Play It By Ear

Shared Desks

The plot gets "spicier" next chapter. SWEAR! I just don't wanna rush things too much and the past few chapters have been primarily to set up things for later in the book. Don't give up on George and Casimir yet ;)

BTW totally sorry this chapter is just plain horrible. I've not really had time to fully focus my brain on writing this week. Gah.

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The rest of that day, Mr. Leighton and I had avoided each other much to my dismay and comfort. Every few hours, he would come out of his office and drop another pile of files on my desk with instructions before disappearing behind the opaque walls of his office. We had never officially settled my hours so when five o’clock had rolled around, I begrudgingly walked over to Mr. Leighton’s office and lightly rapt on the door. I heard some muffled sound from the other side that sounded like ‘come in,’ so I slid into the room.

He had opened the blinds at some point during the day and the evening sky was covered with thick, dark gray rain clouds that promised impending thunderstorms. I loved thunderstorms, they were so calming. In my childhood home, I had spent countless hours sitting by my window sill, wrapped in a warm blanket, and staring out at the rain washing the world around me away. 

“Yes, Georgiana?” He sat in his chair by his desk, reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose and his hair sticking up in all directions. His eyes were lightly shadowed and I could see the strain his body was under. I felt my heart constrict a bit but pushed the feeling away. If I felt anything towards him, it was that of pity that someone so young had to be under such great stress.

“I was just wondering when you expected me to come into the office and when I was permitted to leave Mr. Leighton.” I forced my voice to be confident and clear. There was no way I was going to let him see the effect he had on me ever again. Not after that morning. I refused to let our work relationship become strained just because I was some stupid teenage girl with a crush.

Mr. Leighton looked at me strangely, his emerald green eyes mysterious and his head cocked to the side like a confused puppy. If I hadn’t been so scared, I would have laughed at the adorable scene he made.

“I told you to call me Casimir. Mr. Leighton makes me sound old.”

“Ms. Wilburstein and the other people on the floor call you Mr. Leight-”

“They are not my assistant. Call me Casimir, or I will fire you,” he said, his voice tight and the emotions on his face unreadable.  I could feel a slight frown forming on my lips but nodded my head nevertheless. There was no point in arguing and he seemed serious enough about firing me had I gone against his wished.

“Alright…Casimir.” His name rolled off my tongue, still foreign but oddly nice. I watched as my boss’s face lit up with some sort of…joy? If it made him happy, I would force myself to call him by his Christian name, but in any other circumstance I would refer to him by the proper title he deserved as my superior. I could not afford to mix the business aspect of my life with anything else.

“Back to your earlier question, I expect you in by seven thirty. I’m usually here around seven but even if I am not in, just drop my breakfast off on my desk. I like it here when I am. You can leave around six but you will be required to stay later on most occasions.”

“What about on the days I have school?”

“What time do you get out? Two? Be here by three and expect to stay until eight or nine.” The hours he was giving me seemed insane, even for an assistant but I held my tongue. I was good with multitasking and positive I would be able to still complete my homework for the next month and stay on top of work tasks but that still did nothing to calm my ever present nerves.

“Alright. I’m on spring break until next Friday but I get of school a month after that. Do you need me to stay late today?”

Mr. Leighton watched me with his sharp but tired eyes and I couldn’t help but fidget under his studying gaze. His eyes flickered over the pile of scattered papers in front of him and back to me.

“Take that pile of files over there and enter the information into the system. Order me some pizza and get something for yourself as well. You’ll probably need to stay late everyday for the next couple of weeks because of the work that has piled up since James’….accident.” Mr. Leighton motioned to the rather large stack of papers in the corner of his office and I knew I was dismissed. The stack was probably two feet high and even then there were a couple of boxes beside it that I knew were probably filled with even more work for me. Sighing, I picked up about a quarter of the open pile and trudged out to my desk.

As I opened the corresponding excel sheets on my computer, my mind drifted to my boss and his reputation. How could someone so exceptionally busy with work ever find the time to be some insane player? I continued to ponder this question for another hour or so before picking up my phone and calling the pizza place that James had left a take-out menu for in one of the drawers of our desk.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that nobody had really bothered to clean out his stuff and what I had thought to be an empty assistant’s cubicle was actually just a rather under personalized one. I found dozens of take-out menus and other odds and ends that provided me with quite a good amount of insight about Mr. Leighton’s preferences. I made a little note to go visit James sometime soon. He would probably be able to fill me in a lot in the areas that Mr. Leighton seemed to overlook.

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Four and a half grueling hours later, I flopped down on my bed and just about died of exhaustion. I had worked tirelessly on the files and refused to stop for anything, including the rather greasy slice of white pizza that Mr. Leighton had offered me. I stared up unseeing at the ceiling above me. I had only worked for him one full day but I doubted the rest of my days would be any different.

After changing out of my work clothes, I stumbled my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. My mother sat at the island, a cup of steaming tea by her side and a book in her hand. I snuck up behind her and wrapped my arms around her tense shoulders. She worked so hard, it shot relief through my body just to see her relax. My chin rested on top of her head and her hand absentmindedly stroked my forearm lovingly.

“How was your first day of work honey?” I could tell from her voice that she was exhausted and it broke something within me further. I was the reason she had had to quit her old job, her passion and go back to working for her Mr. Leighton. We had had a stroke of luck with his allowing her to work for him again. Apparently, nobody made as good of an advertising executive as she had.

“It was alright,” I said as I pulled away and went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. “Looks like I’ll be working like twenty four seven though this summer and for the next week.”

My mother gave me an understanding nod. She knew exactly what I was talking about. Going back into her position at Casimir’s father’s advertising agency had brought back into her life the hectic business trips and work hours. Truth be told, we rarely ever got to see each other. Most days, she was either out of state or country or I was at school or she was just working late.

We stayed up and talked about our days for about an hour before my mother finally finished her tea and began to yawn.  With a nod in my direction and a few of the typical before sleep pleasantries, my mother walked out of the kitchen and started to shuffle across the hall to the stairs. I watched her, taking in the slight slump in her shoulders and her apparent lack of energy. It was all because of me.

“George,” she said, her foot hovering above the first step. I acknowledged her and she continued to speak. “I have to go to Key West for three weeks to finish this major project. Do you think you’ll be fine on your own?” I nodded and forced a smile on my face before turning my back on her. The guilt was overpowering. I could tell that leaving on those extended business trips killed her a little more each time. The work added to the worry that something could happen to me while she was gone left a great pressure on her mind.

I stood motionless in the kitchen for thirty minutes, just listening to the sounds of my mother shuffling about above my head. So often had I been alone the past few years that the commotion was rather unfamiliar. When all sound had ceased and I knew she had fallen asleep, I made my way up to my own bed and stared up at the ceiling, willing the next day to come faster.