"Morning, Jeanine,"
Mrs. Garcia greeted
Me warmly.
I still hadn't figured
Out if she was
A program or
An actual person.
"Gary is waiting
For you, go on in."
To her I looked
Like my former self,
Healthy weight,
Well dressed,
Blonde hair in
A tight bun.
I passed colleagues
As I walked to
My boss' office,
Some I smiled at,
Some I didn't recognize.
Some were like me,
Working from home,
While others worked
On site at the
Telecommunication giant.
"Come in Jeanine,"
Gary's voice boomed
Through the door before
I even knocked on it.
The no nonsense man
Of about 50 sat
At a desk of glass
And chrome, swiping
At images projected
On his desk top.
"Sit down, Jeanine,"
He motioned at the
Chair across from him.
After reading the
Document on his desk,
He looked up at me,
Tenderness in his eyes.
"How are you?"
"Fine."
"Are you sure?"
He leaned back
In his chair, his
Fingers forming
A steeple.
"How is Amanda?"
"Good," I lied.
"Is that so?"
Sadness crept into
His eyes. He cleared
His throat and continued.
"I bumped into her
The other day, she
Told me you two
Weren't together for
The last month or so."
"It's nothing, sir."
"No, Jeanine,
It's something.
It explains why
You have been missing
Deadlines, your productivity
Is in the crapper, Jeanine."
I said nothing.
"My original intention
Was to fire you."
"Sir, I can..."
Gary held up
His hand.
"I'm not going
To fire you.
In light of what
I found out,
I'm going to suspend
You without pay
For two weeks.
He leaned forward,
That should be
Enough time to
Get yourself together,
Get back on track.
You were one of
My best employees
And you can still
Get back there.
Use the time off
Wisely."
There was a chirp
From his desk
And he looked down
And read what
Flashed across it.
Without looking up,
He said, "That
Will be all, Jeanine.
You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir," I croaked.
I took a deep breath
And swallowed twice.
The room blurred then
Became pixellated.
The pixels folded in
On themselves until they
Were a single square
Of light in a field
Of black that soon
Blinked out. Forms
Started to appear
In the darkness and
In a matter of seconds,
I was back in my kitchen.
Without hesitation,
I got to my feet,
Knocking over my chair
As I ran to the
Bathroom to vacate
My stomach of
This morning's coffee
And last night's take out.
