A week went by quickly. Martha was about to leave her parents' home when someone stopped her.
"Do you have to go so soon, sissy?" Two little blonde girls said, tugging on Martha's leg.
"Sorry, girls, but I have to go back to work tomorrow." Martha said.
"Your sister's right." Felicity said as she and Mortimer walked towards their eldest.
"Though we wish you could stay with us a little longer." Mortimer said as he picked up the two five-year-olds.
"Me too." Martha said, picking up her bags.
"But you never told us what happened in Thneedville." Felicity chimed in.
"How was it?" One girl said.
"Yeah, did you enjoy it?" The second added.
"June, Joy, don't be rude." Mortimer gently scolded.
"It's okay." Martha sighed and shook her head. "But to be honest... no, I didn't enjoy it. It wasn't all that fun. But I'd rather not talk about it." She picked up her bags. "I gotta go."
"Martha, what's wrong?" Felicity asked, grabbing her eldest daughter's arm.
"Nothing, I-I'm fine." Martha lied.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"If there's anything bothering you, you know you can—"
"I said I'm fine!" The room went silent. Felicity stared at her daughter in shock; Martha paused and frowned. "I have to go. I'll talk to you guys later."
And with that, Martha grabbed her bags and briskly headed out the door.
"What was that?" June and Joy asked, looking up at their father.
"I don't know, girls." Mortimer replied. "What do you think, honey? Honey?"
"Mommy?" The little girls asked in unison.
Felicity was the only one who remained silent. She knew Martha; it certainly wasn't like her to lash out like that. Something was definitely wrong.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Martha arrived at the house a few hours before August would be home for dinner. That gave her enough time to put away her luggage, clean herself up, put on different clothes, and cook dinner for the two of them. Simple enough, right? Right.
As quickly as possible, she took a shower, put on a new outfit, and tried to cook a meal August would approve of. But just as she finished setting the table, August came home and he looked rather tired.
"Hello, August." Martha said.
"Hello, my little flower." August said, kissing her hand. "How was Thneedville?"
Martha paused. "...Just fabulous."
"Good." August hung his coat and hat on the coat rack before noticing the meal laid out on the table. "You've been busy."
"Everything has to be perfect, just how you like it."
"Hmm, almost. But I'll let it slide. Now let's eat."
Martha sighed in relief to herself as she and August sat down.
"So, how was work?" She asked, picking up her glass.
"Tiring, but productive." August replied. "You know, my flower, I realized something at work today."
"Oh?"
"Yes. In fact, someone at work suggested this to me. They say I do such a good job that I should run for mayor."
Martha froze and nearly choked on her drink. "M-m-m-m-mayor?"
"That's right. Mayor." August smiled. "Is it a marvelous idea or what?"
Martha remained silent; she thought August being mayor of Who York was a horrible idea. She knew all too well that if he was in charge of everything, the city would suffer... just like her. She looked back at her boyfriend, unsure of what to say.
"I knew it; you're so happy, you're speechless." August declared.
"I-I'm sorry, it's just... elections happen in November. Is this not late April?" Martha asked.
"Yes, but that's the beauty of it. True, I missed the official elections, but elected officials can be recalled, impeached, given the boot. And when that happens, they'll think of me and only me filling the void."
"But-but, um..."
"But how will the original mayor get impeached? I've already got a plan for that."
"A plan?"
"Yes, but I'm afraid it is classified information and I cannot tell you, my sweet. I'm very sorry for that."
For some reason, Martha was both relieved and frightened when she heard this information; she didn't want to hear about the plan, but she had no idea what to expect from any of this.
"Well, that's all I have to say." August said. "Now... care to tell me what you've been up to lately, my Little Flower?"
"I-I... what?"
"I know you didn't stay in Thneedville. I know you left early and stayed with your parents the rest of the week." His smile slowly turned into a small frown and he narrowed his eyes at her.
Martha dropped her glass, which shattered on the floor. "I'm sure I don't—"
"Don't even try lying to me." August got up from his chair. "You and I both know you can never fool me. No matter what you try to do, I will always find out the truth."
'Oh no...'
0-0-0-0-0-0
The next morning, Martha sat at her desk in her new office, trying hard not to think about the new bruises gracing her face and arms. The night before was kind of a blur, but she vividly remembered crashing sounds and August's rage. Oh, she could never forget his awful temper; she knew he had to learn how to control it, but he won't listen to anyone. He wouldn't even listen to Johanna when she told him to stop hurting her. August was truly a toxic person, not just for Martha, but for everyone else too. Now he was planning on running for mayor. And if he won the election... then everyone will be in trouble.
"Miss Whovier?" A voice said.
Martha nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise. She turned her head to see a young girl with short brown hair and wearing a yellow dress standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee and a small box of donuts.
"Oh! Hello, Brittney." Martha said, calming down.
"I brought you the donuts and coffee you wanted." The girl, Brittney, set the cup and box on the desk in front of Martha. "Will there be anything else?"
"Uh, no. No, that's alright. Thank you." Martha said.
"Yes, ma'am." Brittney said before briskly walking out of the room.
Martha was left alone again; she reluctantly opened the box of donuts, took one out, and took a bite. She slowly chewed, thinking about what August said after that tantrum.
He said, 'You should be lucky to be part of Who Runway. Why are you always so ungrateful? If you even think about quitting, I swear I will turn your life into a living nightmare... if I haven't done that already.'
Martha's eyes watered and her lower lip quivered before she buried her face in her hands and started to sob. As of now, she felt there was nothing she could do...
YOU ARE READING
Working in Fashion
General Fiction[The Grinch 2018] Martha May went to school to become a teacher and she thought that would become just that. But instead, she ended up getting a job at Who Runway Fashion Magazine... and she hated it.
