The Boss's Favorite (English)

Late

The weeks fly by at her new workplace. Although many of her colleagues try to avoid Mr. Smith as much as possible, the tension Elena feels in his presence remains. Certainly something that makes work a bit more fun. Only traveling to work makes her exhausted. She's only at home to eat and sleep. And she often can't eat until late because she sometimes has to travel another 1.5 hours to her apartment from work. Even though she lives and works in the same city, she has to travel all the way to the other side and the subways are packed during rush hours, so she sometimes has to wait several rides just to get on the subway. She also has to leave for work at 6:30 am to arrive on time. So far she has always been on time, but today it looks like she won't make it. There is a problem with the subway she is in, they remain stationary underground. The subway is packed and Elena cannot reach anyone because there is no connection so deep underground. Shit, shit, shit. Things have been going so well lately and now I'm going to be late and disappoint Mr. Smith, Elena thinks. After waiting 20 minutes in a sweltering subway, they can finally continue.

8:10 am. Elena arrives at the office. She didn't have time to get coffee, so she knocks on Mr. Smith's door first. 'inside.' sounds a bit irritated through the door. Tensed, Elena opens the door and looks straight into Mr. Smith's eyes. And they don't look very friendly. "Elena you're late!" Elena wants to apologize but Mr. Smith talks straight through her. 'We had an agreement and a contract, remember?! Too late is a violation, so a sanction will have to follow.' Mr. Smith looks at her sternly. 'I called you Elena! Something could have happened! That neighborhood you have to come from is awful! Next time, answer when I call you!' 'sorry sir, I was stuck in the metro, I couldn't reach you and because of the rush I couldn't get coffee anymore.' Mr Smith's expression softens slightly. "Get to work quickly, girl." He says in a calmer tone. 'I'll still get that coffee during lunch.' he adds. Elena wants to turn around again and walk away. Mr. Smith clears his throat: 'Know that this has consequences for you, Elena. We'll stick to the contract.' Elena nods shyly and in agreement. Then I shouldn't have signed, she thinks to herself.

She saw little of Mr. Smith for the rest of the day. She brought the coffee during lunch, but he didn't say much.

It is now 5 p.m. Mr. Smith comes out the door and calls Elena in. "Sit down Elena." And Elena sits back down on the familiar couch in his office. "Since I still have some work to finish and you were 10 minutes late, you can accompany me for another 10 minutes to make up for your missed work time." Mr. Smith says to her. Elena agrees. Fair, she thinks. 'But that is not everything. As you know, tomorrow I have to attend a day-long meeting in another city. I need someone to take minutes. Not a fun job, but this will be your punishment for being late and worrying me, Elena.' Elena nods in agreement. She can't refuse. 'What time would you like to see me at the office tomorrow, Mr. Smith?'. Mr. Smith thinks for a moment. 'I will be at your house at 7 o'clock in the morning. Then you'll ride with me.' The punishment could have been worse, Elena thinks. Leaving the house at 7 o'clock means sleeping in for her.