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"Can you come in for a minute?" I pinged my secretary.
"Yes, is there something I can help you with?" she asked politely as she walked in a few moments later.
"I need you to send out an announcement to all the employees that worked on the Johnson project," I said, folding my arms in front of me.
"Sure thing," she replied. "What do you want me to tell them?"
"Let them know that there is a mandatory Wellness and Development Session this Friday, out of town overnight that they must attend. Not doing so will potentially lead to negative consequences," I said.
My secretary didn’t respond right away but simply looked at me from a distance. She seemed to examine my face trying to read what intention I had in coming up with such an abrupt decision. "But this was not in the original schedule."
"Yes, and I am adding it now. Just make a hotel booking for all the employees and call over a motivational speaker for one session. It shouldn't be hard to do."
"Um, sure, I’ll figure it out. And what about the budget concerns?" she asked. "Wouldn't an all-paid-for employee weekend be a large expense to incur, and dare I say, unnecessary? There’s at least fifteen employees who worked on that project."
"No, the budget doesn't matter," I dismissed her concerns with a wave of my hand. "Just make sure that you include in the circular that I expect everybody to show up and attend the session from Friday to Saturday, without any exception."
"Okay, whatever you say. I'll send out the email and make the bookings right away," she replied before disappearing out the door.
I walked over to my office window and opened the blinds just enough so I could watch Kathy at her desk.
Was I going too far to ensure that she doesn't go on a date with Kevin? Yes.
Was it petty? Sure.
But all those things were better than the possibility of her going out with a fool like Kevin. He was not mature enough to make a brilliant woman like her happy. I just knew he would screw up badly and ended up hurting her feelings. And I couldn't let that happen on my watch. Even the mere possibility of it made my blood boil.
I decided to call it a day. Too much had happened already causing a headache and besides, an old friend had messaged that he was in town asking to stay over at my apartment.As I left my office, I made a detour to Kevin's desk.
He sat there with his shoulders slumped and was busy with his work. I figured he had finally received the email from my secretary that contained the depressing news about how he no longer had a free weekend with Kathy.
Seeing him like that satisfied me and I walked out of the office building with a smirk of triumph spread across my face.
∞∞∞
"You haven't aged a single day since I last saw you," Nicholas, one of my oldest friends from college, said to me as we both sat down in my living room, having just cracked open a bottle of whiskey.
"That must mean the Botox job is still effective," I replied jokingly, causing him to roar with laughter.
"Still haven't lost your funny bone, have you?" he said. "I remember you always had a comeback for everything. That's why the girls liked you so much."
There was a wistful edge to his tone as he recounted the days of our youth.
"I might have gotten all the girls," I shrugged, taking a sip from my glass, "but you were the one who ended up marrying your high school sweetheart."
Nicholas had married his first love, Emma, a year after college. The two of them had a whirlwind romance and at the time, they were the talk of the entire school and community.Now, nearly two decades later, it was heartwarming to see that the two of them were still together.
"It's not always sunshine and rainbows as you may think," he admitted, taking a large swig of his drink.
I raised my eyebrows at him curiously.
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Frankly speaking, you are the last person I’d expected to say something like that."
Nicholas sighed and then looked at me. "Can I be honest with you?"
"Sure," I said. Even though I usually disliked it when people dumped their problems onto me, I made an exception this time for an old friend.
"These last few years, my relationship with Emma just hasn't been the same," he admitted cautiously. "Sometimes, I even regret getting married in the first place."
