Wages

Sensitive content……..

As I curled my hair, the stench of charred hair wafted around my room. I was getting ready for my first day at a new job. Luckily, I woke up a little early. I like taking a bath and boiling at the same time, so the shower sprayed out a fog of smoke. I usually don't wear much makeup. But for the new job, I decided to put some on.

Before work, I stopped for coffee. Simple things, like the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee, made me feel light as a feather. My friend Valerie worked at "Aroma Cafe." She knew my usual order. Valerie and I have been friends since high school. She always made my coffee with care. I needed that extra care. Starting a new job made me nervous.

At work, Ariel trained me. She showed me everything about the job. This lasted about six months. Then, I was on my own. I had some customer service experience. So, I did well. I'm now in my seventh month. I'm proud of how I'm doing.

I started dating a coworker named Nathan.He looked every bit as good as Dr. Arthur Leslie Shidler. Whenever I saw him, I almost always had drool running down my face. I had decided not to get into another relationship. My past relationships were difficult. I needed time to heal and learn about myself. Nathan was understanding. He never took things personally.

One day, Ariel spoke to me. She said I shouldn't date Nathan. She thought I wasn't serious about him. Apparently, people knew we were dating. News traveled fast at work. I told Ariel it wasn't her business. But I promised to talk to Nathan. She got angry and left. I wondered why she was upset. It wasn't her place to interfere.

Our boss called a mandatory meeting. I had to prepare for it. This meant I couldn't talk to Nathan right away. The boss started the meeting. He said, "We don't condone relationships here." He looked directly at me. I wondered if Valerie had told him something. Or maybe I was just imagining it. The meeting continued with talk about job performance.

After the meeting, the boss pulled me aside. He told me, "Brittany, if you keep seeing Nathan, I'll make your life miserable." I was shocked and angry. I told him I didn't know what he meant. I said I had to leave early. Too much was happening. I couldn't handle it.

As I was leaving, Nathan tried to talk to me. I told him we needed to stop seeing each other. I didn't want him to think it was serious. He asked me to calm down and explain. I just walked away. I got in my car. I saw his hurt expression. My heart was broken too. But this felt like the easier choice. I needed to sort things out.

I went back to "Aroma Cafe." I cried to Valerie. She offered to get me a drink. She was finishing her shift soon. Valerie suggested I talk to Nathan. She thought telling him everything would help me feel better. I told her I'd think about it later. I needed an adult drink first.

She burst into uncontrollable laughter. Perhaps she was right. I decided to speak with Nathan. I owed him an explanation. He deserved to know why I could no longer be involved with him. My phone showed fifteen missed calls from Nathan. There were also five from my boss. I sometimes called him Mr. B. Everyone else used that name. I called Nathan back. I suggested dinner the next day after work. We could talk things over. He agreed happily. He said he cared about me. He wanted things to work out. I wanted that too. I wasn't sure if it was possible. I didn't call Mr. B back. I had nothing to say to him. I knew him well. Answering would lead to arguments. Nothing would be resolved.

Valerie finished work at Aroma Cafe. We headed to a favorite bar. The Sloan was different. It stayed open late. Most bars closed at 1 am. This place served food until 4 am. The food was great and cheap. I ordered my meal. I also got a double Irish whiskey. I mixed it with ginger ale. After more drinks, I danced. My feet hurt. I was ready to go home. I asked the bartender for the tab. She looked at me. "Mrs. Bailey, your tab is paid." I looked at Valerie, confused. Valerie hadn't paid. Who had? How did they know my last name? I was a bit drunk. I didn't think about it. I went home and slept. The next day, I had a bad hangover. I promised myself I wouldn't go out again. A cold shower helped me wake up. On my way to work, I got coffee. Valerie asked about Nathan's latest post. It was on Clicker. I hadn't seen it. She showed me. The post read, "Women can be so deceitful." I wondered why he wrote that. Maybe Ariel influenced him. Or maybe my boss said something. I told Valerie I'd text her later. I would update her. I walked into work. Nathan was at the coffee maker. He usually spoke. Today, he just looked at me. He shook his head. He walked back to his desk. I put my things down. I went to his desk. I asked if he was okay. He looked at me with disgust. He said he was fine. He said he didn't want dinner. I asked why. He ignored me. I texted him. I asked about dinner. I asked him to talk. He asked me to meet him. His car was outside. Meet him in fifteen minutes. I went out to his car. His face was angry. He looked very upset. As I got in, he spoke. His voice was deep. "How could you humiliate me?" he asked. "What kind of crazy woman are you? Why did you think that was okay?" Before I could answer, he continued. "Mr. Bailey told me everything. He said you are married. He said I should leave you alone. He said I would be fired quickly." I thought, that jerk. How could he reveal our marriage? It meant nothing to me. Warm tears streamed down my cheeks as I processed what Nathan had spoken. My heart may have literally stopped for a moment.

My love for Nathan was incomparable to that marriage. Only because I was young and attractive did Jonathan Bailey marry me. Jonathan's trophy wife was me. For heaven's sake, we did not even share a residence.In order to have his woman on the side come and go as they wanted, he set me up in a penthouse. Yes, I should have told him and given him an option. Nathan wrapped his arms around me and held on to me tightly as I was contemplating all of this.

The secret was out. Nathan now knew I was Mrs. Bailey.