Dear Reader, this is the conclusion to my original text ‘The Office Intern’. This is not a happy story and while sexual activities are described, they are not the main focus. If this is not your preference, then it would be best for you to choose another story from the limitless choices on this site.

When I first decided to tell the story of ‘The Office Intern’, I had hoped the truth would have provided some freedom from the misery which ensued after Lisa started her senior year of high school. Admittedly, recalling that summer, with all the hope and possibilities we believed existed, was a sort of panacea. Reminding me of a magical time when two people existed just to love each other. But it also reopened doors I’d believed had been sealed for decades. Ultimately, I realized that the poison they secured had been slowly leaking into the lives of all who were involved.

It was still nineteen seventy-three and Lisa had only been away from me for a week. She had gone back to school while I tried to survive with the gaping hole left by her departure. Suddenly, my job was no longer exciting, and the entire office only reminded me of what had been. Since I was single, with no close family, I made what turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life when it came to my darling Lisa.

Impulsively, I quit my job, giving the man who had hired me no notice at all. He was pissed, of course, but when he heard why, he respected me well enough to be sympathetic.

“Lisa really did a number on your head,” he said to me, not unkindly. “We all could see how close you two were, and I wondered how you’d take it when she left.” He stepped around his desk and sat on the edge, facing me directly. “Look, you’ve done good work here and while I would have appreciated some notice, I can understand. Hell, I’m even a bit jealous of your youth and the flexibility your inheritance gives you.”

“I appreciate that Jim, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working here, but everywhere I look, all I can see is Lisa. And knowing her parents would never allow us to be together, just rubs salt in my wounds.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he replied. “But why the West Coast? Why not hang around here and plead your case to her parents?”

“Mainly because Lisa asked me to stay away until after she graduates. So that’s what I plan to do. She and I have a date for nine months from now for me to meet her at the bus stop the day after she finishes school. So putting some distance between us is the only way I can survive until then.”

“Love sucks, doesn’t it?” he said as he got up and shook my hand. “Well, best of luck and if you need any kind of reference or recommendation in the future, please let me know.”

And that was how I left my job and began driving the final nail in our coffin. Within a week, I was on the West Coast, in my new apartment, looking for a job. I didn’t necessarily need a job, but without one, I’d probably go even crazier. Luckily, my year of experience and low salary requirements allowed me to find a new gig almost immediately.

Regarding my story, there isn’t much to say about the nine months that followed my move. My new job and new life were fine and provided me with the distractions I needed. My calendar was marked with a giant red circle on May 30th denoting the date of Lisa’s high school graduation. That meant that I had a date with her for ten o’clock on Friday, May 31st and my flight reservation and vacation time were already set. To say I was counting the hours would be an understatement.

During our time apart, I sent Lisa a few cards for her birthday and Christmas and a few neutral letters letting her know what I was up to. She never answered, but I just assumed that her parents were intercepting them so that Lisa wasn’t aware. Funny how one can be so wrong about such a simple thing.

_______________________________

I had flown at night before the big day, hoping to at least see the conclusion of Lisa’s school’s graduation. But my asshole airline served up a plane with mechanical issues, and it was nearly midnight by the time I reached my hotel. Sleep was tough to achieve, but I found myself on time, parked in my rental car at Lisa’s old bus stop at the appointed ten o’clock. My nerves were a mess, wondering what she would say about our relationship.

The street was quiet with the usual car and foot traffic, and as ten o’clock came and went, I still knew she would show up. By eleven o’clock, a dark dread had seeped into my brain, and it felt like icicles were filling my gut. By noon, I had to force myself to admit that she wasn’t coming. Regardless of what she’d said when we parted, she’d decided that a relationship with me was no longer her desire, and she couldn’t face me to say that. But still my mind refused to believe, holding on to a hope made of vapors. It was two o’clock when my bladder forced me to accept reality, and I slowly drove away, searching for a bathroom.

Bladder relieved, I sat in my car wondering what to do. I had two obvious options, one easy and one difficult. The easy option was to visit my old company to see if they had heard anything about Lisa. But I doubted they would be much help. The harder option was to knock on Lisa’s front door and confront her. That would be an emotional nightmare, but it would give me the best chance to find out why she didn’t show. As it turned out, I was wrong on both counts.

Not yet ready for a confrontation, I decided to make my old job office the first stop. Pulling into a parking space, I could immediately see something was different. I entered the lobby and saw that almost everything had changed, from the decor to the color scheme to the company name on the wall. Where it used to say ‘Logic Data, Inc.’, it now read “Spectrum Systems – Logic Data Division’. Confused, I walked up to the large reception desk.

“Hi, Miss,” I said. “Is this still Logic Data Inc?”

“Good afternoon, sir,” she replied. “Yes, sort of. Spectrum acquired Logic Data last December, and most of the people who worked at this facility relocated to the large corporate spaces in Florida. Most of the people here now are sales and marketing. Is there someone, in particular, you wanted to speak with?”

“I used to work here but I left last September. It’s hard to believe it all changed so quickly. Does Mary Rogers still work here? She was one of the secretaries.”

“Sorry, I don’t know that name. Perhaps someone else?”

I began rattling off names, getting a head shake for each. Finally, I hit one person she knew.

“Yes, Ron Adams is still here. He handles the office IT support. Let me page him.”

Five minutes later, Ron and I were shaking hands, walking out to the parking lot to catch up.

“Wow, it’s been ages Bill, how the fuck are you?

“I’m okay Ron, I think,” I said. “Listen, I’d love to shoot the shit but I’m kind of in a world of hurt. Do you remember Lisa, the intern from last summer?”

Ron smiled and said, “Of course I do. She was a hottie and if I recall, you two were an item?”

“We were sort of an item, but nothing serious because of her parents. I was supposed to meet her today but she was a no-show. I was wondering if you heard anything about her over the past year?”

“No, I haven’t. But then in IT I rarely get to meet any visitors. Give me a minute to call Sally down at the Florida office.”

I cooled my heels while Ron went to make his call. He was back in ten minutes, looking uncomfortable.

“Any luck?” I asked.

“Yea, man. But it isn’t great news.” He shifted on his feet, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but standing in front of me. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing the smoke away from me.

“According to Sally, about five weeks or so after you split, Lisa stopped by looking for you. She said Lisa looked terrified and when she found out you’d left the state she broke down and cried like a baby. Sally says it took at least a half-hour for Lisa to calm down enough to leave. She wanted to know where you’d gone, but of course, none of us knew where except that you were somewhere on the West Coast.”

“What the fuck?” I said. “What could have happened to make her so upset? I mean, that would have been around mid-October, and she should have been well into her senior year of high school.”

“No clue, man,” Ron replied. “According to Sally, she never saw Lisa again after that.”

My head was spinning as I shook Ron’s hand, thanking him for the information. I got back in my car and decided that, no matter how hard, I had to go to Lisa’s home and find out what happened. I hit the road, wondering why my sweet girl had been so upset.

Finding Lisa’s house was easy. We had passed it a few times during our secret date nights. It was a modest two-story colonial on a street of similar houses. I parked at the curb and spent a minute steeling my courage. I had no idea what was about to happen, but even if Lisa gave me bad news, it was better than not knowing. Unfortunately, my words would soon come back to haunt me.

I knocked on the door and rang the bell for good measure. I heard a dog barking, which was odd because I didn’t recall Lisa saying they had any pets. The door opened and an elderly woman greeted me.

“Can I help you, young man?”

“Yes, ma’am, my name is Bill, and I was hoping to speak with Lisa. Is she available?”

She looked at me, slightly confused, and said, “I’m sorry, but no one by that name lives here.”

Now I was confused. “Perhaps I have the wrong address,” I said. “Lisa Gibson is the daughter of Mark and Linda Gibson. Lisa and I worked together last summer.”

I saw her eyes light up at the name. “Oh, the Gibson’s. Yes, they’re the people who sold me this wonderful house last December. But I don’t recall seeing a daughter. The home has three bedrooms and only one was occupied when I toured the house. In fact, the Gibson’s said they were selling because the house was too big for them and they wanted something smaller. Last I heard, they moved upstate somewhere.”

I felt my body collapsing from within. Nothing made any sense. I thanked the woman for her time and stumbled back to my car. There I sat, head churning with shock. What could have happened that Lisa would no longer be living at home and then cause her parents to move? More urgently, what the fuck did I do now? Driving back to my hotel, I picked up some takeout and a six-pack and called it a day.

The next day was Saturday, and my options were limited. I had a week off from work and needed to make the best use of my time. Using the phone book, I tried to remember the last names of some of her girlfriends, but came up blank. In retrospect, I realized I knew very little about Lisa or her family, and with zero leads to go on, I was already at a dead end.

By Sunday morning, I was desperate. There I sat in my underwear, drinking a warm beer and flipping through TV channels. That early in the morning it was nothing but news and educational TV with a smattering of religious shows. One channel showed a mass in progress, and my tired brain woke up. I do have another option, I thought. And hit the shower to make myself presentable.

An hour later, I was sitting in a pew, attending the morning service at Lisa’s church. She had talked so much about this place that I felt like I knew it before I even sat down. If anyone knew what happened with Lisa and her family, I would find them here.

Once services ended and the minister had worked the line of exiting parishioners, I approached him and introduced myself.

“Reverend Bates,” I said, extending my hand. “My name is Bill Sanders. I was hoping you could help me locate some friends of mine who attend your church.”

The Reverend smiled broadly and shook my hand. “Welcome to our church, Bill. I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. What brings you to our services today?”

“Yes, this is my first time. I live out west now, but used to live around here. My friend told me so much about your church that I feel like I’ve visited here before.

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Bill. So who is this family you’re asking about?”

“My friend’s name is Lisa. She and I worked at the same company last summer. Her last name is Gibson and her parents are Mark and Linda. Do you know them?”

At the mention of their names, I saw his face darken. He didn’t look mad exactly, but whatever he was feeling was painful. My gut clenched, knowing nothing he was about to say would improve things. I steeled myself for the bad news.

“So you’re the one,” he said almost too softly to hear. The one Lisa was desperately trying to find last fall. And the one who caused all the pain for so many people.”

“Pain?” I replied, feeling like a knife was twisting in my gut. “What pain? To who? For what? I’m sorry but I’m very much in the dark. Please tell me what happened.”

He shook his head and said, “Not out here, let’s go into my office, and I’ll pour us some coffee.”

I followed him through the large, sunlit church and down a hallway to what appeared to be the very back of the building. We walked into a modestly sized room, nicely outfitted with mahogany furniture and a well-worn Persian rug on the floor. It was elegant, if not a little past its prime. He motioned me to sit and filled two mugs with coffee from a large carafe. He settled his bulk into his swivel chair and looked at me, almost like he was assessing my worth.

“When was the last time you and Lisa spoke?” he began.

“That’s easy,” I replied. “Right after Labor Day last year when she finished up her internship before going back to school. The office threw a party for her, and I was able to meet her parents. They seemed like nice enough people. Lisa rode home with them, and that was the last time she and I saw each other.”

He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, looking sad. “Yes, her parents do make a nice appearance in public. Most folks who meet them find them friendly. But like too many families, they have a darker side, and Lisa was often the unfortunate recipient of their misguided interpretation of our faith.”

“Reverend, with all due respect, can you get to the point? You’re scaring me.”

“Fair enough. But let me ask one more question. What brings you back to our town after all this time?”

Now it was my turn to pause. Why I was here, was kind of private. But given that there seemed to be a mystery surrounding Lisa, it seemed silly not to come clean.

“On our last day, I made Lisa a promise that on the day after her graduation, I would meet her to see how we could make our relationship real. I love Lisa, and I’ve almost gone mad waiting for these months to pass.” My mouth was dry, so I paused to take a sip of the lukewarm coffee. “Shortly after we separated, I moved out west to take a new job and just flew back a few days ago to meet her. But she never showed and when I went to her house I found out the family had moved. Do you know what happened?”

He leaned forward in his chair, suddenly looking exhausted. He fiddled with his coffee mug before finally taking a long swallow. “In simplest terms,” he began, “the Gibson family imploded. When they found out what Lisa had done, they simply couldn’t accept it and banished her from their home. There was no trial, no defense, simply the decision of her parents. Mark Gibson tried to justify his actions by blaming our religion, but that was just self-serving BS. Our faith teaches compassion and forgiveness but he was having none of that and kicked her out like she was some wayward pet. It was disgusting.”

I was flabbergasted. What could Lisa have possibly done to deserve such treatment? But as the thought flashed through my mind, I realized with horror what might have occurred. It seemed unlikely, given all that I knew, but what else? Only one way to find out.

“What could have happened to Lisa to cause such a response from her parents?” I asked.

Now I saw him get angry. Clearly, he did not appreciate the question. He took several deep breaths, working to control his temper.

“I think the better question,” he spit out, “is what did you do to such a sweet girl to get her into trouble?”

It was then I knew. Somehow, someway, Lisa had gotten pregnant. Despite the timing and our rudimentary understanding of fertility, we had fucked up big time.

“Oh, no,” I said, covering my face in my hands. “Lisa’s pregnant?”

“No, she’s not pregnant, you idiot! She was pregnant. She gave birth almost three months ago to a premature little girl. And you were nowhere to be found when she desperately needed you!”

I started to get defensive. How would I have known what happened? But I quickly realized that anything I said would simply be deflecting blame onto Lisa, and the hard truth was that in our relationship, I was the adult and should have done better for her. Instead, I played with fire, and she paid the price.

“Okay, I’m sorry. This is a lot to take in all at once. So if she gave birth, where are Lisa and the baby? And why would her parents kick out their daughter and granddaughter?

He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking like he was about to unload another bombshell.

“Her parents refused to accept that she dared to have sex outside of marriage, so they banished her from the home. When local opinions were unhappy with their decision, they simply ran away, leaving poor Lisa behind.”

“So where did she go? Where are Lisa and the baby now?” I almost screamed at him.

He looked truly sad, like telling this tale was taking the last of his energy. “She was about three months pregnant when they forced her to leave. She’d dropped out of school and stayed with friends for the first few weeks. Eventually, she ended up in one of the shelters that our church maintains, where for a while she did well and had regular medical care.”

“What do you mean, for a while? What changed?”

Now he looked really pained, and I could see he truly cared about Lisa. He picked up a pen and made some mindless doodles on a tablet, seemingly to try and gather his thoughts.

“When Lisa couldn’t find you and when she learned her parents were planning to move, something broke inside her. She regularly missed curfew at the shelter and began hanging around with people who were bad news.