The Small Black Notebook

"Miss! Wait, Miss! You dropped your small black notebook! Wait!"

There were throngs of people all around me as I screamed and crouched down to pick up this mysterious small black notebook that appeared to have fallen out of a woman's bag. I got up and tried running after her but since I didn't completely get a good look at her, I lost her in the crowded streets of New York City. Naturally, I wanted to get it back to her so I opened it up to see if there was a name inside of it. Well, there wasn't exactly a name that said "this notebook belongs to" but there was quite a bit in it.

Mon. Jan 26th @ 9:30 am meeting with Jeff. What an asshole he is. Recruited from another facility to come manage ours because he had harrassment charges from his previous facility. The manager shuffle for the hush-hush. Couldn't be any luckier because it had to be us. He claims he knows just who I am and that he'll have my job if I don't comply. It's like a dark storm cloud resides over my head.

I shut the book. Standing still in the middle of all these people pushing past. I wasn't sure what to do.

"Move outta the way bitch. Who stops walking right in the middle of a busy sidewalk?" came the grumbling voice of a native that just shouldered past to get into the pizza shop I was standing in front of.

I started... "Oh, sorry," I said meekly as he glared back at me. Gathering my mind back I stuck my tongue out at him and started walking again clutching the small black notebook tight within my grip. This woman, whoever she was, had had her job threatened if she "didn't comply" with what sounds like one hell of a creepy boss. What the hell kind of place is it that she works at that would employ such filth and just "shuffle" them around if someone got vocal about the harassment?

About 3 blocks down there was a small coffee shop with wire tables and chairs outside of it where I took a seat as soon as I reached it.

"What'll it be?"

"Cappucino please."

Tues. Jan 27th @ 6 pm meeting with George about Jeff. What a joke this will be. George is a nice man and all but he has the backbone of a jellyfish when it comes to standing up to those of equal or greater power than him. This will be a waste of my time but if I want to lodge a formal complaint I "have to go through the proper channels" only to get a 50/50 shot of it meaning a damn thing to get Jeff moved to another place. Cause again why fire someone who clearly has no boundaries.

Wed. Jan 28th @ 11 am Gynecology Appointment I find out the sex of the baby today. I'm hoping this time it's a girl. That way I have one of each. Fingers crossed everything is good.

Thurs. Jan 29th @ 3 pm meeting up at Little Man's school to see why he seems to not be concentrating enough to keep his grade up. Swear to god if that teacher tries to allude to me being a bad mom again I may just have to pull him out of that school and home school him myself. It's like she thinks how she does things is the only way to do things and anyone who doesn't do life her way is automatically doing it wrong. Why do narcissistic people have to exist?

Fri. Jan 30th @ 10 am meeting with my therapist. Now he fries my nerves. How can a doctor always be running behind so much that I know I can go there a half-hour after the appointment time and still have time to wait. What level of professionalism is that? Not only that but he can't stay on topic to save his life. I want so badly to find a different therapist but then I have to go through telling my issues all over again. It's like a nightmare I can't wake from.

Is it horrible that all I could think about was how much I wanted to give this woman a hug and tell her it would all get better even though just going through the one week of her life I honestly think that would be a lie? At that moment my phone started to buzz...

"What's up?"

"Were you not coming in to work today?"

"Why what time is it?"

"A half-hour after your shift was scheduled to start."

"Seriously! Whoopsies. I'm on my way in."

As I pocketed my phone and made to get up a woman started to approach me with a mixed emotional face.

"Did you happen to find that small black notebook?"

"Yes, yes I did. I tried screaming after you but there were just too many people. I'm so glad you decided to retrace your steps."

"Did you open it?"

"Well yes. I thought maybe it had a "this notebook belongs to" stamp in it with your name written there."

"Ha, I bet you realize now why I wouldn't have tagged my book."

"Yeah.."

"Anyways, thank you for finding it and not throwing it away or letting it get trampled on. Obviously, it's very important to my sanity.

"Here's my number in case you ever wanna talk."

"Awe, you must want a spot in my book."

"I believe I've already made it into your book."

"Right..."

And with that, she turned and walked away. The likelihood of me ever hearing from her again was slim, but in good consciousness, I simply had to let her know that someone, even a random person such as myself, was here for her. I mean everybody needs somebody sometimes. But in the event that I couldn't find someone like she had trouble finding, the next day I picked up my own small black notebook.