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HOLLY (Part three)
I couldn't believe how fast the day after tomorrow came, but here it was, the
first day on my new job. I had set my alarm for 8am, got up, ate some cereal,
and got ready. I had to leave forty minutes early because the bus stop was two
blocks away and I wanted to catch the 9:35, and I didn't want to be late. Val
had told me that although there's no law against driving with a brace like
this, I should be very careful if I was going to try it, and to be sure to have
my mirrors adjusted. I decided that I would try later, but that I would take
the bus today.
I arrived about ten to ten and went straight to the fourth floor. The
receptionist said "Hi Holly, Val's waiting, you know the way." The
door to Val's office was open but I gave a little knock anyway. "Holly!
Come on in." She said with that friendly smile of hers. "We're all
set for you, I'll get Jim up here with your brace." She pushed her
intercom button and said "Jim, Holly's here, will you come up
please?" A scratchy voice said "Ok Val." Val poured me a cup of
coffee and asked if I had any second thoughts since we last talked, I said no
but told her I'm glad today is here, all the sooner I'll be done. Jim walked in
and handed my brace to Val, "Thank you Jim. I'll call you if I need you,
Ok?" Jim smiled at me, said hi and left, back down to his dungeon, I
guess. "Ok Holly, lets get your top off, I think we can do this if you
just pull your skirt down a little. I did so while Val fiddled with the straps.
"Ok, here goes, you ready?" She said with a smile. She put the back
part against my back and attached the front at the waist, then the straps all
the way up to my armpits and over my shoulders, firmly but not too tight.
"Head back." I leaned my head back until it rested against the
headpiece and Val attached the chin piece and brought it up and fastened it.
This one did fit better, and it seemed that I had even less movement, if that's
possible. "Now, as I mentioned before, this one has a headband, the other
one didn't." Val attached the headband to one side of the part at the back
of my head and brought it around my forehead and fastened it on the other side.
The tiny bit of movement I had was gone, completely! "Ok Holly, I had told
you before that in order to assure that the testing is completely controlled,
we are going to put these little seals on all the fasteners, don't take it
personally, but it's the only way we can be totally assured of
compliance." She worked as she talked. "These are just little plastic
ties that I will show you how to cut off if you really decide to end this test
before the six weeks are up, as I promised, you will be paid up to that point
but no bonus. There, all done, now look in the mirror, see the little beige
plastic ties? If you have to, just take a pair of scissors and cut them and you
can take the brace off." I wasn't really looking at the little plastic
ties, I was looking at me in the mirror, It was a little different with the
headband, for sure! Oh well, I figured, it'll give people more to stare at and
I've gone this far and damn it, I'm going to get ALL the money if it kills me!
I pulled my skirt up and put my top back on and looked again. Then I walked
around the office a couple of times. "Well Val," I said. "I
guess I'm ready to go out into the world on my own huh?" Val hugged me and
said "Good luck Holly, this may be difficult at times, but that's why we
pay so well, here's my home number and my beeper number, I want you to call me
day or night if any problems arise, Ok?" Val gave me her biggest smile and
said "See you at 10 tomorrow morning."
I walked out in to the busy street, put my sunglasses on and headed for the bus
stop. I wanted to get back to my apartment as soon as I could. I just needed
some time alone to try to get used to this brace. Luckily, I only had to wait a
few minutes for the bus to come. I stepped up into the bus and walked down the
aisle, there were 15 or 20 people on the bus, all of them seemed to be staring
at me, and I really felt conspicuous! At last my stop was here, I got off and
walked, very self-consciously to my apartment. I had a private side entrance so
I hoped no one would see me, I didn't really know anyone here anyway except the
(kinda cute) guy who lives on the second floor. Made it! I went in and straight
to my full-length mirror, I took a long look. Well, the headband does give it a
certain.....flair, yeah, right! I had an itch under my chin but I couldn't even
get my finger in there to itch, I tried moving my jaw a little but that didn't
help. I thought it sure is amazing what some people will do for money, and I
laughed! I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and pretended to drive, I
think I can move my eyeballs enough to see the side mirrors but I guess I'll
have to find out in the car later.
What time is it? The clock is behind me on the wall, normally I would just turn
my head and look, but I had to stand up and turn my whole body to see, this is
gonna be a real pain, I just know it! 11:45, an hour and a half down, six weeks
to go. I decided to turn the TV on, I sat on the couch but ended up looking at
the ceiling, I did find though that if I sit way back and cross my legs, Indian
style, and lean forward a little I could sit fairly comfortably. I went into
the bedroom to try lying down, well I can see the pillow is going to have to
go, I slid it out from under my head, a little better. I tried to lie on my
side but that wasn't gonna work. I got up and put the pillow lengthwise where
my back would be and tried it again, a little better still. I went into the
kitchen and made a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, the peanut butter was
down on the bottom shelf, I tried bending at my hips but once I was bent, I was
looking straight down at the floor so I had to get down on my knees to get the
jar. So many little things that I never would have thought of that I would be
doing differently. I poured a glass of milk and sat down at the kitchen table
to think. Well, it was sure that I would have to put off my job hunt for the
six weeks, but what was I going to do to keep myself from going stir crazy?
Movies? Books? I like to read. I decided that I had to find out if I was going
to be able to drive. I finished my sandwich, chewing made my jaw sore. My car
was parked in the back so I decided to just sit in it and see if I could see
the side mirrors. I fixed up my makeup a little and did what I could with my
hair; at least the front and sides, since the back of my brace covered the
back. I found that I could comb the sides over the headband, hiding it a
little. I went out the side door and to my car and got in. The first thing I
had to do was tilt the seat up as straight as it would go. I adjusted the
rearview mirror, that's ok, but since I adjusted the seat the side mirrors were
all wrong. Damn! Why didn't I get a car with remote mirrors! I got out, went
around and moved the mirror back a little, still not right, I went around again
and while I was moving the mirror I heard "Holly! What happened to
you!" I turned, it was the guy from upstairs!
END PART THREE
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