Employee of the Multiverse and His Darling Cat

10| Log 003 Pt. 1

//Log 003

It's been a few days since I last updated because I wanted to provide a comprehensive account of any subsequent events. It was a wise decision as what has happened since my last entry leaves me even more perplexed and intrigued than before.

When I woke up without a call from Secretary Grey, I supposed three possibilities:

1. Secretary Grey hadn't gotten a chance to search and locate my information in the employee directory before leaving work the day before.

2. In addition to being unreasonable, Secretary Grey was an unsympathetic person and had decided there was no benefit in speaking with me to reconcile the events that unfolded from Sweetie's disappearance up to that day.

3. Secretary Grey planned to seek me out in person at the office.

I was leaning towards the third possibility but the only summons I received was from Manager Young.

I stood in front of him with a passive expression, ready to rebut any ridiculous critiques, when he smiled. I couldn't keep a straight face and my disgusted reluctance slipped through.

He giggled. "Loren, expect a call from a higher office soon." My instinct to defend was heightened before he continued, "Don't worry. Just make sure you submit all your tasks and reports on Friday."

I narrowed my eyes at him, heart rate a little faster than I liked. "You didn't report me, did you?" I was very worried about suddenly hating this man.

Manager Young's smirk turned into a sneer as he sat up straight and raised a balled fist. "Sonuva—" he snapped, then leaned back again and sighed. "I've decided to slap your back."

I tilted my head in confusion. Was he referring to my comment last time we met, I wondered. It was scratch each other's backs, not slap. Unless it was intentional—should I be scared?

Manager Young sent me away without another word and I could only wonder what all of that was about.

If it was Secretary Grey calling me to his office to discuss Sweetie, what did that have to do with Manager Young speaking as if he made some move himself?

Considering Manager Young's attitude and words, I could logically only separate these two matters which meant my concerns were doubled.

That is what I thought, anyway—but the day passed without any word from Secretary Grey or another higher office.

Another day passed and I wondered what would happen if I submitted my data logs a day early. I opted to turn them in at the start of the business day on Friday. If Manager Young intended to "slap" my back, I would likely be called to HR. If it was "scratch," then Department Manager Kean was the likelier option. Still, there was no summons from any office or superior personnel.

By then I had decided that out of the three possibilities I'd supposed after not receiving a call, #2 was most definite. Secretary Grey didn't give a damn. In all fairness, he didn't have to. Despite him seeing that Sweetie was well-cared-for during her time with me, his duality probably brought him to think that others were as dualistic. As such, just because I was a responsible and qualified CenUMR Records Assistant didn't mean I couldn't also be a heartless cat thief.

Saturday, Darcy and I hung out, grabbing dinner at a sports bar. I finally decided to reveal that Secretary Grey was Sweetie's owner and Darcy's conclusion matched mine.

"If you wanted revenge, I could ask some people I know to help," they sighed as they dropped a cleaned chicken wing bone on their plate. "But since you only want to clear your name and see Sweetie again, I recommend you just give it up."