He glares at me. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. Not after everything I did to get you rescued. I led a massive campaign, begging all our celebrity clients to help get the word out. I sent a jet for you and your family to get you home safely. I found the best doctor on the Eastern Seaboard. Or … well, the best one who was willing and available, anyway. If that doesn’t show what you mean to me, I don’t know what more you could possibly want.”
Oh, you don’t know? Well, allow the new me to tell you. Because new me articulates what she needs.“I want a promotion to the job I’ve been doing all along. I want to hand over all the menial tasks you force your assistant to do to someone else who’s willing to do them. I want to finally have a life. A real life where I get a full night’s sleep and do whatever I want in the evenings and on the weekends instead of forever being at your beck and call. I want to go back to school to finish my degree, not full-time or anything, maybe two classes a semester. I haven’t figured that out yet, but it’ll mean I need to free up more time for that.”
He switches over to the icy calm demeanor he gets when he’s about to lose it. “Well, that’s all really lovely, and I’m glad you want to better yourself. I’m all for it, in fact, especially if you think you’re going to end up with a seniorposition someday. And I already told you. I will find a replacement, but it will take time,” he says through gritted teeth. “But it sounds like you want a huge raise and to be allowed to coast by doing the bare minimum from now on, which frankly is concerning, Paige. It makes me question your future at this company.”
My heart beats in my chest so hard, I can hear it in my ears. I do my best to look calm and confident, but this might be the beginning of the end here. And I might regret it for the rest of my chronological life. But I have to do it. I need this. He is never going to stop using me. “Believe me, you’re not the only one questioning my future here.”
“Are you threatening to quit?”
“No, I’m telling you what it’ll take to keep me. It’s as simple as that,” I answer. “You said it yourself. My stock has gone way up. People are clamoring to work with me, so it’s time for you to either put up or shut up.”Gah! Put up or shut up? Paige, you cannot say that to your boss! Back it up. Back. It. Up!
He lifts his left eyebrow and makes atsking sound. “No one tells me to shut up.”
“It’s an expression. Feel free to keep talking if you have to,” I answer. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, my brain starts to ring an alarm bell. The clanging in my head is saying I’ve gone way too far. But then I realize, that voice is coming from the old, scared me. I take a slow, deep breath. “You know what? I changed my mind. I don’t want a promotion or … actually even more time off.”
His face relaxes. “Good. I’m glad you can see you were being unreasonable. Now, I’m going to chalk this up to the trauma you’ve suffered recently and we can forget the whole thing.”
Standing, I say, “I don’t want those things because I quit.”
He opens his mouth, then closes it again, his face turning red.
“I’m done. I quit.” Giving him a sarcastic salute, I say, “I’m on Paige Time now.”
31
When You’re Wrong, You’re Wrong…
Mac - Three Days Later
List of Replacement Items:
Oats
Rice
Pancake Mix
Powdered Milk
Iced Tea Mix
Syrup
Spaghetti
Pasta Sauce
Shampoo/Conditioner
Soap
Toilet Paper
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
