receptionist.
Doreen glanced over her frameless glasses from behind the front desk and smiled. ‘No, she’s just waiting for her next appointment out the back.’
‘Thanks.’ Lara headed past the shelf of dog food and fancy pet collars to the back entrance. She paused by the door of the next room and headed inside. Dogs whined in their pens so Lara went to pat each one, talking softly to them.
‘You’ll get them all worked up,’ warned Doreen from the doorway.
Lara felt her cheeks glow red as she shut the door on a beagle’s pen, but she saw Doreen smile before she left.
Lara headed past the operating room and into the staff room. Mel was at the table dunking a chocolate biscuit into a coffee cup. Her auburn hair was back in a loose bun.
‘Is the kettle hot?’ Lara asked, causing Mel to spill her coffee.
‘Jeez, Lara!’ She shook the liquid off her hand. ‘Yeah, I’ve just made a cup. Help yourself.’
Lara went to the sink and put some coffee in a cup. ‘So, you’re not busy today?’
‘Nah. For some reason, Tuesdays are slow. Not that I mind. It’s nice to have enough time to scratch oneself, like the proverbial dog.’
Lara sat down opposite Mel, who slid the packet of biscuits over.
‘You’ve seen the dogs again, haven’t you,’ Mel said, pointing to the black hairs on Lara’s cream suit and shaking her head. ‘What the hell are you doing here at this time of day, anyway?’
‘Come to see you?’
‘Um … shouldn’t you be at work?’
Lara winced at her words.
Mel’s eyes bulged and her mouth dropped. ‘Oh my God. What happened? Didn’t they give you the job? But I thought you were a shoo-in!’ She rested her hand on Lara’s arm.
‘No, Mel. It’s not that. I got the job.’
‘Oh, good for you … I think. I mean, why do you look like you ran over a cat?’ Her eyes grew large. ‘You didn’t run over a cat, did you?’
Lara laughed. ‘No, Mel. I’m just feeling so out of sorts. When I found out I’d got the job, I was … I didn’t … I don’t know. Let’s just say I wasn’t as enthusiastic as I thought I’d be.’
‘Oh. So, what’s going on in your head, Larz? Are you okay?’
Lara searched her mind, body and soul for the answer to Mel’s question. Was she fine? ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I want any more. I don’t think I want this life. I certainly don’t want that job.’ Lara gave half a smile. ‘I don’t think I really ever liked doing that job,’ she blurted and then took stock of herself. ‘Wow, now there’s a lot of truth I never realised before.’
‘Why the hell were you doing it, then, if you didn’t even like it?’ Mel’s brow creased with worry.
‘I don’t know. I thought it was what I wanted …’ Lara pulled a face of utter bewilderment.
‘Aw, Larz. It doesn’t matter. Your mum would be proud of you no matter what you did with your life. I don’t think she’d care if you didn’t have a flash career. She’d be more upset to know you weren’t happy.’
Lara rubbed her hand over her face, trying to clear her mind.
‘I know you probably feel like you’re letting her down – believe me, I’ve felt the same – but Dad made me realise that Mum would have loved me no matter what. We owe it to them to be happy. That’s all they’d truly want.’ Mel bit her lip. ‘I think after your mum died you took it upon yourself to succeed for her, regardless of what you wanted,’ she said carefully.
‘I just feel so … lost. Like the last few years have been a waste,’ Lara said, playing with her biscuit.
‘You have your whole life ahead of you, Lara. It’s not the end of the world. You have so many options – you’re strong, determined, and I know you’ll succeed at whatever you do. You could pick up a job with another company in a second.’
‘Nah. Maybe you and I should go on a trip overseas together? A big holiday would help,’ said Lara dreamily.
‘Yes, but then who’d look after my
Doreen glanced over her frameless glasses from behind the front desk and smiled. ‘No, she’s just waiting for her next appointment out the back.’
‘Thanks.’ Lara headed past the shelf of dog food and fancy pet collars to the back entrance. She paused by the door of the next room and headed inside. Dogs whined in their pens so Lara went to pat each one, talking softly to them.
‘You’ll get them all worked up,’ warned Doreen from the doorway.
Lara felt her cheeks glow red as she shut the door on a beagle’s pen, but she saw Doreen smile before she left.
Lara headed past the operating room and into the staff room. Mel was at the table dunking a chocolate biscuit into a coffee cup. Her auburn hair was back in a loose bun.
‘Is the kettle hot?’ Lara asked, causing Mel to spill her coffee.
‘Jeez, Lara!’ She shook the liquid off her hand. ‘Yeah, I’ve just made a cup. Help yourself.’
Lara went to the sink and put some coffee in a cup. ‘So, you’re not busy today?’
‘Nah. For some reason, Tuesdays are slow. Not that I mind. It’s nice to have enough time to scratch oneself, like the proverbial dog.’
Lara sat down opposite Mel, who slid the packet of biscuits over.
‘You’ve seen the dogs again, haven’t you,’ Mel said, pointing to the black hairs on Lara’s cream suit and shaking her head. ‘What the hell are you doing here at this time of day, anyway?’
‘Come to see you?’
‘Um … shouldn’t you be at work?’
Lara winced at her words.
Mel’s eyes bulged and her mouth dropped. ‘Oh my God. What happened? Didn’t they give you the job? But I thought you were a shoo-in!’ She rested her hand on Lara’s arm.
‘No, Mel. It’s not that. I got the job.’
‘Oh, good for you … I think. I mean, why do you look like you ran over a cat?’ Her eyes grew large. ‘You didn’t run over a cat, did you?’
Lara laughed. ‘No, Mel. I’m just feeling so out of sorts. When I found out I’d got the job, I was … I didn’t … I don’t know. Let’s just say I wasn’t as enthusiastic as I thought I’d be.’
‘Oh. So, what’s going on in your head, Larz? Are you okay?’
Lara searched her mind, body and soul for the answer to Mel’s question. Was she fine? ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I want any more. I don’t think I want this life. I certainly don’t want that job.’ Lara gave half a smile. ‘I don’t think I really ever liked doing that job,’ she blurted and then took stock of herself. ‘Wow, now there’s a lot of truth I never realised before.’
‘Why the hell were you doing it, then, if you didn’t even like it?’ Mel’s brow creased with worry.
‘I don’t know. I thought it was what I wanted …’ Lara pulled a face of utter bewilderment.
‘Aw, Larz. It doesn’t matter. Your mum would be proud of you no matter what you did with your life. I don’t think she’d care if you didn’t have a flash career. She’d be more upset to know you weren’t happy.’
Lara rubbed her hand over her face, trying to clear her mind.
‘I know you probably feel like you’re letting her down – believe me, I’ve felt the same – but Dad made me realise that Mum would have loved me no matter what. We owe it to them to be happy. That’s all they’d truly want.’ Mel bit her lip. ‘I think after your mum died you took it upon yourself to succeed for her, regardless of what you wanted,’ she said carefully.
‘I just feel so … lost. Like the last few years have been a waste,’ Lara said, playing with her biscuit.
‘You have your whole life ahead of you, Lara. It’s not the end of the world. You have so many options – you’re strong, determined, and I know you’ll succeed at whatever you do. You could pick up a job with another company in a second.’
‘Nah. Maybe you and I should go on a trip overseas together? A big holiday would help,’ said Lara dreamily.
‘Yes, but then who’d look after my
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