She's The CEO

4. Stale Pizza

Autumn, 2013

"Where are you?", Caleb asks me on the phone as I hang my bag on one shoulder, trying to find my apartment's key. I feel the cool metal in the pocket and take it out to open the door only to find a female voice giving commands. I recognise the voice instantly and gave out a frustrated groan.

"I'll be late.", I tell Caleb.

"The appointment is at two, Bi. How much time? I'll be there in a few minutes only?"

"I'll be there before my session starts I promise. I'll meet you soon. Bye!", I say as my mother comes to me.

"Bianca Genevieve Winston! What is this place?", my mother says in her high pitched voice and I cringe a bit.

"My apartment?"

She huffs, "Well, looks like a junkyard to me."

A man holding a basket of my clothes, moves past me.

"Hey, those are mine!", I say as I stop the man and pick one of my favourite shirts.

"Yes, Bianca. And Sean, is taking these for laundry. And Martha has cleaned all the places. She's doing your room now. And Bi, I found a five days old pizza.", she glares at me.

"How do you know it was five days old?", I ask her.

"Because, the receipt was lying on it as well."

"Have you been going through my stuff?", I ask her with narrowing eyes.

"I don't have to, Bi. It's all around the place for mortal eyes to relish and see."

Okay, and now she's quoting poems.

"Look mom, I've to go.", I tell her as I place my bag on the table and pull out my wallet. I go inside my room which looks ten times bigger because of the absence of all the clutter. I see Martha with a vacuum cleaner.

"Where's my purse?", I ask her.

"It's in your wardrobe, Ms. Winston."

I pull out my purse and keep my wallet in it and rush out as I see the time on my wrist watch, "I'm so going to be late."

"Where do you have to go?", my mom asks.

"I'm going out with my friends to discuss about a project, I've to submit this week.", I tell her.

"Without your bag? I think it has books which you might need?"

"I was going to take it.", I facepalm myself mentally and take out a book and keep it in my purse.

"Okay Bianca, listen up. You're in college now and everytime I visit I see the same conditions. Please be responsible.", my mother says with a serious expression on her face.

"I don't have time! I'm taking three majors, mom"

"No one asked you to, Bi."

I scoff, "I'm going to be the CEO of Winston Corp, mom. No matter how much you don't want me to. And I'm going to learn everything I need to prove that I can do my job."

"Don't talk to your mother like this. And of course I want you to be the CEO, Bianca. You need to stop thinking that I don't. You have been preparing for it since you were sixteen.", she says.

I smile bitterly at her. I know she never liked the idea. I was a girl, and that to the younger child. She always wanted Caleb to get the position.

"Thanks for letting me know mom. I'm going now.", I rush out of the apartment leaving my mom.

I take the taxi and and look out of the window. It was a sunny afternoon. I think about my conversation with mom. I was nineteen and still my mother would pop up anytime to check on me. It was infuriating.