His Way

The First Meet- Chapter 1

I have always been troubled. I don't know why or what triggered it. I can't remember a time I wasn't depressed or angry or scared. I was always worried, always trying to prepare for the worst. My mom would go to the grocery store and I'd start thinking, she's not gonna make it back. Every time someone left, every night before bed, I always had to say "I love you" in case they died before I got to see them again. I stayed this way growing up and I still get like that sometimes even now, at 20 years old. I'm constantly stressed because even when there's nothing to be stressed out about, I'll end up creating things to worry about. 

I was in therapy for years as a pre-teen and a teenager too. It helped me to control myself a little bit, to help me stop hurting myself. But I quit going as a teenager because I couldn't make anymore progress than I already had. I was stuck and there was no point in continuing to go if I wasn't going to get anymore out of it than I already had. I take so many medications that sometimes I feel like a zombie and somehow I'm still depressed and panicky all the time. 

I guess being the vice-president at Delfire Inc. doesn't help with the stress. But it pays amazing for just me and that makes it worth it. I grew up struggling all my life. It means everything to me that I'll be able to happily support more than just myself. 

Trying to focus on how nicely my job pays, instead of how stressful it is, I jump into the shower. Once I'm out and fully dressed, I head out to the car and make my way to work. It's going to be a stressful day. 

As I walk into my office, I look out the window at the sidewalk below. When I turn back to my desk to set down my things, I see a yellow post-it. 

Elena,

My office. 7am.

Mr. Lansdowne.

Mr. Lansdowne is a short, angry little man who just so happens to be the President of Delfire and therefore my boss. I'm convinced he's impossible to please because even when I feel like I've accomplished something even he would approve of, I'm back in his office an hour later getting yelled at. I looked at the clock, knowing it was past 7am. Well shit, here we go. 

I walk through my door and right across the hall where his office is. His new assistant calls him to inform him of my arrival and waves me in, sending me an apologetic look as I walk through the door. 

All he does is stare at me.

"Sir. I just got to work and saw your note on my desk. What can I help you with today?"

"You're late, Ms. Perry. You know how I feel about tardiness." He said back in a casual tone as he glared up at her. 

"Yes, I do understand how you feel about tardiness. That's why I arrived thirty minutes early. My shift started at eight today." 

His face began to turn red, the first signs of anger. He glared at me. "I had my assistant call your office last night to inform you that you were to come in at six thirty. She said she left a voice mail."

"I left at three fifty three last night. She must have called sometime after that time because I never received her call." 

He looked at me like I was a moron. His ears began turning bright red. "Well, Ms. Perry, maybe if you had stayed until your shift actually ended like you're supposed to, we wouldn't be having this issue. Next time this happens, you're in trouble. This is your first and only warning. If I catch you leaving this building a second before four o'clock, there will be consequences." I could tell he was trying so hard to not start yelling. He must be in an okay mood.