Friday, November 02, 2007

Part 6

The intermittent click of the computer keys could not mask the approaching foot steps. As she typed Charlotte first thought it was one of the girls, but as they grew closer she knew it was Sam. As he rounded the corner into her office, she couldn't imagine the reason for the visit. But paused her editing to acknowledge his presence.

"What's up?" she asked when his bathrobe clad middle aged shape came into full view.

Settling into the comfy chair, he replied, "I was going to ask the same of you."

"Insomnia, as usual... and this article due back on Sunday."

"But your pregnant... Aren't you supposed to be tired?"

"Who knows. This deadline, these edits, that editor and his strange ideas..." she was all set to continue her litany of why she couldn't sleep when she noticed Sam rolling his eyes. Charlotte could tell her husband had mixed emotions over her blossoming writing career. While she was at her computer, he would lasso the girls before they would get a chance to pounce on her with homework and household questions. But even Charlotte was realizing that she was checked out, home-wise, more than she was checked in, when deadlines loomed. And for what? Coffee money... No, she knew and Sam knew it was the by line that drove her. That with each article she just might get noticed and then her book could be on the fast track to Oprah.

Sam clicked on the TV. Now it was Charlotte's turn to roll her eyes. She could never work with that thing on, but would bite the bullet until sleep slowly took over, and she'd find herself typing with her eyes closed. But until then, it was back to the latest round of edits.

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