Strange Lady and Coffee

Meera sat there in the cafeteria drinking coffee, when her cell rang.

"Hello, who's this?"

"Gerald's mom. Ask him why he isn't picking up my phone?"

"Yes, Madam Whitmore, right away. Just give me one moment."

Not a single sound came from the other end. Meera ran as fast as she could and without knocking, she entered Gerald's cabin.

Before she could say anything, she saw a sight which made her widen her eyes. She dropped the phone in her hand and it fell, its parts scattering on the ground. She covered her open mouth with her palms.

Her boss, Gerald Whitmore, with whom no one dared to speak in a high volume, was being scolded by Emily Taylor, the newcomer.

She knew that her boss had some special relation to this woman, which was why she always trod carefully around her, but she did not know that her boss was so smitten with this lady. He did not even think twice when ordering her to be in his cabin, knowing full well that the rumors within the company were bad.

Meera looked at her cell. She bent down and gathered all the parts and fixed it. But it refused to switch on. She did not want Madam Whitmore to call the secretaries, so she knocked on the door.

A female voice answered, "Come in."

Meera raised her eyebrows but did not enter. Gerald cocked his head to the side to catch a glimpse of her and said, "If you don't wanna come in, why did you knock?"

"Umm.. Sir, you didn't answer so I didn't have the courage to come in."

"It's okay. As long as it is Miss Taylor, you have to follow her orders without question. Consider her authority only second to mine. Is that clear?"

"Yes Boss," Meera said with a smile on her face. Inside was going full wow. What happened to her boss today? He was unlike how he usually was.

"Anyway Meera, why are you here?"

"Umm… Boss.. Madam Whitmore called and said you should take her calls."

"Oh yes. My phone was on silent. I'll call her right now. Anything else?"

"No Boss. Nothing else. Have a lovely day ahead, Boss." Meera blushed hard and ran off.

What did she just see? Her boss was right there, smiling at her, genuinely. It was not that kind of smile which he had on his face during the meeting with his clients. Neither the formal one which he usually wears in front of his family to show them he's perfectly fine. This smile was that kind of genuine smile which came from his heart.

Wow, her boss could actually smile, huh? Meera shook her head, smiling to herself. Life might be a bit easier now. With such thoughts in mind, she did not know who she ran into, when a high-pitched scream burst her eardrums.

"Hey, watch where you're going, you bitch."

Meera looked up. Someone dropped a huge cup of hot coffee on her and dared to call her bitch and even dared to tell her to watch her step.

"Hey, it is not totally my fault, okay? You should've watched your step too. Besides, who let you in? Do you have an appointment? You can't be here. Security… Security…"

None of the security came, but the lady strutted right towards Gerald's cabin.

"Oh no!" Meera said. She tried to rush towards his cabin, but her skin started burning from the hot coffee.

She stumbled towards his cabin, when he saw Gerald was standing in front of Emily, trying to defend her in front of that strange lady.

The strange lady was wearing some cloth brand she didn't recognize. A huge sunglass sat on her long hooked nose. She had a designer watch on her left hand and a pair of bangles on her right. Her earrings were too tacky for Meera, but all she could do was hope that Boss wouldn't be angry with her.

The pain from the burns was increasing. She held onto the door handle and was going to faint, when she saw a lady rush to her aid.

A pair of fair hands held her by her waist and asked, "Oh no, Meera, what happened to you?"

Without waiting for Meera to reply, Emily dashed into Gerald's room and searched for the first-aid kit amidst the shouting from the strange lady.

The strange lady stood there shouting profanities at Emily and Gerald was close to blowing his top.

Meera sighed. What a great day! First it was Paris who caused a ruckus in the company and now this strange lady.

She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she saw Emily spin right in front of that lady; she looked her in the eye and gave a tight slap across her face.

She walked towards the door, opened it and turned back to say, "I am trying to treat someone and it would be best if you keep your voice down, because the next slap won't be this light."

"Wow." Meera went in her mind. She was definitely the kind to stand up to people for justice.

Gerald followed Emily out and saw Meera. "What the hell happened to you?"

Without waiting for a word, Gerald called the ambulance. The strange lady was still trying to argue with Gerald, but one look from both Emily and Gerald made her stop in her tracks.

"Gerald, I need a scissor."

Gerald dashed into the room and soon brought a pair of scissors and some cold water."

"Thanks," Emily said and grabbed the stuff from his hand.

She looked at them and said, "Will you please clear this floor immediately?"

Gerald nodded. Meera stared at the pair in awe. She had known his boss for three years and one could say she was the closest to the boss and she understood her boss the best. She understood him, his needs, everything—even without him making a sound. But she never saw his boss cooperating so well with someone.

It was definitely a great day for her, minus the scars the hot coffee was going to leave on her. She got to see the different shades of her boss, thanks to Miss Taylor.

It would be a lie to say Meera did not have a crush on her boss, but it was not that kind of crush. She respected him as her senior and she always thought that no matter how harsh her boss was, he had a pure soul—a soul he did not want to show to anyone, but she was wrong. There seemed to be a person in front of whom he was inclined to bare his soul.

As all the jumbled thoughts cluttered her brain, the whole world suddenly spun and all she saw was black.

Emily panicked. She started cutting her dress as fast as she could. She never understood why these girls had to wear all these tight dresses. She cut half of it and tore the rest. She poured the cold water on her skin and tried to wake Meera up.

"When will the ambulance come? Should I contact Oscar? But what will he do? But maybe he can help."

Without further ado, Emily dialed Oscar's number. 'Uh, why did he have to be unreachable now? Damn it.'

A loud siren caught her attention. Finally they were here. She tried to lift Meera in her arms and with a little bit of difficulty, she did. She ran towards the elevator and pressed the button to the ground floor, praying for Meera and hoping Gerald had cleared the floors.