"HEY MILLER, JOHN WANTS YOU IN HIS OFFICE ASAP!"
A few heads turned to a blonde woman engrossed in stacks of various documents. Despite the bags under her eyes, she was able to maintain an otherwise perfect appearance. The eyes of her coworkers held varying degrees of concern as they watched her get up to head toward what could only be more work. She was truly the unsung hero of their office, the only one who was able to take on assignment after assignment with not so much as a peep in protest. She collected every project with an uncanny grace and still managed to have a successful private life. As she walked to her destination she was stopped by another one of her peers who was making her way out of the office that belonged to the ire of every employee.
"Hey Miller, you don't want to be in there for too long, he's not in the best mood right now." She said.
"Ah, okay. Thank you for telling me."
The woman smiled lightly as her coworker seemed to leave in a hurry to start whatever it was she'd just been given. As the woman, Miller, opened the door to the office she was met with a rather burly man. He seemed to have hair everywhere except the top of his head and a frown that was his default expression.
"MILLER. Do you know how long I've been waiting on you?" He barked.
"No sir. I was just now told you needed me."
"I needed you as soon as yesterday!" He said, " You've got a new case."
"But sir, I'm already handling quite the load," she said cautiously.
"Drop 'em. This one is from above, it's also off-site. Pack your bags." He said.
The woman looked at him with shock. The man tossed her a thick folder which felt much heavier in her arms than it really was.
"Sir, I just came back from my last job. I need some time before I leave on a new case." She spoke out carefully.
"Miller, I'm going to level with you right now. The higher-ups specifically requested you for this case and it's an urgent thing. I'm sure you would've liked to spend more time off-field but this can't be put off."
His face looked pained as if it was hurting him to tell her this. She looked down at the folder before sighing and leaving his office. As she made her way back to her desk she picked up her personal things and made her way to the elevator. As she passed her coworkers she couldn't help but look at them with envy, while she loved her job she grew to prefer doing the more tedious parts of it. She enjoyed the paperwork, the meetings, and the office small talk. She reveled in the little things.
Every work trip took her further from home, from her family, from her pets, and from her husband. She knew it was a part of her job but she wished they were less frequent. On her descent in the elevator, she thought of various ways to break the news to her husband about her new case. It wasn't until the 'woosh' of the doors opening that she was able to exit her train of thought and started towards the exit of the building.
As she stepped outside of the building she walked over to a nearby bus station that would take her back to her neighborhood. The route was rather fast, and on days like this one taking a scenic route wasn't really possible. After getting off the bus she stepped into the busy streets she was able to call her place of residence. The kids from the nearby school had just gotten out, the weather had been rather gloomy lately and many of the kids had already pulled out their umbrellas in advance. The woman passed several small shops and a few homes before finally reaching a large apartment building. As she went into the building and ascended floors she finally reached her destination; a cozy apartment decorated with various photographs and travel nicknacks. The space was quite obviously lived in. The leftover dishes in the sink and the sound of running laundry passing through the halls brought a wave of comfort to the woman. As she took her shoes off and set down her belongings she entered her bedroom.
The room wasn't small but it wasn't large either. It was just enough. Just how she liked it to be. She began to go through her closet, picking out casual garments that she wouldn't mind getting lost or dirty, yet were still presentable enough for less than casual situations. As she was busy putting things into her suitcase she could hear her phone ringing from the other room. As she dropped her task to answer the call she couldn't help but smile at the voice on the other end.
"Hey, how's my hard worker?" it was truly a voice she could listen to all day.
"Still working hard... Actually, I might have to work a little harder for the next while."
"What do you mean? Are you going out on another assignment?"
"Yeah. They said it was important, it really can be put off."
She could hear him sigh frustratedly on the other end.
"And it has to be you? Babe you just got back from one."
"I know, I know. But It shouldn't take that long, you know they never do."
"They might not take months but with the frequency… It's fine. So when are you leaving this time?"
"I'm supposed to go as soon as possible so I'll be leaving later tonight."
"Shit."
She could hear movement on the other side of the line.
"I'll make sure I'm back before you leave, text me the details okay."
"Obviously. I need to continue packing, I'll see you later right?"
He chuckled on the other end.
"Of course, no, obviously."
"I love you."
"I love you too, bye."
And with a single beep, the call was over. She headed back into their bedroom to continue packing. By the time she finished a 'click' could be heard from outside of the room. He was home. She walked into the living room to see her husband putting his things down, she leaned on the doorframe and watched as he shed his jacket and took off his shoes before noticing her. When he finally did he let out a bright laugh before speaking.
"How long have you been watching me?" he said.
"Not long, I could've kept watching some more actually. How was your day?"
"Pretty great, better than yours I bet." he quipped.
"Probably, have you eaten yet?"
"Nope, I waited until I came back so we could eat together before you left. I'm making your favorite tonight."
She was pleasantly surprised, he always seemed to say and do the right things.
"You cornball." she huffed.
"Only for you my dear, just for you," he spoke dramatically.
She laughed and turned back into their room to change her clothes to something less formal. From her typical office wear, she put on a simple pair of jeans, and a simple white tee, and grabbed her favorite black jacket before heading back into the living room. She grabbed the folder from her bag left by the front door and sat at the counter to review its contents. She enjoyed her partner's atmosphere, his calm attitude was infectious. She read while he cooked and when he finished the two sat down at their table a soothing silence between them. Throughout their dinner they ate, they talked, and they laughed. They were at peace.
As the time finally arrived for her to go, both of them were at their door for their last goodbyes.
"I'll be waiting for you when you come back." He said.
"I know, you always do."
"Okay, alright. I love you, Ingrid."
"I love you too, Adam."
After leaving the light of her life she was only able to take a quick glance at the night sky before the world went dark.