I fidgeted with my hands, feeling like an open book.
“How is it going with her, really?” Nell gave me that look which said only a genuine answer would do.
“Honestly, it’s so good. I’m so happy. She’s amazing. We have such a deep connection.”
“I’m happy to hear that. You guys were like bitches on heat around each other in Greece so I’m glad it’s developing into something real.”
“We were?”
“How often do you see each other?”
“Every day, pretty much.”
“It sounds serious.”
“It is.”
“How are things otherwise? How’s it going with Flavia Milan?”
“We’ve paused for now. She’s working through some stuff at the moment, but we’re going to pick up again soon. With that being on hold, I’ve been writing again. It’s stuff for my own collection.”
“That’s wonderful. What’s the vibe?”
“Falling in love.”
“I wonder why. I bet it’s great.”
“Do you want to come over soon and I can play it for you? There’re some sections on the bass I can’t quite nail and could use your help.”
“I’d love to.”
After this short chat with Nell, we spent some time catching up with Bouchra and Kaira debating whether or not Kaira’s new boss was a narcissist. She was the sweetest,nicest, gentlest person on earth so to hear that some asshole micromanager was giving her a hard time over nothing made me mad.
“I can handle it,” Kaira said, quietly. “I just need to be more assertive. I just need to learn how to stand up for myself.”
Bouchra stroked Kaira’s forearm, forlornly. It was likely she had been trying to help Kaira with this for a while and was feeling helpless. “You could always just leave.”
“Have you tried telling her to fuck off?” Nell asked.
“I can’t do that. That’s not how it works. It’s fine, really.”
“You know we support you, whatever you choose to do with this,” Bouchra consoled. “And we love you. I love you. Just promise me you won’t dim your light because of a bully.”
“I won’t,” Kaira said.
I wanted to march around to wherever this micromanager lived and kick their arse. I’d always had a strong sense of justice and at times when I was a child, it had got me into trouble. On this occasion, however, I knew that supporting Kaira to come out of this with her confidence intact or even boosted, was the ultimate goal. Taking over wasn’t the solution.
It got me thinking though. Had I run away from the online bullies and the haters from when I was in the band? I’d solved the problem by no longer touring and playing live music. Was that a real solution?
“You’ve got to put up some boundaries,” Nell stated.
“Like what?”
Nell grimaced. “Well if you can’t tell her to fuck off to her face, you could calmly tell her you appreciate constructive feedback about your work not personal attacks.Inform her of what a good boss should do, and where she’s falling short.”
“I think she’ll take that badly,” I countered, gently, turning my attention to Kaira. “What if you simply record every interaction you have with her, and then go to HR with it? Add in how she makes you feel, too. And correlate this with the actual work you produce. I think it could help you stick up for yourself to have some evidence, both of how toxic she is and how it makes you feel. Your wellbeing should matter to your employer.”
Kaira looked at me as if she were weighing up this suggestion seriously.
