Now sitting comfortably in my office I started converting some of the photos I took for printing.
Anne then came in but she didn’t greet me like she usually did.
“What’s
“You’ve been summoned to the boss’s office”. She says like its then of the world.
“Wow that’s a new one”. I sarcastically say. After saving my work in Photoshop I straightened my shirt and walked out my office.
As I made my way there I wondered if I was up for promotion.
When I got there I saw Sara. If Sara was here it meant nothing good would happen in the following minutes.
I’ve known Sara since university and in all that time the girl hasn’t been one bit nice to me.
“Olla” I greeted taking a seat in the empty fancy office chair next to Sara’s. The boss is witch because she keeps all the nice chairs to herself.
“Let’s skip the really boring reunion stuff and get right to the point where you fire her”.
Sara twirled her fake blond hair in the manipulating way she always does where she acts like the most innocent person in the building.
“Whatever she says I’ve done, I haven’t done it”. I said with a scoff.
“Nuriyah you’re a great photographer. But I’m sorry to say not such a great influence”. My boss said looking at me sternly through her blue reading glasses.
“I have no idea what you are talking about”. I say confused, what on earth has Sara conjured this time?
“Oh really?! So you have no idea what this is!” Sara said dramatically sliding a paper across our boss’s glass desk.
I picked up the paper and to my disbelief, it was the article Anne wrote about the incident with the smoothie. Not because it would make a great article but because she saw me feeling down and we do this fun thing where we interview each other.
“I thought you were a professional. And on top of everything you got another employee to publish it! We were lucky Sara found it in time. Can you imagine how much ridicule you’ve gotten us into”?! My boss said.
“Look Anne and I are very close but I would never put her or another employee in trouble. I was right there when she was writing it I dictated to her every word of what happened to me. But I never once told her once to publish it”. I argued.
“Did you just say dictated? Wow, spoken like a truly guilty person”. Sara said looking at her long fake red nails I swear I wished she’d scratch her eyes out with them.
“That’s ridiculous. And you’re ridiculous”. I cross my arms. This is so unfair.
But all Sara does is smirk, as though she’s already won.
“That’s enough. The matter is closed. Nuriyah, clean out your office at once. I can’t have people like you working for my newspaper or any other newspaper”. My now old boss said not even giving me a chance to plead my case. I should have realised sooner that she had been on Sara’s side all this time.
I only wish I realised it sooner, so I didn’t have to waste my voluble effort here.
I got up from my chair my heart thumping heavily inside my chest.
I took a deep breath and begin to walk out.
I as I did I heard Sara snigger: “You should have been smarter now I am gonna love the view from your old office”.
Fighting every urge to punch her in the face I made my hand into a fist and went to my office for the last time.
-
“Nuriyah I’m so sorry. I had no idea”. Anne said coming into my old office while I was unpacking.
“I’m going to go right up there to beg that she make you stay”. She said grabbing one of my lenses from me and putting it back in the desk drawer where it stayed.
“You really don’t have to Anne”. I said taking it out of a draw and putting it into its bag. “But it’s my fault she fired you! I shouldn’t have let Sara use my laptop”. She said picking up my laptop and holding it away from me.
“Por favour, don’t do that to yourself. Sara has been feeding our boss lies about me since the day she came to work here. If not this she would have found something else to fire me with”.
“You can’t just leave! You’ve worked so hard for this too”.
She said grabbing my pens and pencils.
“Anne I need you to promise me that you won’t do anything you will regret”. I said putting a hand on hers.
“Oh, nina when you put it like that I will promise”. She breathed and smiled just slightly
“Can you give me my stuff now I’m going to need it if I’m going to get another job?” I held out my right hand.
“I’m going to keep the pen though”! She said giving me back all my other pens but keeping my blue mermaid pen with sparkles.
