The Challenge in the Boss

Rosalie has been a hardworking employee since she was hired as an associate at Mr. Gabriel Spectre’s law firm. Mr. Spectre was a strict boss who had high expectations from his employees. At first, Rosalie found working under Mr. Spectre’s leadership stressful, but she soon realized he was a tough but fair and supportive boss.

Mr. Spectre always gave Rosalie constructive feedback on her work, which helped her improve her skills as she worked to become a good lawyer. He also recognized her hard work and dedication to their clients, which motivated her to work even harder to bring justice to those who deserve it and lay down the law, so to speak, on those who run from it. Rosalie appreciated that Mr. Spectre was always available to answer her questions, which can be a lot, and provide guidance should she need it.

However, working for Mr. Spectre also had its challenges. The man was a perfectionist, so he expected his employees to produce the best results when taking a case to court. This often meant that Rosalie had to work long hours at the office to gather precedent and other evidence, causing her to miss out on hanging with her friends at their local pub. Despite this, Rosalie knew that Mr. Spectre’s immense expectations were why the law firm succeeded, becoming one of the world’s best firms. So, she doesn’t mind putting in the extra effort to meet Mr. Spectre’s high standards.

As time passed, Rosalie learned a lot about herself and her abilities while working for Mr. Spectre. She realized that she could do more than she thought and that working under a challenging boss had helped her grow professionally and personally. Aside from her hectic work schedule, she also managed to meet someone, but that’s another story.

Overall, working for Mr. Spectre was a valuable experience for Rosalie, and she was beyond grateful for the opportunity. She learned that having an employer who pushed her out of her comfort zone and challenged her to be her best self was a blessing in disguise, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything less.

Talkative

I don’t like going to parties. It’s nice to get out occasionally, but most of the time, I’m sitting in silence, listening to others talk amongst themselves or say a few words and then letting the conversation end awkwardly. I suppose you could say I’m more of a Wallflower than a Social Butterfly.

It was the annual company Christmas dinner. I had dressed up to the nines, wearing a burnt orange off-shoulder dress with light brown ankle cowboy boots. I even applied some light makeup on my face and dark pink lipstick to complete the look. I called an Uber, grabbed my purse, winter coat, scarf and wool hat and headed out the door.

After a half-hour car ride, I arrived at the restaurant. My boss and some other people from the office had already come. I headed to the other end of the table and sat in one of the empty seats. The children of one of the employees were sitting across from me, but I didn’t know what to say to them. On top of that, the noise level was a bit high, given that there were other diners. Deciding to remain quiet, I switched to Wallflower Mode, waiting for the remaining guests to show up.

Moments later, the dinner was in full swing. Everyone dug into the delicious food and talked with the people beside them. I was still in Wallflower Mode, though I did converse briefly with my boss’s daughter when she asked me if I had watched anything good on television.

When dinner was over, a few guests took home any leftovers and left the restaurant. As the rest of us prepared to go, I overheard my boss tell his wife that he didn’t hear me talk the entire evening. I laughed sheepishly and said, “I’m sorry, I’m just not talkative.” My boss waved off my apology and said that next time, everyone would sit at a round table instead of a long, rectangular one so the conversation could flow more smoothly. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the same thing would occur despite the shape of the table cause, one, he’s my boss, and second, I don’t want to get fired for saying the wrong thing. As the Uber driver drove me home, I couldn’t help but think that if I had been more like Elizabeth Bennet and not Mr. Darcy, I might have had a better time.

Return of the Ring

I had to give it back. I had no choice. He’s always looking for an excuse to take back his commitment to me. I don’t want to spend my life with someone who says one thing only to mean another. Maybe I am better off alone. I don’t get heartbroken that way.

“I tried to make him see reason!” I exclaimed drunkenly to the bartender as I chugged my drink. “He was the one who was afraid of his feelings and yet decided to pin the whole thing on me! What kind of man does that?!” I then signalled the bartender to make another drink for me when I heard the shopkeeper’s bell ring. “What’s a pretty little thing like you doing in this bar by yourself?” The mystery gentleman asked, flashing what he perceived to be a charming smile at me. I half-wanted to change back to my normal self and blast him to Kingdom Come with my powers, but I resisted the urge. I then ignored the mystery guy and drowned myself in my sorrows with alcohol.

Later that night, I stumbled back to the house where I had been working as a personal secretary. I had been running low on funds and figured I should make more before giving in to another one of my impulses to buy things left and right. I used a disguise spell to make me look like an office lady and whipped up a fake résumé. Hey, they won’t bother to check if they’re desperate enough. I was lucky enough to be hired; years passed, and I fell in love with my boss. Yeah, I know, it’s bordering on sociological cliché. Before I knew it, he asked me to marry him. When he was hesitant about the location of the ceremony, I realized that we could never work out.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know if I can forgive you for what you did yet.” I gasped. “You can’t forgive me?! I haven’t done anything wrong! What happened between me and that guy was a long time ago! Why can’t you see that?!” He didn’t answer, and I felt my heart starting to crack. “I guess there’s only one thing to do,” I said. I took the diamond engagement ring off my finger and gave it to him. “Here’s your ring back; I can’t do this anymore.” At that, I stormed out of the house, and once outside, I chanted a spell under my breath to change back to my vampiric self. I spread my Pegasus wings and took to the sky, trying hard to ignore the pain of saying goodbye to the one I love.

Corporate Comedy

There has never been a dull moment when humour takes precedence. Moods are immediately lightened once a few jokes are cracked. 

My boss rarely comes into the office. When he does, it’s usually for a short period or a meeting scheduled for the day. Usually, he’s all business, barking out instructions and assigning tasks to be completed. I don’t mind it, as it keeps me busy and productive.

On Tuesday, just after lunch, my boss came into the office along with the in-house designer. He had scheduled a meeting with a client, and they were coming in a few minutes. I exchanged pleasantries with him before he headed to the meeting room with the designer, his personal secretary and his assistant. I remained in my office, typing away on the keyboard and dealing with the giant pile of paperwork.

Hours had passed before the meeting ended. My boss saw the clients off at the door, assuring them not to worry. “We will take care of everything!” He said with a smile, waving goodbye to the clients. I rolled my eyes slightly at his promise after ensuring he wasn’t looking in my direction. He tends to personally guarantee that things will be taken care of and done as close to perfection as possible. It’s not an empty promise per se; it’s more like an impossible one. Nothing can be done to perfection, no matter how careful you are. There are bound to be some mistakes made here and there.

When the clients left, my boss stayed around the office, chatting with his assistant about other meetings. “There’s going to be another meeting with one of our other clients at their office this week,” my boss said. “Don’t be late like last time, or I’ll have to buy you a new watch.” I snickered at his comedic words when I heard his assistant say, “Then maybe you should buy me one, just in case!” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that. It seems that when the moment strikes, everyone is a comedian. Though I doubt that they will be able to rise to the level of the greats. This is only corporate comedy, after all.

The Deafening Silence

She sat on the living room couch, staring at her pink rose quartz watch every five seconds. Her children were hanging with their friends, and her husband was away on a three-day business trip. Her boss had ordered her to stay home and relax, but she’s finding achieving said relaxation difficult.

“I should be there to help,” she said, sighing. Suddenly, an idea came to her. Getting up from the couch, she ran upstairs to the master bedroom. Pulling out some work clothes, she prayed to the Big Guy while she changed, hoping her little plan would work.

“My son lied to me,” Her coworker said incredulously. “He lied to my face about going to Drama Club after school when he was hanging out at the arcade with his friends!” She gave her coworker a sympathetic glance. “Well, he’s getting older,” she said. “Kids tend to crave privacy as they grow up. They don’t want their parents with them every time. How would you feel if your parents were still taking you to places and being with you 24/7?” Her coworker sighed, seeing the logic in her words. “This still doesn’t excuse the fact that my kid thought it would be a good idea to lie to his father.” Patting his shoulder, she told him that he should talk with his son about this and hoped that things would work out in the end.

She was in the middle of a conversation with another coworker when her boss came over. “Ms. Willson,” he said. “You’re supposed to be on leave; what are you doing here?” Jelena stuttered a bit before saying, “I came to get the peach-mango punch I had left in the breakroom fridge.” Her boss’s eyebrows shot up, seemingly believing her. “Oh? Where is it?” He asked, already knowing the answer. “I don’t know, sir,” Jelena said, shrugging. “Maybe someone drank it all.” Her boss put his arms on his hips and gave her a pointed look. “Okay, I’m not here to get my punch,” she confessed. “My house is too damn quiet, sir! The silence is deafening, and I want to be somewhere with a bit more noise.” Her boss’s look softened as he said, “Jelena, I say this with love: go home and don’t come back until after a couple of weeks.”

Message Unanswered

It was the day before the long weekend. I finished all the work I was assigned. Just as I was about to leave the office, I noticed my boss had taken her stuff when she left early afternoon. Usually, she would leave her belongings behind if she was planning on coming back. Panicking, I debated on whether or not I should call or text her to ask if she was going to return to the office. Deciding to text, I pressed the messaging app and typed out a message.

A few anxious minutes later, I got a response. My boss said that she will be returning to the office later. Relieved, I typed a reply, telling her I will lock the door on my way out and wished her a happy long weekend. Seconds after I pressed the send button, I didn’t get an immediate reply from her. Thinking that it was nothing, I left the office, locking the door behind me.

While on the way home, my mind drifted to the unanswered text. It confused me greatly that my boss didn’t respond. I figured she would, at the very least, send a smiling emoji, but I didn’t even get that as a response. Maybe she’s too busy at the moment, I thought. She did read the message, so it’s not like she’s doing the no reply thing on purpose. Satisfied with my conclusion, I made my way back home, ready to get my weekend started.

The next morning, I slept in until about 9:30. As I dragged my semi-sleepy self out of bed, the text incident popped into the forefront of my mind. It was like getting glitter off of your hands. No matter how hard you try, it’ll still be there. “Why am I still hung up on this?” I muttered. “There’s nothing to think about! So she didn’t respond, it’s not like it’s the end of the world!” Just then, another thought came to me. “Though it would’ve been the polite thing to do,” I mumbled. “Who in their right mind doesn’t answer their messages? That’s just wrong.”

Early Morning Butt-Dial

Her eyes squinted at the brightly lit screen of her thousand-dollar fruit brand phone. Her foggy, sleepy mind is unable to comprehend what is happening. This kind of thing never happened before, but like the saying goes: there’s a first time for everything.

“Maybe it’s an accidental call,” her friend said, biting into her BBQ chicken pizza. “Like a butt-dial?” She asked. Her friend nodded as she chewed and swallowed. “Yeah, like a butt-dial,” her friend said. She had hoped to gain some clarity by voicing her concerns to her friend. What she didn’t expect, however, is having more questions than answers.

She went back to the office after parting ways with her friend. She tried to concentrate on her work, but her thoughts drifted to the missed call she received this morning. There’s just no possible way that her boss’s daughter would be calling her that early in the day. She had barely eaten breakfast, much less left the house to go to work. The only time she will get a call from Laurel is when she arrived at the office and needed someone to open the door for her.

“Maybe it is a butt-dial,” she muttered to herself. “If she wanted to get in touch with me, she would’ve made more than one call.” She reasoned. Her boss’s daughter would call more than once if the first call did not go through. “Yeah, that’s it, a butt-dial,” she concluded. Satisfied with her conclusion,  she went back to doing her work, hoping to get most of what she’s been assigned done before the end of the day.

That night, after she got home, she heard a familiar ringtone. Rummaging around her purse, she fished out her phone. Checking the caller ID, she was shocked to see that it was her boss. Answering the call, she almost dropped it when her boss told her that his daughter had been taken by masked individuals into an unmarked car. She, after calming her boss down, told him that she will do whatever’s needed to help him get his daughter back and ended the call. So much for it being a simple butt-dial.