Chapter 2

GRACE

With speed and roughness, I swerved toward the shortcut that led to my workplace. With the way I drove, it was surprising that no police car was on my tail.

But it is a good thing that did not happen. It would have been tedious to have another reason to be held down.

Soon, I arrived at my destination.

With reckless haste, I grabbed my bag and ran into the two-floor building.

I could feel eyes on me as I raced to my station while I hoped within me that my friend was able to cover for me and that my boss wasn’t around.

Many seconds later, I made it to my office but I was breathing so hard that I had to pause for a minute.

With my right hand reaching for the edge of my desk, I leaned against the wall and slid down until I reached the floor.

“Grace is that you?” I heard the voice of my partner, Samantha, calling from her seat.

Unable to speak as I was still trying to achieve normal breathing, I managed to wave my right hand to answer her.

In no time, my blonde workmate was crouched in front of me, and the bottle of water in her hand was placed against my mouth.

I gulped the water so fast that Sam couldn’t help but amusedly watch me.

Once I finished the whole bottle, a satisfied sigh left me and I finally became normal. I then motioned to the boss’s office and asked if he was around.

“Grace, I am afraid the boss won’t be lenient with you this time around. He has been waiting for you since eight.

I tried to stall but he was already threatening to fire you. I want...”

Samantha’s voice soon became very, very distant as I dejectedly went into my little word of thoughts.

The moment I hoped not to witness was finally around. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I get fired. I kind of deserve it.

But it is still scary that the one stable thing in my life is about to crash.

With lumps of emotions stuck in my throat, I came back to reality and glanced at Sam.

With worry etched in her eyes, she placed her hands on my shoulders and said, “Grace, I know the past few years have been rough for you. But the lifestyle you chose to deal with your pain is destroying you.” Her feet adjusted and she shifted closer. “I don’t like seeing you this way, Grace. Grace, please...”

Sam’s pleading words were soon interrupted by the firm voice of my boss who mercilessly screamed my name from his office.

I hurriedly leaped to my feet. If not for Sam, I would have given in to my weak knees and fallen. But her support assured me and I dusted the back of my trousers.

“Miss Sands! Where the fuck is your ass at?”

Ohh. My boss is madly angry. Shit.

I rushed out of my office and headed to the boss’s, jamming into someone in the process.

“Hey! Come on!” Whoever it was said, his hands in the air in protest.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.” I kept mumbling as I resumed my rush to the boss’s office. When I made it to his office, I took a moment to catch my breath, then I pushed open the glass doors that were separating him from me.

“Good morning, sir.”

I greeted the figure behind the huge, wooden desk which had paper works arranged at one side, and a laptop in the centre. Two picture frames and his rarely used desktop computer decorated the far end of the furniture.

Adjusting the glasses on the rim of his nose, my boss caused his almond eyes to connect with mine and I just knew that I was screwed. His face displayed calmness but the anger in his silence was of the greatest level.

I read more of that anger when he got up and pushed his chair a bit too hard.

After he swiftly raced his fingers through his hair, he walked towards me. A few seconds later, he stopped and stared at me from that distance as though he was trying to read me.

His stare became so intense that I had to look away and train my sight on the white tiles. Then I began to dread the silence and wished that he would just say something. Anything.

A huge sigh from my boss broke the uncomfortable silence but he didn’t talk until seconds later.

He said, “Look at me, Sands.”

Biting into my lower lip, I lifted my head and urged myself to stand strong. I was starting to feel a slight headache and I didn’t want that feeling to overpower me.

“I am afraid you have taken it too far, Sands.” My boss’s hoarse voice was too calm. “Last time you came late to work, you said it wouldn’t happen again. You have used that statement almost ten times in three weeks and that is not impressive for a top employee like you.”

He blinked furiously and released heavy breaths before continuing, “We had a board meeting today where I was meant to submit the work I assigned you last week but you were nowhere to be found neither was your work.”

As that moment advanced into great suspense, he backed his steps a little more and walked to the grand window behind his desk. He stared out of the window and said, “I am sorry Miss Sands but we can’t condone such an attitude. The board members requested that your...” He sighed and my heart tightened. “... employment should be terminated.”

He whispered the last words, it was almost as though he hated what he just said.

I finally let out the air that I had been keeping in, my body shaking a bit as I did.

Unable to give any reasonable response to his question of whether I would be fine, I just nodded and walked out of his office, unusual heaviness in my chest.

With a fallen face I made it to my office and slumped into my chair like a bag of rice. I heard Samantha approach me and when she made it to my desk, I looked up at her and pouted, my tears threatening to come down.

“I was fired...” I whispered into the room and the pain in my heart filled my voice.

“Oh, Grace. I am so sorry.” Her sort-of-chocolate scent teased my senses as she leaned closer to give me a full hug.

Then, I started to cry. I cried about my life at that moment.

But when I remembered how my life changed nearly two years ago, I began to wail, so much that I began to get cooing voices from Sam who kept running her hand to and fro my left arm.

“I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry,” she said, the tone of her voice appeasing me.

I sniffled, looked up at her through my blurry sight, and asked, “Why are you sorry? I... I brought this u...u...upon myself. I don’t... I don’t...”

Speaking became harder and my crying took over once again.

I cried until my tears refused to come out.

After a while, despite the frequent jerking of my body, I found a way to compose myself.

I wiped the strands of tears off and told Sam I was fine.

Even though her face said that she did not believe me, she released me from her motherly hug.

Then, I grabbed my bag and took out the work I was meant to submit, and dropped it on my desk. Grabbing my phone too, I got up and faced Sam, trying as much as possible to not start another bout of tears.

“Thank you so much for everything, Samantha. But, I should be on my way to fully start my first day of being jobless.”

Her smile was sad and I could tell that she pitied me. “I will help you pack up. So go home and rest.” I nodded and made to walk out of the door but she stopped me by grabbing my hand.

I glanced at our contact and appreciated the warmth I was getting from it.

Sam continued, “I am begging you to stop living a reckless nightlife. Please stop it now. It is killing you, Grace.”

“I know...” I sighed and hoped that my tears wouldn’t come up until I get to my house.

Samantha squeezed my hand to communicate that she was going to be there for me.

Once she eased our contact and reminded me that she would send my office materials over.

Soon, after giving a nod, I walked out of the room and approached my recently changed life while feeling like the zombie I feared that I would see if I had looked into the mirror before leaving my home.