Chapter 8: Unpredictable Guy

Today’s my first working day since the pandemic hit everyone differently.  Most employees are now working from home while I work from someone’s home – my boss’ home.  It’s like my second first day at work and I hope this reset leads to something good.

I put my laptop on the conference table. It’s going to be my station for the rest of my stay in this compound.  Ironically, the one thing I hated even before I accepted this job offer is exactly the one I am in right now and I don’t know for how long I will be stuck here.

“Good morning, Quim,” I greeted him as he enters the door.  Again, there’s no expectation for his response but I’m glad that he smiled even a little, it’s almost nothing.

“I brewed coffee,” I told him and he just looked at the coffee table where the coffeemaker is.

“Remember the report I asked you to do last week? I want to ask more data for that,” he started saying.

I instantly felt pain in my stomach.  I knew it’s stress.  I thought the report was already cleared and done because Bobby was the one who did it.

“Sure.  May I know what else do you need for that?” I asked nervously.

He looked at me. “Too much coffee already?” he asked. He must’ve noticed that I’m uneasy.

“I’m okay,” I assured him.

“I need you to get me the details from the first five years of operations of this client.  I need to understand their shift from their first partner to their most recent partner that we are now trying to challenge,” he instructed.

My shaking suddenly stopped.  I knew I had that information in the first draft I submitted to Bobby.

“I have them. I’ll add them and have Bobby check the new draft before I send it to you,” I said excitedly.

“What does Bobby have to do with what I asked you to do?” he asked.  His forehead’s lines are showing up.

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I thought I had to do it as part of the…okay, I’ll add it and send it to you,” I said.

I hate him! Honestly, I really felt intimidated, if not scared of him. How can someone gets irritated over little things? I guess, people with this power have this kind of privilege that allows them to show whatever emotions they have.  They can be good one day and short tempered the next.

I submitted to him the updated and more complete report after an hour that I spent revising the report while sulking.

“Can I take a break?” I asked.

Again, he just looked at me as if saying he doesn’t have my snacks so I didn't have to tell him about my break.

“How’s my permit?  I really want to get out of here so bad,” I told Bobby over the phone.  I’m taking the call inside the guesthouse.  I don’t want Quim to hear me.

“It should be ready next week,” Bobby said.

“Next week?  That’s like eternity here,” I said.

“C’mon.  Be more understanding and patient.  We can’t just push people to do this for us,” he said calmly.  He’s so different from Quim.

“I really regret coming here.  I am almost 100% sure that I will resign after I get out of this place,” I said in desperation.

“Still not 100%,” he said.  He’s such a charmer.  I hate him for it.  Even in hating, I have different reasons for hating the two.

“I don’t think I will ever get used to Quim’s ever changing attitude,” I said.

“I understand you. Quim can be so confusing especially for those who just know him for a short period of time.  But I am sure you will appreciate him in the long run.  Just give him time,” he said.

I don’t know if I will ever be able to tell Bobby that Quim seems to have doubts about him.  All I know is that I don’t want them to have a rift because of me.

“So?  Staying?” he asked.

“Please get my permit asap.  In the meantime, I need to end this call to cook for lunch,” I said.

Realizing how much I do for Quim being his employee and now his devoted cook, my hate for him just doubled. I felt like I had been tricked to enter this situation that I already dreaded from the start.

“We ran out of bacon so I’m cooking marinated bacon sliced pork instead.  I didn’t cook rice. There’s so much bread that we need to consume asap,” I told Quim like I’m the master of the pantry. I knew he’s around and would pop out anytime.  

I placed the cooked bacon sliced pork and eggs on the kitchen table.  I’ll let him get some if he wants but I’m never serving him again.

“Bacon sliced pork as substitute for real bacon is smart and healthier too,” he said.

I don’t care but I’m glad he liked what I cooked as it lessened his crankiness.

“You can go back to the guesthouse after this.  I have no other requirement for now.  I’ll phone you if I need you to do something,” he said.

“But what about the report?” I asked.

“That’s perfect.  I got all the data I need,” he said.

“Really?” I asked because I couldn’t believe that it was just like that.

“You already provided that was needed,” he said.

“Thank you.  I’m going now,” I said. 

I ate faster and got my laptop from Quim’s office.  I never looked back at him and went straight to the guesthouse.

“I couldn’t believe he was satisfied with the revised report.  I basically just added everything that you removed,” I told Bobby excitedly but then I realized that I was being insensitive when I mentioned that to him.

“I’m sorry, Bobby. I was just so excited that I was able to please him with my work,” I said.

“Don’t be silly. Of course, you should be happy and proud of yourself with your effort,” he said.

“So, he’s really this unpredictable.  Even you as his friend and first hand man still doesn’t get him all the time,” I said.

“He’s just a busy man.  He’s got so many things running on his head and he tries different approaches too,” he said.

“You’re always defending him,” I bravely said.

“I’m just being supportive and between me and him, I’m in the better position to understand because my responsibilities are way not as many as his,” he said.

“Oh, Bobby.  You’re such a good person,” I said. 

“Please don’t say that but thank you,” he said.

In feeling bad for Bobby, my annoyance towards Quim grows even more.  I’m still living in his house but I don’t need to be extra good to him. It’s enough that he made me his cook.

“I’ll show you the pool.  It’s a nice place where I can breathe in this compound. He actually cleaned it the other night.  He said I could use it but of course, I said no,” I told Bobby as I was closing the door of the guesthouse.

I thought I saw Quim outside the big house and he saw me walking to the pool. I wasn’t careful enough to lower my voice so he surely heard that I was talking about him.

“Have you tried his pool?” I asked Bobby.

“Maybe once or twice.  I’m not really a fan of swimming pools even as a kid,” he said. 

“Oh, we’re the same! I go to resorts with my family but I don’t swim that much.  I just look around, take pictures, and eat,” I said.

“I have to go now.  Quim is requesting for a video call.  Let’s talk later,” he said suddenly. 

It made my heart flutter when he told me that he’d call me and we’d talk again. It's only on the phone so I imagine myself hearing it from him in person.

“Alright, I’ll go back to his office now,” I said with a big smile on my face.  A bit of hope has been restored inside me.

“Oh, I think we are the only ones invited in the meeting.  You don’t need to join,” he said.

“Really? I thought he wanted me to join the meetings for my learning,” I said.

“I thought you just said he’s unpredictable. You should know him a little more by now and get used to it,” he advised. 

I sighed.  It’s really so typical of Quim to change his mind. I don't think I'll ever keep up.  I'm not even willing to keep up.  

“It must be a short call,” I said.

“On the contrary, he blocked off 2.5 hours of my time.  Gotta go!” he said.

“That long?” I asked myself as Bobby already left our video call.

Close to two hours passed by and Bobby’s status is still “in a meeting”.  He’s neither joking nor exaggerating when he said the meeting was going to be 2.5 hours. 

I went to the kitchen and prepared some snacks.  I am bringing some to Quim’s office just to see them in a meeting.

I knocked first before opening the door myself.  It’s not locked so I thought it should be fine coming in as long as I knocked first.  I really don’t care.  

Quim’s eyes got bigger when I came in but I guess, he just got excited when he saw the snacks. He excused himself from the call.

“Thank you but you should’ve not brought me any snacks.  The call’s ending soon,” he said low voice. It’s rare that he thanked me for my effort but perhaps, he’s just conscious because Bobby and another person are also in the video call.

As I turned around, I saw Bobby smiling at me on the big monitor. I returned a nice smile before heading to the door. He looks good on the big monitor.  I wonder if he had modelling stint before.

“You going?” Quim asked as I became immovable on where I am standing while looking at Bobby in the monitor.

I went back to my senses.

“Alright, let’s stretch this meeting for another hour or less to make sure we cover everything today,” Quim said to his peers as he returned to the call.

I turned my head upon hearing the extension of the meeting that he announced so casually.  It’s like he owns those people’s time that he can take as much time as he wants from them.

Maybe he thinks he’s so much better than many because of what he achieved in a young age.  It’s not fair to say that all billionaires are like him but for sure, I don’t want to live with a billionaire if it’s Quim.