David’s Odyssey of Love & War

If anyone had told me that I would find myself in such a messy situation, I would have doubted it. Waking up this morning, I felt weak, lazy, and above all, solemn, which was unusual. I have always been a cold and aloof young man who often kept to himself, even when life is testing my patience and treating me like a piece of trash. Having felt this way at the same time, and in the morning for that matter, was supposed to ring a bell to me that something was not right. Okay, scratch that. Actually, I had a gut feeling that today wasn't going to be a good one, but I chose to ignore it. I had been standing here for a while now, side by side with my accuser, waiting for the C.E.O. of TosyRosy Cargos. I turned my attention to Astrid, giving her one more unbelievable look, but she quickly turned her face away, realizing that I had been looking at her. I shook my head vigorously. I couldn't believe she would do something like that; I just couldn't. Everyone knew me in TosyRosy to be a man with boundaries and I respect everyone else’s. But here she was, claiming I’d crossed hers. "Astrid, you and I know deep down that you're lying and soon the chairman will be here. Why don't you come clean right now and get this over with before he gets here?" I asked, leaning against the desk with a stern expression. She looked at me awkwardly, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot, avoiding eye contact. It was evident in the fidgeting and uneasy glances that guilt weighed heavily on her, though she desperately wished to bury it deep inside and move past the truth— the truth that we both know. "You tried to have your way with me sexually without my consent. We both know that, why then are you lying?" She asked, fighting with her trembling hands as she tried to hide them. I gazed at her, not finding anything funny at all. My job could be at stake for this if care is not taken. "Astrid, fine, I am begging you right now. If I have ever done anything evil to you, please forgive me. You need to take back your words before the chief executive officer gets here," I begged. At this point, I was more furious than scared. What would Laura think of me when she hears this? How about my sick mother? What would she think of me? "Astrid…" I tried to plead with her one more time, but the chairman already arrived. He was dressed in a black suit, with his shiny hair permed to one side while holding a cigarette in his hand. He walked past me and Astrid at the reception, oozing off the cigarette smoke. "Follow me," he instructed, headed to his office as we trailed behind him carefully. At this point, my heart had begun thumping in my chest. I had started to feel scared even though I did nothing wrong. Astrid walked with all boldness, even with the fact that she was sweating so badly. We got to his office, and he got seated. We proceeded to sit, too, but he yelled, ordering me to remain standing while Astrid took a seat. I sighed. If standing is going to make him overlook this expensive lie Astrid has told against me, I wouldn't mind standing, I thought to myself. "What is your name?" He questioned, gesturing at Astrid. She gazed at Mr. Pedro, shocked. She probably thought he would question me first. Her hands started to shake, making her clench it into a fist. "My name… is Astrid. Astrid Thornton," she stammered. Mr. Pedro nodded his head in agreement as he smoked his cigarette, filling the air with the smoke. “What happened?” He asked. "Umm, Sam, here," she said, turning to look at me. She continued, "He had been hell bent on asking me to be his girlfriend. He bought me some gifts and I accepted, thinking it was just based on friendship levels but I had no idea that he did it so he could have leverage on me. He had been pestering me to be his girlfriend but I kept saying no but then he never took no for an answer. Finally, he came to me this morning to ask for his gifts back and I refused. It was a ridiculous thing to do and I laughed it off, shunning him. Then he got angry and tried to have his way with me, that was when a customer invaded and I had the chance to run out and lay a complaint," she concluded, sweating profusely. Mr. Pedro gazed at me, sneering. "You. What do you have to say?" He barked. My heart thumped in my chest, beating so fast. How do I convince my boss that everything she said was a lie? How could I even think of having a thing with her when I have Laura, his daughter? I wouldn't dare hurt her. I know that he never liked me, which is why I would do anything to prove to him that I meant well for his daughter, but how? How would I do that when Astrid has messed everything up with her cooked-up lies? Who put her up to this? Why me? I made a pleading face, "Sir, everything she said is a lie. I had never for once thought of her as anything more than a colleague. You know too well that I love Laura and…" "Shut up!" He barked, making Astrid and I jolt away. "How dare you mention my daughter's name? Aren't you afraid? I had warned you to stay away from her but you don't want to. You love her but you dare to have your way with someone else," he scoffed, "The temerity!" "Please, Sir. You have to listen to me," I begged. He bored his eyes into mine, taking the last drag of his cigarette, "You're fired," I stared blankly at him, unable to believe what had just happened. I had been fired. After all of my hard work, my dedication, and my commitment to the company, it was all over. How do my mother and I feed? How do I cope with her medication without a job? I felt numb, as if my body was no longer connected to my brain. "Please, Sir," I managed to say, voice hardening. "Get out of my office right now, both of you!" He barked. And without delay, we jolted and left his office. My legs felt like lead as I struggled to move, to somehow get out of the company's premises. My six years of working at TosyRosy Cargo as a janitor were all gone, and I was hoping to apply for a higher position. But even more, I couldn't believe that Astrid had lied about me; she had set me up. Anger built up inside me, but it was mixed with a deep sadness. I had trusted her, and she had betrayed me. I walked through the hallway, feeling like a fool, when suddenly I caught a glimpse of a pair of dark, piercing eyes. The look sent a chill down my spine, and I quickened my pace, trying to put as much distance as possible between myself and the stranger. I didn't know what it was about the man's gaze, but it was as if the man was looking straight into my soul. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, but I dug my hands into my coat pockets and walked on. I didn't look back, but I could feel the stranger's eyes on me, watching me, following me. My heart started to race, and my breath was coming in gasps.