Rejected by my boss

He looked down the street and he could see his apartment from where he was standing. It looked dark and grey, the paint had started to peel off from the building. Somewhere far away he could hear a dog barking. He looked around and saw that there were only few people in the street and they were looking at his expensive suit. Maybe they were wondering how a poor man like him could wear can an expensive suit, they knew he couldn't afford it and they were surprised to see it on his body.

He hurried to the house so he could take off the suit because it had started to seem very uncomfortable for him.

He reached the gate and it was locked. He tried knocking on the iron bars but nobody replied.

He turned around and thought of where he could go.

"Charlie, is that you?." He heard from the building and he spun around. It was his neighbour, Jake.

"Jake, thank God, I was wondering where I would go tonight."

"You're lucky that I caught sight of you from my window." He said coming forward to open the gate.

"Thank you very much." He told Jake.

" You don't have to thank me. Why are you all dressed up, is there a big event?. " Jake asked.

He was working the keys figuring out which one would open the gate and finally, he pushed the door open for Charlie to pass.

"We could say that. Henrietta's father was holding some kind of party, I and Henrietta got engaged last week, so I was expected to be there."

"You look good, I think he would like you, congratulations on getting engaged."

"I'm back already from the party."

"Is it over?." Jake asked me.

"No. Her father chased me out."

Jake was silent.

"Why would he do such a thing?." He finally asked.

"Because he looked at me and he knew that I wasn't wealthy, at all. So he told me to leave that I couldn't marry his daughter."

"What about Henrietta?." He asked Charlie.

" She's fine, she wanted to come with me but I told her to stay."

"Why?."

"Because her house is better than my house, she was raised the fine way, I can't let her suffer with me."

"You have a good reason to tell her to stay. Charlie, everything would be fine, you'll see. Just go in and have a good night sleep, it's past midnight already."

" Thank you Jake. " Charlie said and started to walk Into the building. He reached his door and searched for his keys in his pocket, he got it out and turned the locks, the door opened. He entered into the house and he locked the door.

He goes to his room and he takes off his suit, he throws it on the bed and goes to take his bath. When he comes back he takes the suit, arranged it properly and he dropped it in his wardrobe.

He layed on his bed but he couldn't sleep, he kept on thinking of everything that happened. How Henrietta's father looked at him and then frowned before telling him that he couldn't marry his daughter.

"Who told the man that I was poor, of course he looked at me and he didn't see the expensive jewelry... But someone must have told him." The voice in his head said.

He closed his eyes and eventually he fell asleep.

It was morning already. He stood up and prepared for work. He had decided that he would ask his boss for a promotion, it would lead to a better pay.

He took the bus and he arrived for work early. Immediately he reached his work place, he went straight for his boss's office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in." The voice of a lady comes through.

Charlie pushed the door open. Sitting behind a huge desk was a lady wearing a white shirt.

"Yes, how can I help you?."

"Good morning, I'm here to speak to the boss." Charlie told the woman.

"Do you have an appointment?." She asked him.

"No, I work here." He told her.

"I know, do you have an appointment?." She asked.

"No, I don't have an appointment." Charlie told her.

" Than fix an appointment with the boss, when it's your time for the appointment you can come and see him. "

"But it's urgent."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you." She said and returned her attention to the computer that was in front of her.

Charlie walked towards the door of the door and pushed it open.

" Hey, you can't go in there!. " The receptionist shouted.

Charlie was standing in front of the boss's office door. He could see his boss sitting in one of the chairs in the office and reading a newspaper.

"Good morning sir." Charlie said with a loud voice.

"Good morning." The boss told Charlie, he dropped his newspaper on his laps and looked up at Charlie. "How can I help you " he asked him.

"Sir this man doesn't have an appointment." The lady said to the boss.

" It's fine Catherine, you can leave us.". The boss told the receptionist and she left.

Charlie walked further into the office.

"I'm Charlie, I work for you." Charlie told the boss.

"I can see that you work for me, you're wearing the miners uniform." The boss said to him.

He looked down at the dark blue uniform that all the miners wore.

"I'm here to ask for a promotion." Charlie told the boss. He could feel his heart beating.

"A promotion?." The boss asked him.

"Yes sir." He said.

"What did you say your name was?." He asked Charlie.

"My name is Charlie, sir."

" How long have you worked here?. "

" I've worked here for three and half years, by October, it would be four years. "

" What do you want to be promoted to?. "

" Supervisor at the mine, sir. "

" What makes you think that you can qualify for the job?. "

"Because for years, I've shown my diligence to this cooperation sir and I've put all my time into being one of the best employees. I believe it's high time I got promoted. "

The boss laughed.

" What makes you think that you can rule over the others?. " The boss asked in a harsh voice.

"It's not my intention to rule over anybody." Charlie explained.

" Oh shut up. You're one of those people that think that life is easy, and you think that you're kind of special. Now I'm going to give you two options, either you keep working in the mine, as a miner or you leave. "

" But sir, I've worked there for almost four years now. "

" There are other people who has worked longer than you. Now choose one, keep working or get out of my face. "

Charlie thought about it…if he left this mine, then he would have to go back to Lila's house and he didn't want that.

" I'm going back to work. " Charlie said.

"Good job, I thought you were dumb and stupid, now go back to the mine where you belong."

" Okay sir. " Charlie said walking out of the office.

" Charlie, now I've marked your name and your face, if you're not careful you'll face a demotion, what you just pulled off now is a sign that you can betray me and sell our secrets to our rivals. "

" I'm not that sort of a person, boss, I was just trying to earn more because I work hard and I earn less, I only requested for a promotion but since you didn't agree to promoting me, then I'll go back to work in the mines like you had told me to, your wish is my command. " Charlie said trying to clear his name and his intentions but the man only got angrier.

"Get out!." He shouted in a demanding tone.

Charlie turned the door knob and walked out, he could hear his boss murmuring to himself, the first face his eyes landed on was Catherine, the receptionist of the boss's office, on her face was a wide wicked grin.

"Please, visit next time." She said mockingly.

He walked back to the mine to continue his day's work. It was either this mine or nothing for now.

He knew that somehow he had hurt his leg by working too hard. He dropped his tools on the ground beside where his bag was. He sat on the ground and he pulled his trousers up to examine his leg.

He placed force on the spot that he felt mild strain and the pain increased. The skin around the area had started to turn dark.

He touched it again and the pain came, he felt sweat crawl down his forehead and somehow it found its way Into his eyes.

It stunged like hell, he took my bag from the side and he used the end of the bag to clean the sweat from his face and also he tried to clean off the ones around my eyes.

Finally, the pain in his eyes stopped but it had brought tears from his eyes, if anyone saw him they would think he was crying, but wasn't it fair to cry when life was unfair to you. He kicked the ground and dirt flew out when his feet hit the ground.

He missed being wealthy, he missed the good life. Why did he have to suffer this way. He turned around and found that there was more work to be completed.

He stood up, despite the headache, or the pain in his neck, or leg or eyes... He stood up and he began to work, in a short while, everything would be fine.

He knew that very shortly, he would overcome this and he would be wealthy, he didn't know why but the feeling was strong, he was certain that he would become rich.

It was evening time already.

He referred to walk home, firstly it saved money, he wouldn't have to pay for transportation and it gave him a clearer picture of his day, he could think of whatever happened and he could always reflect on his actions.

He was close to my house when he saw her. Henrietta, she was standing in front of the gate, she was wearing a red dress that he could see from where he was.

Something in him opened and bursted, suddenly he became happy. His steps quickened as he hurried to meet her. As if sensing him, she turned around sharply and when she saw him, she ran towards him and he wrapped my arms around her in a hug. It seemed like ages since he held her close to him.

"Baby, what are you doing here?." He asked her trying to feign anger but instead, he was showing concern.

"I came to see my fiancé." She said with a big smile.

" Henrietta," he started " Don't you see what's happening, even though you're optimistic, at least, look at the reality of it. I'm a pauper while you're a billionaire. "

" Charlie, don't say things like that." She told him pushing the gate open and walking j to the building. "Come on, let's go inside."

"Where's your car?." He asked her.

"I didn't come with it today."

"Why?." He asked her.

"My dad said... He said I'm not allowed to see you again, but you know how he is, he'll forget this ever happened very soon."

"Henrietta no, I can't let you sneak out just to talk to me... What if your father finds out that you're here with me."

"Let him find out for all I care and I'm not sneaking out, I'm a grown woman."

"You're nineteen."

"Yes, I know that but age doesn't matter. You're barely twenty one and you're already a man."

"I knew I had to survive, that's why I don't act my age but I'm not going to let you come inside the house with me."

" Why?. "

" I'm sorry, but you can't, I can pay for your transportation back home. "

"I want to go with you, you can't send me home." She said dragging him past the gate into the building and she let go of his hand and strained her way further into the building. He caught a hold of her hand.

"Henrietta, come here. I want to make something clear to you. " Charlie told her, there were no emotions on his face because he was trying very hard to control his emotions, he wasn't prepared for what he was about to do, he didn't want to do it because he knew that whatever he was going to say was a lie and he didn't want to lie to her but he had no other option, he was trying to protect her from the wrath of her father.

" Henrietta, you have to take the ring off. " He told her.

The look on Henrietta's face was cold enough to freeze the whole world.

" No. " She said folding her hands in front of her chest.

" We can't be together. " Charlie said to her.

"Why, because my dad said so, Charlie I expected us to be stronger than this, way stronger than this, one word from my dad and you're running away."

"I'm trying to save you." He told her.

"Don't try to save me, I don't need saving, I need you back in your right sense because you've gone crazy to think that I can leave you."

"Henrietta...." Charlie said trying to touch her but she backed away from his touch.

"I'm leaving now, just because I need to give you time and space to think but Charlie, I'm never leaving your side, understand it. Good bye."

She said and she started to walk away, she pushed the gate open and Charlie watched her until he couldn't see her any more.