"No," I insisted. "I don't want to do that. She's so well cared-for and settled."
"The staff is the best. There are other rooms, semi-private ones you could move her into."
I rubbed my head in frustration. Those rooms didn't have a garden view—or a space for Penny's easels and art books.
She would be so unhappy and lost. I had to keep her in her private room, no matter what.
Mr. Ethan walked in the office, staring at me. I hesitated before saying anything else, unsure if he would stop, but he kept walking, entered his office, and shut the door with a quiet click behind him. He didn't acknowledge me, not that he ever did, unless it was to yell or curse, so I could only
assume the strange call he had me make had been acceptable.
"Miss Brown?"
"I apologize. I'm at work, and my boss came in."
"Do you have any other questions?"
I wanted to scream at her and say, "Yes! How the hell am I supposed to come up with another four hundred dollars to give you?" but I knew it was useless. She worked in the
accounting department; she didn't make the decisions.
"Not at the moment."
"You have our number."
"Yes, thank you." I hung up. They certainly had my number.
I stared at my desk, my mind going a mile a minute. They paid me well here at Titan Inc.—I was one of the highest salaried PAs because I worked for Mr. Ethan. He was horrible to work for—his dislike of me obvious.
However, I did it because it made me extra money, which all went to care for Penny Johnson.
I traced my finger along the worn edge of the blotter I kept on my desk. I already lived in the cheapest place I could find. I cut my own hair, bought my clothes at second-hand
stores, and my diet consisted of ramen noodles and a lot of cheap peanut butter and jam. I splurged on nothing, using every opportunity to save a little. Coffee was free in the office, and there were always muffins and cookies around.
The company paid for my cell phone, and in the warm weather, I walked to and from work, to save the bus fare. Every so often, I used the kitchen at the home to bake
cookies with the residents and brought some in to work to share. It was my silent way to make up for the goodies I snagged.
If an unexpected expense arose, there were days those cookies and muffins were all I could afford to eat. I checked to see if there were any in the break room before I left at night that I could put in the small freezer in my apartment.
I blinked away the tears that were building.
How was I going to come up with another four hundred dollars a month? I already lived from paycheck to paycheck. I knew I couldn't ask for a raise. I would have to get a second job, which meant I would have less time to spend with Penny.
The outer door opened and Julian came in, his face like thunder.
"Is he in yet?"
"Yes."
"Is he with someone?"
"No, sir." I picked up the phone, surprised when Mr. Ethan didn't answer my buzz.
"Where was he?" he demanded.
"As I told you this morning, he didn't tell me. He said it was personal, so it wasn't my place to ask." He scowled at me, his beady eyes almost disappearing.
"This is my company, young lady. Everything that happens here is my business. Next time you ask. Understand?"
I bit my tongue so I wouldn't tell him to go fuck himself. Instead, I nodded, relieved when he marched past me and slammed into Mr. Moore's office.
I sighed. That door was slammed so often I had to get maintenance to rehang it almost every month.
A few minutes later, Julian slammed back out, cursing under his breath. I watched him leave, an anxious sensation building in my stomach. If he was in a bad mood, it meant Mr Moore would be in a bad mood. That meant only one thing: soon he'd be yelling at me for whatever mistake he thought I'd made today.
I hung my head. I hated my life. I hated being a PA. I especially hated being a PA for Mr. Moore. I had never known anyone so cruel. Nothing I did was ever enough— certainly not enough to warrant a thank you or a grudging smile. In fact, I was certain he had never smiled at me the entire year I'd worked for him. I could remember the day Julian summoned me to his office.
"Ruby,"—he looked hard at me—"as you know, Lilian is leaving. I am going to reassign you to another account rep—Ethan Moore."
"Oh." I had heard horror stories of Ethan Moore and his temper, and I was nervous. He went through PAs quickly. However, reassignment was better than no job.I had finally found a place for Penny where she was happy, and I didn't want to take her out of it.
"The pay rate is higher than what you're making now and that of the other PAs." He quoted me a figure that seemed enormous, but the amount meant I could give Penny her own room.
Surely, Mr. Moore couldn't be that bad. How wrong I had been. He made my life hell, and I took it—
because I had no other choice.
Not yet.
My intercom buzzed, and I steadied my nerves.
"Mr. Ethan?"
"I need a coffee, Miss Brown."
"Anything else, sir?"
"A few moments of your time."
I shut my eyes, wondering what was about to happen.
"Right away."
Carrying his coffee, I approached his office with trepidation. I knocked, entering only when he bade me to come in. I had made that mistake once and would never do it again. His biting remarks had stung for days over that infraction.
I made sure my hand didn't shake as I placed his coffee in front of him and readied my notebook, waiting on his instructions.
"Sit down, Miss Brown."