She was startled and turned around. A man towered above her, his face covered with a mask.
"Men's bathroom? This.. is the men's bathroom?"
He shrugged, "don't you read signs anymore?"
She shook, "I.. didn't.. I'm sorry. I was in a hurry and didn't read the sign on the door."
"Hmm."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to invade in your privacy."
His eyes glinted, "hmm, I guess so," he looked away, and walked out of the bathroom.
She was still shaking, she buried her face, feeling embarrassed.
She had thought the bathroom would be her haven for a while. With a sigh, she she gradually walked to the door and opened it but bumped into another colleague of hers who was about to enter the bathroom.
"Oh, you came here? Why? To kill yourself and then make the media think a man killed you?"
She creased her brows, "no, what are you saying?"
He scoffed, "I'm so sure of what I'm saying. If you have done it before, you can definitely do it again."
"Please, get out of the way," she tried to walk past him but he didn't allow her to pass. Instead, he created a scene there.
Some of the male colleagues, who were coming to the bathroom as well, ran into them.
"Joseph, what are you doing to the innocent lady this morning?"
"I think she is trying to put us in trouble, she came to do something in the men's bathroom!"
They all faced her, questions clearly in her eyes.
"What did you come to do?" One of them asked.
"I'm sorry, I had thought this was the women's bathroom, I didn't look at the sign on the door. It was an honest mistake."
Joseph would have none of it, "I don't believe her, she must have come here for something else."
Nora was perturbed, "leave me alone, and get out of my way please."
"Oh no! I'm not letting you get off just like that. Who knows what you have in mind to do to us?"
"We like our reputation being stainless Joseph. What if you do something to her and it actually tarnishes your reputation?"
Joseph stopped to look at the man who said it, "you don't get my point Matt. She tried killing herself at home, and failed. She might try to do it here too, thereby putting us at risk."
"If I wanted to kill myself, why would I do it here?"
"You could harm our reputation, and cause the company to fold up. I like my job alright."
She was pissed, "get the f*ck out of my way!"
"Joseph, leave her alone," Matt ordered.
"No way! I'm taking her to the manager right now!" He gripped her hand and took her away with him.
"Joseph? Joseph!" Matt called after him.
"It's of no use. Let him do what he wants, who knows if he is actually saving us?" His colleague chipped in.
"Ugh!"
"Let me go! Let me go Joseph!"
Her cries attracted some of her colleagues, and their attention was turned to them.
"What has she done?" They began to murmur.
"Probably she attempted killing herself and Joseph caught her just in time."
"Bless his heart!"
"You are coming with me to the manager's office. He will know what to do with you!"
She groaned, "I didn't even do anything! Let me go!"
They arrived at the manager's office and he pushed her in.
"Mr. McCall," Joseph called.
McCAll looked up from his desk. He positioned his glasses on his face properly.
"What is the matter?"
"She was trying to kill herself in the men's bathroom, Mr. McCall."
Mr. McCall drew his head backwards, "what?" He faced Nora, "is this true Mrs. Robinwood?"
She shook her head, "I swear, I wasn't. I only went into the men's bathroom because I didn't read the sign on the door. It was an honest mistake sir."
He squinted his eyes, and rested back on the chair, "hmm. I see."
"Do you really believe her sir? Who wouldn't read a sign before going in?"
"I was in a hurry. My apologies Mr. McCall."
He kept quiet for a while, carefully analyzing what Joseph had just told him.
"Mrs. Robinwood, you do know what you were about to do would be a dent on the company's image. Right?"
She nodded, "I do know about that sir, and of course I wouldn't want that to happen at all."
"Quit lying!"
"I'm not!"
"Stop all this! This is an official place, and not your houses!"
"We are sorry sir," they apologized in unison.
He stood up, his eyes boring info Nora's skin, "what exactly were you trying to do?"
She was ashamed of saying that her colleagues were jeering at her.
"I just.. wanted to relieve myself," she lied.
"How come you didn't read the sign?"
"I was in a hurry."
"That's an obvious lie sir. No matter the hurry, you would also read the sign. Which she didn't do."
McCall squinted his eyes, growing a bit suspicious.
"I hope you were not trying to kill yourself?"
"I wasn't! I swear!" She tried to object.
"I don't believe her," Joseph shook his head.
"Did you see her trying to commit suicide Joseph?"
He went quiet, as he didn't see her do such a thing.
"Speak up."
He shook his head, "no sir, but I did see her coming out of the men's bathroom."
"If she wanted to kill herself, she would have done it right? Why would she come of the men's bathroom then?"
Nora's eyes lit up with triumph when he said that, "exactly sir, I wasn't trying to kill myself. I wouldn't."
Joseph fell silent, and dropped his gaze seeing he had been beaten.
"Don't ever come here, and waste my time with such trivial matters. I value my time, and would not want it getting wasted!"
"Yes sir," he nodded.
"Now, get out of here, both of you!"
"Thank you sir," Nora grinned and walked out of the office.
Joseph, feeling embarrassed, slowly walked out of the office.
When she was out, she held her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, "that was close.*