Tequila & Birdcages

Boss lady |m.r|

Making calls; that's my job. I call people all day, hoping they answer and taking the callbacks in between. This job could break the best people, the monotony of it all being enough to kill the creative soul. The only thing that makes it bearable and worth while is her. Mildred Ratched. I don't think I've ever seen a woman so beautiful in all my life.

Granted, I may feel that way because I have a crush on her but I'd like to think she'd catch my eye regardless. Those precious freckles that adorn her body and that red hair cascading down her shoulders always manage to distract me. Not to mention the way she walks and when she smiles... I know it sounds cliche but it lights up the room.

I feel my heart pitter patter in my chest and I struggle to hold eye contact. She knows she makes me nervous, she has to know; but I'm almost certain she doesn't know why. Oh, did I mention 'she' is my boss? Yeah. So you can imagine how much 'work' I actually get done on a daily basis in between my breaks of staring off into space as I fantasize.

A paper comes into view and I raise my head from the scattered contents of my desk to see her standing in front of me. I lower my eyes and smile politely as I take it out her hand and set it down. "Come see me on break" she mumbles, only loud enough for my ears to hear, and I nod. I look at the paper to see my performance last week is a bit lower than average; ok 'a bit' is an understatement.

Now I'm nervous because the last thing I want is for her to be upset with me. I know she's also been having a difficult time with life outside of work and I've just added to her stress. I need to get it together, I know, but it's so hard with her constantly in my line of sight. I'm not complaining, I'm glad she's so close; otherwise I'd be looking for her all day like I do whenever she leaves her desk.

I check the time and begin to tidy up before lunch. They say a cluttered space reflects a cluttered mind and I can't say that's not true. My brain is like an endless sticky web, catching everything that passes through; even worse now that she's entered my life. I think of her all day, even when I get home, and it's pathetic if I'm honest.

A woman like Mildred... well she's out of my league for one. Not to mention she's most likely taken and even if she wasn't, I can hardly speak to her let alone work up the courage to flirt. All she has to do is give me a look and I melt like butter on a skillet. She doesn't even have to try to render me speechless, it's light work for her—effortless.

"Alright guys, don't forget to clock out and have a nice lunch! See you back at 12:30" the office clown says; he honestly keeps up the spirit around here because it gets boring. I grab my things like every other day and prepare to leave when I remember what she said. I look up to see her still at her desk, eyes scanning something on her computer screen.

Everyone is clearing the room and I just stand there frozen. "Aren't you coming?" my coworker asks me since we always sit together for lunch. "No uhh you go ahead. I need to talk to boss lady" I chuckle nervously and she grimaces before patting my shoulder and making her way out too. At this point it's just me and her alone, so I walk over to get it over with.

"Hi" I state firmly, well as firmly as I can in her presence, trying not to seem as nervous as I am. "Here, take a seat" she says as she gestures behind her desk. It's like a big cubicle, except the walls are low so I can always see in. She has two chairs behind her desk and I choose one, crossing my legs so I don't bounce my foot.

She turns around in her chair and does the same, clasping her hands and laying them on her knee. "I just wanted to check in with you and make sure you're doing ok" she starts off and I furrow my eyebrows a little. She told our training class that we could always come to her with anything, whether work-related or otherwise but I'm not really the type to divulge information—most times.