2. OFFICE POLITICS
1313 Words
7:59 am
Selene looked up from her watch, staring at the building standing tall in front of her. The company name was perfectly carved into the limestone frieze, as its shadow was cast on the wet roads under the morning LA sun.
Carefully stepping over tiny puddles of rain water from the night before, she maneuvered her way into the corporate building. Catching the elevator just before it closed, Selene squeezed herself into the crowd of workers that had formed in the public elevator.
Already frustrated by everything, she failed to notice her work friend Chloe standing in the elevator with her until they both stepped out of the elevator.
“It’s not even halfway through the day, and you already look tired,” Chloe teased, chuckling quietly.
“Is it that obvious?” Selene asked rhetorically, smiling sheepishly though the smile barely reached her eyes.
Walking side by side, they made their way towards the marketing department, their heels clicking on the tiled floor.
“How was your weekend? And Granny Hattie? Oh, and did you finish with the market research report?” Chloe rushed out, her words tumbling over one another.
“Geez, can I at least answer one before you blurt out another?” Selene laughed at her friend’s goofiness.
“And yes, I did finish the report. Grandma is doing just fine also,” she said as they reached their desks, one right beside the other.
Selene placed her bag on the wooden table, carefully taking out her work equipment as she settled into her seat.
Her eyes scanned the file on the table in front of her, completely focused and lost in thoughts that she failed to notice the shadow that had suddenly cast over her.
A loud knock on her desk jolted her back into reality. Standing in front of her was her co-worker Regina. Selene prides herself on maintaining a strict professional attitude, but Regina was one of the few people who never stopped making that decision difficult to keep up with.
Regina stared down at her with an ominous condescension, “Mr. Harris wants you in his office. Now. Let’s just hope you haven’t done anything stupid this time.”
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Selene leant over the wooden partition between her and Chloe’s desks.
“I’ll be right back. Let’s hear what he has to say this time,” she scoffed as she walked away.
Selene knocks on the door. Twice.
“Come in,” a gruff voice muttered from behind the door.
“You called for me, Sir?” Selene whispered quietly, to avoid disrupting the serene environment, as she shut the door gently behind her.
“The Jefferson proposal has still not been completed,” he said, signaling her to sit by stretching his hand in the direction of the chair. His eyes remained fixed on the computer in front of him.
“I don’t understand,” Selene inquired, “I submitted my section on Sunday morning.”
“Yes, I know. Your partner did not.”
REGINA! Nyx scoffed, clearly irritated.
“Unfortunately, the client doesn’t care about whose fault it was. I need that proposal completed before the end of today. I don’t care who does it, but someone had better fix it!” he said, finally raising his eyes from his computer, staring Selene dead in the eyes.
What does he mean by ‘fix it’? He’s not actually expecting you to do it, right? Nyx asked, perplexed at the obvious bias going on.
“I’ll make sure to get it across to you Sir,” Selene replied, forcing a tired smile.
She had wanted to argue that it wasn’t her work, but she could not find it in her to do so. Also, she knew it would just be waved off as usual.
“You can leave.”
Standing up quickly, Selene pushed the chair back to its original position and hastened for the door. Any more seconds in that office, and she would have argued with her boss.
You’re really going to let them walk over you like that? Nyx questioned.
I have no choice.
Umm…yes, you do. You could’ve told him no, that you’re busy or any other thing. You’re smart, figure it out.
I cannot afford to lose this job, the bills are piling and there’s no other way.
Fine, whatever you say. Nyx said upset, choosing silence as she retreated to the back of Selene’s mind.
“Well, what did he say?” Chloe asked as soon as Selene reached her desk.
“Nothing important,” she sighed, sitting back in her seat.
“The look on your face says otherwise,” Selene heard, finally looking up to see her friend raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
“He wants me to complete Regina’s section of the proposal,” she sighed, exasperated.
“Wait, what? That’s not fair! Why can’t she do it?”
“Apparently, I’ll do it better,” She rolled her eyes, sighing in annoyance. “I had better get to it, I have to get it done before the day ends.”
With a resigned exhale, Selene pushed aside all disturbing thoughts and fully immersed herself in her work.
The steady clicking of keyboards and ringing office phones faded into background noise as she worked, task after task. Every now and then, Regina would mutter a complaint about their workload from the neighboring desk, earning a disgruntled hum from Selene that barely passed as a response.
At some point, the office grew noisier.
At some point, it grew quieter again.
She barely noticed either.
Soon enough, noon came and it was lunchtime. Chaos returned to the office floor. Chairs scraped against the floor. Conversations floated through the air. Laughter echoed from the hallway.
Selene did not waver, her attention remained fixed on the screen before her.
“You’re not coming?” Chloe asked, grabbing her handbag.
Selene shook her head in refusal.
“Are you sure?” Chloe insisted.
“Leave her! As you can see, she’s quite busy,” Regina interjected, her eyes rolling backwards.
Selene did not even notice when they left and how fast time went by.
“Finally!” She exclaimed, as she hit SEND on her tablet, submitting the finished proposal via email to her boss.
“Really?” Chloe exclaimed, staring at Selene with her brows raised. “Do you even know what time it is?”
Selene frowned, reaching for her phone. Her eyes widened.
“Wait... it's five-thirty?”
Chloe looked horrified. “Selene, you’ve been sitting in that chair unmoving for hours.”
Nyx groaned dramatically.
I’m surprised she’s surprised. You do this all the time.
“It wasn't intentional,” Selene muttered while hurriedly packing her things.
“That's exactly what you always say,” Chloe pointed out.
A few minutes later, Selene finally left the office building, exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders. The evening air was cool against her skin as she boarded a bus home.
By the time she stepped through her front door, Grandma Hattie was waiting in the living room, “You're late.”
“Sorry, I had a lot to do today.”
“Did you eat?”
Selene froze.
Hattie's eyes narrowed immediately, “You didn't.”
“Grandma—”
“Selene.”
Nyx snickered. Uh-oh. You're in trouble now.
Hattie folded her arms. “You skip breakfast, forget lunch, and survive on just coffee. You cannot keep this up.”
“I was busy.”
“That’s what you always say.”
Selene sighed in defeat and finally headed for the kitchen to eat while Hattie continued grumbling about her terrible habits.
For once, Selene didn't argue. She was too tired.
After dinner and a quick shower, she collapsed onto her bed. Sleep claimed her almost instantly.
Tomorrow was another workday.
- Writer
