Healing Wounds (Completed)

Chapter 6 (Edited)

“Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present  are certain to miss the future” 
                            —John F. Kennedy.

     Things calmed down a bit at Tara’s workplace over the next two months. After the dust settled and a new work rhythm matured, tension simmered down. The workers warmed up to their new bosses, and the same was true in reverse.

Of course, that didn’t change the fact having three bosses could be stressful. For example, decisions that would have taken Mrs. Ade just a few minutes of careful deliberation were now drawn-out affairs where the trio worked tirelessly at finding a consensus.

Mr. Angelo and Mrs. Ade especially clashed at every turn. If not for Mr. Marcello’s artful diplomacy, Tara suspected the group would make no decisions at all.

Tara’s other suspicions had been proven correct over the two months since the new bosses showed up. Mr. Angelo demanded strict discipline from his staff, and he discouraged tardiness with vigor. Between the two new bosses, he’d left the greater impression on the workers; they all stood either in awe or fear of him. Sometimes both.

Rumors sprung up in the office that Mr. Angelo even had an “invisible spy”, or so Alice parroted to Tara. How else did he always happen to catch workers who showed up just 5 minutes late?

Even the custodian who entered through the back door had complained about being ambushed by Mr. Angelo one Friday when he ambled in just 4 minutes after his shift officially started.

And so Mr. Angelo received the code name “Mr. Wolf” among the staff. Always ready to pounce on his underlings to teach them a lesson. No matter how minuscule the wrongdoing, Mr. Wolf would be there to bark out his disapproval.

Nothing like his business partner, Mr. Marcello made himself known as a jolly good fellow. A father and friend to the staff who often bought extra coffee on his way to work for his workers, and even doughnuts on a special day. Nobody usually had anything bad to say about him.

Of course, much of this was only hear-say to Tara. She stayed at her desk most of the day, making endless graphics and absorbing office gossip through Alice’s overactive imagination. She couldn’t help but wonder how much embellishment had intervened.

Not only that, but Mr. Marcello spent little time in the office, to begin with. He often departed to supervise projects taking place at various construction sites, while Mr. Angelo took calls from clients and intertwined himself in office life.

When she did see Mr. Marcello in the break room once in a while, Tara couldn’t shake the feeling he seemed oddly familiar. Uncomfortably so. She’d been trying to avoid him for weeks for that reason.

                      ★★★★★

Dora resumed school after almost two months of holiday. She went to work early on the first day back because, on the first day of the term, the teachers needed a few hours to plan out their upcoming curriculum before the kids arrived. Some actually used the time to get extra sleep, but not Dora.

Her pen squiggled across a sheet of paper when a shadow appeared in her doorway. Dora glanced up just long enough to identify the newcomer. Claudia.

Dora was mature enough to maintain a professional posture upon seeing Claudia, but the amusement remained. Claudia dressed so extravagantly, that one would wonder if she worked in a fashion house and not with children.

She’d adorned herself in a knee-length peach lace dress that must have cost half her paycheck, both because of the fine fabric and the pearls on the sleeves. And the pearls didn’t end there. Stud pearl earrings jiggled when she turned her head, and her cream-colored wedge shoes clicked when she stepped closer to Dora. Of course, she’d plastered her face in makeup, no doubt the most expensive brand she could find.