“You’re late again Heather” Nicole Johnson said as she watched the heavy set woman take her time getting to her desk.

“Yeah…I know. My car wouldn’t start” Heather said sitting down.

“Uh-huh” Nicole said her mouth a tight scowl. “When are you going to get it fixed because it didn’t start two days ago and last week you said you were in an accident and got rear ended and two days before that it was that the day care wasn’t open yet and before that it was your kid was throwing up…”

“I get it” Heather glared at her supervisor “I don’t want to talk about it right now okay” she said in a snippy tone.

Nicole reared back dramatically and raised her eyebrows “Oh…really…you don’t want to talk about your constant tardiness”

“No” Heather said.

“I don’t know why Mr. Watson hasn’t fired you yet. He hasn’t even done a write up on you…I’m so done with this!” Nicole said throwing her hands up. “I tell him every time you’re late and he just says ‘I’ll talk to her’ but he doesn’t do anything: I need to know when my workers are here; I need to know when I have people on the floor helping customers…not just showing up whenever”

Heather just stared straight ahead at her boss, her face turning red with anger. “Phones go on at 8 o’clock, not 8:37…everyone else has to pick up your slack and people get pissed the longer they stay on hold” Nicole droned on and on really hammering it home this time.

Heather McAuliffe was getting furious “Shut the fuck up!” she finally said “I don’t have fucking time for this!”

Nicole stopped dead in her tracks and looked down “You don’t talk to me like that” she said quietly. She turned and walked away.

Heather rose out of her seat and watched Nicole head straight for her boss’ office “Shit” she murmured under her breath.

Heather was 37 years old, divorced three times with three kids ranging in age from 9 to 3. She was barely making her rent, barely keeping her kids in clothes and food. Her first ex was okay but had two DUI’s so he was unreliable to get kids to and from school. Her second ex was the best of the lot but also the only one she didn’t have kids with, so he was unsympathetic to her pleas.

Her third and most recent ex was still in prison after he was caught selling meth while their infant son sat in the back seat of their car. He had also wrecked two cars and ran up an alarming amount of debt.

Mr. Watson knew all of this; they had talked often after hours and he watched out for her even though it infuriated her immediate supervisor. “I can’t lose this job” she repeated to herself.

Heather looked down and tried to catch her breath. She looked at her bowed out black flats. They were worn down just about popping at the seams they were so old. White marks and scuffs marked the front and back while the sides were broken down.

Her black slacks were fraying at the bottom, the knees were shades paler and shinier than the rest of her pants and they were a size too small in the waist. Her flowered blouse was also showing its age; faded and frayed at the seams.

Heather was 5’5” and weighed about 190lbs. She carried those extra pounds mostly in her stomach, thighs, hips and ass. Her face sported the beginning of a slight second chin but her bright green eyes and auburn hair still received most of the attention. She kept her hair shoulder length and tried to keep its maintenance to a minimum.

Nicole was speechless, really in shock. The tightly wound supervisor couldn’t believe Heather had talked back to her like that “She actually used the F bomb to my face!” she thought as she walked quickly across the room; her heels clacking more than usual in the tiles.

She knocked on the door and waited to hear her boos say “Come in” before opening and entering.

Steve Watson looked up from his computer. He smiled politely but knew a storm was coming from the look on Nicole’s face.

She closed the door behind her before coming up to his desk “We have to talk about Heather” she stated.

Steve sighed and sat back in his chair “What did she do this time?” he asked wearily.

“Well first of all she was late…again” Nicole said as she got fired up more and more. Steve thought he saw her ears turning red against her blonde hair.

“That’s like 5 times in just the last two weeks” Nicole said urgently. “Then…get this…as I’m talking to her, she tells me ‘Shut the fuck up’” she blushed saying it to her boss “Pardon my French but I’m just repeating what she said and then she said ‘I don’t have fucking time for this’”

Nicole folded her arms under her small breasts, color up in her cheeks, her brown eyes blazing.

Steve rubbed his temples and sighed; out of the corner of his eye he could see Nicole’s foot tapping. “I know you’re frustrated with her”

“Frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe it now; that’s insubordination. If she can get away with it, then everyone else will think they can to! Everyone will start coming in late and swearing at me when I inconveniently remind them that this is a job and there are rules to follow!”

“Calm down Nicole” Steve said “It’s not the end of the world”

Nicole exhaled through her nose loudly showing her disapproval.

“What if your roles were reversed?” Steve said patiently. “What if you were the divorced single parent?”

“It’s not my fault she decided to get with a bunch of losers and have kids. Show yourself some self-respect! Don’t bring your home life to work with you”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re not married and you don’t have any kids” Steve said. “What would happen to her if I fired her; three kids going hungry tonight…all of them in a homeless shelter in what two months. I know you get mad at her and me about this and I know some of the other girls do as well but I can’t have that on my conscious”

“So it’s a double standard” Nicole said huffing.

“Put yourself in her shoes Nicole” Steve said.

“I said I never would have made those choices if I were her. We all had decisions to make in life…”

“And she made some bad ones” Steve said “Lucky you huh?”

Nicole pursed her lips and ran her tongue over her teeth trying not to say the wrong thing “I can’t believe this” she said exasperated. She laughed a nervous and sarcastic laugh. ”Whatever…” she added shaking her head.

“I know you don’t understand or you don’t want to understand” Steve said with a shrug.

“No; I don’t understand…not at all how she just gets away with everything without anything happening to her” Nicole said.

“Plenty has already happened to her…like I said…What if your roles were reversed?”

Nicole shook her head still running her tongue around inside her mouth “You know my feelings about this” she said and walked out of the office.

Back at her own desk, Nicole composed herself. She looked down at the floor and took several deep breaths. She looked at her shiny and new black heels made of real leather, they had cost her over $300.

Her black skirt came to her knees, also relatively new with only a few wearings: Her white blouse was also flawless. If any of her clothes began to show much wear and tear, she donated them and bought new, appearances were very important to her.

At 27, she was already the youngest supervisor at the company and was looking to go higher. She wasn’t married but she did have a boyfriend who was going through his residency on his way to becoming a surgeon. “I would never let myself get like her” she thought ruefully.

Nicole was 5’9” and 135lbs, long legs, small but pert breasts with blonde hair cut to her shoulders in a style that was more stacked on the right side and which took her quite a while to get right every morning.

Heather was on pins and needles while the door remained closed. But when she saw Nicole come out looking frustrated and Mr. Watson didn’t appear, she finally exhaled.

She kept her head down and worked while aware that Nicole was obviously avoiding her.

Steve came out for one of his rounds. He tried to just walk around and chat a few moments with his employees at least once a day, it kept him visible and it helped him stay in touch with what was going on in their lives.

He glanced to the left and saw Nicole, left leg crossed over her right engrossed in a spreadsheet on her computer and he decided to go right. He chatted with Dianne and Melissa before he stood behind Heather as she finished up a call.

“So…how’s it going?” he asked when she disconnected.

Heather spun around in her chair “Hi Mr. Watson” she said softly.

“So…rough morning?” he said knowingly as he sipped from his bottle of water.

Heather tilted her head back and forth “I guess you could say that…I’m sorry Mr. Watson, Emmet was being a brat this morning; I just couldn’t get him dressed and out the door…he was just throwing a fit and we were running late for daycare and then he cried once we got there…”

Steve held up his hand “It’s okay…I calmed Nicole down for you but honestly, you need to watch your language”

“I know; I’m sorry” she said. “I just got so mad; she gets so high and mighty and lectures me and she was just going on and on…”

“She can’t help it that she’s a little high strung” Steve said with a smile “You two are just from different worlds”

“Wish she could know what it was like to live in mine” Heather confessed.

“Sometimes, I wish she could too. She’s a great worker but she doesn’t have much empathy…no sympathy for anyone” he shook his head “It’s a shame”

Heather smiled “Well, thanks for looking out for me I appreciate it”

Steve just smiled and nodded as he walked on “Have a good day”

“I’d have a better day if I was over that bitch Nicole” Heather thought “Why’s she supervisor anyway…how long did she even spend on phones…six months maybe?”

Nicole was still stewing over her morning “I can’t believe what she can get away with…must be nice…If I swore at my boss, I’d get fired” she thought before her mind went back and dwelled on what Mr. Watson had said to her earlier “Put yourself in her shoes”

She got up and went to the drop off bins to collect up more work when she stopped next to the table.

She saw Heather up and walking, dropping off files in the completed bin. She looked up and their eyes met “What if our roles were reversed?” both of them thought simultaneously.

Heather felt a sharp pain in her head which forced her to close her eyes in a tight squint “Ah!” she said putting her hand up to her temple.

Nicole felt a sharp pain in her head which forced her to close her eyes in a tight squint “Ah!” she said putting her hand up to her temple.

When they both opened their eyes, both recognized that something was different; something had changed in the blink of an eye.

Nicole cocked her head as she examined the woman in front of her. Heather’s hair was done up much nicer than ever before. It was brushed out and had a slight wave to it and, Nicole noticed, she was wearing make-up.

Her eyes trailed down to Heather’s ample bosom and body. Her flowered blouse was bright and fresh and fit her nicely and in a way that covered up her stomach and didn’t draw attention to it as her clothes usually did. Her pants looked cut to her shape atop a pair of new and shiny black flats.

Nicole’s mouth opened but she was unsure of what to say; her mind momentarily blank.

Heather looked up at the taller and younger woman before her and she cocked her head trying to put her finger on what was different about her.

She examined and noticed her dirty blonde hair which if she looked closely showed split ends on her shoulder length, plain hairdo. Her face was make-up free and the bags under her eyes were ever-present.

Her tall and thin frame stood out in her threadbare white blouse and worn out and slightly too big black skirt. Her feet swam in a pair of worn out black heels that were half a size too big and covered in white marks and scuffs.

Heather searched for something to say but was speechless for a moment while her mind went blank.

Both women blinked, their mouths dropping to a pair of shocked O’s.

“Muh…Mrs. McAuliffe?” Nicole said slowly and in a surprised tone.

“Nuh…Nicole?” Heather answered in an equally surprised tone.

“Why do I think that you’re my supervisor now?” Nicole asked confused.

“Um…because I am your supervisor now” Heather answered.

“No…that’s not right…why…how…” Nicole said turning around a feeling of cold fear and panic rising in her chest and stomach.

“Yes” Heather said softly “Yes…I am the supervisor and you’re one of my floor workers; one of my phone girls”

“But I was…” Nicole began to protest but something in her made her stop talking. She looked down and saw the files that had just been dropped off with her initials on them. She saw the pile in front of Heather that had Heather’s initials in them in the second row; the supervisor row.

Nicole turned around to where her desk had been only to see the name tag on the desk say Heather McAuliffe.

Nicole turned and looked into the rows of cubicles before her and saw her name tag Velcro stuck to the wall outside of what had been Heather’s seat “But I…”

“You need to get back to work; I can hear the phones ringing” Heather said instinctively.

As Nicole turned on her heel and headed to her cubicle, a self-satisfied smirk came over Heather’s lips.

Heather went into her office and sat down still slightly in shock as her mind reconnected with this altered reality. She looked at the pictures on her desk. She saw her three kids, her 9 year old daughter Evelyn, her 5 year old son Everett and her 3 year old Emmett were all lined up in nice matching outfits in the first one. In the second one, there was a picture of all five of them; Heather next to her husband in the back row.

Heather looked down at her hand and she noticed the rings on her left ring finger. A large diamond sat connected to a wedding band “Crazy” she mumbled to herself before she got back to her work checking over the work of the girls on the floor.

Nicole stumbled to her desk “What just happened?” her mind reeled as it reconnected with her new reality. She was now just happy to have a job on the floor since she had been late a few times this past year. She and her boyfriend both needed to work to keep their apartment.

She saw a picture of them pined up to her cubicle wall. He was a bartender and part time motorcycle mechanic so his money was sporadic at best.

She put her headset on and grabbed the next call that came in which was a screaming man upset with their company. After 20 minutes of verbal abuse she finally got off the call only to find her supervisor standing by the doorway waiting.

“Yes Mrs. McAuliffe” she said, her eyes pleading as she saw a file in her hands which meant her supervisor had a problem with it.

“I wanted to talk to you about this call Nicole” she said as she came over to her desk and laid out the file “I have a few concerns about the way you handled it”

“But I can explain…” Nicole started only to be stopped by Heather putting up her hand.

“I’m not sure why you didn’t offer them a replacement part right off the bat; you’ve been here long enough to know procedure yet you continue to make these mistakes” Heather said.

“I…I’m sorry” Nicole said but in her heart, she was seething “I’m smarter than her! It’s not like I’m some dumb ass like her who’s only supervisor because she’s been here so long. I have a college degree and I’ll be above her someday” she thought.

Heather looked down her nose at the young woman before her and thought “I know you think you’re smarter than me just because you have a piece of paper saying you are”

They locked eyes and Heather thought “What if you were the high school graduate? I’d love to have a college degree” while Nicole thought “What if you weren’t just a high school graduate? I’d bet you’d love to have my college degree”

Heather got another pain in her head. Once again she put her hand to her temple and closed her eyes.

Nicole got another pain in her head. Once again she put her hand to her temple and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was looking into Heather’s eyes. Those green eyes with a look of superiority in them “Just because you’re a college graduate and I just finished high school you think you’re so much better than me” Nicole thought.

Heather opened her eyes and found herself looking into the slightly dull eyes of her least favorite employee “Don’t you wish you had gone to college?” she thought “But then again, you never would have cut it even if you did have the opportunity to even go”

“Just don’t let it happen again” Heather said as she took the file and left.

“Whatever…fat ass” Nicole thought watching her supervisor walk away.

Nicole put her headset back on and went back to work. As she went through her day, she was exhausted. The phones never stopped and when they did, she inevitably found Heather standing behind her all too eager to drop off more work “Bitch” she thought “I don’t even get to take a break and that’s all that fat ass does all day” she thought.

At 5 o’clock their days ended. Heather grabbed her Coach purse and slung it over her shoulder. She took out the keys to her Lexus and headed to the parking lot where it was parked in her own marked spot. She wouldn’t be driving to Stanton tonight where she had been renting a 2 room house that was drafty in the winter and smoldering hot in the summer. Tonight she left the parking lot by turning left towards Hiland Hills.

Heather’s house was now in the suburb that had been rated in the top 10 in the state for schools and entertainment.

Nicole came out to her 12 year old Toyota with the dent in her door that was parked in the last row. “At least I had the car today” she thought. She and her boyfriend shared it but he wasn’t working today so she had taken it to work. If not, she would catch a ride with Diane or catch the bus since Tony was notorious for not picking her up.

Nicole pulled up to their apartment downtown. It was loud and always smelled like Chinese food but the rent was manageable. Tony was lying on the couch, spread out and watching Judge Judy on TV “Hey Babe” he said as she came in.

“What’s up” she replied looking around and seeing he had done nothing to pick up the place.

“Nothing” he grunted barely looking over at her.

Nicole sighed. There was a frustration burning at her, gnawing away at the back of her mind but she couldn’t quite place why. She went to the kitchen, found the last clean plastic bowl in the cupboard and filled it with cereal for dinner.

“How was work?” Tony asked as she was just about finished eating.

“It sucked like always” she replied dropping her spoon and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand “Fat bitch has it in for me” she said putting the bowl in the sink “I mean, if I show up a minute late, I get in trouble but she can stroll in any old time she wants and what…nothing happens to her” she shook her head “Fucking bitch…fat…short too” she laughed. “And old!” she added in.

Heather came in to find her sitter laying on the floor coloring with Emmett while Evelyn and Everett played on their tablets still dressed in their school uniforms “Hey guys!” she yelled enthusiastically.

The kids came to her for hugs as the sitter got ready to leave “How was school today?”

The kids each reported in as Heather kicked off her shoes and headed for the kitchen. She took out all her ingredients for her salad and started up the oven for her chicken and rice to start cooking for all five of them.

“Your husband called; he got called in to assist on a surgery so he’ll be late tonight” Mindy the sitter told Heather.

“Of course” Heather replied “No big deal” she shrugged and went about her evening.

The next morning, Nicole was at her desk when the phones came on at 8 but as she looked over the rows, she saw that her supervisor’s office was still dark “Of course she can show up late!”

Heather came in at around 8:30. Nicole could hear her talking about it being donuts with Mom day at school as her reason as to why she was late.

Heather was standing by the table in a pair of navy blue low heels, a navy blue tailored skirt and a cream colored silk blouse that matched perfectly “Good Morning Nicole!” she said in a chipper tone.

Nicole dropped off her first stack of files with a fake smile “Mornin’” she replied.

Heather eyed up the young woman in the same pair of broken down heels as yesterday but this time paired with a tan skirt and blue top, both of which were almost as worn out as her heels.

“Donuts huh?” Nicole said and looked at Heather’s soft stomach which was well hidden under her tailored shirt.

“Donuts sound good don’t they…you should have had something for breakfast” Heather replied.

The two women locked eyes as Heather thought “You won’t always be skinny…you wouldn’t be making little jokes if you looked like me”

Nicole maintained her gaze as she thought “You wish you were skinny like me…you wouldn’t be making little jokes if you looked like me”

A pain seared through Heather’s head. She closed her eyes tight and put her hand up to her temple.

A pain seared through Nicole’s head. She closed her eyes tight and put her hand up to her temple.

Heather opened her eyes and looked down at the shorter woman before her “Like she needs another donut” she thought in contempt “You’re what…like 5’5” and must be pushing 200 over there”

Nicole opened her eyes and looked up at the taller woman standing before her “We can’t all be built like models” she thought taking in the 5’9” 135 pound Heather in her high heels and tight skirt and form fitting blouse showing off her toned and somehow perfectly flat after three kids stomach.

Heather just shook her head slightly “At least she could go up a size in clothes…the only thing too big on her are those worn out old flats she always wears that are a half size too big for her fat feet”

Nicole tugged at the front of her blue shirt trying to loosen it up a touch. Her stomach bulged out a bit and it gapped up top over her ample bosom. She turned and walked back to her cubicle, her wide ass and hips swaying under the threadbare tan skirt, her heavy thighs rubbing together as her heels popped out of the ill-fitting shoes.

She settled into her cubicle, her chair sighing out as she sat down and put on her headset and the day unfolded like every other; calls, calls, more calls, and nitpicking from Heather about every little minor detail.

Nicole was dropping off files when she saw Heather hang up her phone in her office and begin to pack up. She came out and with a fake smile said to Nicole “I’m leaving for the day…Evelyn got sick at school”

“Hope she feels better” Nicole said as they locked eyes and she thought “Wish I had a bunch of kids…obviously if you have them you get to show up late and leave early”

Heather gave a wan smile “Wish you understood what it was like to have kids…it’s not just about getting out of work early”

A pain hit Heather behind her eyes and she closed them tight and put her hand to her temple.

A pain hit Nicole behind her eyes and she closed them tight and put her hand to her temple.

When Nicole opened her eyes, tears had formed in them “I’m sorry. I can’t just leave her at school; she’s throwing up”

Heather sighed and folded her arms under her small but pert breasts “It’s always something with you and your kids but I guess I can’t stop you from leaving early” she said in her most disappointed tone of voice.

Nicole had her purse with her now and she headed for the door and her beat up old car in the lot. Nicole had her daughter at just 18; she had waddled across the stage at her high school graduation 9 months pregnant with her. She had married Evelyn’s Dad who had gone through high school saying he was going to be a Doctor. He turned out to just be a drunk. He flunked out of college after a semester, got odd jobs fixing motorcycles and tending bar until two DUI’s derailed even those jobs.

Divorce had followed and another short marriage followed by a third marriage that had ended after her two sons had been born and their Dad had been thrown in prison for dealing and child endangerment “Why doesn’t Heather understand how hard my life is?” Nicole wondered as she drove to Stanton Elementary; a rundown old brick building nearby the old duplex she rented. “Why does she have to give me such a hard time?”

Heather watched Nicole leave before throwing up her hands “Great…now I’m short on the floor again…always because of her!”

She went back into her office and sat behind her desk. She looked at the pictures there. The one of her and her husband on their wedding day and the other of them in front of their infinity pool at their second home in St. Kitts “So glad we never had kids” she mumbled.

The following morning, Heather was standing in the doorway of her office watching as everyone filed in for the day. She wore a pair of black leather heels, a trim and tailored black skirt which went down to her knees and a bright white blouse.

She flipped her auburn hair aside; it had taken her a long time to get it just right as the clock ticked closer and closer to 8.

With a minute to spare, here came Nicole. “Made it on time today…thank God for little miracles” she said to herself.

“Mornin’” Nicole mumbled as she made her way past her boss, eyes downcast.

“Good Morning Nicole and how is your daughter?” Heather asked.

“She’s still not feeling great but she’s at school” Nicole answered.

“Well let’s hope she stays there today” Heather said in a passive aggressive swipe.

Nicole looked up, bags under her eyes from being up with her daughter for most of the night and knowing that it was still two days until payday and she was broke. She hoped she had managed to wash her dirty blonde colored hair well enough to get the smell of sick kid off of her but her faded black slacks and second hand flowered blouse probably still showed how rushed she was in getting ready that morning to make it in on time.

They locked eyes.

Heather thought “God…she looks older than me. How can she be ten years younger than me?”

Nicole thought “God…she looks younger than me. How can she be ten years older than me?”

A quick pain passed through Heather’s head making her close her eyes and put her hand to her temple.

A quick pain passed through Nicole’s head making her close her eyes and put her hand to her temple.

Nicole sighed as ten years came onto her. She opened her bleary eyes and blinked away the water. The lines around them and the bags under them showed her 37 years. Her slight double chin came out as she pulled her chin back down and made her way to her desk.

Heather breathed in as ten years left her. She blinked her clear green eyes and stuck out her chin, her youthful skin shining with health as her boss walked up to her.

“How are you today Heather?” Steve Watson asked taking a sip from his water bottle.

“I’m fine Steve…never better really” she replied. “It’s just… she paused.

“What?” he pressed.

“It’s just Nicole; you know how I feel about her…I could never live my life like that…how do you make those choices in life” Heather said.

“Well now put yourself in her shoes” Steve said. “Not everyone had your advantages in life”

Heather smiled and blushed slightly while shifting her weight.

“Would you prefer it if your roles were reversed?” Steve asked.

“God no…just thinking about being like her makes me shudder” Heather said as Steve walked on.