One hour of one day of my day (Slowly Editing)

Chapter 1:The Meeting and the After Effects

We all know what type of people we are or we have a perception that we know who we are. At our respective work places, we know how we interact with our colleagues in all ranks of the workplace structure.

Mina,all my whole life I have always tried my utmost best to be kind and approachable by both my colleagues and our clients.

When you come to my workplace, I don't know what frustrations you might be going through in your life, so I wouldn't like to add on them. I am patient , very patient. I was tought patience. I possess the promax ability tolerate people.

As a woman of my nationality, I was taught tolerance. Tolerance is a virtue. I never take provocation and nasty statements personally. My feathers are not easily ruffled.

I have a habit of analysing the kind of stress that comes with each position at the workplace. This is the very thing that makes me take all the bullshit lying down.

My bosses office floor  is laminated . It was changed from those corporate carpets to laminated flooring due to the previous boss's allergies and asthma that landed her in hospital within the first week of assuming her duties. The carpets did not show dirt and where the dust was.  Some  cleaning ladies  never use the vacuum cleaner to clean from corner to corner.

I am sure it was all the dust mites in the carpet that ruffled her sinuses and asthma feathers.  I was tasked to have that office floor changed to laminated flooring by the time she got back from sick leave. I delivered. That is why the boss's office has laminated flooring to date.

Monday 7 September 2020 started as a normal working day at 7:30 am .At 08:00 am we were summoned to a  meeting at the  boss's office. When I got to the boss's office he was standing  and the cleaning lady and the Internship Student was also standing. I also didn't take a sit. 

That meeting took almost 10 minutes.

The unwritten agenda was
1. Greetings
2. Bosses food safety in his office that we  3 have access to and
3. The staff members that have access to the bosses office being reported to the boss's wife. ( Should anything happen to him)

When I got to the meeting that we were summoned to, the boss was standing next to his desk , his laptop bag and lunch bag placed on top of his  desk.

He greeted us and we responded accordingly. He didn't give us permission to sit.  He proceeded to the next item which was his food and his coffee. He said " last Friday after lunch there are coffee drops on my floor. The person who opened my coffee and sprinkled drops of it on the floor is one of you. You are the only people that have access to my office . "

My jaw dropped. Being the talketive one I rose my hand and he gave me a chance to talk. I Told him that in the same wing of the building where we are, there are 4 employees that have walk in clients that I usually see carrying Wimpy and Mugg and Bean disposable tea cups . Since our colleagues in in our wing also did not have a kitchen with hot water , they buy their tea from Mugg and Bean or Wimpy. I told him that when the cleaning lady comes with a refuse bag to empty the office dust bins she starts on the West of the wing where the disposable cups are and end with us. On the same day she had just collected the trash few minutes ago.

I continued to tell him that after he saw the drops  he demanded that his office be cleaned  on 4 September . The Intern came running to my office and requested for the mop that I had just procured from the internal store to use on our kitchen. I needed to go to go to Clicks, the shop on the ground floor so I went to use the lifts and the lift had a big wet spot that smelled like coffee. That means that the refuse bag was leaking.

After my response, he roared and pointed the finger at me and said " My coffee is special and different from other coffees. I drink special coffee and those drops smelled like his my special coffee. That was my coffee not a Wimpy or Mugg and Bean coffee".

The roaring continued and he said it one of is who is opening his food and coffee. I told him that , on that day I hadn't been to his office until we were summoned to it.

The roaring continued and he said " I reported all of you to my wife should anything happen to me. She will know it's you" while pointing at me and maybe he forgot to point the finger at the other two. After that I shutted my mouth up.He repeated himself against shouting and now beating his chest that should anything happens to me guys it will be you.

That meeting  changed my life and my attitude towards my boss.  To-date that meeting makes me teary, I get a lump on my throat and choke.

At 08:15 am I was back to my own office attempting to work but I couldn't. I tried to take a break but I couldn't. The tears broke free from my eyes and ran down my cheeks fast. I tried to breathe in and fill my lungs with air and breathe out. This too was not happening . "Where has the air that I need gone to?" I asked myself.
I was shaken and rattled. 

I then remembered that when he first came to the position that he uses now I was multitasking at the reception office that is cojoined to his office. I had been doing that for four years.

The gentleman that was acting had gone back to his office . Few days after he came he told me that I must pack my laptop and belongings and go back to his office. He wants the reception closed until the Departmental Mas director gets him a secretary. He told me that he doesn't want me to do any secretarial duties. I listened and moved out as soon as I possibly can.

All my colleagues were critising me. They were telling me that I am trying to let him down . Some would ask me why was doing such an unspeakable thing and let him down while I worked with a person who acted for three years in that position. I had to explain repeatedly that I tolde to close the reception and don't do ANY secretarial duties.

Just as I was trying to adjust back to normal, the colleague who was called to observe the accusations came to my office. She stood in front of my desk. She spoke, her mouth was moving but I don't remember what she said. Soon after that, the accusing manager walked in and stood in front of my desk. To-date, I have no recollection of what they said. All I remember was me saying to myself, these individual must not see that I am sad and shocked at the accusation and insinuations. They left both at the same time to their respective offices.

I was feeling restless and agitated . I thought " ayi maan, I have a couch let me move from the chair and sit on it" . I went to the couch and sat , my body was wobbly, I was trembling deep inside . My hands started to swell. I couldn't breathe , I was sweating and the air conditioner felt too cold. I felt like it would be better if I lie down on the floor or maybe if I lie down but put my feet up on the couch. "Oh no" , I said to myself. If I lie down on the floor I would need to close the door. I don't like closed office doors especially if the employee is inside. If close the door , what will our walk in clients do.

I needed to feel alright as soon as possible so that I could resume with my daily office duties as per my job description.

The solution finally came. I had an idea, a good one

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Bongiwe Bhengu Lushaba