About Face Read Online Free

anyway.”
    She felt the vertical crease between her eyebrows starting to deepen into the Grand Canyon of the Forehead as the antagonists in her familiar internal battle started warming up: Why had she stayed at this job? Because she liked it. Why did she like it? For the creativity and the validation of her talent. Was that enough, and was it time to leave? Yes, and don’t be ridiculous
    David started a sentence he chose not to finish. It wasn’t distraction, she could tell, it was a self-stifle. “Go ahead,” she urged.
    â€œI think what you like is being good at what you do, even if you don’t exactly like what you do. You’re addicted to competence, you’re an achievement junkie. You could do volunteer work, maybe, and then be competent at something you believe in.”
    He looked over at her. “C’mon, don’t be mad.”
    â€œI’m not mad. Not exactly, anyway. If you were thinking about this, why didn’t you tell me? I feel kind of betrayed. You were clearly open to this idea, and I had no inkling.”
    â€œRuthie, you want me to tell you everything I might conceivably be open to thinking about? That’s nuts. Even I don’t know that. And even if I did….” his voice dropped off.
    â€œI’m just trying to figure out and explain how I feel.”
    â€œI don’t actually need precision about the ingredients and proportions of your various emotions,” David said. “I get it. Enough of it, anyway.”
    â€œI just wanted to be clear. So you’d understand.”
    â€œIt’s time you knew. Your need to be clear is much greater than it is for your audience.”
    â€œBut it is a need for me, David. Maybe it’s because I felt so misunderstood growing up. Or because I’m short, so I feel like—”
    â€œRuthie!”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œYou’re doing it again.”
    â€œOh. Okay. Let me just calm down, okay?”
    â€œGood idea.” After a few minutes, they pulled up to the concert hall, into the designated “Big Shot” parking spaces. It had stopped raining. Ruth took a deep breath and looked at her watch.
    Hoping David would come to his senses in a day or two, she said, “I need for us to talk about this later. I don’t like it at all, but I’ll think about it. Later. But right now, more than anything else, I need to glow. Okay? Glow now, think later.”
    â€œIf that’s what you need, you glow, girl. I’ll be right beside you.”

CHAPTER 3
Face-to-Face in the Women’s Room

    Â 
    Â 
    RUTH GRABBED DAVID’S HAND as they entered the concert hall. They strode directly to the far right corner of the dazzling glass-and-brass lobby, to the Adams Room, where Mimosa was hosting a pre-concert party for employees who’d bought one of the specially-priced tickets that included a charitable contribution.
    The Adams Room boasted fragile antiques upholstered in navy blue velvet, heavy curtains, and huge ornately-framed oil paintings of white men. When she entered this room with the pre-concert champagne and elegant dessert nibbles designed to entice donations to the Foundation for Children with Scleroderma, she felt as if she were leaving the twentieth and nineteenth centuries behind.
    Pat had volunteered to come early to help set up and greet people as they arrived. Ruth was surprised but glad to be shed of it, and also thought it would be good career-development for Pat. That is, if Pat’s long-range career plan included anything resembling charity benefits.
    Ruth immediately set to work as hostess, making people feel included and appreciated, glad they’d come, and motivated to do it again.
    First she approached the Keatings, tall and standing stiffly as if posing for a picture. His white hair and her white dress, combined with their height, made them hard to overlook.
    â€œI’m so glad you could come. Jay, I never see you at work,