Replacement

Josh wasn’t supposed to replace Jane, he was only supposed to cover her work while she was out of town. Some of the data entry was tedious, but he made a few upgrades to her spreadsheets so he could search and sort faster, and by Tuesday afternoon he had finished tasks that usually took her all week. Unfortunately for her, his boss noticed and started to poke around her computer. He found a bunch of personal pictures, which led to checking her Facebook page, and next thing Josh knew she was getting canned.

Some of the other folks at the office wanted to have a going away party, and it didn’t occur to him that he wouldn’t be invited. It wasn’t really his fault, after all. He showed up at the bar after work to see everyone else having a grand time, including… his girlfriend Petra, sitting in the stool next to Jane.

“Petra, what are you doing here?” Josh asked, just loud enough to be heard above the music.

“What are YOU doing here?” she asked back. Jane turned around and shot him a look that would have wilted flowers, and then frosted them over.

“I came to…” He wasn’t sure. Why had he thought this would be a good idea?

Jane smiled. “As you can see,” she said, slipping an arm around Petra’s waist, “you’ve been replaced. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

* * * * *

Written for Five Minute Fiction Challenge 8/31/10

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3 Responses to “Replacement”

  1. Icy Sedgwick says:

    Oh, that’s harsh!

    Wonderfully written though.

  2. Travis King says:

    Haha! I love it. A bit sad, since Josh didn’t intend to get Jane fired. Still, such an ironic turn of fate isn’t always deserved—even in fiction. Well done.

  3. Vandamir says:

    Hehe! Nice turn around at the end, Valerie.

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