Chandler:Dry cleaning. Today. Drop it off at the front desk.
Me:What have I told you a million times? I’m not your errand girl.
Chandler:Bernice fucked it up last time.
Me:I wasn’t aware she washed and pressed your clothes.
Chandler:She picked up the wrong order. A hideous suit that was made for someone four times my size.
Me:Tragic. Get your own dry cleaning.
Chandler:You still work for me.
Like he would ever let me forget it.
Me:Goodbye. Contact me when you have a real job for me.
Chandler:Is what you’re doing even considered a job?
Me:Goodbye.
I tossed my phone on the coffee table, and it clattered next to the cup of peppermint tea I had made this morning that was now cold. I sunk into the couch and crossed my arms, glaring at my phone. Chandler was insufferable. I didn’t realize he could make me hate him even more just through texting, but he had special skills that he must have learned in his many years of asshole school.
A lot of people worked from home. It didn’t mean that I didn’t have arealjob or that I wasn’t a valuable asset to the company. If he really thought I was worthless, he sure texted and emailed me a lot over the smallest things. He would be lost without me, though he would never admit it. I wondered what he would do if my father hadn’t assigned me to help his sorry ass.
I pulled myself from the couch, grabbing my ceramic mug from the table and taking it to the kitchen. I placed it in the microwave and hit the timer for thirty seconds. As it reheated, I rummaged through my pantry for something crunchy. I found a bag of honey mustard pretzels that would hit the spot. As I munched on a few, I heard a knock at the door.
Confused, I swallowed the bite of sweet and spicy pretzels and walked toward the door. I wasn’t expecting anybody. At first, I thought it might be Chandler coming here to chew me out, but there was no way he would have gotten here that fast. Nor did Ithink he wanted to be within a three-block radius of me. He had made that abundantly clear at our run in at the office.
The knock sounded again.
“Just a second,” I said, annoyed by this visitor’s impatience.
I looked through the peephole and sucked in a breath when I saw my father standing on the other side of the door.
“What the hell?” I whispered to myself, my nerves taking over.
My hand shook as I reached for the door, regretting my choice of rubber ducky pajamas as today’s “office” attire. I opened the door and gripped it tightly as I looked at my father standing there in one of his best suits. He looked tired, his wrinkles deeper and his hair whiter. My heart swelled slightly at the sight of him, realizing just how much time was a thief.
“Hey, Dad…” I said, the words sounding like a question.
His lips remained pressed into a hard line as he looked me over, noting the pink pajamas with yellow ducks plastered over them. His brow raised a tick, and just that tiny expression was full of judgment. Could I blame him? I was supposed to be a professional and I looked like this on the job. I reached up and nervously tucked a strand of unbrushed hair behind my ear, as if that would help me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, not yet pushing the door open to let him inside.
“That’show you greet your father?” he asked. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days, Gabriella. What the hell?”
I swallowed hard. He was pissed. I had been avoiding him, leaving his texts on read and not returning his voicemails. There had been several of both, each becoming more adamant than the next. I wasn’t trying to worry him. I just didn’t know how to face him with everything going on, but here he was, not giving me a choice. Honestly, I was surprised he hadn’t shown up sooner.
“Sorry, I… er… come in,” I said, pushing the door open and stepping aside. He walked swiftly past me and looked around my apartment as if he was looking for something. His eyes settled on the coffee table that housed my laptop and paperwork.
“Well, it’s nice to know you’re working,” he said curtly.
“Of course I am,” I said defensively.
“My question is, why are you workinghere?” he asked, his arms wide as he did a slow circle in the living room.
“I thought I would try out the whole work from home thing. Working remotely is the norm now, you know,” I said innocently.
