Rita was just about to clock out from her office job when, from a distance, she caught sight of a woman who seemed a bit off.
The woman had her face all covered up with a mask, and on top of that, she was sporting sunglasses even though the sky was overcast, with not a single ray of sunshine in sight.
Rita's mind raced to the thought that this lady might be off her rocker, so she opted to take a longer route home, just to be safe.
But no sooner had she made that decision than the woman's gaze latched onto hers, and she bolted straight for Rita.
Panic surged through Rita's veins.
Despite the crowded street, she couldn't shake the fear.
She'd heard those horror stories, you know, about folks with a screw loose going on rampages in broad daylight.
So, scared out of her wits, Rita spun on her heel and sprinted back toward the safety of her office building, only to crash smack into Jefferson.
Jefferson, with a concerned frown, blurted out, "What's got you spooked, Rita?"
He peeked over her shoulder, scouting for any sign of a pursuer, but there was no one there.
Rita, still panting from the scare, wrenched herself free from his grip and whipped around to double-check.
Nothing.
She gulped down a deep breath and reassured herself, over and over, that the menacing figure hadn't followed her.
Jefferson couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her antics. "Who's on your tail? Is it Robert playing a prank?"
Rita, her cheeks burning with embarrassment and not wanting Jefferson to think she was a total chicken, stammered, "No...It's just..."
She trailed off, then quickly covered up her fear with a hasty, "Nothing. Catch you later, boss."
Jefferson just smiled, shook his head, and watched her scurry off.
But fate wasn't so kind to Rita the very next day.
Just when she thought the coast was clear, that same eerie woman in the mask popped up right in front of her.
Rita let out a yelp, her first instinct to leg it, but the woman whipped off her mask and shades in a flash.
"It's me! Linda!" she announced.
Rita froze, squinting for a better look.
"Oh, it's you! What's with the get-up? And what do you want with me?"
Linda cracked an awkward grin and said, "I need to say sorry, Rita. For everything."
That caught Rita off guard.
"Well, it's all good. I mean, I'm not hurt or anything, so... can I get going now?"
But Linda wasn't having it.
She clamped a hand on Rita's shoulder, insisting, "Nope, you can't just leave. I've got something super important to tell you. Let's head to that cafe over there."
Rita felt a tug of reluctance but didn't dare to brush Linda off, uneasy about what might happen if she did.
Just a few minutes after they'd settled into their seats at the cafe, with the steaming cups of coffee between them, Linda leaned forward, wasting no time at all.
She slid a photograph across the table toward Rita with a sort of triumphant glint in her eye.
"Check this out. This is what I had to show you."
Rita's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she took a closer look at the photo.
"This is... Jefferson??" she gasped, her voice a mix of surprise and disbelief.
Linda couldn't help but feel a bit smug, seeing Rita's reaction.
She'd been hoping for a dramatic outburst, maybe even expecting Rita to talk about kicking Jefferson to the curb right then and there.
But instead, Rita just held the photo, her gaze fixed on it for what felt like an eternity before she looked up again.
"Linda, did you..." she started, her voice trailing off as if she couldn't bring herself to finish the question.
Without missing a beat, Linda cut in, "Yeah, I slept with the boss. That's why he canned me that day. He was scared to death that someone would find out about us at work, you know?"
"What?? But that's..." Rita's words hung in the air, unfinished and heavy.
Linda shrugged, a little too casually. "It's all water under the bridge now. After everything went down, Jeff came crawling back, begging for forgiveness. Threw a bunch of presents my way, and just like that, we're square."
Rita's mouth hung open for a second, and then she managed to say, "Oh! I, uh... I wasn't expecting to hear that. But why on earth are you telling me this?"
Rita was at a loss for words.
Part of her didn't want to believe a word Linda was saying, but the photo looked so darn real.
And the man in it was definitely Jefferson; she'd seen his sleeping face more times than she could count.
With a heavy sigh, she pushed the photo back across the table to Linda, her voice resigned as she said, "That's between you and the president. It's not my place to get involved. But I'll keep my lips sealed. Your secret's safe with me."
"What??" Linda blurted out, shooting up from her chair like she'd been stung.
She had never, in a million years, expected Rita to react with such a cool head.
Rita, her voice steady but with a hint of firmness, added, "Oh, and by the way, since I'm still tied to the company and all, I'd really think twice if I were you about showing that picture to anyone else. Doesn't matter if they're involved or not. Jefferson's not gonna be too thrilled about it getting out."
Linda managed to force a tight, sour sort of smile, still playing her part. "Oh, he's not gonna..."
But Rita cut her off, her tone serious but calm, "Just watch your back, Linda. And remember, he could hit you with a lawsuit if he wanted to. Alright?"
With that piece of advice hanging in the air, Rita got to her feet and took care of her coffee on the bill, ready to put this whole bizarre encounter behind her.
Linda, not ready to let go, made one last attempt to keep her there. "Wait, Rita!!"
Rita paused, half-turned, eyebrow raised. "What now?"
"Why aren't you mad, or freaking out, or something? Don't you give a darn about any of this? I just can't wrap my head around it!"