jml297

It was decades later, long after the memory should have been obliterated under the weight of thousands of moments of greater or lesser importance. But the words somehow filtered their way into her conscious thought.

‘Marigold has potential, Mrs Wilson, but she has a tendency to select the most challenging path. This determination to go her own way, to swim against the tide, will bring many obstacles. But, Marigold has a persistence that will see her through.’

This recollection had surfaced as Marigold looked around her office for the last time. The wide oak desk had been cleared, all the drawers emptied. She could see the faint blurring on the walls where her diplomas and qualifications had jostled for position. They’d need to repaint for the next incumbent, or perhaps the space would be opened up and incorporated into the yawning cavern of noise that rumbled constantly beyond her office door.

Marigold stepped over to the windows, savouring the views of the skyline, the harbour and the curvaceous lines of the bridge. She had known that this would be her space, even at a time when women taking on partnership roles in the firm was viewed as an aberration.

But she’d persevered. She could recall the day she claimed the space as her own, and knew the subtly changing view with a fond familiarity. How many decisions, of various shapes and sizes, had been made whilst looking out this window?

With a deep sigh, Marigold turned once more, checking that all of her belongings were in the archive box that she’d take with her. It was time for a final long lunch, then this chapter of her life would be over.

Smiling, Marigold collected the box, her mind already wading through options for the next challenge she could work towards. There was no regret. Her smile widened at the prospect of plunging into something new, that delicious sensation of pressure, then exertion, of finding her own way upwards, the confidence in her ability unwavering.

This was written to a prompt at my local writing group.

Photo: a glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge