Art Explained by a Writer: Office at Night (1940)

It's unbelievable how slowly some people read. That letter he's holding, he's been trying to decipher it for three hours now. It's not like it's written in some secret code—the man simply never learned to read or write properly.

I expected being a detective’s secretary to be different. It drives me up the wall watching him sound out words like a five-year-old, chopping them into bits, mumbling syllable by syllable—it’s enough to make me lose my mind! I’d love to whack him round the head with a file. Why doesn’t that bloke go back to school or practise reading every day instead of dictating everything to me so I have to type it out?

Every day, it gets later, and I don’t get paid any extra.

“Still working for that detective, are you?” my old man asked grimly. “How can a clever girl like you let some twit take advantage of you like that?”

With a look of contempt, he eyed the plate of overcooked slop I set on the table.

“Do you have any idea what time it is? I’ve been waiting a bloody eight hours for my six o’clock dinner!”

Furious, he stood up and shoved his chair back.

“If dinner isn’t on the table on time tomorrow, you can just live at the office!”

The clock had just struck one, and all I could do was wait for him to leave so I could spend the night at work. Why does a man like that never stop to wonder how a woman is supposed to get home safely alone when public transport stopped running hours ago? Is he counting on the next crime to happen to me?

“Esther? Could you read this letter out for me? I’ve got a terrible headache—oh, and fetch me a coffee and an aspirin, would you?”

...

“Cheers, love. If you hang on a bit, I’ll drive you home, and you won’t have to come back to the office. Reckon we’ll keep the place closed for the rest of the week.”

---

Dear Sir X,

Your work permit has been revoked. As you are aware, you are required to report for transport on 19 May at 5:30 in the morning at the corner of Bernhard Street and Our Lady’s Alley. You may bring one item. Further instructions will be provided on-site.

Signed on behalf of the Kingdom of...

...

“Fancy grabbing a bite to eat? The Exodus has begun,” he sighed.

^{18.5.25
Exodus
Painting: Office at Night (1940) - public domain
Painter: Edward Hopper
@almaguer
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