CHAPTER TWENTY TWO, PART ONE: Just Another Day at the Office

Previously..

“Sammy?”

“B..”

“What?”

“Its Eric Walker.”

“…”

“I think there’s something you should know..”

—————-

The following day.

MVP Towers, New York.

“Boss, this day’s looking to be quite a stressful one. It’s gonna be really crazy. Are you ready?”

“…”

“Boss?”

“…”

“Uh.. boss?”

“…”

“Miss Bette?”

“…”

Cough. “Miss Bette?”

—

Ah fuck..

I think I’m doing it again.

Yesterday afternoon, an irritated Alice snapped at me in front of everyone for spacing out when she was baring her heart and soul and shared her fears over Dana’s new flirtatious friend. She was hoping to earn my sympathy, but instead I gave her a look of blank ignorance that thundered across her ego like a slap to the face. Hurt, she didn’t talk to me for the remainder of my stay at Sam’s summer house. Apparently, I was not a good listener; therefore, not a very good friend – at least at that moment.

Last night, my father called me out for my lack of ability to focus. Preparing me for my short stint at the PGC in his absence, he had been giving me last minute instructions before I leave the Hamptons for NYC when he barked an expletive at me. Apparently, I was looking at him blankly throughout his twenty minute spiel – and at the end when he asked me if I had gotten everything, I just shook my head, blinked and answered with a very frustrating ‘oh.. you were talking to me Daddy?’. If it weren’t my late grandmother’s precious vase that was beside him, I’m sure he would’ve chucked it at me. Livid, he sent me out of the room – while his nurse knocked him out cold with a sedative.

This morning, Kennard rolled her eyes at me, huffed aloud and called me a scatterbrain. Apparently, I walked out of my bathroom in a mismatched pair of Nike running shoes and a ratty set of sweats when I should’ve been wearing the Versace powersuit that she had set aside for me for my day at the office. She was mumbling incoherently the whole time she was changing my clothes for my silent and sheepish self – I had no idea what she was saying, but I bet it wasn’t good. You see, I had also annoyed her an hour back by accidentally applying toothpaste on my hairbrush when I was about to clean my teeth. I think it was an honest mistake – but I don’t blame her for freaking out a bit. Moments before that, I had absentmindedly draped a wet towel over an opened lampshade. Predictably, it almost caught fire. Tina had to clean my mess for me – well.. and straighten up my shit too. I was stumbling all over my ass and my frazzled girlfriend-slash-maid was struggling to pick up the slack. When it was time to say goodbye, I leaned in for a sweet kiss and missed her lips by a mile. She wasn’t too happy to receive a kiss on a wide-opened eye – especially since my saliva irritated her vision and my tongue poked her pupil. I would’ve been stunned about it too, had I not been busy walking mechanically towards the car, my vision glazed and my mind elsewhere. If I was conscious enough of my surroundings to throw a last glance at Tina, I’m sure I would’ve seen the worried look that was clearly etched on her face. Throughout our short morning together, not once was I able to look her in the eye. I was so out of it, I’m sure she noticed.