Claire

My weekend goes by fast. Mom offers to take me shopping for new clothes. Nikki drops by unannounced with Craig and their children. An unusual visit, but I welcome them, nonetheless.

Thomas arrives on Sunday with groceries and he stays over all day. We watch the hockey and basketball playoffs. His girlfriend went to her parents’ and what’s the next best thing other than spend the day with her? Apparently, he decided to watch sports with Claire.

Or maybe, Mom knows something is up with me because she keeps calling to check if I’m okay, and everyone in my family parades at my apartment since I came home.

By Monday, I’m very ready to go to work. New clothes, new attitude, and a pair of Louis Vuitton high heels my brother gifted me. The world is mine.

I usually wear pants to work, but today I’m wearing a skirt. Short enough to show my tanned legs but not too short that I have to make sure I’m not showing my underwear.

“I own the world,” I repeat to myself as I park my car.

The same four words I say as the elevator takes me to the sixth floor and the doors open. I got this. Going on vacation should be normal. Darth Vader and his asshole boss can suck it and learn to live.

They can’t bully me just because I wasn’t there when they wanted me to be. I did my job. Last night, I made sure to pull everything from my email. I screenshot the emails I sent and even print them in order. The weird thing is, I couldn’t access my office computer or the cloud storage. My work email is a mess. Thankfully, I always backup everything on my personal drive.

Do I have trust issues? Yes, I’m a woman working at a place where the male population behaves like they are the only ones who matter.

When I arrive at my cubicle, I spot Gary coming out from the empty office. Then, I turn to his desk, which is now empty. His computer isn’t there either. Weird. I try to turn on my computer but it’s not working.

I kneel to check that it’s connected, and that’s when I hear the asshole clear his throat.

“I like you on your knees. Maybe we should start the day that way,” he says with that slimy tone that screams sexual harassment.

“You know what I didn’t miss while I was gone?” I pause, but before I can say anything, he says, “If I were you, I’d be careful about your attitude.”

I chuckle at his threatening voice, adjust my skirt and stand up.