Chapter Twelve
Hannah
Six weeks later.
“Are you already aware of the latest Bathroom Bandit episode?” Hirim asks as he settles at the table with his lunch. We decided to have lunch in the break room today.
“You know I always hear these things before you,” I say, trying not to roll my eyes while speaking with food in my mouth.
Ruby narrows her eyes and questions, “How do you always find out about things before everyone else?”
“First,” I say, pointing my fork in her direction, “you don’t even work on our floor anymore, so you’d be one of the last people to hear about our gossip.”
She grumbles, calling it rude but true.
“And second,” Hirim prompts, intentionally provoking me.
“Second, everyone is aware I’m desperately trying to figure out who it is and they know to come to me the second they hear anything.”
“Do you have a spy slash gossip network or something?” Ruby playfully teases as she spears a tomato from her salad. I notice she’s been eating salads frequently lately. I wonder if it’s because she’s dieting for her wedding, but I don’t want to ask and cause her stress.
“That’s right,” I say as I skewer a chicken piece and put it in my mouth.
“Okay, Ms. Gossip Queen,” she mocks. “If you’re so well-informed, spill the beans about what actually happened this morning.”
“Well,” I say, getting closer. “According to Heba, she opened the mail today and found a package with no specific recipient, so she took it upon herself to find out who it belongs to.”
“Hannah, skip to the good part,” interrupts Hirim. “We already know that Heba is the receptionist and what her role entails.”
Rolling my eyes, I carry on with my story. “Inside a package she opens, there is a plastic takeaway container with a shit inside.”
We all break out in laughter.
I manage to say, amidst laughter, “Someone sent a fucking shit in the mail.”
Once the laughter subsides, Ruby asks, her tone suddenly serious, “Do they have any information about who sent it? It must be the same culprit who consistently does things like this in the bathroom on your floor.”
“It’s possible that it could be a disgruntled customer, but given the recent Bathroom Bandit episodes happening, the timing seems too suspicious to ignore,” I say.
According to Hirim, BHI is taking it seriously and involving the police in a full investigation. “There’s word that an office-wide email will be sent, requesting anyone with information to step forward to help with BHI’s investigation,” he adds .
Interesting. That, I had not heard yet.
Ruby suggests that if the culprit is indeed a disgruntled customer, they should address the issue to prevent potential future harm. Then, Ruby inquires about any potential leads I have on the culprit’s identity.
While Ruby is my best friend, she’s also a Team Leader at BHI, so I’m hesitant to put her in a position where she might have to disclose information to a manager.
“I have a working theory that it could potentially be Susan,” I say softly. “It’s about time she retires, and she’s been a miserable cow for years, constantly complaining about hating her job here.”
“You only dislike her because you believe she was the reason we were separated when we started working here.” Ruby’s mention of our time on the same team brings back nostalgic memories. Susan complained about us talking too much, so they decided to split us into different teams. I was bitter about the lost time Ruby and I could’ve had if Susan hadn’t complained.
“True,” I state. “Jeremy and I are working together to investigate. He looked into the employee logs for the days of the bathroom incidents, and Susan always has a “break” code. It’s highly likely it’s her.”
“I can’t believe you convinced him to do that,” Ruby says, concern evident on her face.
“We’re friends,” I say defensively. “And he’s been supporting me with my investigation.”
Ruby mentions that there could be severe repercussions if he were to be caught checking on other employee’s computer status codes in that manner.
“Really?” I ask. “He didn’t mention that to me when I asked him if he could help. ”
“ Obviously , he wouldn’t admit it,” Hirim scoffs. “He’s in love with you and would do anything for you.”
“I want to make it clear once again, Hirim, Jeremy and I are simply friends. We’ve been ‘just friends’ for a couple of weeks now,” I say.
“Yeah, after you rejected the poor guy and put him in the friendzone. That doesn’t mean he can just turn his feelings off,” he snaps.
I take a deep breath, place my fork on the table, and turn to face him. “Jeremy and I have talked about it, and we’ve agreed to be just friends for now. I don’t want to lead him on, so I’ve been honest about my intentions from the start.”
“Then why did you kiss him in the first place?” he asks.
“Lower your voice,” I hiss, cautious of our surroundings in the break room. “I had mixed feelings for him, which is why I kissed him, but when I saw it wouldn’t work, I fixed things.”
“I’m sorry,” Ruby interrupts. “But how could you have known it would never work between you two?”
I pause, attempting to strategize my answer without divulging the complete extent of my emotional turmoil after Clae.
“Because she’s still not over Clae,” says Hirim bitterly.
“No,” I lie. I believe it’s a lie, at least. “I’m feeling really messed up from what happened with Clae and I need to take time for self-improvement. Before anyone else can love me, I must learn to love myself,” I say, quoting one of the most recent self-help books I’ve been reading.
“Is that the reason you had sex with Clae after learning about Ruby’s engagement?” Hirim’s question makes me want to slap him. I love Hirim like a brother, but sometimes, he can be a real asshole.
“That was, like, two months ago,” I exclaim, wincing as I realize that half of the people in the break room are now staring at me.
“Yeah, and still, he continues to call and text you,” he says with accusation.
“Just because he does, doesn’t mean I’ll get back with him. It doesn’t mean I should rush into a relationship with the first interested guy. The first available guy after a breakup is not a recipe for a successful relationship. Isn’t that what people call a rebound? Before I can commit to anyone, I need time to be single and focus on myself. I don’t want Jeremy to be my rebound.” I huff. It is an effort to stop myself from ranting any further.
“So, are you saying Jeremy still has a chance?” Ruby asks quietly.
“I’m unsure about my feelings for Jeremy,” I admit, and it is partly true. I am not aware of the depth of my feelings for him. I don’t want to ruin our friendship by pursuing a relationship that is likely to fail, because I truly enjoy being around him.
I was concerned that staying friends wouldn’t work after I spoke to him and asked to be ‘just friends’. Despite everything, Jeremy has been incredible over the past six weeks, and it’s like nothing had happened. I enjoy spending time with him, and it’s a huge relief that we can be friends.
“I enjoy having him in my life and don’t want to put that at risk,” I finally say.
“We’ll stop mentioning it,” Ruby says, giving Hirim a warning look to keep quiet. “If you’re sure that Susan is the Bathroom Bandit, I assume you’ll be attending her retirement drinks on Friday.”
Appreciating the shift in conversation, I respond, “Yeah, Jeremy agreed to come along with me. I plan to wait until she’s no longer employed at BHI to see if she’ll confess after getting drunk, as she won’t have any reason to worry about the consequences once she’s finally retired.”
“I doubt Susan will get drunk,” Ruby admits. “Friday night drinks are never her thing, and we’ve worked together in the same team for about three years.”
“Still, it’s worth a shot,” I say. “And I’m going to take it.”