Season: Summer
Weather: Hot and humid. Overcast.
Day of the week: Wednesday
Date: 1st February, 2024
I got up early to make Anthony Duin's lunch. I also baked another cake and twice as many cookies.
Today, I made him a thick beef patty sandwich with a lot of salad, and a small apple pie. This way, nobody could steal his food. I made him a few sides so that hopefully his lunch stealers would take the tidbits and not his main meal this time.
I went into the office to drop off the food, placing the cake and cookies in the boss' lunchroom. In Stony Boss's office this morning though, I heard voices inside when I knocked.
"Come in," Stony Boss called.
I stepped inside and froze at the sight of THE biggest boss of all sitting and talking with Stony Boss.
"Ah. Miss Brown," THE biggest boss of all smiled at me, causing me to skip sideways in fright.
"Boss. Good morning," I greeted in a quavering voice and then looked at Stony Boss. "Mr Duin. Your lunch," I held out the lunchbox only for THE biggest boss of all to take it from my hands, making me flinch.
"Looks good," THE biggest boss of all smiled and sniffed the food. "Thank you, Miss Brown. Miss Brown, may I call you Jane?"
"Whatever you like, sir," I had stammered.
"Jane, hold out your hand."
When I hesitated, THE biggest boss of all took my hand and put twenty-five dollars in notes into my hand, forcing my fingers closed around the bills.
"This is my lunch money," he told me earnestly. "From now on, whenever you make your Stony Boss lunch, you will also make mine and I will pay you for it."
"He - my - no - he's not," I spluttered, staring at the big hand holding my fist closed and not letting go. "He's not my Stony Boss anything," I protested. "We're not - not - not together."
"You don't have feelings for him?" THE biggest boss of all asked in a mild tone.
"No," I replied in confusion, feeling my cheeks and ears and neck bringing to burn.
"These are really just lunchboxes of gratitude?"
"Yes," I said. "I have no other way to repay him for his care last week and on the weekend and to apologise for being so rude to him on Sunday when I threw him out. I'm only making him lunch until the end of this week and that will be the debt and favour repaid."
"Then, Jane, what do you think of me? Will you be my girlfriend?"
I looked up into hopeful, shining eyes while Stony Boss covered his eyes with one hand.
How was I supposed to answer? What was I meant to do next? How was I meant to escape? He was still holding my hand and didn't look like he was planning on letting me go any time soon.
I swallowed hard.
Me and THE biggest boss of all? Such a possibility, such a thought had never, ever crossed my mind. It was a fantastical thought. Outside the realm of reality.
I felt the blood draining from my face and big arms wrap around to catch me before I fell.
"Jane? Are you alright?"
Darn it. I had always looked down on girls that seems to faint on a dime, but here I was, going the same 'I'm a weakling girl' route. I really needed to get better and change this. I refused to be a sickly girl that obtained pity by fainting and falling ill all the time. Refused. Rejected. I was not going to do this.
When I woke up, I was being held in someone's arms in a car. When the car stopped, I was groggily helped up and recognised the hospital by the smell more than by what I could see through my blurry eyes.
I was lain down in a bed, had blood taken and when the test results returned, was sat up in a chair so as not to take up bed space and put on a drip.
"Take the rest of the week off work," the doctor told me. "Your health is improving but it's still weak. Don't overwork yourself or get too stressed."
At that, I looked up at the two tall and handsome men who had come in with me, covering my face with frustrated embarrassment. Just looking at them glaring at each other over my head was making me feel stressed. It was suddenly hard to breathe.
"Young lady, in situations where men are fighting over you, make a choice and make it clear to both sides," the doctor suggested.
"I don't even know them," I fretted at my shirt hem. "One's a big boss in the company I only just met during the big storm the other week, and the other is the CEO, whom I just met the other day. How am I supposed to choose? They're both still strangers to me."
"My, my. What a dilemma. Would be worth turning into a television drama for sure," the doctor chuckled, shaking her head. "Then you may need to lay down clear rules of conduct for them both so that they know how to pursue you. Or if you don't like them at all, just reject them both. Blunt, straight and klaar. Be done with them."
I rubbed my face.
"After you go home, over these next few days, please do get a good rest. Exercise without overdoing it. Sleep when you need to. Eat when it's meal time. Have the supplement drinks I suggested you take last time. Hopefully your body systems will be able to stabilise over the weekend and you will be ready for work next week. Don't overdo it."
"I'll try," I nodded and agreed. After all, it was true. I was just too tired. There was nothing much else wrong with me.
"Young lady, you really need to look after yourself," the doctor told me seriously. "If you don't take care of yourself, things can easily escalate, leading to you possibly needing to take medication and have surgery down the track. Please don't let things get to that stage and take good care of yourself."
I nodded.
"Good. When the drip is done, the discharge summary should be about ready to be finalised. When it's all done, you can go home and rest. Throw everything else aside for now. Concentrate on getting better first."
The two men brought me back to my apartment and I pushed them out the door when they began to argue over my head again. But not before they both each gave me a kiss on the cheek, leaving me standing staring at the door in a daze for a long time with very mixed and confused feelings.