Tales of a Single Girl....

Chapter twenty: Enough Is Enough....Maybe

I decided to call in sick the following day.

I really was not in the mood to deal with work. I had certain niggling doubts – not just about work itself but about life, particularly what was going on with it. I couldn't believe just how angry and helpless I felt. and I didn't like these emotions. I had absolutely no control over my life and the thought sickened me and pissed me off, surprisingly simultaneously. I needed to take control again, take the proverbial bull by the horns, so to speak.

I had to be brutally honest with myself; I hadn't been happy in a very long time. It wasn't so much the work situation or the fact that I had been single for so long situation or anything else for that matter. What was really bugging me was this discontent I was experiencing. Was I going through a quarter life crisis? Why was I so self absorbed?

Then there was Robert. Why was I taking everything so personally and obsessing about him the way I was? How did I know that he wasn't really busy? Instead, here I was, completely freaking out and being under the impression that something sinister was going on when most likely nothing could be further from the truth. I really needed to talk to the guy before automatically making the assumption that something dreadful was going on.

I called work to let them know I wouldn't be in. Of course, Jennifer Love Looney answered the phone in that sing song voice of hers.

"Good morning, Adult Knowledge, this is Jennifer speaking," she sang out. I couldn't help thinking that she must have overdosed on happy pills.

"Hey Jennifer, it's Eva," I replied, hoping my voice sounded as croaky and sick as possible.

"Hi Eva, so I guess you won't be coming into work today," she said in that special way of hers.

"Well no, actually, you see I'm really...." I answered.

"Sick, yes of course," Jennifer sighed. "The fact of the matter is, what you're really trying to say is why should you come into work when you've been given the arse, I mean fuck them, right? FUCK THEM."

It was so weird hearing Jennifer talk that way but what was even weirder was how her voice had changed from pleasant and almost deliriously happy to downright menacing. She sounded angry as if some wrong had been done to her and I didn't know what to make of her obvious irritation. She obviously had a chip on her shoulder about something.

"Well..." I tried to continue weakly, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't worry Eva," Jennifer said in a suddenly gentle voice. "I promise that everything will turn out the way you want them to and right where you least expect it. I was talking to my great aunt who died a few years ago and she told me that what you need to do is plonk yourself in front of the television, put on a soap opera or two and have plenty of chicken soup. And ice cream. And make sure you get plenty of fluids."

"Thanks, Jennifer," I replied, wanting to end this weird conversation as quickly as possible. "Please make sure to pass the message onto Archibald okay? I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." I hung up before she could say another word. Then I sighed.

I grabbed my mobile and quickly sent two text messages, one to Kate and one to Judy, telling them I wouldn't be in the office and I'd catch up with them soon. My heart sank as I realised that pretty soon I wouldn't be working with them at all.

My thoughts turned to Shelley and I wondered what she was doing. I didn't feel so angry anymore, or even remotely irritated. I was curious, more than anything else. I still couldn't work out why Archibald automatically assumed that somehow I was responsible for hacking into peoples' email accounts and reading them. Someone must have said something to him. Why did I feel like this was all Shelley's fault? Was I really just paranoid?