My White Boss

My White Boss

Aaliyah Jackson

Taking a long
sip of my caramel macchiato in the downstairs work café, I tried to clear my mind from the stress I was under. It was only a few weeks ago that I finally worked up the courage to break it off with my ex-boyfriend Andreas, after putting up with years of his constant emotional abuse. Just when I was finally starting to get on with my life and forget about him, he called and threatened to show up at my work. I didn’t tell him where I was living, but there’s no way I would be able to get a new job in time to avoid him and God knows that motherfucker is too stupid to listen to my threats about calling the police on him.

The sound of my ringtone coming from my purse snapped me out of my thoughts. I pulled it out and looked at the screen, sighing as I saw him name and face being displayed.

Might as well bite the bullet and pick up…

After several seconds of staring at the screen blankly, I finally answered.

“What do you want now? Haven’t you put me through enough?”

When he responded, he slurred his words slightly as if he was drunk.

“Listen, baby, Tanya, you know we’ve been together too long to just stop seeing each other. I made some mistakes, and I’m admitting that. I’m just asking you to forgive me.”

“I’ve forgiven you way to many times already, Andreas. Every time you say you’re going to change and
that you love me, but what happens then? Nothing. You stay the same, treating me wrong and cheating.”

“Baby, I wouldn’t cheat on you.”

“So when my girlfriends saw you in the club grinding on some nasty ass strippers, that wasn’t cheating?”

For way too long everyone I knew was telling me he was cheating, but I was too naïve to listen. Hearing his voice go through the old familiar lines in an attempt to win me back caused a shiver through my body, and I knew I had to hang up soon or risk getting emotional at work. It was hard enough to be taken seriously as the only black woman in
my law firm, where 90% of the employees were white males. It’s only been a few months since I started, and I knew that if I broke down and cried I would be giving up any chances of a promotion or them taking me seriously.

Oh Great,
I thought as my boss Maxwell walked in,
now I really need to get off the damn phone.

“Listen Andreas, I have to go.”

“So it’s like that huh? Well looks like I’ll be paying you a visit.”

He hung up the phone, but before I could call him back to beg him not to come my boss made eye contact with me, and started heading my way. I plastered on a fake smile as he approached, and even though I was distracted I couldn’t help but check him out as he headed towards me, immaculately dressed in a suit that probably cost more
than I make in a year.

“Tanya! I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you go sorting through all the files I sent you
yesterday?”

I stared into his eyes with a guilty look, silently cursing myself. With how much Andreas had been distracting me, I had completely forgotten about the files.

“I’m so sorry Sir, I was caught up in some... personal matters. I can assure you that I’ll have everything on your desk ready to go in a couple hours.”

He frowned.

“I understand, but as head of this firm I have to tell you that’s an unacceptable answer. Everyone has personal issues from time to time, but as soon as you walk in these doors you leave that behind. I can’t have your personal issues interfering with your work. There are a lot of people lining up to replace you if you don’t agree.”

I gulped and nodded in agreement.

“I’m sorry Sir, you’re right. I’ll make sure I don’t get distracted by my personal life in the future. I’ll have the report to you by –  ”

My words faltered and I stopped talking mid-sentence as I saw Andreas jogging through the door. He looked around the room and quickly spotted me.

How the hell did he get here so fast? He must have been in the damn parking lot!

Panicking, I quickly looked around the café as if hoping for some sort of escape. Maxwell just looked at my expression in confusion, trying to see what I was staring at. There was no time to explain.

Andreas brushed past Maxwell to stand right in my face, pushing him to the side.

“So you think you can duck me? You think I haven’t been waiting for you to come downstairs all day so I could talk to your ass?”

He reeked of cognac and weed, and there was a crazy look in his eyes that I had never seen before.

“Answer me, bitch!”

All I could do was hang my head, too ashamed to reply. Meanwhile Maxwell was watching everything unfold with his mouth open in shock. Shaking his head, he stepped forward and spoke up.

“Excuse me.” Andreas glared at him as he continued. “But this café is company property, and since I own the company that makes it my property. I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises.”

Andreas laughed, tilted his head back and gave him the middle finger.

“You think I give a fuck white boy? I
finna stay right here, so you should get the fuck outta my face before I do something I might regret.”

If I could have ran away right then and never come back, I would have. The embarrassment was too much to handle and I burst out in tears, unable to hold them back.

“Get out Andreas! Haven’t you done enough to ruin my life?”

Maxwell
looked back and forth between me and Andreas, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.

“I don’t think you understood me. You’re on my property and harassing my employee, you need to get out.
Now.”

Laughing, Andreas turned around and started to strut towards him. Maxwell adjusted his tie and cuff links as if he was preparing to give a speech, seeming strangely unconcerned with his advance. When they were less than a foot apart, Andreas reached forward and shoved him backwards.

In an instant, Maxwell sprang into action, shifting his weight forward as he swung his fist around towards Andreas face. His head snapped back and his body crumbled. He quickly tried to pick himself up off the floor, but he kept stumbling and falling back down.

Maxwell stepped forward and pulled him up, pointing a finger towards the door.

“I asked you politely and it didn’t work, so I’m going to say this one more time. Get the fuck out or I’m going to go to work on you, then call the police and get you arrested for trespassing and harassment. I don’t think you would do well in court against me.”

Andreas was still reeling from the punch, but even in his drunk and stoned haze he knew that he had lost. Quickly making his way towards the door, he stumbled several times on his way out.

Maxwell turned to face me with a stern expression still on his face. It was only once Andreas had left that I realized that everyone in the café had been watching the whole thing.

“Now Tanya, do you remember what I said about your personal problems interfering with your work? Well now your personal problem is interfering with everyone’s work. Who the hell was that?”

I could barely look him in the eyes, since I was so embarrassed and thankful that he had come to my defense.

“That was my ex-boyfriend, Andreas. I broke it off with him a few weeks ago and he hasn’t taken it well.”

Maxwell raised his eyebrows. “Well, at least he’s an ex-boyfriend and not your current boyfriend. In any case we need to meet up later to discuss this incident. I don’t want to talk about it in front of everyone. 5:30 PM in my office, don’t be late.”

I hung my head as he turned around and walked out.
Why would he want
to meet me at 5:30, after most people had already gone home?
I wondered. After everything that had just happened, I was almost certain that it was to fire me without making a scene. Trying to be strong, I quickly stood up and left the café, avoiding everyone’s eyes as I walked outside and upstairs to my office.

Once I finally sat down on my desk, I leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. Whether or not I would be fired, at least that was over. I tried to focus on work for the rest of the day, but I couldn’t help but look at the clock every ten minutes. Occasionally I would see a co-worker who was in the café walk by, and I would duck my head and act busy, praying they wouldn’t say anything to me. The day dragged on for what seemed like forever, but eventually it was five minutes before my meeting with Maxwell and I stood up to walk to the elevator, feeling nervous as I desperately tried to
rehearse what I was going to say in my head.

As I approached his office, I paused hesitantly. Raising my hand up high, I listened for any sounds before knocking. His voice boomed loudly through the door, inviting me in with the dominant attitude he always had.

As I opened the door I inhaled deeply. This was my first time in his office, and I wasn’t expecting it to be as lavish as it was. He had glass walls the entire way around his corner office, showing a stunning view of the city. I quickly drew my attention back to him as he stared at me from behind his desk, adjusting his suit cuffs the same way he did before the fight.

Straight away, I rushed forward to apologize.

“I’m so, so, so sorry. I tried my best to stop him from coming but he did anyway, it’s just that he’s a part of my past not a part of who I am now…”

He stopped me from finishing my apology with a raised hand.

“There’s no need to keep apologizing.” He said. I looked down at the floor, waiting for him to tell me to leave the building.

He paused.

“There’s no need to keep apologizing, because I understand completely. I saw the way he talked to you, and I know a smart woman like you wouldn’t be with a man like that unless it was an old mistake. Let me guess, high school sweethearts?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but I was so glad I was hearing it.

“Yes. We’ve been together on and off since high school but while I tried to move on with my life, he was stuck in his ways and holding me back. When I got a job here I finally worked up the courage to take him aside and tell him that I was finished – for good. He didn’t take it too well.”

Maxwell leaned back in his seat and laughed. “Well, I think that’s obvious, but
to be honest I can’t blame him. A woman like you only comes by once in a while.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. I could feel my excitement mounting as I talked to him properly for the first time, after admiring him from afar for the past few weeks.

“You don’t need to lie…” I replied playfully, trying to lighten the mood. His expression remained serious.

“I’m not lying, Tanya. You should never let a man – if you could call him a man – talk to you like that. You’re an intelligent woman, not to mention beautiful. I mean your face, your beautiful black skin, your…” His voice trailed off, and I
was suddenly aware of his eyes roaming my body. I felt my heart rate pick up and it seemed like I had forgotten how to breathe.

He stood up suddenly, walking fast around the desk towards the wall where he grabbed his coat off of the rack.

“You know what? I think it’s time we went out for a few drinks. Throughout the day we hardly say a word to each other, and it’s obvious I’m not aware enough about what’s going on in your life. Even though I’m your boss, you don’t need to be shy around me. If you had just explained the situation to me, there wouldn’t have been an issue since I could have simply shown a picture of him to the security guards and they wouldn’t have let him anywhere near the building. You need to trust me, Tanya.”

He stepped forward and grabbed me by the hand. I could feel shivers running down my spine as he held my hand in his and smiled at me. He seemed to radiate power, and something about him made me feel safe.

“Well?”

I realized that I had just been staring at him without answering.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll follow you.”