Chapter 5 - Resumption Day

So what? Was he a god or a king that couldn't be yelled at? 

“You have no right to call me names or judge me!" 

He nodded, clicking his tongue. “Minus two dollars. You have no right to call me Mich." We held each other's gaze as usual. “So get back to work or get out." 

Was he really going to pay me four thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-eight dollars all because I called him Mich? 

Ludicrous.

I sat down and began sorting the files for the next thirty minutes, which stretched to an hour, while he was on his phone the entire time, smiling and chatting leisurely.

Didn't he say earlier he was expecting a client in thirty minutes?

Worse still, I was yet to come across any document by that name so far. Could it be just one single document he needed in this whole damn pile?

“Are you sure the documents you asked me to search for are here?" I decided to ask because I felt like I was losing my senses already. 

“You can carry your bag and walk out if you can't find it." 

My stomach sank at his cold remark. 

Another hour went by with me sweating at the documents with a growling stomach. I barely had anything to eat the previous day.

Then Mich suddenly got up. “You know what? Forget it. Ruky said it's not Felipe. It's Phinny’s Choice. Tomorrow, you'd sort it out." 

Was he kidding right now?

I looked up at him, visualizing myself punching him hard on the stomach and flinging him out the window. He was more evil than I imagined.

“Are you deaf or something?" 

His voice returned me to consciousness. 

“Pack up. We're leaving." 

My first impulse was to ask him where we were going, but my instincts warned me to play cool first.

I stood away from him in the elevator, leaning against the wall. It was just past nine and I was feeling so drained already.

The elevator stopped at the next floor and I followed obediently with the tablet in hands. We entered a design studio with several industrial machines and countless charts on the wall, displaying vogue fashion styles of various body shapes and sizes, of all kinds of males and females. There were just two guys present.

I stared at the tablet in my hands again, and that was when I saw his schedule clearly for the first time.

He was supposed to check out some new designs by 9:15 and head out for a brief meeting with a client at The Dulces, one of the high-rise restaurants in the area. 

That was all for the day.

What a relief. So I would be home by noon.

Home. The word itself made me sick.

Those girls were so sick.

“Do you have a psychological disorder or something?” Mich suddenly asked me. "Why are you ignoring me and talking to yourself?"

My heart started pounding in my ears this time. I could swear I wasn't talking to myself.

“Get into that changing room, sweetheart and test this attire for us." One of the two guys told me, gesturing to a door behind him. He was big and chubby, with glossy lips and colourful curling combs on his hair. 

He handed me a long pink tube dress with fancy layers at the waist down.

Do I look like a model? Or don't they have mannequins?

"Bonnie, collect the damn dress and let's see what Sammy and his team has been working on.”

I glowered at Mich. Did he pay me to be his model or PA?

I guess Sammy must have read my mood because he stood up and pulled my hands gently, dragging me to the changing room.

“Listen. You don't have to be mad at Mich right now. He is a really nice guy." 

Did he just call him Mich? Or I guess they only did so whenever they're making a reference, right?

“Our models don't work on Saturdays except there's a special order or something. And right now, you're the only female in our midst, so…” he trailed off, giving me a pleading face.

"Wait. Did you just say he is nice?”

He stifled a laugh first, then burst out loud. I was forced to join too. 

"Seriously, it hurts my pure and gentle spirit to hear you say that, because I haven't lasted a day here and so far…" I rolled my eyes with a shrug.

“I swear, if you get to know him, he's a really nice guy, except he hates your guts." He adjusted the gown and loosened some threads. “So be a sweetheart and look beautiful in this. We're waiting. I love your honey curls." He stroked my hair with admiration and then left.

He was the sweetest staff I've met so far, and I loved his sweet feminine voice. He was so lovely. Not like I've met them all yet. Mich was lucky Sammy had just sweet-talked me into putting this on, else he would have had to implore me himself or deal with it whichever way.

I took my sweet time in the changing room. The gown was no doubt beautiful. Totally what my immediate younger sister, Dalia, would like. 

“Bonnie! Do you need a waterbed there?" Mich yelled.

I ignored him and didn't come out till the next three minutes. 

He had a scowl on his face, but the moment he saw me, it dissolved into an expression I couldn't read. Then he turned to Sammy and his quiet colleague.

“Give her the heels. Has it arrived?" 

Sammy's colleague got up and produced a pack of shoes from a high shelf. 

Oh my. The design was damn unique. A black six-inch heel, its strap made of two rows of three large, fancy glittering stones, flexibly connected.

I put it on, and Mich made me do a back and forth walk round the room.

I don't know why, but my feet felt wobbly all because everyone's eyes was centered on me. 

I badly needed my confidence.

So I decided to do the model thing. Head up, eyes straight, shoulders firm and…

my legs suddenly crooked sideways and as I bumped into a machine blindly.

My ankle did not only hurt.

The shoe spoilt too.