The Search for Mr Right (E1 – E12)

E5 - The Search For Mr. Right: Undeserving

“If we are to go by company laws, ma’am, you could get charged to court, seeing as this incident is hardly a coincidence. If we decide to be lenient, you might just get fired, and still have to replace the damaged goods. A really accommodating firm would ask you to just go home, and then, they go ahead to replace it themselves. Or you might just continue working and have your salary withheld for a few months. Whatever consequence the company agrees on is rightly justified. What they failed to mention though, is what happens when you damage goods in your uncle’s company. I bet they skipped that part. Well, left to me, you would be out the door in five seconds, and the next time you come in, it would be to replace what was lost by your utter clumsiness. But, alas! I’m just a lowly worker in your uncle’s company, so I don’t get a say in what is done to you. I get to report it though. Your uncle has said you should be left alone. According to him, it is commonplace for you to get jittery and absentminded, and ruin a $999 laptop. So, you’ll be getting a new one in a few days. That’s the verdict. I hope hearing it didn’t cause you much trouble. You can go back to your station now, Miss Lauretta.”

He heaved a deep sigh like he had lost a great internal battle, and he walked out of his own office. He couldn’t even stand to look at me. I have never wanted to be punished so badly in my life.

But still, ouch!

…

Hi there. I’m here again. The unrepentant spinster. In the last episode, I vowed to not make every episode about a son of Adam, and I think I was doing really well, until it happened. I really was going to ignore him for the rest of my life, and probably focus so hard on the job that I get promoted in just three months. I really was willing to try. But then, I ruined my work laptop. Right after Grace brought my attention to the situation, and I shouted like I was having an exorcism, a few of my colleagues came into the office too. If we had hoped to keep it quiet before, it was impossible now.

Barely minutes later, the supervisor walked in. Apparently, he had been walking down the hall when he heard the scream and rushed in to see what it was about. I am now certain that I am doomed to be an eternal embarrassment wherever this man was involved. I won’t blame him if he never lets me clean his shoes, talk less of going on a date with me. He had never seen me in a good light. I was either hanging up on customers, stealing milk, or ruining a laptop that would feed my family for a year. Fantastic.

“What is it? Who screamed like that?” he asked with a scowl on his face.

When nobody volunteered to answer his question, he asked again, with a meaner scowl this time. “I said, what is happening here?”

None of my colleagues wanted to be the one to rat me out, so I did it myself.

“Sir, it was I.”

“Because?”

I never knew I could stutter until that moment. I couldn’t produce a coherent sentence. “Sir…t..h..sir…I…the si….”

Guess what this man did next? He took out one of the chairs, sat down, unbuttoned his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and crossed his legs.

“Well, if this is going to take a while, I might as well be comfortable.” To my colleagues, he said, “Nobody’s paying you for gossip, get back to work.” As they moved with the speed of light to their respective cubicles, he turned back to me, “So?”

Oh well, there is no doubt that Mr. Samson was mad in his former life. Might as well get it over with.

“Sir, I made a mistake.”

“Okay?” He was so patient and attentive that it scared me more than his yelling would have,

“I was completely absentminded. I was just distracted, and… I had no idea…the flask…I mean my tea flask…I just…”

“So many words, and yet nothing said. What happened?”

To hell with it, he won’t kill me. “I emptied my flask on my work laptop. By mistake.”

Silence. And absolutely no expression on his face.

“Make me understand.”

“Sir, the contents of my flask was emptied on the laptop. And now it’s not coming on.”

“Now that’s one twist I didn’t see coming. It’s been years since we’ve had such an incident.” and then, he paused for dramatic effect or whatever. “Do you know who did it?”

I had a feeling I would not like whatever came out of his mouth after that.

“No, sir.”

“I didn’t think you would. It was your uncle, the CEO. Do you know what he did? He suspended himself without pay and used whatever would have been his salary to replace the one he ruined. According to him, no one was above the rules. He was home for a little over five months. His salary was nothing like it is today, of course. I hope you’re enjoying my story?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, I hope you learned a few things. I’ll be waiting in my office. Come along with the laptop, a proper statement, and one or two witnesses.”

Fantastic.

…

I bet he didn’t expect things to turn around like that. I didn’t either. And I understood why he would be disappointed. People who had no idea of my relationship with the CEO before now had their speculations. In fact, the rumor was already spreading that I was the CEO’s side chick, instead of his niece. It was exhausting really, and I started losing the friends I hadn’t even made.

The guys started looking at me differently too. Suddenly, I didn’t deserve to breathe the same air they did, since I was not as deserving of the position as they all were. It then dawned on me that no matter what I did in that company, whatever I achieved, or whatever new position I found myself, I would never be given full credit. It would always be because I was Oga’s niece.

My boss didn’t make it easier for me either. Whatever he was before the incident, worsened. He was colder, didn’t even return my greetings, ignored me when sharing tasks, never acknowledged my emails, the list is unending. It’s almost like he fired me from his mind, for lack of a better option. To him, I no longer existed. I now get my tasks from a colleague, who is conveniently told to ‘tell anybody who has not heard.’

Sometimes, they conveniently ‘forget’ to invite me to group meetings. One particular day stands out so sorely in my head. We were all doing our normal morning routine rounds when everybody suddenly stood up and started shuffling towards the door. I checked the time, and it wasn’t lunchtime yet. So, I turned to Grace, the only person that still talked to me.

“What’s happening?”

“There’s a group meeting today. You didn’t get the email from the supervisor?”

“Meeting? I didn’t receive any mail.”

“How is that possible? Everybody was invited, even the new recruits.”

“I didn’t see anything.”

“No problem then. Let’s go. We are the only ones left here. I don’t want any trouble.”

With that, we moved quickly to the board room, and just as we were about to enter, I heard Mr. Samson ask who was not in the meeting, and they all replied, “Grace and Lauretta.”

Grace went ahead of me, and as soon as she walked in, he turned to her and said, “Grace, you’re late. Close the door behind you, so we can start the meeting.”

Grace and my twenty-something colleagues turned to look at me like I was a leper, pushing that particular moment up the ranks of the most humiliating moments of my life. By some evil push of nature, I decided to address the elephant in the room. Or the supervisor in the room, whatever tickles your fancy.

“Sir, I didn’t get an invitation email to this meeting.”

“Maybe it’s because you aren’t needed in the meeting.”

“But, sir, …”

“We have real work to do, madam. Do us a favor and either sit quietly or leave the boardroom.”

…

That was totally uncalled for, right? I mean, it’s not my fault my uncle decides to be the doting father he never was, at all the wrong times, and in all the wrong ways.

I never asked for it, and I did not deserve to be punished for it.

As for Mr. Samson, this was just the perfect avenue for him to unveil the kind of monster he really was. As I stomped back to the office to get my things and leave, I couldn’t get over how mean, thoughtless, and inconsiderate he could really be. There was absolutely no need for him to treat me the way he did, especially in front of so many people.

Considering how I don’t hate him despite that scenario, it is safe to say, I’m attracted to the worst things. But I don’t totally blame him for how he has chosen to treat me. It’s not like I’ve actually given him a good reason to think well of me. Now, that’s my super unhealthy self-esteem talking.

While packing my things, I almost knocked the new laptop over. How swell. I picked my bag and was about to leave when I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a child, a whiny, exhausted, entitled child. I looked like everything I claimed I wasn’t. What kind of employee throws a tantrum, and leaves the office when she’s not invited to a meeting? The CEO’s-niece kind of employee. With that realization, I unpacked my bag once again, and sat at my desk, waiting for the worst to happen. Facing my public humiliation head-on.

Given my history, I might just have to leave the job. Because, what kind of girl ruins something good, and perfect for absolutely no reason? Well, I guess I’m that girl.

All pictures are gotten from pexel.com and no attribution is required.