The Workaholic

Chapter 3

Three days later, again Karen hadn't heard from Eric and no matter what she did; she couldn't reach him, so in a desperate attempt to reach him, she decided to call his secretary Lisa.

"Hello? This Lisa speaking."

"Hello Lisa, it's me, Karen. I was just wondering where Eric was; he hasn't been answering at all," she admitted nervously.

"Well, he's been pretty busy," said Lisa "he is currently in a meeting. Do you want to leave him a message?"

Karen's heart sank at her question. To have to pass through another woman even though she was his secretary to talk to him and get the same result was just too much.

"Mrs Lauren?" called Lisa, wondering if the line had dropped after a long silence.

Karen snapped back to reality. "Um... no, it's alright. I wouldn't want to disturb him, thanks Lisa," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to hold back tears dying to fall.

"No problem, I'm at your service Mrs Lauren."

Hanging up, Karen took a deep breath to stop herself from crying and returning to her other duties.

"Hey, mom! Since you're off, can we do the Christmas tree finally?" asked Carla excitedly.

"Sure honey," she replied, smiling warmly at the excitement on her daughter's face, which made her feel a bit more cheery in this happy season that was anything but happy for her at the moment.

Brushing her sorrows away, she engrossed herself in her children's needs since it felt like it was the only thing she could do right.

That same night, Eric returned home just after dinner.

"We weren't expecting you to come back," said Karen, who had just finished cleaning the dinner table.

"I got off early," he replied bluntly, seeming in a bad mood.

"I see. I can heat up dinner if you want," she said, picking up on his mood.

"Nah. I ate out so I'm good," he replied, brushing her off. "anyway, listen, this year the company will hold a Christmas party again on Christmas Eve and you all will be attending, so I booked you all in for a beauty treatment; basically a makeover."

Karen's heart sank for reasons she wasn't quite clear on herself at his words. "Thanks, but why? Aren't we fine going just as we are?" asked Karen feeling desperate to confirm something.

Eric shrugged. "Yes, but I thought this year needed a little change," he replied, not noticing how Karen's face fell and darkened.

"Change, huh?" she mumbled feeling as if she was about to cry.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but her husband, who she felt she was constantly at battle with, suggesting or more like imposing a makeover like it was no big deal irked her and made her heart pain.

"Yeah. You'll see, you'll love it," he said, pleased with his decisions and still not picking up on his wife's degrading mood.

"If you say so," she replied, forcing herself to just act normal.

"Then I'll go up then," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Without realising how badly he had hurt Karen, Eric went up leaving her to wallow in her pain.

She already felt miserable, ugly and useless. Hearing him say that this year needed change just made her think that it was because she wasn't enough to satisfy him anymore; that their family was slowly falling apart.

As planned, they went for a makeover on Christmas Eve morning and attended the company party that night.

Among all the made-up high-class women, who looked better by his side than she thought she did, Karen felt like a fraud.