Mr Cold and Arrogant

~

Do I say I'm derailed? Maybe that's too strong of a word to use on the first day of meeting my boss. I rewrote the entire document in a similar format, hoping he would accept it. It’s past 7 p.m., and I’m nowhere close to my mother’s home. She called earlier to check on me, but I told her I was stuck in traffic. Yes, that’s a common excuse. I let out a deep sigh and walk down to his office. I knock, and he responds with a casual ‘mm-hmm,’ which I take as an affirmation. I enter and immediately see him, staring out the glass window.

“Excuse me, sir,” I start, but he remains silent. I hope he doesn’t look at me with those cold, steely eyes. “I, um, drafted another version, and I hope this works—”

“Put it down and leave!” he snaps, still not looking my way. He seems distracted, spacing out from time to time.

“Yes, sir!” I reply and do as he says. I walk to the door, my hand resting on the handle.

“Ms. Myers?” he calls out coldly.

“Yes, sir!” I respond, turning abruptly, as if anticipating he would say something.

“About La Grande. Set up the meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m.!” he adds.

“I will do that, sir! Good night!” I tell him as I exit his office.

Free as a bird, I have a lot to share with my mom about my first encounter with my new boss. I put on my overcoat and grab the cake from the refrigerator—it’s still sealed in the carton.

I take out my phone and text my mom: *Just a minute, I’ll be there! X!*

I take my purse and hang it over my shoulder as I leave. I close the door behind me and hear my boss arguing on the phone.

“...I don’t care, woman, do what you want. I’m sick and tired your shitty games...”

I don’t mean to eavesdrop; if he catches me, or if anyone else does, I’m going to be in big trouble. I walk down the hallway and finally reach the elevator. I press the button, and it opens immediately—I'm the only one inside.

When I reach the ground floor, I walk to the double doors. The security guard bids me goodnight, and I reciprocate before heading to my car. I glance at my watch; it's thirty minutes past 7 p.m. Damn! I’ve spent the last hour and a half trying to please that gruff boss of mine. Does he even have a heart?

Now isn’t the time to dwell on that; I’ll save it for another day. Perhaps he’s frustrated, which doesn’t excuse his behavior towards me.

As I drive, I stretch my neck to focus on the road. I’m not the best night driver, which is amusing—I can’t expect to be perfect overnight. Besides, I never had an exciting teenage life; I never played fun and adventurous games.

My phone chimes again. It’s my mother, so I quickly swipe to answer.

“Mom!” I say, guilt creeping in, forcing a smile.

“Are you sure you can make it, dear?” she asks, doubt in her tone.

“Yes, Mom, I’ll be home in ten minutes! I promise! Love you!” I hang up and drive as fast as I can. I can’t disappoint her again. I left her in the lurch on her previous birthday, and I won’t do the same this time.

I clearly remember when Austin and I traveled for a vacation and couldn’t make it back home; that’s how I abandoned my mom. She always celebrates my birthdays with me, but for hers, I made excuses. I won’t do that again— not now, not ever.

I pull over beside the road in my mom’s quiet neighborhood. There are lights and decorations inside and outside the apartment. I see her sitting at the table, talking to Ms. Saunders, her next-door neighbor. They've been friends for six years and I loved their friendship.

I storm in, and their attention shifts to me, smiles spreading across their faces. I'm holding a large cake and grinning broadly.

“Happy birthday, Mum!” I exclaim.

She approaches me, her eyes glistening with tears, and takes the cake from my hands. After passing it to her friend, she pulls me in for a warm, tight hug. I rest my head on her shoulder and embrace her tightly. I’ve missed her so much; it feels like ages since we last saw each other.

Although we’ve only talked on the phone for the past month, it feels far longer. We pull away slowly, and I hug Ms. Saunders as well. She’s a kind woman whose husband passed away a year ago. As for me, I know little about my dad; Mom never talks much about him except to say he left when I was barely three years old.

“This is beautiful, Sara. It’s very pretty!” Ms. Saunders compliments the pink and yellow cake. She turns to me as we make our way to the dining room and asks, “May, you said you baked this?”

“Yes, Linda, I did! I spent last night baking the best cake for my mother!” I tease, and they both laugh.

“Perfect, right? I feel very blessed to have May; she made it incredible,” Mom adds, and we giggle. Ms. Saunders begins to serve some food, which she must have prepared as one of her contributions. I wish I could have been there to help with everything. Thankfully, Mom isn’t upset at all; that would have been a real bummer for me. I start singing the birthday song like a chorister. I'm not a great singer, but I do my best anyway. Ms. Saunders joins in with a different tone, and soon we're all singing together, while Mom laughs, burying her face in her palms.

At that moment, I don’t feel exhausted; I feel elated to the core.

“This is delicious! Oh God, Linda!” I exclaim as I dig into a spicy fish Buddha bowl.

“This is so appetizing! You should open a restaurant someday. I’ve always told you!” Mom teases Linda, who smiles back. Mom holds up her glass of white wine to give a little speech.

“I don’t know where and how to start, but anywhere is somewhere at least!” we chuckle, staring into her graceful eyes. “You both are the most important people in my life. Through thick and thin, you’ve been there for me. Here I am, turning 42 today, feeling super young and vibrant. Thank you for making this day one to remember. Linda... this is incredible; I’m lost for words. And you—my baby girl—you are so sweet, talented, hardworking, and intelligent. Look at what you baked! It’s lovely! And I also got a brand-new microwave, curlers, and hair dryers... I’m still unpacking...” she teases, and we all laugh together. “You are the best daughter in the whole wide world, little May!”

She stops, and we clink our glasses against each other before continuing to eat. Linda clears her throat and pulls out tickets from her purse. No way...

“And here’s my gift: a trip to Vegas! We have the whole week to ourselves.”

“Oh my God, Linda...” Mom screams out excitedly, and they hug. That’s a huge surprise! I need to step up my game with gifts. Although I miss her already.

Mother turns to me again, and we hug once more. Seeing my mom smile fills my heart with satisfaction; I’m glad she’s healthy and happy. The rest of the evening is memorable and amazing, as I indulge in chocolates and cakes.

Past 10 PM, I walk into my room, drying my wet hair with a towel. Then I see Mom sitting on my bed, wearing a warm smile. I know she wants to talk; it's obvious.

“Mom, you’re... here!” I say as I sit next to her.

“I thought I could say goodnight before heading to bed,” she replies, cupping my face and gazing into my eyes. “This is the most beautiful birthday you’ve given me, little May. I’m very proud of you.”

“I’m glad! I wish I could have done more, but my boss was nothing but a jerk—”

“Stop that. He is your boss, and I understand.”

I still remember the times we spent rewriting a typical reply to La Grande’s.

Mom always advised me that there’s nothing wrong with being hardworking and that I just needed to keep being pretty and hardworking as always. I watched her walk out of my room, carrying that warmth with her. I smiled faintly and picked up my cellphone. I opened I*******m, and the first post on my feed was from Austin with a girl I didn't recognize. She’s pretty, but not prettier than I am. He looks happy; I mean, why not? That's how he looks whenever he’s with a girl he wants to impress and maybe dump soon.

Back when I was on vacation, I caught him kissing a bartender while we were dining in the restaurant. When I confronted him about it, he blamed me for being quick to judge. I saw the red flags but ignored them, hoping he would change. But he didn’t.