Employee of the Year

Chapter 11 - Breaking and Entering

That night I knew Suzy was mad and I couldn’t blame her. She was well into her second trimester. Here I was coming home late in the middle of the week with beer on my breath.

“This was for work,” I pleaded.

“At a bar?”

“Some things you can’t discuss inside the office.”

“It was Gina again. Wasn’t it?”

“She’s trying to help me, Suzy.”

“What makes you so sure? How do you know she’s not trying to use you?”

“She’s not like that.”

“How do you know? She’s the one who got promoted. You’re still doing the same thing as when you started.”

“She’s the one who pushed me to go after the Employee of the Year Award. That’s enough money to start a whole new life once the baby gets here. We could buy a house and get out of this neighborhood.”

“What does that have to do with her? She doesn’t even work with you anymore.”

 “She works face to face with the CEO of the company. He’s a billionaire and he listens to what she says when it comes to the call center. Gina can put in a good word to help me win that prize.”

Finally she calmed down. “You’re right. I am sorry I got so upset. But I don’t like you going to bars, especially now with the baby on the way.”

“I don’t like it either. But the job isn’t just punching a clock. It’s about relationships. You have to get to know people and talk off the record sometimes.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I know you need to have friends at work and spend time with them. I guess part of me misses that. I never get to do that now. Since I left the restaurant, you and I never even go out.”

It was true. After our shifts at the churrascaria, we had always figured out ways to have exciting dates even when we had hardly any money. We’d visit a street fair or go down to the beach just to buy soft ice cream and watch the sun go down. And now our married life had turned into a kind of routine. I was consumed with work, always chasing money. Suzy, meanwhile, was increasingly housebound. As the pregnancy progressed, she lost her energy and decided she wouldn’t even continue with classes for the next semester. I promised her we would go to the holiday party together, just for an hour. We needed to go out. We needed some excitement.

“It’s in that Mexican restaurant by Del Amo Mall,” I said. “You can order a non-alcoholic margarita. They even have mango, your favorite. I already checked the menu.”

This got her in a better mood. I offered to cook dinner and started boiling a packet of spaghetti. I simmered a sauce of olive oil, garlic, and canned clams. After dinner we watched a DVD, falling asleep together on the couch before the closing credits.

       

Hours later I woke up when my cell phone rang. It was Gina. She sounded terrified.

“He was here tonight. In my apartment.”

“Are you OK? Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine. He was already gone by the time I got home. He smashed my front window and broke in, Temo! He knows where I live. ”

“Call the police now, Gina. I mean it. I am coming over.”

“Where are you going?” Suzy asked as I threw on my jacket and grabbed my car keys.