“I’m so sorry, Tommy,” says Melissa, pushing the button for the elevator and sniffing sharply. “I’m so sorry Ms. Vanacore wasn’t there to help like she said she would. And I’m sorry you had to deal with those…monsters, but don’t worry: I’m going to get them taken care of. Not for you, but for me. I’ve put off reporting them for their comments toward me, but this is enough.”
The elevator comes, and both Melissa and I step on. As we do, Melissa brushes my hand with one of hers. “Going to be all right?” She asks this softly, the same way my mother used to when she was alive.
I nod, not trusting myself to say anything. If I do, I might just start crying and not be able to stop.
“I’m sorry,” she says again and pushes the button for the top floor. She readjusts the box under one arm. “I saw them shove you. I heard more than enough of what they said, too. I’m going to get them on as many infractions as I can, Tommy. I’m going to do that the minute I get you settled in your office. Unless you want to come with me before going back to Ms. Vanacore?”
I shake my head. The last thing I need to do right now is relive my assault. I also know that if I come with her, I’m going to be required to report the assault, and I don’t want to do that. That means criminal charges, which is even worse damage to our reputation. Especially to big companies, which are seen by the general public as havens or examples of irreproachable human behavior, not a den and cesspool for the exact opposite.
Melissa doesn’t say anything. She just hums. She sighs, starting to tap one of her feet. Just as the elevator is almost to the top floor, she says again, “I’m sorry, Tommy. I really am. This shouldn’t have happened, and it won’t happen again, after what I’m about to do and tell Reese, and then Kane or Ashton — whomever else I need to tell to get those worms gone. Try not to focus on it, okay?”
The elevator slows about to stop.
“Okay.”
“Just remember, they went low, and you’re going to higher than they can even dream of going.”
I walk out of the elevator, still shaking and feeling hot, as Melissa hands me my box. I hold it like an orphan with a blanket, confused and empty. Melissa smiles. This smile is protective and vicious and not for me.
“Don’t worry, Tommy. I’ll get them. I’ll make sure they don’t bug you anymore.” With that, she shifts back to her pleasant, soft self. She waves cutely at me. “Bye!” With that, the elevator door shuts and continues on its journey to HR.
Numbly, I head down the hall toward the new legal section of the top floor and Ms. Vanacore’s office. As I do, I get a look at one of the fancy clocks on the wall. It’s not even a minute past eight-thirty in the morning, and already I’ve been through the wringer. It’s not even more than one day into my new job, and I feel like shit.
I just hope I can get work done today. If not, I won’t just have my ex-coworkers dogging me, I’ll have Ms. Vanacore, and that’s the last thing I need. Especially if I want to keep this job beyond the end of the week.
Chapter Sixteen
Melissa
My short trip in the elevator up to the sixth floor, where HR conducts all their business, provides me with time to plan and time to choose my words wisely. It also gives me time to cool and mold my temper into something useful for Tommy and for me.
When the elevator lands on the floor with HR, and a few empty offices set aside for further mergers, I get off and stroll toward my destiny for the day — speaking with Charlotte, the new head of HR, about what I witnessed down on the legal aids’ floor.
Just my luck, Charlotte’s there in her office when I arrive. As always, she’s already hard at work. Even bright and early in the morning, she’s already engrossed in her newest project and her pile of files and papers on her desk. I knock politely on the side of her door. When she sees me, she’s surprised, then instantly concerned, as I’m never in her neck of the woods.
“Melissa?” Her eyebrows pinch, and she stands up from her desk chair. “What are you doing here? Why so early?”
I shut the door to her office before speaking. “There was an incident down on the legal aids’ floor.”
“When?”
I love Charlotte. It’s moments like this that make me love her. She truly is the best HR person Kane has ever hired. She is protective and responsive. I hear as much in her voice.