***
She pulled into her parking space at the office next to Marabel’s lime-green Impala, just as she always did. As she walked towards her office, she was humming the same little tune she had in her shower earlier.
“Good morning!” she greeted Marabel cheerfully as she entered. Marabel looked up from her work and smiled back.
“Morning, Miss Cole,” she nodded. “I’m glad to see you feeling better.”
“MUCH better, thanks!” Claudia put her purse on her desk as she passed it on her way to the coffee. “You were right yesterday. I needed the break.”
She poured her coffee and savored the smell of it for a moment before taking the first tiny sip. “Anything interesting in the mail?” she asked, turning back towards Marabel.
“Not so far,” Marabel replied. “A lot of junk mail, though.”
Claudia we
