The Boss & The Assistant - Rewritten Edition of "The Boss"

Chapter 5 - Emerson

Being yelled at by Mr. Jett was one of the worst experiences I had ever had, at least in my career. I cried all the way home, worried he was going to fire me. I went into my apartment and my roommate was home, unfortunately. I hid in my bedroom and got on Grindr. I decided to meet up with a guy that I had hooked up with before. I asked him if I could stay the night. He said yes. So I threw some things into a backpack and quickly left the apartment. I went to his place first but we went to a club and danced and drank. Then we went to his place and had sex. In the morning, he let me use his shower and then I put on a brave face to go to work.

Usually I liked to call my mom when something was bothering me. This time, though, there was something embarrassing about being yelled at by my boss. I couldn't bear to tell anyone about it. So I decided to keep my mouth shut and pretend like it never happened.

I said good morning to Sasha, acting like it was any other day at the office. When I entered my office, Mr. Jett was sitting on the couch with a notebook. He shut it and stood up. "Emerson, good morning," he said. "Will you sit down with me?"

I nodded, ready to get fired, and sat next to him, dropping my backpack next to me.

"I need to apologize for my behavior yesterday," he said. "It was really inexcusable to yell at you like that. I'm so sorry. I truly regret making you cry and hurting your feelings. It was a very rough day yesterday, but that is not an excuse." While he was talking, I found my eyes welling up again. It was so easy to make me cry. "I don't blame you if you look at me any differently, but I will try to be a better boss to you. Alright?"

I nodded, wiping a tear. "It's fine, I-"

"No. It is not fine. You deserve respect. I tend to...to bicker with Michael and others so sometimes I forget that I can't be that way with everyone else," he said.

"Does Michael like it when you're like that with him?" I asked, and immediately regretted it.

Mr. Jett paused. "He probably doesn't," he said quietly. He cleared his throat. "You were right. I did say you can stay in the office as long as you want. I said you will see me in my less than moments. So it just takes getting used to on my end."

"Well, just remember that I am your assistant and here to help you," I said. "Like is your ankle better? It looked like you were limping."

He smiled softly. "It is doing well enough. I just twisted it or something."

"Let me grab an ice pack," I said. There was a small employee's kitchen and sitting area next to Sasha's desk. I saw an ice pack in the freezer one day. "Really, I'll be right back. I have one just outside." Before he could say anything, I jumped up and ran to the employee kitchen, retrieved the ice pack and came back into the office. I grabbed one of the decorative pillows and placed it in the center of the couch. "Put your foot up."

Mr. Jett looked at me, a little dumbfounded, but he took off his shoe and complied. I pulled down his sock so his ankle was revealed and placed the ice pack onto it. "Don would sometimes have to play nurse," he said quietly.

I smiled at him, asking, "Really?"

He kept looking at me with the same look on his face, like he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. "Yes," he said. "Mostly when I was hungover."

"Oh, well I'm a little hungover today, so I get it," I said.

"You do not seem hungover at all. You seem really chipper."

I shrugged. "Well, I do have ADHD, so that could be it. Trust me, my head really hurts. I just kind of can't stop."

"Stop what?" he asked.