Flip the Coin

By Abigail Cleveland

Part 1:

The rays of the sun almost blind Cindy through the glass she sits behind at work. It might

have been unbearable if not for the trees gifting shade for her and the other students. There are

leaves left crunched on the sidewalks as kids ride by the glass laughing on skateboards. Its

parents’ weekend at the college Cindy works at and students are busy showing off their classes

and study areas to their proud parents. She can hear music from one of the houses down the

street, filtering through the trees like sunlight. This house sits on the top of a slope like a

sophisticated castle waiting on its attendants for a ball. 

The glass allows her to feel the warmth of the sun like a plant bathing in spring. She sits,

glowing in the shade of golden trees, reading a book about the forbidden love between two

teenagers. Cindy flashes a smile at a student pulling open the door beside the glass. The

unmistakable swoosh of air gives new life to the empty workspace. Cindy’s other employees talk

animatedly to the student, giving them directions to his test taking spot. A joke is let out from the

student and the tinkling sound of chuckles follows them out the back door towards their seat. The tinkling sound is followed by a ruckus of laughter the employees can hear outside the glass from kids chasing one another in the bright grass. Cindy turns the delicate page of her book to find more whispers of love.

Part 2:

Cindy’s eyes burn with the scalding sun pointing straight at her through the glass she

remains behind at work. It’s so unbearable that Cindy can’t help but shift in her wooden chair

throughout her time at work. The leaves on the sidewalks are left broken and grey from the

incessant rolling of students’ skateboards trying to get to class on time. It’s parents’ weekend at

the college Cindy works for and she can sometimes hear the grumbles of arguments passed back and forth from parent to child while walking the campus. Songs, unlike that of Beethoven,

penetrate Cindy’s headache from the lone house perched on the hill down the road.  

Like a magnifying glass, the glass Cindy slopes behind concentrates fire on everything

inside. A crinkled book lays forgotten on the table beside her where she works, containing the

words of Romeo and Juliet. Cindy tries to pull a smile for the student invading her workplace.

The door opens with a creak that signals the rest of the employees to pay attention. Her

coworkers give orders on where the student can find his testing area and they let out a nervous

joke when they don’t understand the directions being given. The employees try to explain again,

and the student moves out the back door while the glass in front of Cindy lets through the

obnoxious sounds of kids complaining about walking in the heat. Not one person turns to give

Cindy any recognition for being behind the glass. The depleted book won’t be picked up any

time soon.

Abigail (Abby) Cleveland is in her second year at UNL majoring in English with minors in art and classics. She has a dog at home who loves her very much and misses her like crazy. Abby hopes to continue in the work of literature at a publishing house as a copyeditor.