case.”
The way he said that made her uneasy. “How so?”
“Well, you show remarkable talent in the area of quantum physics, quite unusual for someone your age. Your math scores are through the roof and, from what I hear, your abstract reasoning skills are equally incredible.”
“Why, thank you, I…”
“Tell me, have you ever thought about time travel, Laura?”
Hold the cell phone. What was the question? “Excuse me, did you just say time travel?”
“Yes, Laura. I did.”
Slack jawed, she wondered which was stranger: his question or that her answer was yes. From a young age, time travel permeated her mind, though more as a wish than a possibility. If she could go back in time, she could right the wrongs of the world and fix history’s mistakes. She could save her parents. She could salvage her Aunt Tina’s life, as well as her own. But did Mr. Emberlin know that? If so, how? The coincidence unnerved her.
The old man’s eyes twinkled. “From the expression on your face, I would say the answer to my question is ‘yes.’ That, my dear, is why you’re here.”
“I…I don’t understand.”
“You’re a smart girl, Laura. You have the ability and the desire.”
“For what?”
“To travel through time.”
“Excuse me, what?” She had to have heard him wrong. “You think there’s potential for me to time travel?”
“I don’t think so. I know so.”
This conversation was teetering on crazy. “Know? Know how? Current science is no where near a breakthrough like that.”
“I know because in September of 2022 you will have perfected a working time machine.”
His words hung in the air. She refused to absorb them. The conversation was officially crazy. “2022?” she finally sputtered. “You’re talking about ten years from now!”
“I am, and what a ten years it will be for you! Of course, you’ll have a head start this time. I have the time machine in my possession now. It’s broken but, with time and research, I know you’ll fix it.”
“But that’s…I…” She didn’t know what to say. Was the guy nuts, senile, or both? Either way, this interview was turning into a made-for-TV movie and she didn’t want the starring role. She rose from her chair. “I have to go.”
“Please, Laura, don’t. I need you.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t help you.” Filled with dread, she turned toward his office door. She should have known this would be too good to be true. Why did she always pin her hopes on things that could never be? She’d never get a scholarship. She’d never leave Freesboro. She’d never do or be anything.
Her feet felt heavy as she took her first steps toward the door. Mr. Emberlin spoke.
“Laura, don’t you want to go to Princeton?”
Those words stopped her cold. No way. Did he just mention the college she dreamed of attending? Only three people knew about her application -- the three teachers who wrote her recommendations. All had promised not to breathe a word. The secret had been closely guarded. Not getting in to Princeton would be embarrassing enough, but getting in and not being able to pay for it? Worse.
Turning back around, fire flushed her cheeks. She worked hard to keep her cool. “How do you know about Princeton?”
The man’s eyes popped, like a kid caught cheating on a final exam. “Well…I….”
“Have you been spying on me?”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘spying’...”
“Then tell me, how exactly did you find out?”
His mouth opened but no words came out of it. She saw panic rise in his eyes. Things were turning from crazy to creepy. She took a slow step back.
“Please,” he sputtered before a cough. “I just want to help you. I’ll pay for it all, no questions asked.”
“What if I’m not accepted?”
“You will be, Laura. That much I can tell you.”
“How do you know?”
“From the time machine. It wasn’t always broken.”
That was it. She couldn’t take it anymore. Spinning back around, she zoomed toward the door.
“Wait, Laura!” He coughed again, his voice ragged. “I’m sorry … I told you this way. I wish … I could have waited…..but I’m dying, Laura…. We’re running out of time.”
She didn’t care. She bolted for the exit.
“Laura, please!”
Loud, mucous-filled noises made her wince as she flung open the door to his office. As she darted from the room, his secretary ran in. “Mr. Emberlin, are you all right?”
She didn’t wait for the answer. She had to get away from that man, that office, all of that madness. How frustrating. She’d come all this way for a scholarship only to end up in a cuckoo’s nest. Dashing down the marble hallway, she went straight to the elevator and assaulted the downward arrow button.
When the elevator arrived, she was still fuming. She stomped in, leaning her back against the wall. All that hard work for nothing. Such a waste of time. Then, midway down reality sunk in.
She’d blown it. So what if Robert Emberlin was crazy? Did it matter? He had a scholarship and a job. She needed both, not just for her but for Tina. He had offered and she had refused. As for knowing about Princeton, he had a right to that information, didn’t he? But when he mentioned it, she yelled -- at an old man, no less. An old man who was dying.
How wrong. How wrong and embarrassing. Closing her eyes, tears started to well. Once again, she’d shot herself in the foot. What would she do now?
She knew what she should do. She should go right back up to Mr. Emberlin’s office, smile and apologize. If he said anything about a time machine, she should just say, ‘That’s great!’ It might not fix anything but, then, it might. What did she have to lose? When the elevator doors opened to the bottom floor, she knew she had to go right back up.
Why, then, did she find herself scurrying across the lobby, desperately needing to exit? It had nothing to do with a lack of smarts or hunger. She had plenty of both. But she felt a strange, uneasy fear in an unchartered place deep inside.
A time machine. He’d said, ‘time machine.’
The thought rattled her to the core.
............................................
Like it? Hate it? Let me know. Here's a link back to the blog post about it.
Taking Her Time
by Janene Murphy
Chapter One
No parents. No money. No Princeton.
Laura Fenway was used to ‘no.’ No matter how hard she worked, no matter how hard she studied, she never got what she wanted. But things were about to change for her, or at least that’s what she hoped. It all depended on the man she would meet in a moment. That scared her to death.
Heart racing, she stared at his office door, a mere fifteen feet from her chair. A massive wooden slab, it had a thick, gold nameplate befitting a man of great power.
“Mr. Emberlin is ready to see you now.”
Her hands began to sweat. Giving his secretary a nod, she rose from her seat and tried her best to look calm. She couldn’t blow this thing. She’d worked too hard for this moment. Robert Emberlin was just another person.
Yeah, right, she scoffed. Just another person, and the Big Bang was just another theory. Inventor of Scrub-Rite and other household products, he’d created a dynasty. His company, Emberlin Industries, employed over three thousand people. Most of them lived right in Freesboro, Indiana. Many neighbors of hers worked for him. Even at the crumbly old age of seventy-something, Mr. Emberlin had the world in his grasp. He also had a scholarship -- hers, or at least hers to win.
Treading across the plush beige carpet, she worked hard to keep herself steady. Why in the world did she choose to wear heels? They not only hurt, they wobbled. Instead of looking mature, she looked like a dork that couldn’t walk. She couldn’t do anything about that now, though. Only her words could save her.
With her hand on the door knob, she took a deep breath and then turned it with a little push. The door opened, revealing a warmly lit office colored in golds and browns. Wood shelves heavy with books and antiques lined the entire back wall. Another wall featured a large oil painting she knew she had seen in a book. This man had lived life. He’d experienced things she could only dream about. How would she impress him? She had no idea but she’d gotten this far, hadn’t she?
Zeroing in on the corner of the room she saw Mr. Emberlin, himself. He sat behind a mahogany desk as big as his reputation. Though he rarely appeared in the media, she’d seen photos of him on the web. In person, he looked older and much less healthy with his bald head and hunched over back. Yet, something about him touched her soul. His eyes. They had a youthful glisten. Then she scanned further down his face and cringed. Clear tubes ran from his nostrils.
“Laura,” he said, sounding wheezy but firm. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Forcing a smile, she walked up to his desk and shook his hand. “Me, too. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Indeed! It’s wonderful meeting you, too.” Was it her, or did he seem too excited? “Please don’t mind the oxygen tank. Just promise you’ll never smoke.”
“I’m sorry….”
“Lung cancer is a nasty business. The doctors say I have little time left. In fact, that’s the reason why you’re here.”
She blinked. “I thought I was here about a scholarship.”
“You are. Though scholarships normally go to employee’s children, you’re an exceptional case.”
“I am?”
"My dear, you have no idea.” He leaned back in his chair. “You know, your grandfather, Archibald Fenway, worked for me back in the Sixties.”
“I did.” And that’s about all she knew. Grandpa Archie died well before her birth. “Did you know him?”
“Yes.”
“What was he like?”
“He was an interesting man.”
Mr. Emberlin said that in a strange tone of voice, the kind that begged more questions. But before she could think, he gestured to a beige cushioned chair in front of his desk.
“Take a seat, Laura. I expect you’re ready for your interview?”
“I am,” she said, more confident that she was ready for a heart attack, instead.
Easing into her chair, her blood pumped hard throughout her entire body. Her hands started shaking. Her mouth grew dry. This was it, the big questions. Smoothing her skirt, she sat up straight and braced herself for the assault.
“So, Laura,” he said. “How are you doing? Has your life been all right growing up?”
“I’m fine, sir. Everything’s been just fine.”
“Not working too hard? Having fun?”
“Um, sure.”
“Let’s talk about your parents, then.” He glanced down at a sheet on his desk. “Your application says they died when you were very young.”
“Yes, sir. They were in a car crash. I was just a baby.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. I see your mother’s sister raised you.”
“Yes. Tina Hickman. I still live with her now.”
“And how has that been for you?”
She swallowed hard. Were interview questions always so personal? What should she say? Should she tell him the truth? It wasn’t very pretty. Her Aunt Tina, at the age of nineteen, had a one year-old dumped in her lap. Life had been tough. It still was. They struggled in every way.
“It’s been great, sir,” she said, her cheeks hot from the lie. No one liked a loser.
“I see. Well, from the looks of your application, you qualify for financial hardship. Without a scholarship, your chances of attending a top notch university look grim. Luckily, I can help.” He leaned in toward her and smiled. “How would you feel about a full-ride scholarship to the college of your choice, followed by guaranteed employment at Emberlin Industries?”
She almost fell out of her chair. “Are you serious?”
“Quite.”
“But, what’s the catch? I mean, I’d be grateful and all, but why so much? Why me?”
“Like I said, Laura, you’re an exceptional case.”
The way he said that made her uneasy. “How so?”
“Well, you show remarkable talent in the area of quantum physics, quite unusual for someone your age. Your math scores are through the roof and, from what I hear, your abstract reasoning skills are equally incredible.”
“Why, thank you, I…”
“Tell me, have you ever thought about time travel, Laura?”
Hold the cell phone. What was the question? “Excuse me, did you just say time travel?”
“Yes, Laura. I did.”
Slack jawed, she wondered which was stranger: his question or that her answer was yes. From a young age, time travel permeated her mind, though more as a wish than a possibility. If she could go back in time, she could right the wrongs of the world and fix history’s mistakes. She could save her parents. She could salvage her Aunt Tina’s life, as well as her own. But did Mr. Emberlin know that? If so, how? The coincidence unnerved her.
The old man’s eyes twinkled. “From the expression on your face, I would say the answer to my question is ‘yes.’ That, my dear, is why you’re here.”
“I…I don’t understand.”
“You’re a smart girl, Laura. You have the ability and the desire.”
“For what?”
“To travel through time.”
“Excuse me, what?” She had to have heard him wrong. “You think there’s potential for me to time travel?”
“I don’t think so. I know so.”
This conversation was teetering on crazy. “Know? Know how? Current science is no where near a breakthrough like that.”
“I know because in September of 2022 you will have perfected a working time machine.”
His words hung in the air. She refused to absorb them. The conversation was officially crazy. “2022?” she finally sputtered. “You’re talking about ten years from now!”
“I am, and what a ten years it will be for you! Of course, you’ll have a head start this time. I have the time machine in my possession now. It’s broken but, with time and research, I know you’ll fix it.”
“But that’s…I…” She didn’t know what to say. Was the guy nuts, senile, or both? Either way, this interview was turning into a made-for-TV movie and she didn’t want the starring role. She rose from her chair. “I have to go.”
“Please, Laura, don’t. I need you.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t help you.” Filled with dread, she turned toward his office door. She should have known this would be too good to be true. Why did she always pin her hopes on things that could never be? She’d never get a scholarship. She’d never leave Freesboro. She’d never do or be anything.
Her feet felt heavy as she took her first steps toward the door. Mr. Emberlin spoke.
“Laura, don’t you want to go to Princeton?”
Those words stopped her cold. No way. Did he just mention the college she dreamed of attending? Only three people knew about her application -- the three teachers who wrote her recommendations. All had promised not to breathe a word. The secret had been closely guarded. Not getting in to Princeton would be embarrassing enough, but getting in and not being able to pay for it? Worse.
Turning back around, fire flushed her cheeks. She worked hard to keep her cool. “How do you know about Princeton?”
The man’s eyes popped, like a kid caught cheating on a final exam. “Well…I….”
“Have you been spying on me?”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘spying’...”
“Then tell me, how exactly did you find out?”
His mouth opened but no words came out of it. She saw panic rise in his eyes. Things were turning from crazy to creepy. She took a slow step back.
“Please,” he sputtered before a cough. “I just want to help you. I’ll pay for it all, no questions asked.”
“What if I’m not accepted?”
“You will be, Laura. That much I can tell you.”
“How do you know?”
“From the time machine. It wasn’t always broken.”
That was it. She couldn’t take it anymore. Spinning back around, she zoomed toward the door.
“Wait, Laura!” He coughed again, his voice ragged. “I’m sorry … I told you this way. I wish … I could have waited…..but I’m dying, Laura…. We’re running out of time.”
She didn’t care. She bolted for the exit.
“Laura, please!”
Loud, mucous-filled noises made her wince as she flung open the door to his office. As she darted from the room, his secretary ran in. “Mr. Emberlin, are you all right?”
She didn’t wait for the answer. She had to get away from that man, that office, all of that madness. How frustrating. She’d come all this way for a scholarship only to end up in a cuckoo’s nest. Dashing down the marble hallway, she went straight to the elevator and assaulted the downward arrow button.
When the elevator arrived, she was still fuming. She stomped in, leaning her back against the wall. All that hard work for nothing. Such a waste of time. Then, midway down reality sunk in.
She’d blown it. So what if Robert Emberlin was crazy? Did it matter? He had a scholarship and a job. She needed both, not just for her but for Tina. He had offered and she had refused. As for knowing about Princeton, he had a right to that information, didn’t he? But when he mentioned it, she yelled -- at an old man, no less. An old man who was dying.
How wrong. How wrong and embarrassing. Closing her eyes, tears started to well. Once again, she’d shot herself in the foot. What would she do now?
She knew what she should do. She should go right back up to Mr. Emberlin’s office, smile and apologize. If he said anything about a time machine, she should just say, ‘That’s great!’ It might not fix anything but, then, it might. What did she have to lose? When the elevator doors opened to the bottom floor, she knew she had to go right back up.
Why, then, did she find herself scurrying across the lobby, desperately needing to exit? It had nothing to do with a lack of smarts or hunger. She had plenty of both. But she felt a strange, uneasy fear in an unchartered place deep inside.
A time machine. He’d said, ‘time machine.’
The thought rattled her to the core.
............................................
Like it? Hate it? Let me know. Here's a link back to the blog post about it.
