Melodies of a stranger

Chapter 19

Riftan stared at the screen in front of him, going through the checklist in his mind.

'I'll need to pick up Maxi's medication soon, then go to the doctor's surgery to pick up a note for her work. Maybe I'll make lasagne tonight. Maxi seemed to enjoy that last time I made it...'

"Riftan.... Riftan.... Yo, earth to Riftan..."

'I'll need to pick up some pasta sheets on the way home. Should I buy a dessert? Would I be able to get her to eat it or would I upset her-'

"RIFTAN!"

Riftan jumped at the loud voice, and he looked around startled. His manager Sejour frowned.

"Listen, can you come to my office. I need to speak to you."

Riftan glowered at the interruption. He liked being left alone to do his work in peace. He couldn't stand it when management tried to stick their noses in.

"Fine, I'm on my way..."

Riftan set aside the files he was working on and stalked over to the office. He had a strong suspicion that he wasn't going to like what Sejour had to say.

"Take a seat."

Riftan sat heavily in the chair indicated, while Sejour closed the door behind him. Riftan groaned inwardly. It was well known that if Sejours' office door was closed, it spelled trouble. This was going to give the office gossips something to talk about for the next couple of weeks.

Sejour took a seat on the opposite side of the desk and studied Riftan silently before he spoke.

"Is everything ok?"

Riftan scowled, he didn't like being questioned.

"I'm fine, why did you bring me in here?"

"Are you sure that you're fine? You haven't been yourself for some time. What's going on?"

"Nothing. Maybe I'm fed up with carrying everyone else in this place."

Sejour sighed and shook his head.

"I'm struggling to believe that everything is well with you. You're normally one of our best workers but recently your productivity has decreased. Severely. Look, senior management is asking questions. I can't protect you or your job if you don't talk to me. So, here are your choices. Either talk to me and we can find a solution together or start looking for a new job. So, I'm going to ask you again, what is going on?"

Riftan clenched his jaw out of anger while he thought through his options. He desperately wanted to say what he really thought of his job, but he needed the income. Also, job hunting was incredibly time consuming, and he needed all his free time to focus on Maxi. An exacerbated sigh left his lips.

"My partner... isn't well at the moment. I'm looking after her."

Sejour nodded encouragingly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with her?"

"How is that relevant? I answered your question." Riftan spat angrily.

"I'm trying to work out how best to support you. I don't want to fight with you, but you need to work with me here."

Riftan glared at the man who was remaining perfectly calm in the face of his anger. He clenched and unclenched his fists while trying to steady his breathing. The idea of exposing Maxi's vulnerability to others felt detestable. He wanted to protect her from the world. He rubbed his forehead roughly with his hands as his mind searched desperately for ways out of this situation.