Killing Cruz

Chapter 2

I'm almost at work and I suddenly stop in traffic. I'm already 10 minutes late. My phone rings and it was Trent calling me. I have him as "Hellfire" on my contacts. "Where are you, Ivan? You're 10 minutes late! This is coming out your paycheck!" I collect myself and reply with,"I'm in traffic, Trent. Been standing here for 20 minutes." I knew I was lying. "Oh, okay. Just be here. Jenny's here," he said in a trembling tone. Jenny! Jennifer Diaz! The most hated person in the office, even Trent doesn't like her. Those two had a history that no one knows of. There have been rumours here and there about them being lovers, Trent being the father of her four children and the list goes on.

The traffic clears up and I drive to work peacefully. Might as well enjoy the peace while it's still there. Jenny only comes to our district for two reasons: as our inspector or to mock Trent. No one knows why she does that to him. He may be an asshole, but even I feel sorry for him. I run to my desk and start working before Madam Critic sees me entering. She walks out Trent's office and directly to my desk. "Where have you been,Carnell?" She noticed! She noticed me entering the office. Now I'm the center of attention. As if life couldn't get any better than this. "I was stuck in traffic and my pet mouse just died," I said. "Which one?" she asked teasingly. "Glow." I waited for a response. "Well, the rat was going to die anyway with that demon of yours around." I pushed my chair backwards, stood up and punched her in the face. I grabbed that woman's shirt, pulled her towards me and said in a loud and stern voice,"Now you listen to me, Jenny. Don't you ever talk about Glow like that again. Don't you ever come after me like that again. Cruz is my burden and my burden only. I don't need negative people like you in my life right now. That's what Cruz is for. Now, if you can't be nice to people, you can take your fat ass and brief case and go back to your office, work your ass off and go back to that sinkhole you call a home. Are we clear?" Everyone heard what I just said. The secretary, janitors and the accountant. I knew what I had just done. My situation could go three ways: I could lose my job, get sued or be suspended for two weeks. Trent signalled me to his office and all eyes were on me. Trent sat down at his desk and I stood, too afraid to sit and too afraid to speak. The office phone rings and he picks it up and puts it down. He does something on his computer for five minutes and then faces me. We stared at each other in awkward silence for 10 minutes before the phone rings again. He picks it up and listens for two minutes before putting it down again. He faces me and said,"Ivan Carnell, you are not in trouble, but I'm going to have to suspend you for two weeks. You do understand, don't you?" I nod. I walk out his office, grab my briefcase and exit the building.

I stand outside and call Gunter. "Morning, Ivan. Why are you awake so early in the morning?" he coughed. "It's 11 in the morning, my friend. Are you alright?" He sneezes and blows his nose before responding in a congested tone,"I've caught a cold." "Do you mind if I come and visit you? I'm not in the mood to go home right now."
"You're in hot water, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"You lost it with Jenny."
"How did you know?"
"Well, I always knew the day would come, and Connor told me."
Connor! Connor Welsh, the snitch of the office.
"I'll see you in a bit."
I put my phone back in my pocket, get in the car and drive.