The Boss' Touch

Chapter One: Coming Around

Karen pulled into her sister Bethany's driveway. She turned off the car and just sat. She thought about how she would get the guts tell her sister, how disappointed her sister would be. But she took a deep breath, clicked her seat belt off and got out of the car.

"Bethany, could you get that?!"

"Well you certainly aren't getting it are you?"

Bethany ran over to the door, ignoring her husbands murmuring from the downstairs bathroom. She unlocked the door and opened it, so happy to see her older sister.

"Come in, come in! How've you been I haven't seen you since you took that vacation from work?"

Karen untied her brown hair from her ponytail to re-tie it.

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to te-"

Karen was cut off as she was greeted by Bethany's husband, Erick.

"Karen, so nice to see you, sorry I wasn't here to say hi I was emptying the stomach of the old lady's cooking."

"TOO MUCH information, Erick, please leave we need our sister time. Also I can cook you just have a weak stomach," Bethany said flirtatiously as she tapped him on the nose pulling Karen as she skipped away.

Bethany pulled out a seat for Karen to sit in the dining room before she took her own seat.

"So? Karen? What did you want to tell me?"

Karen set her hands on the table, leaving condensation prints from her sweaty palms.

"I'm unemployed," Karen said as she tightened her eyes and cringed for what she was about to hear from her sisters mouth.

"...Karen..how could you let this happen?" Bethany leaned back in her wooden chair looking toward the window against the wall.

"I know you don't want to hear it, you don't need to say anything, Cali already lectured me on how ridiculous I was for letting it get to this point," Karen said starting to tear up.

Bethany handed Karen a tissue from her back pocket. Looking disappointed, she decided to speak her mind.

"Karen, you're my older sister, and I love you, but remember the last time you lost your job? You lost your home, your car, everything. You had to stay with Erick and I for a year before you decided to go back on your feet. You know what that stress did to his and my relationship."

Karen, with her head low, looked up at Bethany, sincerely, with sorry in her eyes.

"Karen, you've always been a leader ever since Mom died three years ago, but there are some things you can't fight for and win."

Bethany knew of Karen's past. Karen was a control freak, someone who took charge. Ever since her and Bethany's mom died she had never been the same. She always felt like she had to stand for something every job she had, like someone was out to get her. But they weren't.

"You can't talk back to your boss's, you can't demand things be changed when it isn't your place to do so. That's probably why no one will consider your applications because of how the last employer rated you."

Bethany was right, Karen did need to change. Or she would be stuck broke and struggling for the rest of her life.

"Bethany.. Cali offered me an opportunity to work at the company she works for," Karen said wiping her tears trying to pronounce words without whimpering. "It's at the "Lights Extravaganza" building downtown."

"You mean that shower head place? You really want to work there?" Bethany was picky on jobs and their worth.

"It's a job, Beth, I need it."

"Ok, you're right. Congrats, I hope you get the job, baby," Bethany said as she stood up to give Karen a hug.

"I love you, Karen but you need to know who is in charge of what and to let them do their job. Let them be I charge of what their assigned to be in charge of." Bethany wiped Karen's tears away and gave her another hug.

"Thanks, Bethany, I really needed that talk with you. But one other thing?"

Bethany pulled away and had a worried look, but was ready to answer my question.

"Why did you have tissues in your back pocket?" Karen said, also with a worried face.

Bethany looked confused, "Can't someone just casually keep tissue in their back pocket?"

Karen knew something was wrong. "You only keep tissue in your back pocket when you've been crying, you always have done that."

Bethany walked away slowly back to her chair to sit down, her sister knew her too well.

"It's Erick, we just got back together today, he left last night because I wouldn't have sex with him, while he was drunk from being out with his friends." Bethany looked down at the table and then looked up at Karen.

Karen couldn't believe this was happening...again.

"Bethany, you always take him back, even when he is so close to possible doing something he'll regret. I don't want him to decide to rape you one day, or put his hands on you," Karen pleaded, concerned and nervous for her 19-year-old sister.

"You're young, very young, too young to have a husband anyway and you let him do this stuff to you."

Bethany rolled her eyes and said, "We've had this talk before, please drop it. I see a therapist like you told me to and now it's fine. This is about you remember?"

Erick popped his head in, "Hey guys, lunch is ready."

"See...we're getting along just fine," Bethany got up and walked out, not looking back.