The Boundary

Chapter 2-1

Chapter Two

Gray

“Thank God.”

I shut my laptop and placed it on the coffee table, knocking an empty pizza box to the floor. True to their word, my severance pay was now in my bank account a week later. I’d never had a balance so large before, and despite the black mood I’d been in since they had sacked me, it allowed me to breathe a little easier.

“I’d rather have my f*****g job back.” I muttered, rubbing my temples and shutting my eyes. I’d spent the last few days on the couch, unable to process what had happened to me and worried that Thalhimers would renege on the money. All I could think about was Angie’s sly smile as I’d left the building after getting the axe. I’d purposefully taken the service elevator in the rear of the store so nobody would see my humiliated face. Like a cat playing with its prey, she’d been there when the elevator doors slid open, and I’d raced past her to avoid the confrontation I desperately wanted, but knew would only make things worse.

“For christ’s sake, I’m f*****g gay.” I said for possibly the hundredth time over the last week. It was like my brain couldn’t wrap itself around the fact that I’d been screwed over, and that somehow that conniving woman had won the twisted game I had never wanted to play. A coworker had sent me a long text complaining about Angie. Now that I was out of the picture, she had taken over my job and was managing my former counter. It was obvious to everyone that the sole reason for her getting me fired was so she could make more money.

I couldn’t understand why they had even considered Angie’s wild accusations. Why was I the one stuck on the couch staring at empty pizza boxes and food-stained takeout cartons and not her? Why was Thalhimers so f*****g blind?

“At least rent will be paid.” I said to the empty walls, then leaned back into the cushions and pulled my knees up to my chest. My vision blurred as a layer of tears coated my eyes.

“Stop it.” I muttered, swiping at them with the back of my hand. “Have you ever thought that maybe it's best for you not to be in that toxic cosmetics department any longer?”

For the last two months I had feared that I was getting an ulcer, with constant jabbing pains in my gut whenever I had to go to work. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could be fired for s****l harassment, a charge so ludicrous I…

“f**k this.”

I straightened out my legs, wincing as my muscles stretched out for the first time in hours. Getting to my feet, I padded into the bathroom, flipped on the light and confronted my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were red and swollen, and since I’d not bothered to shave, I had the beginnings of a not-so-bad beard. Greasy black hair stuck to my forehead, and there was a smear of tomato sauce below my lip.

“This can’t continue. You were wronged, but now you’ll never have to lay eyes on that backstabbing b***h ever again.” I whispered, then opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out my razor and eye drops, then put the razor back. I shut the door and stared at myself again, forcing a shadow of a smile. Then I cleared my throat and spoke forcefully to the sad face staring back at me.

“You will get cleaned up, and you are going to leave this apartment. I don’t care if it’s just a walk around the block, but you can’t live like this anymore.”