It was a warm Thursday morning. I was in my office typing a letter. With me was my friend Sheila. She always comes to my office when she has nothing to do or when she wants to complain and gossip.
“I hate conferences. It is so unfortunate that I have to attend them. He keeps threatening to take my company away from me if I don’t do some of these shitty stuff. All I want to do is just relax, eat, sleep, catch up on some series… you know how we used to do back in the days?…,” Sheila kept going on and on about how her life changed and how she misses doing nothing. It was beginning to bore me. We have been friends for a while but each time she starts this I question why I still tolerate her in the first place.
I met Sheila at a mutual friend’s party. I had only attended that party because the mutual friend had promised to link me with a potential client for my then new business. That night she was in the company of an elderly man. I later learnt it was her dad. And he had forced her to attend; in turn he would invest in her proposed business idea. The business she is currently running, from her house. She rarely visits her office unless her dad shows up. It also turned out that her dad was the said client I was to meet. Unlike Sheila who let her dad control her business, I was very strict with him. I would only take him as a client, not a partner. He has a bad reputation; and am not used to answering to people. Three years down the line and my business is booming, Sheila’s too. Except she is controlled. Sometimes I pity her, sometimes I just want to get rid of her.
“K.I.M!!!!” she shouted my name as she spelled it out; a clear indication that she was aware I was not even paying attention.
“Yeah?”
“Did you hear what I asked you?”
“Sure… you wanted to know about the… umm… the…”
“The guy you came with to the workshop… have you even been listening to me?”
“Of course I have… I ALWAYS listen” I was praying she heard the sarcasm in my tone.
“Well then tell me… who was he? He is cute!”
“He’s an employee.” Sheila loves using terms like ‘cute’ ‘aww’ ‘like seriously’ ‘like are you for real’. And those really annoy me. Why can’t she just talk like an ordinary human being?
Sheila was talking about Mark; one of my employees. I had asked him to accompany me to a workshop a couple of months ago, and I didn’t give him an option. I knew Sheila was asking because she was ready to hunt. She is a go getter who would do anything to get what she wants. She doesn’t care who she screws up along the way. Kind of like me. Except she uses that for her personal life; and I use that for business. From what she was asking, I was pretty sure my employee was her next target. Normally I wouldn’t object to her doing what she does best; but not this time round.
“Sheila, you can’t pursue him,” I told her as I continued typing a dismissal letter on my computer.
“why…” she started with a complaining voice before it suddenly changed to one with more excitement, “Wait. You like him!”
“No I don’t. Am looking out for my employee. I would really hate to have to deal with a worker who is nursing a heartbreak from you. Especially when he is good at his job and will have to see you every time you come here,” I told her as I wound up.
I was typing a dismissal letter for one of my employees whom I had given several chances before and she just kept messing it up. The first time I called her to my office, after I talked to her, she went to complain to Mark; who then had a formed opinion about me as a boss. The time I spent with Mark at the workshop made me realize what he thinks of me. He believes am a jerk. And I don’t blame him. He is actually right. If it was not for me being that way, I wouldn’t have achieved all I wanted. However, all those factors considered, I knew I was doing the right thing by firing her. She was just not adding any value to the company.
I printed the letter, signed it and perused it one more time before I decided to call her into my office.
Sheila was just standing up as I was also walking towards the door. She turned to face me and told me, “Fine. I will not go after your ‘employee’ but I will give you two weeks.”
“Two weeks to do what exactly?”
“To make him your man. Or am back in baby!” That was her ending remark as she walked out the door. I could see her walk slower as she passed Mark’s desk. She even changed her walking style. I saw Mark look up at her then turned his head to my office before proceeding with his work.
I took the letter from my desk and walked over to the door. The lady I was firing was seated at her desk, playing solitaire. I didn’t mind that, its ok to relax the brain once in a while. But its only ok to do that if you have actually done some work. She, had not done anything since she got in. I knew that because I got to the office before she did, and I saw her walk in an hour later. And there we were, minutes later and she was playing a game. It was either she had zero regards for office work or she just was looking for an excuse to get fired. Either way, she had to go.
“Anne?” I called out while standing at my door and walked back to the office.
She walked in five minutes later. The speech I had prepared to give her before handing her the letter was suddenly feeling irrelevant to me. I had fired people before, and I knew I had to expect any form of reaction. I also knew I had done enough talking with this particular lady. I was to fire her once I was back from the workshop months ago, but I had been distracted by so much work.
“You called me?” she asked as she approached my desk.
“Yes I did. Five minutes ago”
“Oh, am sorry. I didn’t know you wanted me to walk in immediately,” she said as she looked at me. Her eyes were red, and her pupils were dilated. That was not the look I wanted to see in my employees.
“If I wanted you to come in any other time but the immediate time I called you I would have pointed that out; but I did not.” I told her rather sharply. “I have been observing your work. you are the last person to submit your reports; and when you do they always have errors. On countless occasions I have had to ask you to redo the work. am convinced you don’t really care for this job…”
She looked at me without a word. That was a great reaction. It meant she was not going to be dramatic while leaving. That was what I kept telling myself. So I stood up and handed the letter to her. She opened it, read it while still there and folded it. I could see her opening her mouth to speak, but she instead turned to walk away. Once she got to the door she turned to me and said, “I know the real reason why you are firing me is because of Mark. You want him all to yourself! I have seen how you look at him when you think no one is watching. You have a damn glass wall. We can see everything…”
“You need to watch your next words very carefully,” I interjected.
“No I don’t. am already fired remember? You are no longer my boss. But you will not get Mark. I will see to that,” she said as she stormed out. She shut the door so loud I feared my glass would break. I told myself I would not bother going after her.
I could not stop thinking about what both Sheila and my now former employee had said. Could it have been possible that I actually liked Mark? I mean he is cute, intimidatingly tall, and he is an interesting person. But that did not mean I liked him. I mean maybe I stare at him when he is not looking. Or I keep giving him more assignments so he can stay late. Or maybe I made him work the weekends. But those could only mean am sort of a bad employer, not one with romantic feelings. There was no way they were right. I was still deep in my thoughts when I heard my door open. It was Mark.
“Excuse me, I wanted to remind you of the conference you were to attend next week. You asked me to remind you a week prior,” he said as he stood with his hands at the back. He seemed a little uncomfortable in his posture. It seemed like he was nervous in my presence. He was wearing a black khaki trouser and white official shirt. It was simple yet elegant and breathtaking at the same time. I also noticed he has well-built biceps.
“Yes, I remember that. What I also remember telling you was to ensure you don’t forget we are both attending it.” I had not told him that, in fact, I was to attend it alone. I didn’t even understand where that came from. What he had said, is what I had told him.
“I assumed you were attending this one alone,” he said
“Well, am not. Prepare yourself. We have a long week ahead. Good day”
“Good day madam,” he said as he walked out of the office.
I must have been staring at him for a while after he left, while thinking about what I had done. I had just invited him to a conference I was supposed to attend alone without even thinking it through. I had just fired a lady who had implied some sort of battle with me over him, which made her leaving more satisfactory than the fact that she was an incompetent employee. I will be at a luxurious hotel with a man who is not even supposed to be there. It was then that it actually hit me… I like my employee! And I have just two weeks to get him to like me back; that’s if he doesn’t already.
I have never looked forward to any conference before, but I am now.
