Jenny climbed the long steep stairway. It was a bit unnerving. The stairs had obviously been added, perhaps to give some access to the loft high above the floor. Maybe it had once been used as storage or some other purpose that didn't require anyone to make the climb very often. The stairway was narrow and felt a little unstable. There was no railing, only a wall on one side and a nasty fall on the other. But this is where her new office was, so she would be making this climb every morning.

It was 8:45am, Monday morning. She had spent the whole weekend being nervous about this moment. This was her first real job. She had done some part time work through college, just for some extra spending money. Daddy's monthly check was plenty for her needs, he had set her up well. The trust fund he left her paid all the college bills and a nice little stipend for her to spend as she pleased. Now all that was over. Once she graduated the monthly check stopped, she was on her own.

It wouldn't be that way if her father were still alive. She could have gone home, took her time deciding on a position she liked. With her father gone she was alone. Her mother had died years ago when she was barely a teen. That's when her dad set up the special account for her, just in case. She had just graduated high school when he had his heart attack, he was gone before she could say goodbye. Her education was provided for, between the money in the account and her scholarships, but it was still hard making it on her own.

Now she was really on her on. She had found this job, found an apartment, set up all the utilities, paid all the deposits, while all her classmates celebrated their graduation and partied one last time before heading home. She would not be meeting them at the coast for their last summer break, she would be working. Not that she had many friends anyway.

Jenny had been a bit of an ugly duckling in her early teens. When her mother passed away she had taken over the household, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, to help her dad out. He had suggested she become an accountant, she had a natural gift of organization. The few friends she had were all nerds and geeks. They would all be returning to school in the fall, getting MBA's, Law or computer science degrees. For Jenny school was over, the money had run out.

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