The Interview

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The train ride from Frottica to the Emerald City was simultaneously too lengthy and not long enough. While Glinda couldn't wait to wrap Fiyero in the tightest bear hug she'd ever given anyone, she absolutely dreaded the arrival at her destination.

Situated on an elevated plateau, the capital was clearly visible from dozens and dozens of kilometres away. By day, one could choose to view the landscape on the other side of the train instead, but for passengers who travelled late in the evening, the enigmatic green sheen emitted by the city was the only point of interest beyond the cabin. Even though Glinda had not been the least bit interested, and had brought along a novel, Sudoku books, as well as magazines to bridge the time, she somehow still found herself spellbound by the rare vantage point. Staring out of the window for the majority of the journey, she couldn't stop herself from reminiscing about the life she'd once led in this strange place, and how it had all come to an end.

She'd been through it all a million times in the past few months, and memories that had once seared her soul like glowing embers mostly only left an unpleasant sting by now. There was one period, however, she'd pushed far back in her mind and hardly ever revisited. Her last day in the Emerald City. It was by no means the most traumatic of events, but it had still managed to leave a bitterer aftertaste than any of the others.

It had ended with a journey just like this one, only in the opposite direction. Too preoccupied with bridling her abundant tears, she hadn't caught a single glimpse of the wondrous sight of the glowing city then. Before that, she'd left Crope and Tibbett behind—with no more than a bundle of notes to cover her rent for the next month and a brief letter that explained (rather badly) the reason for her sudden departure. She didn't want to even begin imagining their confusion in the following morning.

And the catalyst for this hasty flight?

Truth be told, she'd played with the idea ever since the moment she'd kissed Elphaba goodbye in front of her apartment building. Yet by Monday, she'd pulled herself together and gone to work almost as if nothing had happened. It certainly hadn't been Glinda who'd been stuck dwelling on the misadventures of the weekend past; it had been the misadventures which had refused to let go of her.

Arriving to a ginormous bouquet on her desk, she'd known immediately that this was no good omen. The whole floor had been abuzz with whispers and giggles. Their appetite for juicy gossip had been palpable. Yolona had been anxiously waiting for her next to her desk.

"Chuffrey?" Glinda had asked her, and her colleague had merely nodded mutely.

Without a second look at the flowers or the attached letter, she'd made a beeline for Nikidik's desk. There was no wiser or dumber decision she could have made; Chuffrey had already rendered her effectively choiceless. She'd confessed her personal relationship with her client and reported his transgressions, pleading with her boss to remove him from her roster.

"Very well," Nikidik had said, his expression schooled and undeterminable, "Dayae will take over all dealings with Mr. Chuffrey from now on." He'd paused, looking at her and chewing the tip of his glasses. "I will also determine how to split your other clients among the remainder of the staff." At her astonished look, he'd simply added, "Good day, Miss Upland," and left for a conference in the meeting room.

Shock, anger, betrayal, injustice: Glinda couldn't distinctly remember feeling any of those, only a sense of numb disbelief. After a catastrophic weekend, months of discontent and anguish, this had been the icing on her crumbling cake of despair. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Next thing she knew, her mother had picked her up from the train station and returned her to her childhood home. The chapter had been closed.