Chapter 8

The holyday season is upon us. Thanks giving, Christmas and new year; the three best holydays. I am over at MCs’ house talking about this and that. When her mom came and joined us, we changed the subject because we were talking about how she was secretly dating. After a while I decided to go home so when I stood up MCs’ mom called me. “Dear, could we have Thanks giving at your place?”

Our tradition is that we have thanks giving at one house one year and the other house the next year. We did thanks giving at my place last year so this year we were supposed to do it at their house but MCs’ mom want to do it at our place again.

“But we did it at our place last year. It’s your turn.” Her mom didn’t seem to like my answer. “I know but let’s do it this once at your place. I just don’t feel like cooking.”

“Sure.” I wanted to rest too but she really didn’t seem like she wanted to cook.

“Thank you. And since I wouldn’t be cooking I don’t think I can make it to your house either.”

When MCs’ mom said that we immediately looked at each other because we understood what was going on. We realized that her mom was laying out these excuses so that she can spent thanks giving with whomever she is dating.

“Oh, why?” that was MC trying to make her mom talk. “No big reason. I just want to relax just for once.” her mom replied. MC fires back with “Well if you not going then I won’t go either.”

Mrs. C looked shocked when she heard this so she tried to talk MC out of it. “No!” but MC wouldn’t even let her mom finish “No mom. How can I possibly leave you all alone in an empty house?” I can sense a bit of sarcasm in MCs’ tone. This was the best conversation I have ever heard. I had my eyes wide open and was fighting my laugh.

Mrs. C looked pretty desperate but her words slipped her “Who said I was going to be alone.”

“What?” MC was getting close to cracking her mom once and for all.

“What I meant was that I won’t feel alone. I would be surrounded by the comfort of my house. You don’t have to worry.” liked I said Mrs. C looked pretty desperate. “Ok, fine.” I saw a huge relief in her moms’ face.

I went home, told my mom that we are having thanks giving at our place and went to bed. The next morning I went to work depressed. Shawn hasn’t stopped bothering me, ordering me to organize old files by their date and because of that I haven’t been doing the job I actually got hired for. And I am not the only one who thinks that.

During lunch hour Melisa Brown was turning the entire building upside down looking for me. Yes, that Melisa. The mean old lady of the office, at that time I was at my lunch spot enjoying my lunch. I had no idea that she was looking for me so I was all relaxed and eating my apple. When I got to my office I heard an angry women screaming. I got curious so I stepped out of my office to see what was happening and that was the most stupid decision I have ever made.

The first person I saw in the crowd was Oliver. As soon as he saw me he mouthed ‘Get out of here!’ to me. But unlucky me, I didn’t understood. “What?” I mouthed back to him. He repeated “Get out of here. Go” I still didn’t understand. When Melisa turned around she saw me. She quickly walked to wards me screaming.

“Oh, there she is. The queen of the office is here. Everybody; take off your jacket and lay it on the floor so she can walk on it.”

“I don’t understand. What is happening?” I asked.

“What have you been doing for the last few weeks hu? You don’t do your work, you are never in your office and even if you are you take a phone call and you immediately disappear.”

I tried to explain to her that the boss has been keeping me busy but she didn’t want to hear anything. She was like a mother in whom a mother asks her child a question while scolding it and when the child tries to answer the question she yells at it even more because she feels disrespected and that the child was talking back to her.

“Why is Oliver the only one doing the job? You do realize that it is a partnering job and that both of you have to work. But all I see day after day is Oliver going from department to department all by himself and doing the job for you. So answer me. What have you been doing?”

I tried to explain “I was just busy…” she wouldn’t let me finish.

“Busy with what? Getting your nails done? Making sure you wore the perfect clothe? Or is it posting a picture on Instagram?”

The yelling continued for five more minutes. I was so embarrassed I had my head down the whole time. When she was done she screamed “Everybody back to work!”

Everyone stopped staring at me and moved along. But I was ashamed. My knees felt weak and I couldn’t move. I felt like she had dug up a hole in the office and buried me right there. But when I snapped back to reality I felt even more horrible. I can feel my tears boiling in my eyes begging to rain down my cheeks.

While I was standing there fighting my tears I heard his voice from a distance.

“What is going on?” he asked Oliver that was in shock as well as me. I looked up and we locked eyes. He might have seen my eyes turning red, he got shocked. He asked Oliver what was happening again. Oliver answered to him this time. “It was Melisa Brown.”

I felt sick so I ran out of there. I went to the roof top and let my tears free. I don’t think I have cried like this in a while. After I was done crying, I decided to back to my office. I walked in then sat at my desk like nothing happened. I can tell that Oliver was staring at me while I was typing yesterdays report. “What?” I asked Oliver without taking my eyes off my laptop.

“Nothing!” he answered. “Then stop staring at me.” I still had my eyes on the report I was writing.

“Look, I am sorry that I didn’t help you earlier. I am just too scared of that lady.” he said with a heavy heart. I looked at him this time “Oliver, you did the right thing. If you had jumped in she would have probably killed you as well. She might have made me feel like I wanted to throw myself off the roof top, but she wasn’t wrong. You have been doing everything by yourself and that isn’t fair. I should do what I was hired to do, not what my boss wants me to do.”

Immediately: after I said that the phone at my desk rung. I picked it up. The only person who calls me on this phone is Shawn. I can hear guilt in his voice “Ms. Jona, could you come to my office please?” My head spun when I heard his voice. I got super mad. “Sure Mr. Davis.” I hung up the phone.

“Was that the boss?” Oliver asked. “Yap” I answered. After I was done typing I stood up. “Are you going to his office?” Oliver asked another question.

“No. I am going to the Lawyers. There is blank report on a clients’ call from lunch hour, I am going to go and see who was at the phone.”

“What about the boss?”

“What about him?” I walked out. I didn’t go to his office. At the end of the day, I asked Oliver to take the reports to Shawn himself and I went off work.

Today was really traumatizing. I am at my bed just staring at the ceiling trying to sleep. But sleep doesn’t come easy. When Oliver told me that Melisa was the mean lady of the office I thought she was just an old lady. But her temper is in a whole other level. I am rolling around trying to sleep but all I hear was her voice.

Thanks giving; is this weekend. I am no longer avoiding Shawn, I am ignoring him. Anywhere but in meetings I don’t listen or speak to him. Lunch hour my lunch box and I have a date with an apple. While I was enjoying my lunch where I usually eat, Shawn came and sat down next to me. I like I said earlier ignored his presence. “You didn’t come to my office yesterday.” he tries to start a conversation but I wasn’t interested.

After a while of silence he decided to apologize. “I am sorry!” and all I did was ignore his apology. “Look, Oliver told me about Melisa. Don’t take it personal she is like that with everyone; even with me.” I still chose to ignore him. But he wouldn’t stop. “I will tell her it was because of me.”

I closed my lunch box, looked dead straight at him and “Listen Mr. Davis, I don’t care if you feel guilty. What you messed with was my job. If anyone from above had heard all those things she said about me I could have lost my job.”

“I only did it because it was funny. I know that I went a bit too far when I told you to organize those old papers but what can I say, I like having you around.”

His words didn’t move me at all. Instead it got me mad. “Let me try to make myself clear. I will never… accept your apology.” I stood up and left him. That was when I realized that my anger was beyond what I had expected.