authors note: a new collection has begun and this time is one of my favourite albums of all time Electra Heart and what better way to kickoff this collection with writing Selena and Mary💓💗💔⚡
Selena was a very cold hearted bitch.
Everyone hated her, hated how she could change her mind just like that, hated in how re rejected very important project ideas just before the due date.
But they couldn't help but to acknowledge her achievements, she designed the hospital building, it's imposing structure understood that it needed more space and it needed more medical personnel to work there.
When Mary, fresh out of university, with her Civil Engineering degree started working with the company she never thought that she would have to hate somebody.
Unfortunately that actually happened and she was hating Selena , the woman that pushed her to be here.The woman that showed her that you do not have to be privileged to be here. You just need to be hard working.
Unfortunately Mary was regretting to choose her as her role model. Never meet your heroes.
“It's incorrect.”
“Did you actually skip Engineering Graphics and Design, huh? Why is your window like that?” Selena nit picked everything that nearly made Mary go mad, tempted to rip her hair off.
But she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of actually leaving. She heard of tales, those who were before her leaving with tears running down their faces, cursing Selena to her death bed.Even if Mary was tempted to do the same , she would just suck it up and do a perfect job.
That was the phrase Selena would throw at her.One of the people that worked with her on the first floor, a man who was in his forties asked her a question about her determination.
“How do you do it?”it was clear to Mary that the man was a chainsmoker, his base frayed with time.
“Do what?”
“Come here, propose a design that would make me approve it if I was running this department.”
“They'll be that one design that will make her melt.”she cheerily, already thinking and imagining Selena smile. She looks beautiful.“Good luck kid. Just know that I'll be rooting for you.”Mary left that man doing his job and continued with her quest, to make Selena smile with her impressive work.
It took seven months.
Seven months .214 days of sleepless nights, filled with Monster cans and Red Bull cans. Days that she took out from her own time to make this masterpiece, 214 days of destroying her already messed up sleep schedule. Nights spent in the office to the point that the night guards kicked her out. 214 days of ignoring that she has a life outside these walls.
They all come to this.
A three story apartment complex that has the space to house a family of twelve, having a park with selected games for children to play at. An small open field for yoga mornings and afternoon picnics. Each apartment having a different floor plans.Mary smiled for the first time in months, a full on genuine smile, feeling the “so tired and done” Mary flying away.
Now this Mary was the Mary that came here interviewing for her job. This Mary will knock down that raised eyebrow of Selena down.Mary decided to take out her suit, a dark green suit that her Nana bought for her. She was going to wipe the floor.
She made sure that everything thing was there, two USBs, laptop charger, a box to cover her model, all of her documents saved in those two USBS, and of course, her little black heart brooch pin, placing it near her heart.She called up an private car that was big enough to accommodate her model and drive away to the office.
She sees the tall skyscrapers, remembering when she told her Nana about her career.
”See that Nana, I'll be the one who design these big buildings.”Nana looked at her, “Really?”Mary nodded, “Yes Nana.”
I hope you see this nana.she thought while looking at her model in the box.She made sure that no one else was touching her model. Even if Seth, the security guard at the door watched her struggle with the box.“It's mine, so I'll carry it.”
“But…”
“No.”Mary walked with purpose into the meeting room, hearing the man who talked to her hollering as she walked towards the room.It was tense. Selena tried to convince the investors that their money will be worth but they won't budge. That wasn't until the door barged opened, Mary wearing a striking suit and brooch, currently carrying a big box .
“Mary, bold of you to barge in here. I thought that seeing the blinds and the door closed would send a message to you.”
“Sorry Miss. I have something to change your minds.”One of the men at the table, “Out with it.”Mary presented.“Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a solution for our problem.”she pointed at her model .“And what is that?”
“A three story apartment complex that has the space to house a family of twelve .”She showed a floor plan of the apartment, two bathrooms and three bedrooms and a lovely open kitchen. Selena widened her eyes as she saw the floor plan.“And there is an open space across that can act as a park and a perfect spot for picnics. And that housing is one of the things that are high demand. There on the screen there is a list of constraints.”Selena stood up and did the thing that Mary did not expect her to do. She thought that she was possessed.
She applauded.
Her and everybody standing there applauded at Mary .“This gentleman is Mary.”Mary looked at her, tears wanting to fall down, she looked at Selena, pride evident in her eyes, seeing a woman like her, a black woman own the room and give it her all.
Maybe I was too harsh to her, it borderlines to cruelty, she wondered.
They watched everybody leave and it was the two of them alone.“So did that melt your cold heart?”Selena turned to her, “Yes .”
“A simple yes, not a “Sorry Mary that I treated you like you were nobody, just a starry eyed new employee?”
“Maybe I went overboard?”Mary raised her eyebrow, “Understatement of the year.”
“So may I treat you to dinner?”
She's deflecting, Mary noticed as Selena fiddled with her star necklace.“As long as you promise to be good company.”
“Trust me Mary, I'm an excellent company.”
“I hope so.”Selena smirked as she walked away, leaving Mary to continue packing , watching Selena.
The woman who nearly made her life in the office unbearable.
The woman who just asked her to go to dinner with her.
i honestly enjoyed it much more than i thought i would
mary is a type of female li that as far as i know is very rare in romance club, with her and selena's "i want you but i hate you" dynamic (mostly in season one, it wasn't explored as much as i'd like, but still better than friends to lovers). i was told she would be a red flag but she didn't seem that way at all, at least in her relationship with selena (outside of the drugging scene). and as i posted before, i love how they keep coming back to bridges, it probably has some deeper symbolic meaning but i find it funny and endearing.
my biggest complaint is that i thought her ending felt rushed, like your boss fires you multiple years ago, gets into a coma, then comes out being like "i love you please forgive me"? a bit too unrealistic. although i imagine it's the same for rob and d*mon romancers and much crazier for liam and bert romancers as selena never met them in the real world.
