The Muffled Sound of Drying Cement

Karen listened patiently offering the cheerful smile she had practiced earlier this morning and every day for the past ten years. An eager couple excitedly explained their financials to her while embracing each other’s hands with a warm love. She transcribed their information robotically while their words muffled distantly in her mind. She often wondered what it would be like to sit on the other side of this desk as ambitious and happy as her clients, yet week after week she cemented herself into her swiveling arm chair as if she was a fixture of the bank. Karen, often wondered.