There were items slightly out of place, but that was to be expected. I straightened the desk phone and daily calendar while I stood taking stock of things. I put my bag where I used to, hung my coat on the back of the door.
I had forgotten how slow the desktop computer was. While I waited for it to boot up, I started tearing days off of the desk calendar. I had barely made it a month when my boss's shadow sliced across the desk.
He stood in the doorway like he owned the place, like I was unworthy of respect. "Don't do that," he said, cocking his head slightly at the calendar in my hands. I looked at it with surprise, like I hadn't been aware of what my hands were doing.
"It's February 1st," he continued. "You need a new one." I felt my mouth gape open like a fish but quickly closed it and tossed the calendar in the trash. Normally I would still take the time to read the fact on each page, maybe even cut them in half to use as scratch paper. But not with him watching.
"I'm glad you're back," he said, in the same tone as before.
"Are you?" I couldn't help myself.
"Sure," he shrugged. "The other assistant didn't know me like you do." He winked, and the sly grin on his face made me feel sick to my stomach, but I managed to hold back the smile my former people-pleasing self would have given him.
Like I said, I changed while I was away.
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