WHO: Marcie WHEN: Thurs 13th Jan WHERE: the Enodia WHAT: Marcie is looking forward to a new year WARNINGS: none
Marcie stood in front of the full length mirror and turned slightly, tilting her head as she looked herself over. She was too thin, she thought, looking at the shape of her hips. Not sick-thin like how she’d been after the tumor. But there wasn’t a lot of meat on her bones. Small breasts, small butt, thin legs. The shape women wanted these days was more pear shaped, more… bouncy. Maybe she should eat more like Kaden, who seemed to be able to subsist entirely on pizza and never gained a pound.
She ran a hand over her thigh and sighed with a frown. She should get dressed and go and do things today, not stand in the mirror, freshly showered, and critique herself like this. Her damp hair hung in messy tendrils over her shoulders, and she fluffed her fingers through it. That would require attention. But first…. Maybe… Slipping her fingers between her legs, she touched herself carefully. Everything felt the same from the outside. The same curves of skin, same welcoming warmth. But ever since going back to Burlington, she hadn’t been inclined to make anything happen for herself, and she gave up quickly, turning away from the mirror to find some panties to slip on.
Kaden needed to go to a real school, she knew. He was trying but the isolation from other kids had to be tough on him, and it was hard for him to focus. Their lives had been so weird since- well, since- and she had to get them back to normal. Just had to. That was her purpose now. Since she was never going to have her own kids, she was going to parent the fuck out of Kaden instead.
She looked good in the suit. The tailoring on the trousers was impeccable, and the blazer and blouse made her feel very businessy. Aphrodite had really come through, and Marcie had not even argued on the whole “paying for it” point. So, her plan to be a fucking grown-up and make this work went as follows, starting with Step One. She had contacted Athena and arranged to meet with her contact at city hall. Working the reception for the Enodia was fine, but it was a temporary fix while they lived there. Going forward, it all depended if she was going to be stepping into an internship or a paid position. She felt sure Athena wouldn’t suggest something unpaid, but it was better to be sure. People like this tended to reserve judgment until they’d seen the person in question, but Marcie was hopeful.
Step Two was to find a new apartment. She had a list of places to go through, and the size to cost ratio made her stomach clench. Was she wrong in refusing Aphrodite’s help for that? Living in New York was so expensive. But she had to be self-reliant. She was her own woman, and she’d done it before, living in that studio apartment for a year while she worked for John. (Thinking of John, she might actually have some contacts at city hall already, if they remembered her.)
So then Step Three was to find a school for Kaden. Somewhere he was happy with, somewhere that would be forgiving of their family situation, somewhere for Kaden to feel like a read kid again. She wanted that for him so badly, especially after the whole fuckup in Burlington. His loneliness made her heart ache.
And Step Four… Step Four was… Marcie twisted her hair up into a bun and looked at her reflection. Step Four was to allow herself to have a life again. Once everything else was in place, then she could think about what would make her happy. She could let herself think about Life After, and who to let close. Maybe make new friends. Go out dancing. Have dinner with Tuck like he suggested. Ask Much…
Shaking her head quickly, Marcie turned away from the mirror and pushed her bedroom door open. She had a lot of work to do before she could let herself even think of anything like that. Affairs of the heart could wait. In the meantime, maybe she could call up that Greek hero, if she felt like it. Pass some time on his dick. He seemed amenable to that sort of thing.
If she felt like it. Right now, she did not.
She paused in the hallway to take a breath and steady herself before she went into the living area. Kaden was eating cereal on the sofa, and he glanced up as she came in.
“I’m ready,” she said, giving him a spin. “What do you think? Do I look highly employable?” He grunted through his mouthful of food and gave her a thumbs up, so she took that as a high compliment and smiled. “See you later then, when I’ll be highly employed. Wish me luck!”
She got a mouthful mumble in return, but she would accept that, and gave him a wave as she headed out. This was it. First steps into a new year, new job, new future. New Marcie.