Carter
I don’t know how, but she did it. Once again, Lana Morrison was a mystery to me. She left me feeling angry and confused each time her face passed through my mind. An enigma of sorts.
I didn’t expect to receive a call from a government official from the other side of the country. Taking that call, I received an apology from the man on the other side, and a promise to pay back whatever damage his incompetent daughter had caused. To add even more, he offered a few extra thousand to keep me discreet about the whole ordeal.
After ending the call there, I found myself sitting at my desk like I normally do. Instead of being concentrated on work, I found myself staring aimlessly ahead.
One week had passed since I yelled at her. One week since I watched her tear up and demanded that she left.
Staring at my darkened screens, I saw my reflection. Even now, I looked angry.
It didn’t make sense. I got my money returned to me and I still felt upset. That phone call should have solved my problem. My headache should have disappeared.
“His incompetent daughter,” I repeated out loud as the call lingered on my mind.
Maybe that was what was bothering me.
Lana wasn’t stupid. Sure, she struggled to do certain tasks, but she was stubborn. Once she set her mind to it, she got it done.
I shouldn’t have to defend Lana to anybody. Hell, she had yet to make an appearance for the entire week. As far as I was concerned, she wasn’t even my employee anymore.
Tapping my foot against the ground, my brows bunched together. I shouldn’t have yelled at her. I should’ve kept my anger in check.
Running my hand down my face, I tried not to let the foreign sensation overwhelm me. What was this, regret?
I hardly even knew Lana. Replacing her wouldn’t be an issue. I could even find someone who knew how to clean and cook. I could do many things, yet I hadn’t. That was pissing me off even more. Doing absolutely nothing about the situation, I couldn’t tell if I was angrier at myself or my actions.
Powering on my computer, I moved to pull up her file. I was going to call her. Ask her if she ever planned on coming back. Maybe she wasn’t ready to come back yet. I didn’t want to go through with setting up another application progress if it turned out I didn’t actually need a replacement.
I was not the type of man to search for excuses, but I would take what I could get.
Locating her number, I quickly pressed the numbers into my phone and waited for her to pick up. Hearing the other end ring over and over, I wondered if she planned on picking up. If she didn’t, then I suppose I had my answer.
I didn’t have time to dwell on my concerns. Calling her more than once was not a possibility. Time was money and I didn’t want to waste anymore–
“Hello?”
The softness of her voice on the other end of the phone broke my train of thought. Having heard her speak more than enough, I knew damn well it was her on the other side.
“Miss Morrison.” Her name left my lips and I forgot why I called her for a moment.
For a few passing seconds, I received silence. Finally; “Mr. Pratt.”
Clearing my throat, I fingered at the knot of my tie. Had I tied it too tightly this morning? The damn thing felt like it was choking me.
“I’m calling to tell you that your father contacted me.”
No, that wasn’t quite right. I guess it was good enough to start a conversation with.
“Oh. I take it you got the money then.” Her voice sounded distant and I wished I could see the expression on her face. She didn’t exactly sound like she was jumping for joy.
“I did.”
Instead of asking her what I called for, I allowed silence to linger between the both of us. I couldn’t even find it in myself to give her an apology. We left on such foul terms, she deserved that much.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Pratt?” she asked after the silence lingered too long.
Parting my lips, I struggled to form a sentence. That wasn’t like me at all.
“I’ve given you plenty of time to fix things, I think. I expect you to be back to work tomorrow.” Once more, my voice had returned back to being firm. “Is that clear?”
“No.”
The word didn’t register at first. “What?”
“I’m sorry Mr. Pratt, but I won’t be coming back. I quit.”
Her words rang in my ear as I tried to understand what she said. Before I could demand an explanation, she rushed out a goodbye before the line went dead.
Pulling the receiver away from my ear, I stared at the phone unblinking. Lana just hung up on me without little of a warning.
I considered calling her back, demanding why she thought it was okay to do so. She couldn’t just leave the conversation so abruptly. I wouldn’t allow it.
After trying to call her once more, I was not surprised when she chose to ignore my call.
I set the phone down. Clearing my frustrated thoughts, her words ran on repeat in my mind.
“I quit.”
Lana wasn’t my problem anymore. I got the answer to the question that plagued my mind. I should feel satisfied.
Staring at my screen, her application was still pulled up. If I deleted the application, I could forget all about her.
Instead, I noticed two addresses right below her phone number. One was in another city, college being the reason I think. She explained at some point during the interview. The other was the place she was currently staying at.
Letting my eyes linger, I drummed my fingers against my desk as I considered making a reckless decision.
Without another passing second, I pushed back and my chair groaned in protest as I moved to my feet. Grabbing my phone, I wasted no time typing in the address on the application.
I planned on making things right. Even if I couldn’t convince her to come back, I could actually apologize instead of making the situation worse. Talking to her in person, I wouldn’t be able to run away from the apology I owed.