When History Repeats Itself

Chapter Fourteen

How did Dom know I needed to speak with Tim? Had he bugged my desk? I found my culprit when I looked up to see Paba. I decided not to waste time confronting her about it.

"What was the Storage manager doing up here?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. She read the inventory wrong" Paba replied. Paba mostly dealt with the Storage stuff so I needn't bother much about that visit.

I went back to work, filing those letters of invitation and trying not to look at the clock. When it was ten minutes to twelve, my stomach lurched. I grabbed my personal phone and made a beeline for the elevators.

"Someone's too hungry to wait for lunch" Paba laughed as the doors closed. In the metal cage, my palms hot sweaty and my knees got weak. I must have looked claustrophobic when I stepped out on the first floor. I walked out of the building instead of turning left to the hallway that led to the Human Resource Office. The fresh air filled my lungs and I felt like someone who suddenly remembered how to breathe.

I can do this, I said to myself. I walked back inside and the receptionist gave me a weird look as I got myself a cup of water in the visitors' waiting area. I attempted to confidently walk towards the HR manager's office and stood by the door. There were too many people in the hallway. The IT guys, the HR guys and administration folk all littered the hallway going out of the building for lunch or carrying their lunch to the pantry to heat up and eat.

Then I spotted Dom making his way towards me. People cleared a path for him as he distractedly walked and spoke on his phone at the same time. He hang up just as he got to where I stood and pushed open the door.

"Ladies first" he said and I bravely took a step into the office. Dom followed too closely and shut the door behind us. There sat the HR manager at her desk, in a olive green skirt suit and rectangular glasses with her hair up in a bun. She was in her early forties maybe. I took one look at her and saw a proper lady who played by the rule book, I was dreading the disapproving looks she would most likely give me later.

She greeted us curtly and asked us to sit. Then her face broke out in an unexpected warm smile, "how may I help you today, Dom?"

Dom cleared his throat and I almost sank lower in my seat.

"You know how our lawyers came up with the fraternization policy, we need to speak to you about our options since we're fraternizing" Dom said calculatedly.

"Dom, you didn't get her pregnant, did you?" The woman's smile was replaced with a gaping mouth.

My hands flew up to my face and I mentally begged the floor to swallow me up.

"No, I'm not pregnant" I shook my head repeatedly, still hiding my face.

"Oh so you're just in a relationship then?" She clarified and I felt Dom's hand pry my hands from my face.

"Yes we are... and want to know the whole anti-fraternization policy thing between bosses and... subordinates"

"Let's start with the young lady's name and her position, shall we?"

"I'm Kerington Effah. I'm the other Mr. Chase's assistant" I introduced myself.

"Ah I see. Well there is a way out and it's not much to ask if you two are really serious about committing to each other especially publicly"

"You met while working together on the top floor?" She continued and pulled out a note pad to take notes.

"No, the first time we met was outside the office even before she started working here" Dom replied.