Tamara
Ifeel better than I have in a few days. A night out with a good friend can go a long way. As I enter the office, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Something’s not right and I can feel it. Some of the mess has been gone through and organized on a few tables in the main room.
I cautiously step into the hall toward where all the offices are. I stop when I hear the drawers sliding out, ruffling of papers, and sliding back in. A person in my office begins to mutter some things and then I hear the word ‘Damn’ come from that direction.
As I turn into the doorway, Charlotte is sitting in my seat, making another mess for me to clean up. “Where are they?”
“Good morning to you too,” I sarcastically say, having had enough of this bullshit to last three lifetimes.
“Don’t get sassy with me, Ms. Think-You-Know-It-All. You might think you run the show around here, but I own this fucking circus,” she stands from my seat and levels her gaze at me, hand on a hip. I notice her stupid little dog’s tail showing from under my desk. Asshole.
She has a point about this being the circus. If that’s true then she’s the ringleader. And that’s definitely true. I roll my eyes and set my stuff down. She’s worse in person than she is on the phone, but they’re equally painful.
“So, what is it that you’re after?” I ask her, in the mood to fight and glad to have a scapegoat for my anger. “Apparently whatever it is, you didn’t find it in my desk, did you?” I put my hands on my hips, sending a set of my own daggers. Take that you fucking wench.
“I need the books and ledgers,” she asks snottily. “And don’t make me wait for it.” Her fluffy side kick finally comes out from under the desk and barks, if that could be called a bark.
Something didn’t feel right about this to me. I probably shouldn’t ask this, but here goes. “Why do you want them, Charlotte?” I ask, looking down my nose at her.
“I want my accountant to look through them, and make sure you’re doing things correctly, given the circumstances surrounding this place,” she spit back at me with a fiery breath that could choke a horse dead. How can anyone want to kiss that?
“Well, Charlotte, let me take this moment to remind you again,” I lean on my desk, looking over her mess. Looks a bit familiar. “While I do maintain a hard copy of the books, everything can also be found online.”
“God damn it, you little bitch,” Charlotte begins to up the tempo and the volume of her berating, only this time, it’s me and not her husband. I guess I can take one for the team. “How dare you fuck around with me about what’s mine. You sarcastic cunt.”
“Sarcasm falls out of my mouth like stupidity falls out of yours,” I shout back at her.
She picks up papers and starts throwing them at me. Next came the pens and finally, a stapler. She missed all twenty-two times. “If you don’t hand over my books, I’ll see to it that you never fucking see the light of another day!” Her dog, still hiding under my desk, whines.
“I think you’re up to no good, Charlotte,” I say back in a rather disrespectful tone. “I can’t prove it just yet, but I will and then you’ll be the clown of the circus.”
“Shut up, bitch and get my books. I know you’ve been hiding them,” she screams at the top of her lungs. “Get me my goddamn books, now!”
I stare at her for a minute challenging her authority. “Absolutely not,” I say, which sends her into a state of final fury. Charlotte comes at me with a pencil and I dodge her, just as Jason comes in. She stumbles, but regains her balance.
“What is happening? I heard you guys from outside the building,” Jason asks and turns to Charlotte. “Is everything alright?”
She nods her head but then shoots icy daggers at me, pointing her finger. “I’ll be back, you saucy little wench. And you damned well better have what I want ready and waiting,” she stomps past Jason and whistles for her tiny gremlin, who of course takes off after her.
Shaking my head in bewilderment, I wonder if I can have the owner thrown out of her own business. In the state of shock I’m presently in, I feel relief that I got to blow up at her for once.
I join Jason at the door, watching the circus master stride into the boss's office. I feel sorry for the man. Why can’t het stand up to her? One thing, he isn’t as tall as she is.
“Hey,” Jason clears his throat and looks around my office. “What was that all about?”
“When I came in this morning, I found her sitting at my desk, shuffling through the drawers. She made demands for the books and I reminded her that she can find them all online. So, she did the most adult thing and threw a tantrum, throwing things at me and threatening me if I didn’t give her the books,” I shrug my shoulders and look at Jason, who is looking down the hall and back at me, a glint of trouble brewing in his eyes because of my statements.
“She said as much when she left the office, and her little dog, too,” I crack a smile. “But I sure did get in some good licks,” I begin to clean up her mess.
“Well, she’s gone for now,” he begins picking some things up along-side me, placing them in a pile on my desk. “But she’ll be back.”
“If I had a dollar for every item I’ve had to sort and put back these last two weeks, I’d have me a pretty good nest egg,” I smile at him. “Thanks for helping.”
“No worries, just wanted to see what the noise was about,” he steps to the door.
“Jason,” I say as he turns around. “I’m beginning to think Charlotte is behind all of this.”