Going to work wasn't easy. I used to love my job, but not anymore. After my sister's death, my boss was generous enough to allow me to take off three weeks with pay.
Still, Negan had made it clear that I had to go back, or he would simply hire a new paralegal.
"Andrea, you are late again, " Negan said as I walked into the office. "Yes, but I got your coffee from Starbucks. I have emailed you the Davis file. Not to mention, I sent flowers to your wife, Lucille, for her birthday. Pink roses, I remembered they are her favorite, " she says, trying to sound on top of it. "Good job, Andrea. Is there any way you could step into my office? " He said, his intense voice. "Sure, " I said, hoping I wasn't in trouble again. Looking at his office is a constant reminder of how rich most of the lawyers are. His desk probably was more than my rent for the month; I think, looking at right down at the maple wood.
"Are you okay? " he asked, noticing that I was staring at his desk.
"Yes, sorry. I got distracted, " I said, apologizing.
"I have noticed that this has been an issue lately. But after everything you've been through, I understand. I do need to ask you a favor. I really don't want to overstep. " He said, clearly up to something.
Negan had overstepped so many times that I couldn't help but wonder what he wanted now.
"Go ahead and ask, " I knew after the way I had been distracted lately, I was probably going to do whatever he asked. Or else I might not have a job.
"You know my wife helps with the annual charity event. She has to sell so many tickets, and I offered to simply buy them. But she wants to feel accomplished without my help. Well, she just needs to sell two more, and there is this doctor who is new in town. He is an ob-gyn and a great guy. My neighbor actually, " he says, taking a drink from his coffee.
"What does this have to do with me? " I asked, hoping he would get to the point soon.
"Well, my wife asked him to buy the last two tickets. He said he would if he had a date. I thought you could go with him. He is a really nice guy, Andrea. And you need to get out anyway. I figure this is a win-win situation, " he said calmly.
"This is completely unprofessional, Negan. You can't just ask me to go on dates with your friends, " Andrea said, frustrated with him.
"All you have to do is show up and eat with him. His name is Philip Blake. It's no more than asking you to go on a business dinner with an important client. Everyone in the office is going. It's a social event. I know your financial situation is tight at the moment. I tried to help. Allowed you to take all your vacation time at once, and we all gave you extra money for your hospital expenses. But I just can't imagine you being able to afford that six hundred dollar ticket for the event. If you go with my friend, your ticket will be covered, " he said calmly. Almost everyone else in the office are either lawyers, married to lawyers, or families have money. I think to myself. So going to a charity ball would be fun. And he knew asking me to attend this event with his friend was completely unethical. Still, he did it because he knew that he could. He enjoyed the control he had over his employees and I should have found another job a long time ago. "All right. You can give me his number and I'll attend this event with him. But I am letting him know it's a professional outing only, " I said annoyed."Understood. I'll be working in my office today. So no phone calls. Not even my wife. I'll also need you to go to Chickfila and pick up lunch for the office. I will text you the order and you can put it on the company card. Thanks,Andrea," he said pulling out his laptop.
I left the room feeling completely defeated. I didn't know what I was going to wear to this event, and who knows what Negan's friend could be like. The rest of the day seemed to go by quickly. Waiting for the long line at Chick-fil-A definitely took a while. I was finishing up my nuggets and diet coke when an unknown number showed up on my cellphone.
Knowing it's most likely Negan's friend. "Hey, this is Andrea Harrison, " I said softly. "Philip. Negan's friend, " he says, letting me know who it was. "He has friends? " I asked, trying to lighten up the situation.
"Not many. But I was thinking maybe we could meet for dinner tonight. So we could get to know each other a little bit before the event. " he says in what sounded like the sweetest voice ever. "I don't know. I mean, this is mainly to make my boss happy. " I said, still unsure about this situation. "We will keep it casual. Just meet at Lost Pizza place around six o'clock? Have a pizza with a few beers. Come on, don't make me eat alone. " he said.
"Okay. I'll meet you there at six. " I said, unsure if I made the right choice. It would be nice for us to meet before we went to this big charity event together. I decided.
"I look forward to seeing you, Andrea, " he says before hanging up the phone. I really should have asked him to text a picture. I am curious to see what he looks like. His voice sounded nice, though.