SuperTemp

by Julie Norris

Black and blue with a hint of greenish yellow — Marion stared at the bursting spectrum of colors on her knee. She inspected the miniature scissors and pink travel tweezers soaking in a coffee cup of rubbing alcohol. She felt confident. After all, nail places sterilized their clippers the same way. She swallowed her anxiety with the last of the Makers Mark. For just a minute she sank into the sofa thinking, how am I going to buy more booze if I can’t even afford to get my stitches out. Before going to battle she called Care United Insurance looking for a local doctor.

“Ms. Knott, may I call you Marion?” asked the customer representative. He didn’t wait for her answer. “You are out of network. You have no benefits.”

Armed with a buzz, grooming tools, and no other choice, she took a deep breath and went after the nasty nylon. One-by-one she snipped, tugged and wiggled every stitch from her puffy flesh.

With her stitches out it seemed easier to climb the subway stairs and the walk the few blocks to her interview. She hoped it would turn into a job. Part-time, full-time, she didn’t care. At this point she would do anything for cash and a little company. By the time she arrived, beads of pre-menopausal sweat dotted her forehead, she was limping, and her heart was racing. Age was not on her side. She was decades older than the average employee at “StartMEup”.

To avoid being seen, Marion cornered herself between the elevator and stairwell. She smeared on glossy lipstick and scrunched her blonde on blonde hair. Both made her feel put together. Marion told herself that she was hip, modern, and even cool. Justin and Austin, StartMEup’s founders, would think so too. Wearing a forced smile, she pushed open the door. Before her was a sea of 20 something guys wearing hooded sweatshirts, many with beards and greasy hair. She heard the popping of ping pong balls. Candy and potato chips bags were wadded up on table tops everywhere. Marion sighed sadly, it was the .COM all over again. She looked around for a receptionist. Of course, there wasn’t one. To find Justin and Austin, she would to have to take to the sea. Marion was an exceptional swimmer.