A few days have gone by, so it's finally Friday! Fatima is beyond relieved because she has been looking forward to the weekend for multiple reasons. Firstly, the sit-down meeting with her mom and sister tomorrow morning. Secondly, spending more time with Orion, especially since for the past few days he's been sleeping early and waking up late— so she barely gets to see him except when he wakes up crying in the wee hours of the night. Above all, she's looking forward to catching up on some much needed sleep!
| T.F. BUILDING |
– Kelly's office –
**KNOCK KNOCK**
Kelly: come in!
Fatima: (opens the door, walks in) hey. You asked to see me?
Kelly: I was actually expecting you earlier, but please come in, close the door and have a seat.
Fatima: (nervous) -sits down- I'm really sorry about not coming earlier. I went out with the other interns for lunch and we sorta lost track of time because we were discussing Kiki’s living situation. I know that it's still not an excuse for my tardiness, but I–
Kelly: *holds up her hand to stop Fatima from talking*
The office grew silent as Kelly finished typing something on her laptop before closing it to give Fatima her full undivided attention. She then took off her readers and put them aside.
Kelly: respectfully, spare me the details. We're here to discuss you, not Kiki.
Fatima: noted.
Kelly: so… Fatima Latrice Wilson. How are you?
Fatima: -taken aback by the full name status- (clears her throat) um… I'm okay, I guess.
Kelly: (nods) and how has the transition from first-time mom back to accounting intern been?
Fatima: honestly, it's been a little bit challenging, but I'm slowly getting there.
Kelly: I see… anyway, I called you in here because I want an update on the Packer x Cowan joint account that you've been working on before you even went on maternity leave. How far are you?
Fatima: (hesitant) oh.. uh…
Kelly: (sighs deeply) Fatima, let's put the work commitments aside for a moment. Talk to me. What's going on? You've been slacking badly ever since your return, and that is unlike you.
Fatima: I know Kelly, and I'm sorry. I promise to do better.
Kelly: I don't want to hear any more empty promises coming from you. What I want is for you to either explain why you've not been pulling your weight! Or, if you don't want to talk about it, then kindly please present me with the results that you should've submitted on Wednesday.
Fatima: Kelly, the truth is… I'm not yet done with the account. I know that you were beyond graceful to even grant me an extension on the submission date. I'm sorry I couldn't deliver.
Kelly: what stopped you from being able to deliver on time? Do you need more time to finalize everything? I can try to talk to their team and get you an extension until Monday. That way you can spend all weekend working on it, and bring me a finalized copy first thing on Monday.
Fatima: I appreciate how considerate you are being about this matter. However, I just don't think that I'm in the right frame of mind to handle such a big account. I also feel like I'd be lying to you if I said that I will manage to have it done by Monday morning.
Kelly: so, what exactly are you saying to me, Fatima? Should I give the account to someone else?
Fatima: (hesitantly nods)
