" Miss Lomie Come in, please.” My boss, Mr Trevor, waved a hand at the two chairs facing his desk. “Have a seat, Freya” He said, not bothering to look me in the eye as we both sat in silence, my heart was beating fast as I sat in front of Mr Trevor, I had seen that look before, when Ava was taken off the work list, I was fortunate to be in Mr Trevor's office, giving him details about his schedule for the week.
Few weeks later I learnt why Ava was taken out of the office list, she refused to give in to Mr Trevor, in return he had her fired, and I took over the position, he never tried such attempt with me, but sitting in his office, I could not describe what I was feeling, fear? Anticipation? Adrenaline? I don't know.“Mr Trevor, what is the issue?" I asked, not liking the silence in the office.He slid into his modern black leather desk chair and then unbuttoned his suit coat, He tugged at the cuffs of his pressed white button-down shirt, cleared his throat. “Well, Miss Lomie, I’ll cut right to the chase.We’re letting you go, I’m afraid. It’s nothing to do with you — it’s simply that we’re streamlining our workflow, and as the newest, and least experienced member of our team…well, your services have become somewhat superfluous.”I blinked. Twice. Three times. “I’m…what?”“Superfluous. It means—”“I know what superfluous means. I just don’t understand why this is happening. Just last week Mitch said I was next in line for a permanent position—”Mr. Trevor cut me off with a raised hand. “Mitch was incorrect, and I do apologize for the misunderstanding. You see, he had a rather unfortunate habit of making promises he had no authority to make, and no wherewithal to keep them.He, too, has been let go.” A discreet clearing of his throat indicated the subject was closed. He opened a drawer and withdrew an envelope. “Your final paycheck, Ms Lomie, It includes a two-week severance allowance. You’ll clear out your desk immediately. Should you require a referral, you may submit a request in writing through the appropriate channels.”I shook my head. “No, please—Mr. Trevor, you can’t do this. I need this job, you don’t even know. I’ve never been late, never failed to do my job better than anyone else in my pool. Please, give me a chance—”“Miss Lomie. Begging will not change the facts. The matter is closed. You were assigned to us through a temp agency. Temp, meaning temporary. As I said, this isn’t a punishment. We are not firing you—we are simply letting you go now that your position is no longer necessary. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a conference call in a few moments.” Mr. Trevor arched an eyebrow at me expectantly.“Fine.” I stood up, smoothing my navy pencil skirt over my hips, turning away. “Prick.”“Excuse me?” Mr. Trevor rose to his feet, a fist clenched at his side. “What did you say?”I lifted my chin. “I said, prick.” I used the same condescending tone he so often affected. “It’s a derogatory term meaning penis. Meaning, you…are…a…dick.” I turned away again, and grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.I was stopped by a hand on my wrist. “Now, now, Miss Lomie, You don’t want to go name-calling, do you? I can very easily call your temp agency and make sure you never work in their pool again.” His fingers tightened on my wrist, and I felt his breath on my neck. “And…you know, there may be one way you could keep your job. Possibly even get that permanent position you mentioned.”I felt him press up against me, felt the evidence of what he wanted from me. And, I won’t lie, the thought crossed my mind. Once. Very, very briefly. I needed this job. I was already two months behind on rent, three months behind on my electric bill, barely keeping up with my tuition and my brother’s, plus the ever-mounting costs of caring for Mama. I could do what this douche knob wanted, and keep my job. It wouldn’t take long. A few unpleasant minutes, if that long. He was old, past sixty, I’d guess. Fit enough for his age, but by no means virile.But…no matter how desperate I might be, that would never happen. Not like this. Not with this guy. If he was hot, and I wanted to, maybe. It would be one thing if this were a kick-ass job that really paid the bills. But it was a temp job. Hourly, and a shitty hourly rate at that. Barely enough to cover one bill, much less all the bills I had to pay.I turned, letting him hold on to my wrist. For the moment. I lifted my eyes to his, putting
I stuffed my things into my purse and walked with as much dignity as I possessed toward the bank of elevators, hiding my mirth as I saw Mr. Trevor being escorted out by security. His pants were buttoned, but not zipped, and his once-impeccable suit was spattered with blood. Two more security staff members were going from cubicle to cubicle, looking for me, I supposed.I took the stairs and exited the building.Since my temp agency never had any parking spots available, I caught the bus over to their offices, hoping I’d be able to find another job right away.My contact, Christiana, tapped on her computer for several minutes, then turned to me with a slight frown. “I’m sorry, Freya, but we just don’t have anything else right now.”“He sexually assaulted me, Christiana.”Christian let out a long breath. “I understand that, Freya, and he will be dealt with accordingly, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have any work available at the moment.”I tried to keep breathing. “Can yo
I took a deep breath, put the check face down on my lap, and blinked several times. Hard. Okay, look again. Yep. It said, Pay to the order of Freya Lomie, in the amount of twenty thousand dollars and zero cents. At the top left of the check was the payer: Trn, Inc.And there, in the bottom left-hand corner, on the single line opposite the illegible signature, was a single word. YOU. All caps, all in the same bold, neat script that appeared on the envelope. I examined the signature again, but it was little more than a squiggly black line, but there was no way to be sure. I guess that would make sense, given the fact that the payer was TRN Incorporated. But that didn’t tell me much.No note, nothing in the envelope except the check. For twenty thousand dollars.What the hell was I supposed to do? Cash it? Twenty thousand dollars would pay current rent due, as well as the past due amount; it would get the electricity turned back on after paying what I owed them…twenty thousand dollars wo
At Kelly's apartment, I kicked off my shoes and accepted the Bud Light she handed me. Kelly was half-black, half-Italian, all attitude and curves. Long black hair, dark brown eyes, and flawless mocha skin. We had been best friends since the first day of college, roommates for two years, until she met Tom and got serious enough to move in with him.I sat back on her ratty couch, drained half of my beer, and then handed Kelly the envelope. Or, as I thought of it, The Envelope. “I got this in the mail today. Just like that. Out of the blue. Open it.”She frowned at me, then examined the outside. “Nice handwriting.”“I know. But look inside. And…maybe sit down.” I took another long pull of my beer.Kelly perched her butt on the arm of the couch beside me and withdrew the check. “Holy shit!” She looked at me, her eyes wide. “Frey, this is twenty thousand dollars. You know what you could do with this?”“Yeah. I do. But…where did it come from? Who sent it? Why? And more importantly…do I dare
Here.” I folded her fingers over the edge. “I know you need it.”She stared at me. “Um. No.”I nodded. “Um, yes. You didn’t think I wouldn’t share with my best friend, did you?”“Freya. You can’t give this to me. You need it.”I smiled at her. “You do, too. I have enough now. You’re not just my bestie, Kelly. You’re…you’re like family. So just take it and say thank you.”She sniffled. “You’re gonna make me smear my mascara, hookerface.” Kelly took a deep breath, blinked, and visibly forced away the tears. “Thank you, freya. You know I love you, right?”It was a big deal for her to say that. She had grown up in a tough household. No abuse, just cold and closed off, not the kind of family that exchanged declarations of love on a regular basis. I knew she loved Tom, but I’d never heard her say it.I was very much the same, growing up in a stable and happy home, but not one where everyone was given to frequent hugs or I-love-you’s. Kelly and I had been best friends for more than five year
Shit. Not good. Not good. Not good at all. I called Kelly, and she agreed that the meaning could be ominous, but she also agreed that since I had cashed the first one, I might as well cash the second one. I was in deep; I already owed whoever it was more money than I’d ever be able to pay back, so why not dig myself in that much deeper? If they came collecting I’d be just as fucked, so I might as well enjoy it while it lasted, right?So I cashed it. Paid bills. Fixed the AC on my car, and replaced the long-dead radio. I went behind Kelly's back and paid her rent. Attended class, went to work, begged for extra shifts, begged to be trained as a server. And, eventually, I got the server position, which helped a lot. The month passed, and soon it was the middle of the month again. As the days folded one into the other, I tried to ignore the hope that I’d get another Envelope.And I did.My hands shook, as they always did, when I opened it. This time, there were two words on the notes line
I feel a tear prick my eye. “No, Mama. I love you. You know I love you.”“You love me. My daughter would never say that. You’re an impostor! A fake! You’re their agent! Get out! Get away from me!” Mama rushed at me, and I had to back away quickly to avoid her flailing hand.I jerked open the door and fell backward through it, felt myself caught by a nurse.“We’ve got her, sweetie. She’ll be okay—she’s just having a hard day. She didn’t sleep well last night. She hasn’t had her meds yet, and we’ve got to give her a shower today.” The nurse patted me on the shoulder. “She knows you love her. She was asking for you the other day, you know. Asked if you’d come to visit her soon.”“She—she did?” I heard my voice break.“She did.”“Well, if she asks again, tell her I love her. Tell her—tell her I’ll visit again soon.”Inside the room, another nurse was talking Mom down. I watched for a moment and then turned away, waving at the nurse.I cried on the way home, as I always did after visiting
“Collect me?” I spat the word. “What am I, a piece of jewelry?”“Did you or did you not cash twenty checks, twenty thousand dollars each, for a total amount of four hundred thousand dollars?”I swallowed hard. “Yes, I did.”“Do you have the funds available to repay it?”I shook my head. “I don’t. Not all of it.”“Then you will comply. Now. Please, dress. Your finest lingerie, the blue evening dress, jewelry. Style your hair. Apply makeup.”“Why?”“I am unable to answer any questions.” He stepped closer to the door. “May I come in, please?”“I’m—I’m not dressed.”“I am aware of this. I will pack your belongings while you dress.”“Pack my belongings? Where am I going?”He lifted an eyebrow. “Away.”I swallowed again. “For how long?”“Indefinitely. Now, no more questions. Will you let me in, please.” It was phrased as a question, but it wasn’t. He could easily break down the door—of that I was certain. And he had a pistol. His eyes pierced mine. “Please, Miss Freya. I know this is an unu