Just as I’m sitting down to dig in, my phone rings.
Fraud calling...
Hesitantly, I answer, “Hey.”
“I’ll be there in an hour to take you home,” he says without preamble. “Do you need anything?”
“Top of the morning to you too, govna’.”
“Tillie.”
“I’m saying good morning. You know, like a decent human being.”
He remains quiet on the other end, and I bet he has that impatient, intolerable face suit on.
Silence stretches on as I wait for him to speak again. Eventually, sinceI’mthe bigger person, I give in. “I’m spending the day.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Another long bout of silence, then, “What about your work shift?”
“Eh,” I respond with a shrug. “I plan on handing in my resignation anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a dead end.” I pierce a slice of tomato with my fork. “Remember when I said I thought my boss was hazing me? Turned out he was only picking on me because he ‘liked’ me. You know, like some preschooler bully-type shit. Things got a little better when he began pursuing me. But now that I’ve said ‘no’ enough times that he’s finally gotten the hint that it’s never gonna happen, he’s treating me worse than before, keeping me off the line and giving me all the grunt work. I’ve put up with it for as long as I can because he’s so damn good at his craft. But there’s no room for me to grow there at this point.”
“Hm,” he grunts distractedly, keyboard clickity-clacking in the background.
Is he even listening to me?
After seconds of nothing but typing in the background, he says, “Say the word.”
“What?”
“Say the word.”
Oh…For Pete’s sake, he’s just like my brothers. “No. I’m not saying any words. No words have been said or will ever be said, got it? Not a single word.”
Silence.
“Santo!”
“What did I say about using that name?”
“Please tell me you understand that Idon’twant anything to happen to my boss. He’s too talented to go to waste.”
“Got it. But you can’t spend the day.”
“I’m staying.”
“Tillie,”he grits out.
