Office Affair

But I don't want to go home!

Anya had counted on being in the office until 6 pm, and she was quite a bit pissed with Dominic, when he crushed her hope in one fell swoop. She dialed Alice's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sweetie, I was wondering if you have the time to meet me? It's been a while, I miss you."

"Of course! When would you like to meet?"

"I can be at the center in a half an hour. Is that o.k.?"

"Sure! The usual place?"

"That's right. I'll meet you there."

She walked up to her front door and sighed. To say that she hated her home would be an understatement. It was the last place she wanted to be in at any point in time. She quickly changed and nearly ran out the door again, deciding to take a walk to the center. Part of the reason was because she wanted to stretch her legs after so much sitting. Another part of the reason was that she didn't have enough money to buy a transport ticket.

When she walked into the cafe, she immediately saw Alice. She hugged her before sitting down. Then she exhaled.

"Problems at work?"

"Actually, no problems at all. And that's a problem."

"I don't get it." Alice sipped her ice tea through a straw. She loved acting childish from time to time. She claimed it to be useful for her emotional health, and Anya couldn't decide if she was right or wrong.

"Well, you know how fast I work, right?"

"Mhm..."

"So...I've finished way earlier than I needed to. So I went to Dominic..."

"Oooh....you call each other by your name?! Oh that's so sexy!!!"

"Alice! Please focus."

"Okay, okay, I'm listening."

"As I was saying, I went to Dominic's office to show him my work. He looked at it and said that it's flawless."

"Of course it was," Alice interrupted.

"So he sends me home."

"And....?," Alice asked after Anya looked at her, clearly not intending to go on.

"And that's the problem! I hate being home!"

"Oh honey, but I don't understand why?!"

"Because...you've never been there, so you don't know."

"Exactly, I've never been there and to this day I'm wondering why? Why won't you let me in? I'm your family!"

"Which is what hurts me the most, Alice, but I can't allow you to see that...that dump I'm forced to live in."

"Anya, is it really that bad?"

"Yes, it is. It's the only home I have, but I only use it to sleep at night and walk away from it in the morning. That is why I'm angry with Dominic for forcing me to go back so early."

"Does he know?"

"I would never tell him! I don't want to see the pity in his eyes. It's too unbearable. Besides, he is my boss."

Alice looked at her, not knowing what to say. She suspected that Anya wasn't happy with her home, but to such an extent that she wouldn't let anyone in...it was beyond her to understand Anya's reasons.

"Still..."

"Never mind that, sweetie. Let's just drop that. Tell me, how's the school going?"

Even though they didn't look back on the subject of Anya's home, Alice could feel that the very mention of it could send Anya over the edge. That's why she kept quiet.