Rules of engagement

ILLUSTRATION | JOSEPH NGARI  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By LIZ LUNDI
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Good morning, Liz, are there some documents you would like me to look over?” Chris asks, looking up from his computer. I look into his eyes, and I do not at all see the man that I spoke to last night, the one who confessed that he is in love with me. Instead, it is painfully clear to me that I am speaking to my boss.

Confused and a little speechless, I look at my empty hands and wipe them down the sides of my skirt; no, I obviously did not come here to get any documents signed. And now that I am here, I don’t know what to do with myself.

“I was, um…” I trail off, not sure what to say. Then I decide to just be honest. “I was just popping over to say hello,” I say.

“Aha,” he nods. “Liz, please shut the door and take a seat,” he says. The moment I am in the chair, Chris stands up and comes round to my side of the table, and looks down at me. I feel powerless having to look up at him. Then he crosses his arms on his chest. “Liz, whatever happened last night, whatever conversation we had, we must not forget that up until the point that I vacate this office, I am still your line manager and you still report to me.”

AWKWARD MOMENT

I look down at my lap, totally embarrassed. “Yes,” I mumble.

“When we are at work, we work, yes?”

“Yes,” I say. I stand up quickly and head towards the door. I don’t think that I want to have this conversation with him anymore. “Later, then, boss,” I say as I open the door and step out of his office, but rather than head towards my desk, I make a sharp right towards the ladies’ room where I can kick myself in peace. What a horrible start to the day. After splashing my red-hot face with some cold water, I make for my desk.

I am still in shock from my encounter with Chris – so much so that I almost don’t pay attention to the person sitting at Louise’s desk when I walk past. But when my brain finally catches up with what my eyes see, I come to a screeching halt, because it is not Louise, but my nemesis Ciru, sitting there, watching me. As if this day could get any worse.

I give her a terse nod, and then: “Are there any messages for me?”

“No,” she replies archly.

“Any meetings scheduled?”

“Nope.”

“Anything due?”

“No.”

“Ok.” And then I walk into my office, slam the door and call Louise. “Louise, this woman Ciru is going to cost me my job, I tell you,” I say. “Is there any way you can help that not happen?”

“What would you like me to do?” she asks.

“I don’t know… can you work with me as well as Chris?”

“That’s quite a heavy workload, you know,” she hedges.

“Ok, fine. I guess no one wants anything to do with me today!” I say in my most childish voice and then hang up the phone. Five seconds later I am regretting my childish outburst. Louise has done nothing wrong, I am just taking out my frustrations with Chris on her. So I send her a short email apology and decide to settle down to work and put all this Chris business behind me.

An hour later, the shrill ringing of my cell phone brings me back to the present. I look at the display: it’s Fatma.

“Liz!” she exclaims when I pick up. “Where have you been? I have been trying to reach you forever!”

“I don’t have any missed calls from you,” I say.

“Not on your cell phone, I’ve been trying to reach you on your landline. Your new PA has been telling me you haven’t come in to work yet. I know it’s not like you to be late so I wondered if everything is alright?”

Ciru has been doing what?! This is war, I think to myself. “I’ve been away from my desk for a bit,” I lie, “but I am fine. What’s up?”

“We’re ready to present some concepts to you,” she says, of the advertising work that her firm is doing for us. “I was wondering when you wanted to do that?”

“I, er…” I am trying hard to focus but all I can think about is what a horrible b***h Ciru is.

“Liz, are you ok?” Fatma asks. And that’s when I start to cry.