Surprise Me Tomorrow

10. A New Beginning

It's a Deja Vu.

I'm driving Chloe to her school through the dreadful traffic on my first day working for a new company, just like two years ago. Cars are lining up at the intersections, random honks scream bloody murder for whatever reasons, and the air is thick with tension, proven by people's rigid faces as they stride along the pavement. History is repeating except this time, ErosBross Corporation will be where I'm heading after I drop off my kid.

"So, your boss is no longer Ashton?" Chloe asks. Despite my reluctance, my daughter now regularly takes the passenger seat instead of the backseat.

"Ashton hasn't been my boss for a while. Not directly."

"Yeah, okay. But then you can't eat lunch with him anymore." She shrugs.

"Not that often, no," I reply, eyeing the traffic light. It should turn green at any second. "Why did you ask? Is it still about him eating alone?"

She shrugs again. "I guess."

"Oh, sweetie, your dad has plenty of colleagues, business partners, or even Dickson to enjoy lunch together." I bite my lower lip. The last part isn't completely true because they always found excuses every time I came up with the idea to have lunch together. "He will be fine."

"Is your new boss a good person?"

"Umm, that is something I have yet to find out."

"What if they are bad people?"

I start driving again, following the traffic movement. "Define bad people."

"People who keep you working and never let you go home. Or maybe they will make you work like Ashton and make you eat dinner alone at work."

I giggle at her definition of bad people. "Well, Luckily, I told them that I had a daughter who wanted to eat dinner with me every day."

Her head snaps. I can feel her bright eyes staring at me with enthusiasm. "We don't need Maggie anymore then?"

"Uh, well," I slow down again, inwardly groaning at the traffic light a hundred meters ahead. "Let's keep her for a little while, just in case."

She sighs and looks at the road again. Since she's still small, she probably can only see the upper part of other cars. "Okay."

"Only for emergencies. I promise," I say, glancing at her. Her plump lips slightly pout, but it makes her even cuter than she already is.

Deep down, a pang of guilt creeps into me because I just promised I would be there for her, while I don't know if I can guarantee that. From the last talk with the ErosBross personnel, we agreed that my work is based on target and more flexible working hours, which will fit my schedule as a single mother. But I will still need to find out how things work out when I start working. For now, it's too early to tell.

I haven't even met my new CEO. It was finally announced last weekend, and whoever Ashton's informant is, they did a good job with their research. My boyfriend still believes that Leopold Sauer is a dick, but who isn't a dick to him? He would even call Dickson the same. Therefore, I will need to prove it myself very soon.

"So, what do you want to eat for dinner?" I ask to break the sullen mood in the car. "Since this is my first day, I'm thinking of ordering something yummy to celebrate my new job."

A smile of hope breaks on my daughter's lips. I can't decide if I should be glad that I lift her mood again, or feel insulted because she prefers ordering food to my cooking.

"Pizza?" I ask.

"Nah. We ate pizza last Saturday at Aunt Sophie."

I tap my finger on the steering wheel. "Chinese?"