"You gotta tell me, Dee."
Another Monday and I got to work by 6:40am. The only benefit I got from my incident with Nelly the previous week was that I had finally devised a means to prepare breakfast for Mikayla and still arrive at work early. After a couple sessions during the day, I was officially hungry and went to the cafeteria to eat. I met Madison there and she started pestering me. I ignored her while eating the lasagne I ordered. Even when she started pulling my fingers, I didn't give her as much as a glance. I didn't look at her till I got to my office and sat down.
"Why aren't you responding to me?" I raised my right brow coolly. She couldn't not know the reason why, it was pretty obvious. "I just want to know why Mr Sánchez asked you to wait behind on Friday. That's all I ask, and I'll be out of your hair."
"And you are?"
Her face morphed into a look of confusion. "Excuse me? I don't understand what that means."
Of course she wouldn't. "I want to know what position you hold in my life to demand such information from me."
"I didn't demand for it." My eyes narrowed of their own accord. "I requested for it." My eyes rolled in exasperation. "Sorry,plead. I'm pleading for that information. Please tell me."
"Why do you want to know?"
She smiled almost bashfully and my nose wrinkled in slight revulsion. What was wrong with the lady? "I just want to know."
"I wasn't the only person he asked to wait behind. Why can't you look for someone else to disturb?" She chuckled at my choice of word. "Don't tell me I'm the only one who can tolerate your insanity cos that would really hurt my feelings."
Her laughter rang out in my office. "Of course, I'm friends with everybody. Unlike someone else." I let out a bored yawn in response to her jab. I didn't need her to remind me that I was a loner in the building. I didn't like them so why should I want to be friends with them? Hell, I wasn't even sure I liked Madison, I just managed to condone her. "I just want to know what he told you in particular."
"Why me?" She gave me that shy smile again and tripled my confusion. "Why am I your case study?"
She shrugged. "I don't even know why, I just wanna know."
My eyes never left hers as I said my next words. "He said I was eligible for a raise."
"A raise?!!"
I had intended to refute my first statement but the look in her face was so priceless, I had to spin my golden webs of lies a little longer. "Of course. He said I might be getting a raise soon."
Shock flitted across her eyes, then relief, until incredulity settled in her dark orbs. "For real?"
I probably had an irritated expression on my face because she burst in an embarrassed laugh. "You're not slow, so why are you acting like you are?" I shook my head at the increasing volume of her laughter. "He said I was a wonderful worker and it was very unfair that I'd be receiving the same amount as y'all motherfuckers. He said it was an insult to both my personality and my performance and i deserved way more." Personally, I thought everything I said was completely true. I should be earning way more than the fuckers in the company.
"Those were his words?"
I stuck my nose in the air in a haughty manner. "You can go to his office and confirm it if you need to."
She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion. "I don't believe you."
My shoulders jerked up slightly in a shrug. "Well, I don't care."
"You're lying." I stifled a yawn that was threatening to leave my mouth. "To be honest, I thought he was interested in you."
I furrowed my brows in utter confusion. "Interested in me how? Why would you even fucking think about that?"
Her chuckle scratched the insides of my ears. "It was that look in his eyes when he saw you weren't paying attention. I couldn't quite pinpoint it but it was hella sexy. So I just assumed that he told you something."
"At this point, I'd have to ask you to stop coming to my office." She tried to laugh her way out of it but I wasn't having none of that. "I wasn't bluffing, I really meant that shit. I don't want you coming here anymore since you won't say things that are logical and sensible." I pointed at the door and looked at her. "You should take a hike."
"You're serious?" I tilted my head towards her and raised my brows. "It was a joke. A harmless joke."
"A joke involving me and my boss? I don't entertain that type of shit. Not one bit."
She nodded hastily in agreement. "I'll never say something like that to you again." I regarded her with a wary expression and she reaffirmed. "I promise." An exhausted sigh left my lips and I turned my attention to something else on my table. "Damn, you really were about to send me out? Last I checked, I'm your only friend in WeCare Inc. You want to be friendless?"
I scoffed as I stood to open the curtain a little wider. "The fact that you think we're friends is actually cute. I merely tolerate you, it's not like you make getting rid of you easy. You're like hair lice. Just as terrible too."
"Your analogy is quite insulting but I'll take it that you're still pissed off." I walked back to take a seat and spun in the rotating chair. "What are your plans for the Christmas gala?"
I stopped the rotation of my chair by holding the desk. "What fucking plans? I was in charge of that last year, so I obviously can't be in charge this year. No one does it two years in a row."
Madison scratched her jaw with a puzzled look on her face. "I don't know about that last part but what I do know is that you're in charge of the gala presentation this year."
Wasn't I the one who took charge of the planning last year? I felt my lips take a downward turn as I frowned in deep thought. Who the fuck thought it right to put me up for that again? "In charge of everything?"
"Yeah."
"Including entertainment?" She nodded in affirmation and I grimaced in horror. "And food?"
"Of course. That's the main thing anyways." I knew that and that was what terrified me even more. The last time, I wasn't able to sleep for a whole two days because the company I handed the contract to told me they were short-staffed on short notice. I was pretty sure I aged 10 years within those few days. I was swallowing aspirin tablets at random during that period, those were fucking dark times and I wouldn't want to experience it again.
"Madison." She looked at me and shook her head. "Wait, listen to me before you refuse." She stayed silent and I took it as a cue to proceed. "You said you wanted the new CEO to notice you, right?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion before agreeing with a nod. "What better way is there to impress him than hosting a successful gala?" I could literally hear the wheels in her head spinning. It was getting to her. "Yeah, that's right. There's no better way. Deep down, you know this is a golden opportunity."
She considered for a moment. "I know it is but what if it doesn't turn out successful? Then he'd actually notice me but it would be for the wrong reason. There's so-."
I cut her off before she'd get completely discouraged and pulled out. "Every reward comes with risks, Madison. It's kinda how this shit works. What is a little gala hosting compared to that hot, billionaire CEO? You really wouldn't want to let up this opportunity, sweetie." Madison looked spellbound and I made sure to keep casting more spells on her. "Don't worry about messing up, I'm here to put you through it. I already have the necessary experience you need. You can't fail, Madison. Just take it."
She looked at me for about a minute and eventually shook her head. "No, I can't do it. There's a lot to lose. My dignity, my self-respect, my face. A lot could go wrong and Mr Sánchez would loathe me." I rubbed my face in agitation. "Sorry, Dee. I can't take it."
Mission successfully failed. I didn't even have it in me to be pissed at Madison. After all, she wasn't the one who assigned the task to me. "Who made me this year's host?"
"Amber."
Just as I thought. That petite woman wouldn't allow me any breathing space at all, one would think she hated me. "Alright." I gave the woman across me a forced grin. "Well, you might have to excuse me. I have a fucking Christmas gala to plan."
She clapped in childlike delight. "Can I suggest a theme?" I hummed to let her know I was all ears. "How about a Halloween themed party?"
My voice sounded dead, even to me. "It's a Christmas gala."
"Doesn't matter."
I gave her the stink eye for a couple seconds till she was forced to look away. "I can't have people coming to a Christmas gala with witch hats, fake blood, fangs and broomsticks. It's fucking insane and I don't swing that way, sorry."
She shrugged. "I was just trying to help you anyways."
"Yeah, but I don't appreciate it one bit." I opened a book and took a pen to write in it. "Don't worry about it, I'll think of something. I always do."
"Goodluck then." I acknowledged her with a single nod and watched her leave. I didn't get any reasonable ideas or inspirations and ended up doodling in the book till the next client came in. I put a pause on the gala thoughts and turned my full attention to Miss Samantha.
Unlike the previous week, I didn't lose hold of my emotions and discussed with her without any sentiments. With a clear head, I was able to make better judgements and I could tell she was very impressed by the end of the session.
"I really enjoyed today's session." The glint of satisfaction in her eyes made me know she wasn't fibbing. "I feel so unburdened, Debbie. Thank you."
I shook my head in a modest gesture. "That's my job. And I'm sorry for breaking down last week. That was very unprofessional and I apologise."
She pulled me into a quick hug. "Don't apologise for that, you're a human too. Besides, you already proved today that you're a wonderful therapist."
"Oh, you're so kind."
A few hours later, Mrs Smith came in for her session and as usual, it was filled with laughs and jokes. She stayed a little longer than she should had because of her designated driver.
"My son's gon pick me up. He's caught up in traffic so I might have to chat with you a little longer."
"Oh, Darryl?" She shook her head. "You got another son?"
Her head bobbed in affirmation. "Yeah, but he lives in New York. He'll be here for a couple weeks."
I drew closer to her and reduced my voice to a whisper. "How old is he?"
"30."
I wiggled my brows in a suggestive manner and she chuckled. "Is he married?" She nodded and laughed at my demeanour switch. "And I thought I already had this shit in the bag. Damn!"
"Oh really?"
"Mhmmm." I scowled and continued talking with mock annoyance. "I mean I'm a very good cook, I can clean really well, I've got a nice ass personality and most of all, I'm besties with you, his mom." She howled until tears flooded her eyes. "You sure you can't convince him to consider me?"
"Oh my God, Debbie. You're so hilarious." She paused a few seconds to dab her eyes with a handkerchief. "I mean, I could persuade him to divorce Hilda and marry you. You're going to give me pretty grandchildren anyways."
We shared a laugh and after a while, her son arrived. Finally left alone, I thought of the horrible task of writing the log-ins of three Mondays. I glanced at the wall and groaned. 6:34pm. What time would I finish? There was only one way to find out so I got down to work.
I plugged my ears with headphones and started. I was so immersed in the routine of listening, evaluating and typing, I didn't realize my phone had been ringing. When I finally noticed and accepted the FaceTime call, Nelly didn't look too pleased about my delayed answer.
"What the fuck have you been doing? Bitch, I've been calling for the past 30 minutes." I raised my brows at her loud voice.
"I've been busy. Besides, why did you keep calling after the first 5 minutes?" I smirked. "You missed me that much?"
She made a gagging sound that made me roll my eyes in humor. "You've been with me damn too long to know that I'd never call you out of my own volition. I've got better things to look at." I scowled at her implication, Nelly sure knew how to bruise one's pride. "Anyways, it's Kayla. She insisted that she'd have to talk to you before she eats and I can't even lie, I'm fucking hungry right now. For a few seconds, I contemplated shoving a sock down your daughter's throat. I've been staring at the lemon meringue pie in the fridge for 30 fucking minutes so I'm very grateful you finally picked up." The camera left her face and I was staring at the ceiling of my kitchen. "Kayla! Your mom's on the phone."
Instantly my lips stretched to a broad smile and I waited for Mikayla's face to appear on my screen. Her hair formed a halo atop her pretty head and she had her Barbie pjs on, adorable didn't quite cover the way she looked. "Mama."
"Bebe." My already broad smile stretched even more. That was something only Kayla could make me do. "Como estas?"
"Bien, mama." I liked to practice Spanish with Kayla as often as I could. Even though I wasn't Spanish, I felt it would be great if she spoke the language fluently. It would make Diego really happy. That's why I insisted she called me Mama instead of Mummy or Mom. "How are you?"
I took a quick glance at my cluttered table and shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess." She nodded and I continued. "Aunt Lee said you won't eat your food."
"Aunt Lee said I'll be sleeping by the time you come back from work and I just wanted to see you before eating." A warm sensation started in my chest at her cute words. "Mama, have you eaten yet?" I shook my head. "Why?"
"Uhmmm, I'm not so hungry plus I don't have anything to eat here." I heard a loud clank in the background. "Where's aunt Lee?"
Mikayla's head spun to the side, that was probably where Nelly was. "She's putting the pie in the microwave. To heat it up." She turned the phone, probably to show me what her aunt Lee was doing. All I saw however was the sink, but I'd give my baby an A+ for effort.
I suspended my work to chat with Mikayla until Nelly took the phone from her. Her big head occupied my screen and I asked her to adjust her phone. "Girl, back the fuck up. You're all over my face." Being the obstinate mare she was, she brought the phone even closer to her face and I groaned in protest.
"So what's up? How's the log-in writing going?"
I looked at the abandoned papers scattered all over my desk and sighed in exhaustion. "Awfully, but I'm halfway done."
She nodded wordlessly and shoved a spoonful of pie into her mouth. "What in the modern day slavery is that? You're the reason why I'd never be envious of career people."
"At this point, I'm kinda leaning towards your philosophy." I remembered the gala hosting and massaged my temple with my free hand. "Today, I learnt that I'm in charge of the Christmas gala preparation. I'm so dissuaded from working, for real. I think I'll resign this night and come chill with you."She snickered and I grimaced at the disgusting sight of mashed food in her mouth. "Close your fucking mouth."
As expected, she ignored my chastisement. "The Christmas gala? That fancy party you had to organize last year?" She turned away to say something to Kayla in the background. "The party was pretty good, in my opinion. The decorations was nice and the food was splendid. And those hors d'oeuvres?" She gave her hand an exaggerated kiss. "Exquisite delight. You did really good there, to be honest. And you know I don't hand out compliments carelessly."
I winced involuntarily when the initial food fiasco came to my memory, what if something like that happened again? I'd probably die of a heart attack. "You know the stress I through to make the food thing happen." She laughed at my pathetic complaint. "Don't! Stop fucking laughing. It's not even funny."
"Who said it isn't? It was funny then and it's still funny today. You looked like you had lost my mind the day the other food company failed you." She paused her tale to howl in laughter. "You were so damn ugly during that period and it looks like you're about to be ugly again."
"This is why I don't like talking to your stupid ass." My face scrunched in mild annoyance when she continued laughing. "I'm done talking to you. I'll be back by 11." After telling my daughter goodnight, I ended the call and redirected my attention to the papers before me.
A knock on the office door made me look up from my task. I took a look at the time and raised my brows in question. Who was knocking by 10:07pm?
"Who's there?"
"Andre." My eyes squinted in sheer confusion, did I hear right?
I glanced at the disarray on my desk and winced. As quickly as I could, I arranged most things on the furniture. "Uhmm, you can come in."
The doorknob turned and a second later, the door opened to reveal the gigantic man that was in charge of WeCare Inc. His large frame made the room seem a little smaller than it was a few seconds before. His eyes did a quick tour around my office and landed on my face. I suppressed the urge to look away and cower in a corner of the room. His stare was both mesmerizing and frightening at the same time. It drew you in but still made you want to flee for safety.
"Miss Rodriguez." I stood to my feet. "Why are you still here? I was about to leave but realized that the lights in this office were still on."
I pointed at my desk and his eyes followed my hand. "I'm trying to write my log-ins."
He nodded in understanding and cleared his throat. "Are you done now though? Because it's a little too late." He glanced at his watch. "You sure you won't want to continue tomorrow?" I shook my head in response and he stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "Alright then. Just be quick, you're the only person left here." My head bobbed in agreement and he looked around my office again. "Goodnight then."
I waited for him to leave, then collapsed on my chair. I really needed to hasten up and leave. It'd been a while since I stayed back till that time, two weeks and half before to be exact. When I was still in my workaholic phase, it was a regular occurrence for me. That was probably why I wasn't so bugged about being the only one left. Nevertheless, I still increased my pace.
A few minutes later, another knock sounded on my door and I blinked. Didn't Andre say I was the only person left? Before I could think further, the person at the other side of the door opened it.
"Andre?"
He strolled into the office and pointed at the sofa at the opposite wall. "I'm sorry but I'm not comfortable with the idea of you being alone in this building. I'll just sit on that seat and wait for you to finish up whatever you have left." I eyed him warily and he put his hands up in a surrender pose. "I won't disturb you in any way, you won't even hear me breath."
"You want to die on my sofa?" His lips curved upwards a little and he walked over to the black upholstery. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be done in 30 minutes tops." He nodded slowly and I looked back at the white sheets before me. It was a little weird at first, but I eventually shook off the feeling. Andre stayed true to his word and was silent through out. I let out a sigh of relief and put my things away when I finally finished. I spotted the sleeping bodyguard on my sofa and walked towards him. For a few minutes, I watched the pulsation of his chest and the contrasting stillness of his face. It would be embarrassing as hell to be caught.
"Andre." I called out and his eyes fluttered open. It might just be my imagination, but it seemed like the green of his irises took on a darker hue. I waited for him to stretch himself before continuing. "I'm done now."
He nodded and stood to his feet. We walked into the elevator together and I remembered my first encounter with him. Outside the building, we went to our cars and he waited for me to drive out.
As I drove on the highway, I couldn't help but think about the last thing he said to me.
"See you tomorrow."