WORKING FOR HIM

FIRED

"They are saying that you..." she looked around again, "that you’re a w***e. And here," she handed me her phone to check out a picture.

I gasped.

It was a nude picture of me. This was an old picture I sent to Dave when we were still together. I remember him persuading me into taking this picture, and I trusted him to never share this picture with anyone. I can’t believe he betrayed me this way.

Seeing this broke my heart into a thousand pieces, and I burst into uncontrollable tears.

“I’m so sorry, Alexa... I’m so, so sorry,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion, as if on the verge of tears herself.

After much comfort and soothing words, I managed to stop crying. At that moment, anger surged within me like a raging fire. I hated him so much; my face flushed red with fury, and I yearned to give him a piece of my mind.

I stormed out of the bathroom, consumed by anger.

“Alexia, wait!” Stacy tried to stop me, but I was not having it.

I marched down to his office and flung the door wide open to see a startled Dave.

“You bastard!” I yelled as I flung my arm and slapped him across the face. Hard.

I kept hitting him with everything I had. He tried to protect himself while yelling at me to stop.

In a matter of seconds, everyone gathered, watching the drama unfold before them.

“Alexandra Damien!” I heard my boss, Mr. Patrick, yell.

I turned to look at him.

“In my office now!” he commanded, his expression filled with anger.

I shamefully moved through the crowd, feeling the weight of my shame like never before.

"Oh my gosh, she’s so aggressive. I can’t believe she attacked poor Dave like that. What a b***h. w***e!"

I could hear whispers from behind me as I followed Mr. Patrick to his office.

“Don’t you all have work to take care of?” he barked at them. With that, they all scurried to their seats, facing their computers and feigning work.

We arrived at Mr. Patrick’s office.

There was a long period of silence, and I just bowed my head in shame.

“Ms. Damien… what you did today was unacceptable,” he started. “Attacking a fellow employee is against company policies, and you went against that rule.”

I just sat there, saying nothing.

“Ms. Damien, are you also aware that there are inappropriate pictures of you circulating within this organization?”

Still no response.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Damien, but I’m going to have to let you go. I can’t let your actions ruin this prestigious organization. From now on, your services will no longer be needed.” He stood up and handed me a brown envelope.

I picked up the envelope and left his office without uttering a single word. I packed up my desk into a small box and walked through the hall of shame, with my face to the floor as judgmental looks were thrown at me.

As I walked out of the building, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass door. My makeup was smeared over my face, and my mascara was stained all over my cheeks, with my hair flying up in different directions. I looked mad, with a capital letter M.

But this was nothing compared to the hurt I felt inside. Dave had transformed me from his lover to a laughingstock in a matter of hours. Our town was small, and I was sure that in no time, the picture would circulate around town, making me a total laughingstock.

I got into my red SUV and drove off.

The next day, I woke up to silence, no alarm noise today.

I stayed in bed, depressed. My mind raced, and my heart ached. I felt sick.

What do I do now? Where do I start from? Has everyone seen the picture yet?

My phone rang, bringing me out of my thoughts. I picked up my phone and looked at the caller ID. It was my Grandma, the only person I had as family.

“Good morning, Nana,” my voice cracked.

“Are you okay, baby? Have you been crying?” Her voice was filled with worry.

There was no point in lying to her.

“Yes,” I confessed.

“Why? What happened?”

I told her everything that had happened, excluding the nude part. I didn’t know what my Nana would think of me if she ever discovered that her baby was sending nudes. I'd rather play it safe than find out.

“I’m very sorry, sweetheart. I knew I couldn’t trust that Dave boy; I knew he was going to break your heart...”

“…But this is no time for me to throw blames at you. I need you to get your ass up from that bed and start afresh. You aren’t going to lie around on that bed and let that son of a b***h win,” she said, urging me.

If I hadn't looked at the caller ID I would think I was in talks with a young foul-mouthed girl.

“Nana! Language” I exclaimed.

“Whatever,” I hear her say.

I rolled my eyes at her. What can I say? I'm happy to have her, she’s the only supportive person I’ve had all my life.

“I need to move, Nana,” I muttered. I couldn’t stay in this town any longer. I couldn’t face the shame I had brought upon myself.

"Why?" she asked.

I paused, searching for the right words.

"No reason," I replied, trying to sound convincing. "You said I needed a fresh start, and I guess I'm ready for it."

As the words left my mouth, I realized they weren't entirely true. But now that the idea was out there, it didn't seem so bad after all.

She was always there for me, a pillar of support that I cherished deeply.

A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

“So, where are you thinking of going?” she inquired.

I had pondered this question all night long.

Taking a deep breath, I replied, “New York City.