Fighting Life

Chapter Nine

Monday hit and it hit hard. Tana woke and got ready at the normal time, she was not sure if she would actually run into Chelsea on the train, knowing that she always went to work that little bit earlier. So, with no surprise, she travelled on her own and got to work with the office very quiet and dark. Nobody was there yet, lights were off. Tana did not mind, as she went to her desk, placing her bags down and then moved to the staff kitchen, putting water into the kettle that was on the bench and hitting the button to heat the water.

Tana felt that she was actually in a decent mood, having an ok weekend was a big help to that and while she waited for the water to boil, Tana used her phone to put on iHeart radio, to provide a bit of background noise and moved to the sink, noting a couple of dishes that had not been cleaned before people left the office on Friday. She started to give them a wash, singing along to the song playing on the radio as she worked. In fact, Tana even had a little bounce, a little dance in her step as she worked. It put her in a very good mood, enough to make her feel like she could face the day without a worry.

That was until a little later, when dishes were cleaned, water boiled and she had a hot chocolate, sitting down at her desk and going through the pile of files that were there, looking huge yet again. As she worked, keeping to herself, Jenny approached, a big grin on her face.

"So...." She started smugly.
"So?" Tana asked, looking around for an exit.
"Who was he?" Jenny asked.
"What?" Tana wondered confused.
"Oh come on hun, stop playing dumb." Jenny claimed, louder then what was needed.
"I am not dumb, I do not understand what you are referring to." She stated.
"The guy you had lunch with on Saturday. I saw you, at the shops. I walked past. You two looked pretty cozy." Jenny laughed at her.
"There was nothing cozy about it." Tana explained annoyed. "Now, if you do not mind, I have work to do, and so unless you have something to discuss about work, I would appreciate that you move on."

Tana went straight back to working on the file she was dealing with, avoiding the looks form everyone. She knew she had been trying to keep a low profile recently, but Jenny was just putting her nose in too much these days and Tana did not like it at all. Seeing that she was not really getting anywhere with Tana, Jenny walked away, mumbling to herself. It ruined the good mood that Tana had been in and for the rest of the day, she did not get too excited about much, she did not go to the lunch room, she went down stairs to sit on a bench outside near the street, to enjoy some fresh air.

Come the next day, Allyson wanted to chat to her about what had happened. Allyson was one of the workers in the firm that Tana liked and got along with, whom knew a little more about Tana then any of the others. She just explained that Jenny was nosing in and getting information mixed up. Allyson was a good support and was not a fan of Jenny much herself, having a few run ins too. It was a wonder as to why Jenny was still there, as she upset many of the staff, but Tana did not have a say on who stayed and who went.

What she did know what that Tuesday evening, when she got on the train after work, she saw Chelsea on the train. They sat together and just discussed general things, before they got off and went different ways to their cars. Tana did not go home, like normal, on a Tuesday, she went and drove to her grandfathers house. It was the normal visiting day of hers, and she noticed when she arrived that the same car from the last time was there, that new carer Hugo, was working again.

Inside, Tana greeted her grandfather as normal, hugs and asking each other how they were doing. Straight away, Tana noticed he was less stable on his feet and felt a bit thinner then before. She knew it had not been long since last seeing her grandfather and so this concerned her. They sat down and chatted for a little while, just like last time, with Hugo bringing out a mug of coffee for her grandfather. She was actually a bit shocked when he handed her a mug too.