The First 90 Days

Meredith worked as an intern for far longer than any intern should. She was from money, would keep money, and would most likely bequeath money, even if she remained an intern for the rest of her life. For Meredith, work was her therapy. Without it, she’d stay holed up in her penthouse with a bottle of Seagrams and a crack pipe — at least, that’s how it went before she started working.

Meredith’s distant uncle knew some colleagues who did business with people at the New York Times. On her first day, she took coffee orders in-between shaking and running to the bathroom to puke. Withdrawal sucks. But she was too proud, too filled with a seemingly weak ego to head to rehab, let alone N.A. meetings. In fact, N.A. meetings were significantly worse. At least the rehab she could afford would have sunny weather, pools, personal chefs, and a dedicated therapist on call 24/7. 

On her 88th day as an intern, Meredith almost relapsed. It was a little thing at first. It always is. Her supervisor had flatly rejected one of her pitches. He said it was too fluffy. Too meaningless. The paper ran a story on a synagogue shooting instead. But for Meredith, she ran out of the building. She hopped on a train. She was going to score. She had it in her mind that it was justified, that she couldn’t catch a break, that everyone at the paper purposely wanted her to fail. Whether it was true or not, it was enough to send her across town on the A train. 

But the train stopped on the tracks. The loudspeaker announced it would be a 90 minute delay. 

The woman next to Meredith sighed. “I’m gonna miss my baby’s recital,” the woman said. “I’ve never missed one before.”

Meredith looked at the woman. She was old — ancient was the word that came to Meredith’s mind. Her veins showed through her skin. Meredith swore she could see tissue, sinew, and bone in the woman’s face. 

The loudspeaker announced people could leave if they want, as they stopped just short of a station. Meredith took the woman by her arm. “Let’s get you to your baby’s recital.”