" Okay Mom. I get it. Dad has a new high profile case and I need to be extra careful this time." I roll my eyes because it's always the same. I moved out two years ago because of how over controlling she is and she still acts like I'm not careful enough.
"Are you even listening to me!?" I pull the phone away from my ear as she shrieks into the receiver. My face scrunches up in distaste at the shrill noise that just attacked my ear drum.
"Yes Mom. Listen I have a concealed carry license, pepper spray, and a taser. I also have been taking self defense classes since I was, what, eleven? I even have a rape alarm so I can press that and get peoples attention." Not like I carried anything but my gun and taser with me at all times.
"Okay. But I'm serious Athea, be more vigilant."
"Okay Mom. I will be. Listen I have to go now because I'm about to walk into my building. I love you. Give dad my love and good lucks. I'll try to be there after I get off."
"I didn't tell you? Chris Carson's prelim got pushed back. It'll be starting at five instead of three." I breathe in deeply rolling my eyes.
"Well I'll be there. I get off at four anyways and I'll head straight to you guys."
"Okay honey-" I hung up the phone because I really needed to go. My mom is so overbearing. She always tries to talk to long too. I don't want to spend an hour on the phone with her. If i wanted that I'd go over.
"Hey they caught the man who murdered that family. I hear he has ties to the mafia." I heard a coworker say as I walked in. My day started about the case from my mother and now I'm going to be surrounded by gossip and rumors about the case.
"Hey Athea. Has your Dad told you anything yet? We'd love to get the details on this case." Mary asked me. She was the nosiest one out of all of my coworkers.
"No. And even if he did I wouldn't be able to tell ya'll anything anyways as it is high profile." I was exasperated. Everytime a new case comes up I get the same questions. I was careful to hide my irritation.
"Whatever Athea." I hear a chuckle and a slight attitude behind it. I start walking to my desk when I bump into the janitor. It wasn't Ralph.
"Oh shit. I'm so sorry." I said quietly trying to steady myself. I hate heels but I have to wear them in this damn office. I work for a publishing company and I'm the CEOs' assistant. I make his appointments, deliver him transcripts, book flights and what not. It was a good paying job for someone who is trying to write her own story but has plenty of experience in paper pushing.
"It's not your fault. I'm just filling in for your regular guy. I'm sorry." He looks up after mopping up the puddle of water that fell out of the bucket.
"Well, you're awfully young to be a janitor!?" I exclaimed. I was shocked by how young he looked and I blurted out my thoughts before my mind could say shut up Athea. I hear him chuckle as my face flames. I was so embarrassed. I don't even think embarrassed was the right word. I wanted to be engulfed by the floor in order to hide. He was very attractive. In a caught off guard kind of way.
"It's okay. I'm just filling in for the regular guy." He looks at me again and smiles. He likes to make eye contact which made him more attractive than what he already was.
"His name is Ralph." I snapped still embarrassed from my outburst. I felt my face flame a deeper shade of red. It just irks me when no one knows his name.
"Yeah. I'm filling in for Ralph. I'm basically a temp. worker but the CEO hired me on as part of the company so I had to fill out a bunch of forms." He explains politely looking at me briefly.
"Okay." I feel my face flame more as I realize he must think I'm trying to flirt. "I'm not hitting on you. Even though you are really attractive, but I'm professional in the workplace."I say with a huff and I hastily walk past him. I'm covering my face with my hands as I sit at my desk outside of Marks' office. I was stressing and over sensitive because of my mother. I sit up and taking some calming breaths and pull the first manuscript out of my pile to read and send in. I was maybe thirty pages into it when I hear a light tap on my desk. I look up and see the temporary janitor here looking flustered. Actually, as I study him he seems more nervous than flustered.
"I'm sorry if I upset you earlier. I didn't think you were flirting or anything but I appreciate the compliment. It seems you've had a rough morning so I went a bought you this coffee and blueberry muffin to try and cheer you up." He holds them out waiting, patiently ,for me to take them.
"Oh..." I groan."No. You eat them. I'm just- at the time when I ran into you my Mom was basically being over controlling again and I was still a little irritated with her. I'm sorry. I'll pay you back for the food though. It's the least I can do." I said rubbing my face with my hands again. His first day and he is using his money.
"How about this? You still eat them since I don't like strawberry cream flavored coffee and I like granola instead of muffins for breakfast and you can pay me back by telling me your name?" He said with an eyebrow raised trying to tempt me with his offer. If i didn't know better I'd say he's flirting with me.
"Fine." I roll my eyes deciding the sooner he goes back to work the sooner I can finish reading this book called The Cafe. "My name is Athea Margaret Carter. My parents named me after Athena but wanted a slight modern twist to it. It's unique."
"Nice name. And Carter?" He looked like he was trying to remember where he heard my last name from. "Are you related to Judge Matthias Carter?"
"Yeah. He's my Dad."
"Your Dad does those high profile cases. Cool." He looked like he wanted to get the hell away from me but was being polite just because he came up to me. His face had paled and his eyes turned stormy instead of the clear and sharp look he had before.
"Yeah. He does a lot of those." I say as his eyes harden at my obvious pride in my father.
"Well, I hope nothing happens to you with this case. I'm assuming nothing has happened to you or them yet?"
"Nothing. I've been pretty lucky. That was what-" I start to tell him about why I was irritated with my mom but he turned around and walked off. I guess he changed his mind on wanting to talk. I still feel really bad though. Shrugging my shoulders and bringing the straw to my mouth I take a sip of the coffee and moan. It was so delicious and he did so good in picking it out. I finished reading the manuscript and threw a check mark and drew a thumbs up in the top corner of the cover page so Mark would know this was a definite read. I may approve of him reading them but he was the ultimate judge and decided what got printed.
The temporary janitor was stuck in my head with his odd behavior. After I thought about it for a while I realized most people would not want to tell someone who has a father for a judge anything.
I let out a sigh. I'm used to getting that kind of reaction from people. I wasn't alone or without friends. In fact, most people would rather hear the details thinking I would tell them if I was told anything. My thoughts drift back to the conversation with her mother and irritation flickered over her face instantaneously.
I let out a frustrated sigh and set my head in my hands. There are times I wish my father was not a judge because then I wouldn't be the center of gossip or the one to go to for details.
"I was thinking Athea. Maybe you could possibly resent your mother and father for everything. For his job and her being a helicopter parent." Pat says bringing me out of the past and into my present.
I thought about what she said and realized that I do resent the kind of responsibility and danger I was put into due to his job. My mother made things worse by being overbearing and made me feel trapped. I hate it. "I think you could be right. I never thought about that before." I looked to Pat sheepishly. I didn't like admitting it but now that I have I felt much better and like a weight was taken off my chest and shoulders.