Crazy Town

Mother's Day

Eleanor's POV

- One week later -

My first week at work is over and now it's Monday morning and the first day of my second week at work. I thought I had the weekend off but apparently Mr Andrews sometimes works during the weekend and so even though I didn't officially have to come in, he did call me up and have me run a couple of quick errands for him, I still get paid for them so I don't mind too much, plus I wasn't busy anyway, just getting the last few moving bits unpacked and running a couple of errands of my own. 

Last week was strange at work, everyday that I went in I felt like Mr Andrews looked different I don't know what it is exactly that looks different everyday, I still think he has a different look in his eyes each day, but I've learnt to not think about it as much. Has anybody else noticed this? I don't think so. I have also begun to notice that Mr Andrews has started acting differently too, he hasn't closed the blinds that separate our offices at all since the day he opened them, but not only that, sometimes when I am working I look to the side to see him staring at me. Just sat at his desk, his chair turned to face my direction, staring at me. Even when I look at him, he doesn't look away, he just keeps staring at me until I feel uncomfortable and turn away. 

I get up from my desk and walk towards the door of my office, a glance to my side through the glass reveals my boss scribbling in pen over some printed contracts before signing the bottom of them. I open my door and step out, closing it again behind me, I smile briefly at Allison before knocking on his door. 

'Come in'

I push it open and enter, walking closer to his desk and sitting myself down on the edge of one of the chairs in front of his desk, he doesn't look up from the rows of black and white that's in front of him. 'Mr Andrews, I have come to ask you a question' I state, watching his hand moves quickly as he signs the bottom of a paper, he doesn't respond, obviously waiting for me to continue and so I do, 'It's Mother's Day tomorrow and I came to ask you if I could have tomorrow and the day after off, only two days' I tell him. 

He shuffles the papers around a bit, 'why?'

'I wish to go and visit my parents, they live in a different town and I have only telephoned them, I want to see my mum on Mother's Day' I explain.

Finally he stops and looks at me, his facial expression clearly displayed his distaste at my words, he looked like I have regurgitated all over his expensive designer suit, disgust. 'I thought you were hired because you're intelligent, wanting to take two days off work simply to visit your mother who you speak to over the phone regularly sounds like unnecessary hassle, my secretary outside will have to work twice as hard to cover what you will miss in those two days, just so you can buy a box of chocolates which will be eaten in less than fifteen minutes and a card that will be added to a pile of cards that you have already given her over your life, and travel to a different town to give a hug and a couple of kisses' the disgust on his face grows before he rolls his eyes and looks back down at the papers in front of him 'What an unnecessary waste of time, it's remarkable that you would even put importance on a day that humans have created to celebrate being a mother, as if it is something that hasn't already been celebrated before the child was even born' 

My eyebrows rise in surprise. I expected him to say no. I expected him to tell me that I would have to come in on weekends to make up for the two days. I even expected him to kick me out of his office. But I certainly didn't expect for him to give a bitter speech about his obvious dislike for Mother's Day, who knows what he thinks of Father's Day or even birthdays. 

'What about your mother?' the question escapes me before I even have time to fully process it in my brain and stop myself from saying it. His body visibly tenses and his head slowly raises to look at me, his eyes looked like a raging blue sea was being held back by a thick sheet of cold, hard ice. But even that look didn't stop me from opening my mouth again, 'Aren't you going to buy chocolates and a card of your mother? Josephine?'