Julianne Freaks Out

Oh boy, it's getting insane here. Our plan to get together over the weekend worked beautifully, I can't give all of the details, but for those of us that live in first floor dwellings it was easy - out the window. The others swiped out at different times, and it took practically half a day staggering everyone for us all to meet at our little Salvadoran hideaway - NO ONE from the WME would ever find us there, and if they did, they'd be too scared to go in.

Anyway, Julianne showed up last, and it was so great to all be together and talk about the craziness of the swipe card, the bizarre testings, and we spent a LOT of time discussing the issue of RayMan, was he cool? He seemed it, but we really had to be careful. Julianne was particularly suspicious because RayMan was the one who brought her the file about herbs that was all lies.

Well, today at work we saw the paper. It was a few days old, we never get to read current news, by the time it trickles down to us, it has been said, done, signed, whatever, and there is nothing anyone can do. So, sure enough, there was a piece on Angelina Jolie, the Secretary of Foreign Medicines, and she had held the town hall meeting in New Orleans, then there was an older article about her at the Kennedy Center attending a gala called the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS standing with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Angelina Jolie is an actress, and out of the blue she was appointed Secretary of Foreign Medicines. Was this to take away some of the Brad-Jen breakup criticism? For whatever reason Jolie is suddenly holding a high government office, it has Julianne going out of her mind.

"That bitch," she practicaly spit, gliding up behind me, the article clenched in her hand. "I spent a little time with her, just before I was getting out of the business, and I have a few friends still in who know her. She is TOTALLY into alternative medicines, herbs, homoeopathy, all of it. Ever since she cleaned up, she has a super healthy lifestyle, I swear, I don't even think she takes an aspirin!"

She threw the article on the counter. "Look at her now, a HUGE post here, at the WME, parroting their lies and bullshit, then rubbing shoulders with prominent members of this administration. It makes me sick, I don't think I can take anymore, I have to get out of here...."

I grabbed her arm and propelled her to a chair.

"Juli, pull it together, this is not the place to lose it, you've got to block this out until you get home, I'll meet you after work and the two of us will talk, okay? But not here." I reached into the candy dish.

"No, no, I am not going to numb out," she said, her voice raising.

"Oh yes you are - we need you, we all want to get out of here, and we can't do it without you. We all agreed that if we started flipping out at work, we would utilize the lunchroom pantry. Now take it."

I handed her a Vicoden and a Xanax, a great combo to make everything okay until the end of the day, but not so strong that you are stoned and nodding out at your desk. Julianne's desk was piled with work, she had a lot to do, besides, it was too great a risk to have her fill out the paperwork to get an Oxy, she was too disraught, it would cause attention.

"Oh all right," she popped both in her mouth and sipped some water. "I don't even know why this is upsetting me so much, really."

"I think I may have an idea," I answered, giving her a quick pat on the back. "But we'll talk about it later - do you want to get together tonight?"

She nodded, and I made the scribble on hand gesture, our code for getting notes to each other. I had to get back to my desk before it became noticed that we were talking in the lunchroom alone, so I gave her a wink after the gesture and she gave me a weak smile.

"That bitch drinks chamomile tea every single night," she said, shaking her head.

"No!" I hissed as I walked out.

"Uh-huh." Julianne folded her arms, and stared at the wall, the muscles in her jaw twitching.