Cuffing Season

ZERO

ZERO

I tapped my nails impatiently against the glass countertops of my office desk as my mom blabbered at me through the phone. "I'm serious! You need to put yourself out there more, you're a beautiful young woman, many men would die to be with you!" She exclaimed into the phone. I just gave her an uh huh, and continued to examine my used to be manicured nails that needed to be touched up again. I figured I'd do it when I found the time. 

"Don't give me that bs!" Mom snapped loudly, causing me to slightly pull the phone away. I looked around the quiet office quickly to make sure no one could hear her practically yelling at me through the phone. 

"Sorry," I mumbled into the phone after seeing no one paying any mind to me. 

Mom sighed and apologized, "It's just that you're so deserving of someone, Cordelia. You're smart, hardworking, and beautiful." I couldn't help but feel my heart warm at her kind words. 

"I know, but you know I'm swamped with work," I explained to her, however, it seemed like a lame excuse now. I'd been giving it to her for the past few years. "Especially right now, I really am hoping to get that job promotion by the beginning of next year." I quickly added, deciding it would better my excuse for not finding a man. 

"I understand but you're twenty-three and not getting any younger!" Mom kept trying to reason. "Jen is two years younger than you and is already engaged!" I rolled my eyes when I heard my twenty-one-year-old sister's name. 

"Yes, but I'm not like her. She's still young and in college, I, however, have graduated and I have a career to focus on." I groaned, considering to just hang up on her and act like the call cut out on its own. This call had been going on for too long, in fact, this conversation topic has been going on for too long. 

It was like every time I saw my mom or called her she had to bring up the fact that I was only getting older and needed to find a serious boyfriend. Then when I played my excuses, she brought up how my younger sister was already settling down. Every. Single. Time. I got that she wanted me to be happy and produce grandchildren for her to take care of all day, but I had other goals for myself first. 

I was not against dating in general but at this point in my life, my main focus was getting a promotion at the graphic design/website development business I worked for. I'd been working here for a little over a year and I was good at what I did, and I was a hard worker. The boss of the business had hinted to me that if I kept up the good work long enough, a promotion was in my future. That had been my motivation for overworking myself and putting my personal life needs aside. I just figured that a boyfriend would distract me from what I should be focused on, and I didn't want that. 

"You being out of school is all the more reason to find a serious partner," Mom egged on, I could practically see her smiling now, hoping that she had found a way around my excuses. 

I quickly glanced at the time on my laptop screen, "Mom, I don't know. I have a meeting to get to." I said getting up from my seat and started grabbing my stuff from my desk. "Like I am running late." I lied, I wasn't going to be late. 

"Oh, okay, honey, I-" 

"Love you too, mom! Bye!" I said quickly into the phone before hanging up. I sighed tossing the phone onto the desk. 

I gave myself a moment to collect my things for the meeting. I was ready about the time the door from behind my desk opened. "Ready?" I heard my boss, Sandra, sigh out as she exited her office. I worked as her assistant, I went to meetings with her when she met with clients and took notes. I'd also sometimes assist her and other employees with the projects clients requested.