The Dare
“I will get it.” But she moves too quickly, she’s trying too hard to please me. She also looks like it’s hard for her to sit at her desk close to me. I can almost see the weight resting down on her shoulders, the walls closing in around her, which leaves me thinking that she might not be up to something bad after all. “Sorry, I should have gotten one already. I have been a bit distracted this morning. I have a lot to do…”
And before I can argue with her, Latesha is gone. She isn’t giving me a chance to leave the computer alone. But I don’t think that it’s for manipulative reasons. I might not have the best judgement in the world when it comes to women, but I really feel like Latesha isn’t trying to trick me. It’s something else…
I will just have to find out another way to figure out what she’s up to. There has to be a way.
***
“Is everything okay?” Mom asks me as I finish telling her that I’m going to be a tiny bit late home tonight. “I mean, it’s no trouble for us. I am happy to spend some more time with my darling granddaughter, but you are alright, aren’t you? There isn’t anything that you need help with from me?”
I haven’t told her about Terry. She doesn’t know about my search for Karen at all. She may well suspect, which I think is what she’s hinting here, but I haven’t confessed what I am up to just yet. Just because I want to process whatever Terry finds on my own before I let anyone else now what’s going on. I need to deal with Karen in my own mine before I let my mother in. Plus, her worrying might put me off completely.
“Everything is fine, it’s just work stuff,” I half lie. “I just need a bit of time to get fixed up here.”
“Right, I see.” I can tell that my mom doesn’t believe me, but thankfully she’s giving me the much-needed space to deal with this on my own. This hasn’t got anything to do with Karen, but I still wouldn’t be able to explain this to her. How would I tell my own mother that there is a sex tape drama at work? No way, this is an issue that I need to deal with myself. “Okay, well I will keep your dinner in the oven then.”
“Thanks, Mom. I appreciate you as always. See you later on.”
Once I hang up the phone, I check out Latesha once more, and I note that she isn’t making any moves to go anywhere either. We are playing a game of cat and mouse here, testing one another, seeing who will crack and leave first. That’s good because if Latesha is staying late again then it means she isn’t running. Whatever her reason for all of this, it’s about to come to fruition soon enough. I am about to learn everything at long last.
It’s frustrating, waiting for everyone else to leave. I never think about how late anyone else stays here after I leave to go and be with Amelia, it just doesn’t concern me. I easily separate work and my personal life in my mind, which I suppose I am lucky to be able to do because I can trust my work force well. I don’t have to be worried about them, but it seems later than I was expecting. Everyone is hanging around. Aren’t they all keen to get out of here and to get on with their own lives? Honestly, it’s very frustrating.
But finally, they all go. Everyone aside from Latesha. But even after about ten minutes she doesn’t make her move to do anything. That’s when yet another cheeky idea forms inside my brain. I make the crazy decision to pretend to leave, to give her the space that she so clearly needs, and then to catch her in the act.
Whatever ‘the act’ might be… I hope it isn’t more videos because that might tip me over the edge completely.
“Right.” I gather up my things, just like normal, and I head over to Latesha’s desk. She nearly leaps out of her seat as she sees me and the color drain s from her skin proving to me that she is scared. Something is definitely about to happen. “I’m going. I’m a little late which is annoying. Are you finished up here?”
“N… no, not yet.” She shakes her head hard. “I shouldn’t be too much longer though.”
“Anything I can help with?” I offer which surprises her, that isn’t a shock to me considering I never offer assistance with work once the end of the working day comes around for reasons that only I know about. “I am already later than normal, so if you need me to stick around then I can.”