Reason and Rhyme Reason and Rhyme_2018SP | Page 12

Into the Garden (By: Sydney Blake, 2 nd place short story winner) As soon as I walked through the doors of Bennett and Bradford Law Firm Inc., I could tell that I was going to be waiting a while. Lots of people were crowding the lobby. Some looked angry and impatient, while others stared into the space in front of them. The front desk had a couple of people who were being helped already and the few people sitting behind the desks were helping people as quickly as they could. The receptionist that who wasn’t helping someone motioned for me to come up to her. I couldn’t quite understand what she was saying because she was speaking too quickly for me to keep up. She held up her pointer finger, signaling for me to wait a minute until she was done typing something into her computer. “How can I help you this morning?” she asked a moment later. “Hi, I have a meeting scheduled for 8:45,” I said. “And your name is?” she asked. “August Johnson.” “Okay, Mr. Johnson, you’re here for the interview?” She asked, as she quickly typed some things into her computer. “Just letting you know, it might be a little while. The lawyers have a lot of clients to see, as well as four other interviews scheduled for today.” “That’s okay. I have plenty of time. I’ll just wait over here,” I replied, gesturing to the row of seats closest to the wall. “Alright, I’ll come get you when they are ready for you,” She said, immediately taking another phone call. 11