Not as planned

One of the shoes tapped itself as she rode the elevator alone to the seventh floor, but she didn't make a big deal out of it. After all, she'd come to an understanding of some kind with the shoes, and she didn't want to blow it over something minor. They strode her down to the suite she was looking for, pausing her before she reached for the doorknob. They were patient as she took a deep breath and steeled herself to make a first impression. She wasn't wearing exactly what she would have picked, but she hoped it was good enough.

A well-appointed blonde woman looked up from her desk, looking over Georgina’s outfit and staring down at her shoes particularly. She wore thick-rimmed black glasses, a pale blue jacket with a white blouse and a scarf, and her hair was tied in a tight bun. She raised an eyebrow as she looked back at Georgina, who prayed that this was only the receptionist.

“May I help you, miss?” The woman asked.

“Yes, Georgina Berkley for a 2 PM interview?” Georgina smiled faintly.

“Mmm, yes, Ms. Berkley,” the woman said, looking at her screen. “Please have a seat anywhere and I’ll let Mr. Ferris know you’re here.” Georgina tried to move back to one of the chairs, but she wasn’t exactly surprised when her shoes didn’t follow along with her plans.

“I…don’t mind standing,” Georgina choked out, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. The woman nodded politely back at her, but the look she gave Georgina told her that the receptionist’s perceptions about the girl were less than polite.

It only took a few seconds before one of the red shoes again tapping its heel. Georgina tried, but she couldn’t stop it. She was thankful for the commercial carpeting on the floor that seemed to swallow up the noise, though it didn’t stop the receptionist from looking back at her again and narrowing her eyes.

Georgina just smiled again. Nothing she could say was going to make the situation any better, but she did try to back away from the desk. The shoes resisted this as well, but the receptionist simply went back to her work, trying to ignore the strange girl standing in front of her until the hiring manager was ready to see her. Before long, a heel tap became a heel and a toe…and then a shuffle step.

Now the receptionist let out a barely audible huff, looking down at Georgina’s shoes as she spoke again.

“Are you certain you wouldn’t prefer to sit?” The woman asked curtly. Georgina could feel the heat running through her face as she tried to tighten her legs and step back again. This time, the shoes allowed it, but not without adding their own little twist.

Once Georgina stepped back, her other leg lifted into the air and bent at its knee, carrying Georgina’s foot around the balancing point of her other leg. She did a perfect 360 in front of the woman, which — while getting her further away — did nothing but draw more attention to her.

The receptionist pursed her lips as if she was about to say something, but she decided to hold her tongue. She couldn’t decide if the companies applicant pool was getting fatally shallow, or if it was that young men and women 10 years her junior were simply growing more inept about exercising social decency.

After Georgina’s spin move, the shoes gave her a little break, which she silently thanked the stars for. She’d clearly annoyed the receptionist, and she began to wonder what kind of conversation the woman would have with this Mr. Ferris after Georgina left.

Before long, the shoes began tapping again. At first the receptionist ignored it again, but as Georgina wasn’t actually focused on the involuntary motion guiding her feet, she was conscious of every minuscule annoyed response that the receptionist was clearly doing her best to hide.

Please, please stop, Georgina thought. You’re driving her absolutely mad and you’re making me look like a fool!

As soon as Georgina broke into another shuffle step, the receptionist pulled her glasses off and stared at the girl down.

“Sorry, but would you please stop doing that?” The woman clearly wasn’t asking; this was a demand with the professional veneer her position necessitated. Despite her seriousness, she seemed astonished a second later when she realized that her reaction hadn’t halted Georgina mid-step. “Miss Berkley?”

“It’s a — nervous habit,” Georgina giggled, trying to come off as charming no matter how futile she knew that would be given her current audience. Her shuffle step had become something more complicated now, and it went on despite the two women staring at each other in silence.

“It’s quite distracting,” the receptionist answered. “Given your symptoms, I should think that sitting down might do you a lot of good.”

Georgina tried to step back toward a chair again, but of course it was absolute futility. She knew from experience that the shoes were having far too much fun with her.

“I would, but…do you think Mr. Ferris will be much longer?” Georgina asked. The receptionist’s face burned incredulity into Georgina’s eyes. She couldn’t believe that this…girl was here for an interview.

“Mr. Ferris is a busy man,” she answered, her otherwise pretty face turning angular with stern tension. “I sincerely hope I won’t have to inform him that someone is taking our application process to be the backdrop of some elaborate practical joke.”

The gloves were clearly off now. Georgina’s continuous and increasingly complex dancing had broken the woman’s ability to keep cool, and if Georgina’s own perception served her, she was right to think that forcing this woman to break from professional convention annoyed her far more than the dancing itself.

“No! It’s not a joke, I swear,” Georgina said. The receptionist seemed to be ignoring her, focusing on her computer screen instead. “I can’t really—”

“Mr. Ferris will see you now,” she said to Georgina in a flat tone. “I’ll see you to his office, if you’ll follow me.” The woman stood from her desk, noticing immediately that Georgina’s dancing had stopped. She stared down at the red shoes again. “Wonderful to see that you’ve recovered. Just in time.” Her voice was oozing sarcasm, and the woman wasn’t smiling when she looked back up at Georgina’s face.

“It’s…mostly anticipation that does it,” Georgina explained, trying to maintain grace if she could maintain nothing else. “Really, I’m sorry about that.” The woman just barely smiled back at her, trying to retain composure herself, even if she believed she was dealing with a loon at worst, or a troublemaker at best.

“Well, let’s hope Mr. Ferris doesn’t have the opportunity to keep you waiting on anything,” the receptionist said, opening the door behind her. “Follow me, please.”

Georgina followed the woman through a short hall, watching her stride in blue-gray kitten heel pumps that complemented her skirt suit and light-colored stockings. Georgina gasped a little as the woman seemed to falter a bit, catching herself and looking back at the rug to find what she’d tripped on.

Georgina paused to look back, too, but the woman made a confused ‘hmph’ when she couldn’t find any irregularity in the floor. She motioned Georgina on. “Seems my feet are a little overactive as well,” She joked, actually lightening the mood a bit. Georgina finally felt the least bit of relief. “The conference room is just in here,” the woman motioned to a door, opening it for Georgina. “Mr. Ferris is finishing a call and will be right with you for your interview.”

“Thanks again,” Georgina said. “And, sorry for being a nuisance,” She added. The apology only made the woman rolled her eyes a little.

“Good luck,” She said, leaving the conference room.

Halfway back down the hall, she felt like she tripped again, but instead of falling forward, she somehow produced the same shuffle-step Georgina had been doing earlier.

She puffed a moment, stopping in her stride and looking down at her heels. This day really needed to be over as soon as possible.