Chapter 26
T he office was unusually quiet for a Thursday morning. There were only a few of us in, all busy typing, even Joel, who was clearly struggling to press the right buttons on his keyboard because his hand was covered with a fresh bandage.
The others were either off sick, already the victims of the seasonal flu, or out on site, looking after twice as much workload in the absence of our other colleagues.
Through the only external window of the office, I could see dark clouds forming on the otherwise colourless October sky, and soon, our restless keystrokes were suppressed by the noise of the fast rain drumming on the corrugated metal roof.
Today even Diane’s little room was dark and locked up; she’d chosen the perfect week to go on a sunny holiday in Florida with her family. Although I had almost four weeks annually to take myself, I couldn’t think of a year when I’d used up all my allowance; there was always way too much work to catch up on whenever I returned from an extended leave.
I wondered how others managed to get on top of everything after being absent for a week or two. Perhaps they never do … This idea scared me. But maybe a holiday was exactly what I needed to get away from it all before work and this weather suffocated me. After all, besides the gym, and my occasional shopping trips, what else could I look forward to that classified as ‘me time’? It was always the same routine. Even my meals were the same almost every day at about the same time: cereal and toast for breakfast, a shop-bought sandwich for lunch, and a ready meal from my fridge in the evening. Though I wasn’t ad vertising it, I thought there probably wasn’t a person in the office who didn’t know most of my schedule by now. I drew a deep sigh – my life was utterly predictable.
Thinking about it, my whole existence seemed pretty sad. What if Adam and my sister were right, and I needed to spruce up my life a little? Or a lot…
Outside it was pretty grim, and the bright artificial lighting in the office made it feel closer to dinner time than 9 a.m. I was already drained and battling a terrible headache. Despite the temperature being only eighteen degrees upstairs, I felt hot and bothered, and my lips were dry and cracked. Someone opened the door to the landing, and another chilly draught swept through the upstairs, making me shiver.
I got up to grab a drink from the water cooler in a currently deserted corner near the large external window. Adam followed me but didn’t fill a plastic cup. Instead, he leaned against the wall next to the machine, arms crossed, watching me.
I took a sip from my drink and asked, ‘What happened to Joel’s hand?’
‘He got bitten on site when inspecting a new kitchen.’
‘Has someone reported this to the client? Tenants aren’t allowed to keep dangerous animals in the properties.’
‘It wasn’t a dog; it was a resident.’
I sighed. ‘Oh goody.’
‘Have you been catching up on Peppa Pig ?’
My reply was a sneeze, and I spilled my drink, almost losing my balance.
He was about to reach out to steady me, but I stepped back, signalling to him I was fine. Struggling to breathe, I took another deep inhale to clear my airways and refilled the cup.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked with concern in his voice. ‘You look awful. You should be at home in bed.’
‘I’m fine. I’m never sick,’ I said, sneezing again, but this time I made a conscious effort not to waver.
‘You are now.’
I shook my head. ‘I can’t be sick. Today is the deadline for MFR.’ Adam gave me a puzzled look, so I added, ‘Monthly financial reporting – I can’t go home.’
‘Is there someone else who can do that? You can’t stay here like this. You’re as pale as a ghost, and you look like you’re about to pass out.’
I opened my mouth to speak, but another sneeze pre-empted my words. This time it came out so loud that it drew the attention of the others. I shuddered again, prompting me to button up my blazer. Adam followed my gaze to Ricardo’s empty desk.
‘Anyone else?’ he asked.
‘I showed it to Ritha once, but she’s never inputted the data on the cash flow and profit margins tab.’
Adam resumed his perplexed look and said, ‘You’re talking Greek again, but surely there’s a manual she could use. You must go home and rest up.’
I returned to my seat, and he followed me back like a shadow. I could sense he hadn’t taken his eyes off me.
Just as I was about to type in my password to unlock my computer, David pushed his door out wider and called out to me, ‘Evelyn, can I see you in my office?’
His voice still sounded like a deep melody, but there wasn’t as much charm to it as a few months ago. In recent weeks, he’d started to leave his door ajar, perhaps to keep an eye on the team, or perhaps to keep an eye on me…
Sometimes, I wished things had turned out differently with David, but as soon as the idea popped into my head, I chased it away. All I had to do was remind myself that Paloma was a living, breathing person with a baby bump, not a figment of my imagination, and David’s devilish appeal immediately started to wear off.
I looked at my screen; it was still displaying the Excel sheet I’d been working on. How could I forget to lock my screen before leaving my desk? Something was definitely wrong with me today.
Before I could reply to David, Adam spoke for me. ‘Evelyn’s not well; she needs to go home. ’
‘What’s wrong with her?’ asked David, stepping out of his room.
‘She’s probably caught what Jenny has,’ Adam said. ‘I hear Ricky and Katie are off with the same.’
‘Is she okay to get home on her own?’
I waved a hand high up in the air. ‘Hey, guys, please don’t talk about me as if I’m not here, and yes, I can make my own way home,’ I said, rising from my seat but collapsing back on it a second later.
‘Evelyn, let me take you home,’ offered David, hurrying to my desk to break my fall, but he was too late; Adam’s strong hand was already on my back, steadying me.
Adam jumped up from his chair. ‘I can do it.’
‘No, it’s fine. I’ll take her.’
‘Isn’t there a monthly client meeting you need to attend today?’ Adam asked.
‘Perhaps you could attend this one; you’ve already sat in a couple. It’d be good for your progression,’ David replied, putting a hand on my shoulder as if telling Adam to back off.
‘Who’d be there to back me up on the financial side of things?’ argued Adam, placing a hand on my other shoulder.
‘Jake or Ritha can go with you.’
‘But how would it look if both the commercial lead and the ops lead were absent from the most crucial meeting of the month?’ Adam pressed. ‘Surely it wouldn’t go down well with the cli—
‘Enough,’ I cried, my eyes darting from Adam to David and back. It was like watching a table tennis match, and I got tired of trying to predict where the ball would fall next.
Both men looked taken aback by my sudden exclamation, and they lifted their hands off me; all the typing in the background stopped too.
‘Adam is right – someone senior should be present,’ I noted quietly.
Adam put on a triumphant smile.
David nodded, murmuring something like, ‘Take good care of her,’ and returned to his office, this time closing the door behind him.
‘Ritha, can you come here for a second?’ I said without turning my head towards her. The slightest movement now caused me to ache all over. My voice sounded extremely weak, barely audible even to me, but even before I finished the sentence, the young woman was already by my side. ‘Have you still got your notes on how to do MFR?’ I asked.
She nodded.
‘Good. I need you to finish it for me.’
I briefly explained where I was at and advised her whom to call for help should she get stuck. She quickly grabbed a pen and a piece of paper to make notes, and her bright eyes told me she’d understood everything.
I admired how prepared and professional she was – she’d go far in the business. If I was a fast learner, she learned at the speed of light. I should have invested more time in her training, but Elsa had asked me to focus on Ricardo. After all, he was next in line.
‘Got it,’ she said. ‘Hope you feel better soon.’
‘Thanks, Ritha,’ I replied, attempting to pack my computer away, though Adam had to help me as my hands didn’t have any power left to even close the lid of the machine. ‘If you encounter any issues, you’ve got my number too. Just call me.’
She nodded again, but I expected she wouldn’t.
‘Shall we?’ Adam asked, hanging my laptop case and my handbag on his shoulder. He then put his other arm around my waist to support me out of the office.
Under different circumstances, I’d have found a strong man equipped with a woman’s bag amusing, but not today. Had he not been there for me, I’d have fainted taking the first step from my desk.
On the way out, we passed Dean in the kitchen. He said hi but seemed to be in a hurry, oblivious to my poor state. Before leaving the building, I heard some shouting upstairs, but I couldn’t quite catch what Dean was saying .
I turned to Adam. ‘What’s Ardas done now?’
‘He superglued Dean’s chair to the floor. Nothing for you to worry about.’
I was about to say, ‘When are those two going to grow up? And yes, it’s turning into my problem too,’ but I decided to save my remaining energy and focus on getting out to the car park alive. I was hoping David would finally intervene and put a stop to their extremely immature pranks now that they’d damaged office furnishings; we couldn’t afford to keep paying for damages caused by practical jokes.
Perhaps that’s why David had been leaving his door ajar – to take control of the situation once and for all. Perhaps it had nothing to do with him having an unobstructed view of my new desk…
‘Let’s take your car,’ Adam said as we stepped out.
It was still raining heavily, and I could feel the damp and chilly wind biting into my flesh and bones.
‘I thought we were taking yours,’ I said. ‘How are you going to get back?’
‘I’ll be fine, and who knows how long you’ll be off? You don’t want to leave your car here; you might need it once you’re feeling better.’
I found it touching how considerate he was and let him direct me to my Nissan. As we reached the car, he held out his palm to me. ‘Give me your keys.’
In my head, I was preparing a long protest, but all I managed to do was shake my head slightly. I’d looked after my car like Selena had her beloved four-legged pets. It was my baby.
‘Did you think I was going to sit in the passenger seat and watch you drive? You can’t even hold yourself upright.’ He must have read my mind and added, ‘Look, my shoes are clean; I’m not going to ruin your precious car.’
Feeling faint again, I reluctantly passed him the keys. He opened the passenger-side door, helped me onto the seat, and threw my bags on the back seat.
‘Hey, gently,’ I cried with the last of my energy .
‘Your laptop will survive – don’t worry,’ he said, sitting behind the wheel and starting the car.
‘Wipe that smirk off your face; it’s really irritating.’
But Adam smiled on. ‘I still can’t believe you chose me over David – I didn’t see that coming.’
‘It wasn’t a choice between you and David. I chose what was best for the business. Besides, you’re the only person who knows where I live; I’d prefer it stayed that way.’
‘You still chose me…’
I was barely conscious, dying here, and he was still trying to provoke a silly argument. I buried my face in my hands and started massaging my temples, trying to imagine my aches away.
‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.
‘I’d feel a lot better if you stopped talking.’
And thank God, he finally did.
*
When I opened my eyes, the blackout curtains had been drawn, but a bright light filtered through the shelving unit separating the sleeping and living areas. It was the kitchen light.
Then I heard water boiling, and I caught a glimpse of a man’s back.
I rubbed my eyes, got up, and, still half-asleep, stumbled towards Adam. ‘What are you still doing here? I thought you’d gone back to work.’ My words came out more fluently than earlier today – a clear sign that I was on the path to a quick recovery.
He turned around and said, ‘I did, then I came back.’
‘What for? And who let you in?’
‘I took your key. Thought you wouldn’t need it; you weren’t going anywhere like that.’
I looked at my watch. ‘God, I’ve been out for eight hours…’ I murmured more to myself than to him. I rarely slept that much .
He nodded. ‘Yep, sunshine. Do you feel better now?’
‘Much better. It’s only a slight headache now.’
He rummaged through a white plastic bag on the counter then held out his palm with two round white tablets on it. ‘Take these,’ he instructed. ‘I’ll get you some water.’
I gave him a suspicious look. ‘What are these?’
‘Just painkillers.’
‘Yeah, I’ve heard that before…’ I told him, recalling what Selena had said about tramadol.
‘Scouts honour, it’s just paracetamol. You can take two.’
I hesitantly took the pills from him, then he grabbed me a glass of water to wash them down with. Before I swallowed them, I should have asked him whether he’d ever been a scout – it was unlikely.
‘What are you doing in my kitchen?’
‘Isn’t that obvious?’ he asked back. ‘Cooking.’
‘From where I’m standing, it looks like you’re just making a mess.’
The worktop was covered in vegetable peel, dirty chopping boards and knives were lying around, and the water in the large pot on the hob was starting to boil over, with some foam-like lava surging out and landing on the pristine tiled floor. Some cupboard doors and drawers also weren’t properly closed.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll clean up afterwards,’ he said.
I sighed. That was exactly what made me anxious.
‘Are you hungry? I’m making dak gomtang ; it’s basically chicken soup, just the Korean version.’
‘I haven’t met a man who could cook before,’ I said. ‘Where did you learn it?’
‘From my nan.’
‘She was the one who taught you how to knit too, right? Anything else she taught you?’
He smiled. ‘Lots of things. As a child, when I struggled with something, like homework or a chore, she’d make me recall an old Korean saying, of how patience and perseverance would always yield a reward… or something like that. She was an am azing woman. She came to live with us after my mother’s death. You remind me of her. She was strong, just like you.’
‘I wish I could have met her,’ I said politely, feeling my cheeks going red. Although the extractor fan was working hard, the steam from the soup made the air hot and humid. At least I blamed my facial reaction on that. ‘So when is it going to be ready?’
‘Another half hour or so,’ he said, then as he raised his head, his gaze fixed on my top.
Suddenly I became acutely aware that I was still wearing my office clothes and had been sweating like hell – thus the white blouse sticking to my body was now almost see-through, making the contours of my bra visible.
‘I should have a shower and get changed,’ I said, folding my arms to cover myself somewhat. ‘The bedding probably needs changing too.’
‘I can help with that.’
‘You’ve already done enough for me. You must have more important things to do in your free time than cook soup and change bedding for me.’
‘Not really,’ he said. ‘You really don’t like accepting help from men, do you?’
‘I don’t like accepting help from anyone – full stop. I can take care of myself.’
‘You sure proved that today.’
His remark reminded me that everyone in the office had seen me weak today. It wasn’t a comforting thought.
‘I never get sick, maybe once in a blue moon, but then I get over it in a day,’ I told him, and it was the truth: I’d never really had to take sick leave before.
‘Why don’t you go have your shower, and by the time you come back, dinner will be ready?’ he asked.
I nodded.
There was an unusual tenderness to his voice tonight, making me feel relaxed and on edge at the same time. As if we were an old married couple having our usual chat at the end of a long day – but that wasn’t right .
This evening with Adam brought my parents to mind. I could still recall how much they used to talk to each other during dinner when I was little. Then, when I was a teenager, mealtimes became quieter, my father seemingly bothered by whatever my mother said. Eventually, she spoke less and less, and Mum would now only babble if all the family was together, as if to pretend that they were still happily married. Unlike her, my father wasn’t working so hard to keep up that illusion.
‘But before you go, please tell me where you keep the fresh bedding,’ Adam said, bringing me back to the present.
I pursed my lips.
‘Okay, I’ll find it myself.’
‘I don’t want you to go through my stuff. Don’t you have any respect for people’s homes?’
He raised an eyebrow, suppressing a chuckle. ‘Are you seriously asking that from a site manager who’s managed works at hundreds of occupied properties?’ He put a hand on his hip, adding, ‘Come on – just tell me where it is. I promise I won’t tell anyone you’ve accepted my help.’
I thought it was a little late for that as most of our colleagues had already witnessed him lending me a helping hand.
‘Fine. It’s on the top shelf of the wardrobe,’ I said, pointing towards the sleeping area.
‘Holy shit,’ he exclaimed as he opened it and took out a clean duvet cover. ‘Do you iron your bedding?’
‘Who doesn’t?’
‘Like, normal human beings.’
‘Hotels get their laundry ironed too – what’s wrong with ironing my bedding?’
‘Just that this isn’t a hotel. By the way, I saw your ready-meal collection in the fridge – impressive. But you know you can’t keep eating those. Eventually, they’ll just make you sick, and who knows what else they do to your body.’
I recalled my pregnancy scare and how the nausea from my constant curry eating had made Jenny think I’d been expecting. I hated that Adam was right (again) but didn’t want to admit to it and boost his ego. So instead, I told him, ‘I do eat healthy stuff, but those particular ready meals aren’t that bad.’ I spent a fortune on them and bought only the ones with the least amount of processed ingredients. ‘What can I say? I rarely have time to cook.’ The truth was my cooking skills were almost non-existent. I could perhaps boil rice in a bag and fry a steak.
‘Why not trade some of your cleaning and ironing time for some cooking time?’
I shot an annoyed look at him.
‘Alright, I can see that’s not going to happen, but at least you’re definitely on the right track to being back to your usual humourless self,’ he said. ‘I’m happy to come and cook for you anytime. Maybe you can come around too and sort out my flat. Or, as I mentioned before, perhaps we should move in together. That would save us some money and hassle in going to and fro.’
‘You’re not moving here.’
‘I meant you could move to mine. I do have two bedrooms.’
‘You’re crazy,’ I said, but his expression told me he wasn’t being serious anyway. I waved at him and left to have my shower.
*
‘Feeling better?’ he asked when I returned from the bathroom.
‘Yes, definitely. It’s like I’m back to normal now – I told you it only takes me a day to recover.’
‘I wish I was like that. When I catch something, I usually can’t get out of bed for a week,’ he said, and his phone buzzed. After checking the message, his expression turned unusually serious. ‘Sorry, I’ve gotta cut this short, but the soup’s ready for you.’ With that, he turned off the hob, grabbed his coat, and left.
What was all that about? Was it about his dad? Or Like David, was he, too, hiding a pretty model-like skeleton in the cupboard that I was yet to learn about?
I stopped myself from guessing further and looked around the kitchen. Of course he’d left the mess behind for me to clean up.