I work at a shipping firm. Mainly I just take orders from my boss, then tell others what she wants. Normally the moment she comes in she heads straight to her office, closes the door then calls for me over the intercom. Then the barking begins.
Today I looked up at the time. Four minutes from now the doors will open up and she will walk in. As usual I had her coffee ready, the sales reports ready, as well as a few other things that she had texted me earlier that she wanted when she came in.
Like clockwork the doors opened. She came walking in, passing all the other people in their cubicles. I jumped up, and started walking by her side.
"Morning," I said.
She put her hand out. I put the coffee in her hand, she took a sip of it. She nodded her approval. She pushed the door to her office open then walked in. Usually, this is where I would turn away, then walk back to my desk until she needed me.
"Come in," she said motioning for me to come in.
I had left a box on her desk that morning.
She looked at it and smiled.
"You remembered," she said beaming from ear to ear.
"Happy Birthday," I smiled.
I had got her a new bed set that she had eyed in a catalog.
"How did you know?" she said as she opened it.
"You circled it in the catalog," I smiled.
"Thank you." She smiled and gave me a huge hug.
She sat down at her desk. "I will be taking an early day," she said pulling her seat up to the desk. She looked up. "I can leave you in charge can't I?"
"Of course," I nodded. "Was there anything specific you wanted?"
"No, sales reports to go upstairs by two pm, no later. The new model phones to be put on the trucks by..." she began to say then stopped as she saw me nodding.
"I've got this," I smiled.
"You're a lifesaver you know that?" she smiled. "Now go out there and pretend I just chewed you a new one."
I smiled. This was our normal talk. I walked to the door then slowly began to open the door.
"Seriously do I have to tell you everything!" she shouted as I opened the door. "By now you should have figured it out!"
"Yes Lauren," I nodded, then closed the door.
All the others shook their head at me.
I passed out everyone's assignments, then got down to the things I had to do. The day went by fast as I was up to my neck in calls, orders and everything else that could happen. I didn't even notice when she left.
"How do you put up with that bitch?" Mike said.
Mike was one of those co workers that hardly actually worked. And when he did, he made it seem like it was the hardest job on the planet.
"Mike, not now," I said shaking my head.
I had been aiming to get out by five pm on the dot. But last minute orders had me running behind.
"I mean it, she treats you like dirt!" Mike continued.
"No she doesn't," I shook my head. "She just likes things done. She is under pressure also."
Mike shook his head then went back to whatever he did.
I finally got out just past 7pm.
As usual the next morning I got there just before everyone else on my floor. I did the usual setting up of all the things that needed to be done. Before I knew it, everyone had shown up.
The elevator opened and there she was.
"No," she said waving her hand at me as I offered her coffee.
As she got to the door she looked at me.
"I want to be left alone!" she said closing the door.
"Well that's new," Mike said as he came over to my desk.
Which was true.
Lauren had never not taken her coffee. Most of the time she would call me to come in by now to go over the day's schedule. I waited for hours but there was no call. She didn't even come out for lunch, which was a sure sign that there was something wrong.
"Excuse me," I said as I knocked on her door.
"Told you I wanted to be alone!" she shouted through the door.
I nodded, then went back to my desk.
This was very unusual even though she may have had a personal problem at home. She never brought personal problems to work and vice versa.
I waited until everyone had gone for the day. "I am going home," I said. "Do you want anything before I go?"
There was no response. I turned to leave.
"Wait," she said. "Come in."
I entered to see most of her things on the floor.
"He left me!" she said.
I shook my head. "Sorry," I replied as I began picking things up.
"Some blonde headed bimbo!" she yelled.
She tossed her phone at me.
There was a picture of her husband, on a boat with a blonde woman.
"She looks plastic," I said.
"She is!" Lauren yelled. "Fake tits, fake ass, fake everything!"
I nodded.
Everything about the woman in the picture looked off. She had super sized tits, on a skinny frame. Her waist was nearly non-existent. But then her hips were super thick. She looked like a perfect hour glass.
"She is one of those women, that you see on those sites!" Lauren said sitting down. "Where they try to look like human barbie dolls. She got her huge boobs, did waist training in corsets to get her waist like that, then butt implants!"
Lauren shook her head.
"Well no substitute for the real thing," I replied as I turned her phone off.
"Yeah right!" Lauren said.
"You will find someone," I smiled as I continued to pick up her stuff.
"I am forty-five," Lauren said.
"A good looking forty-five," I said without thinking.
