Full Figured Chic Ch. 06

Within the hour, Jay had his mother out of the home with a packed bag. Not till he drove his car out of the driveway of the home, did he think where he was going to take her. She's never thought to ask him either.

"I'll take you to the workshop first Mother. Let's see if anything looks strange to you." It seemed like a good idea, and Jay would be able to ask Gregor what he was going to do with her.

"Wow, I haven't seen it for years -- and you're all famous now. This will be fun."

"I invited you many times." Jay stated defensively.

"Yes yes, but I didn't want to come while we weren't talking properly. It's much more interesting now that we're friends."

Irritated, Jay decided to give up on that one. Something about his mother sent that strange spiky feeling in the back of head off.

If the curse doesn't drive me mad, she will. Soon they pulled into Jay's private parking space at the rear of the building. Jay had a feeling he was about to cross a line at work, but he didn't care. He wanted his mother by his side at the moment. He wasn't sure how he felt about everything that she'd told him, but one thing was for sure; true or not, he wanted whatever she could tell him to help get this Sutomi Lim monkey off his back.

As soon as he walked through the door with his mother on his arm, the shocked face of the receptionist told Jay this would be harder than he thought.

"Janet, this is my mother. She'll be working here for a while."

Janet's wide eyes scaled the full four foot eleven frame of Jay's mother, in her old smock and house coat.

"What are you staring at?" yelled Jay's Mother.

"Nothing. Ma'am. I am sorry. Yes sir, Mr. Myles. Does she need an office set up for her?"

Jay's mother turned and looked up at him. "That's a fine idea."

"No way. You're not going to need an office with the work you'll be doing. Hanging out in mine will be enough.

With that, Jay shuffled her toward his office, turning just in time to see Janet racing off in the direction of Gregor's office.

Inside his office, Jay found a seat for his mother, and helped make her feel comfortable. "So here's the plan Mother. I want to work on the designs for the next six weeks and I will need you here with me. You will have to tell me how those two men beat the curse and help me prepare whatever I have to in order to make it happen for me."

"People will think you're mad you know. Did you see the way that receptionist looked at me? You're going to look like a crazy."

"I know that, and I don't care. Tell me how they beat the curse."

"Well, it's sort of simple and sort of complicated at the same time..."

At this point in her story she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Jay, it's me." Greg's muffled voice came in through the door.

"Come in." Jay called.

Greg came into the room staring right away at Jay's mother. Jay decided he'd best perform introductions immediately.

"Greg, my Mother. When we are in the lock down, I want her here with us and I don't want any arguments. If you find she interferes with your creative process, we will work on that later, but this is what I need right now."

Greg stood for a moment, surveying the situation. Jay felt a twinge of nervousness at Greg's look. It was a look he'd rarely seen, but it seemed to imply a lack of confidence. When he spoke it was in an overly calm voice.

"That's fine Jay. Can we talk outside?"

"Anything you have to say to my son you can say here in front of me." Pronounced Jay's mother.

Greg smiled a stunned, sweet smile at her. "Jay, what the hell is going on here?"

"I know it seems strange, but my mother is going to help me beat the curse and I need her here for that."

"Ahhh, yes, the curse." Greg moved his hands behind his back and moved his gaze back and forth between Jay and his mother.

"I know you don't believe me, so you can stop faking that you do. I don't care however. I know that in the past when I mentioned it to you," here Jay shot a sideways glance at his mother, "I had spoken of it in a way that implied I didn't believe in it...."

"Um...load of rubbish that you're crazy mother made up years ago', were your exact words. Forgive me Mrs Myles. No offence meant."

Jay's mother looked at Jay, a dark thunder cloud of a frown forming across her brow. "None taken when it wasn't you who insulted me."

"Yes, well all that has changed now. I want mother here in the lock down. Have you been thinking about what I said earlier?"

Greg moved his hands to his side and Jay noticed they were shaking.

"Yes I've been thinking about it. The whole project is hard enough, and now you want your mother to live here with us? With the maker, and some model, who doesn't exist, that we may or may not find?"

"You're upset?"

"Damn right I'm upset." Greg paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Both Jay and his mother watched him, realising more was to come. "Jay, we need to think of another alternative. I can't live here for six weeks, design the Full Figured Chic line and share the space with your mother -- whose sanity is suspect. We have to think of another plan."

Jay listened and watched his friend with patience. This was the first of the obstacles he had to overcome. There would be so many, but he knew he could do it.

"There is no other plan. I know you don't understand, but this is terribly important to me. You may say this is a case of life and death for me. I have to follow through with this, and I am sorry, but my mother has to be a part of the team."

"I told you I still haven't made up my mind."

A knot formed in Jay's stomach. Was Greg actually going to threaten Jay with his own departure? Sure not. This was their line. The line they'd created in partnership.

"I have to take a walk Jay. This all feels... well..." Greg looked at Jay's mother and then back at Jay. "It seems a little crazy."

"Told you he'd say that." Jay's mother folded her arms across her chest and looked at Greg as if she'd won a victory.

Jay watched Greg has his eyes lingered on his mother for a moment, then turned back toward Jay.

"I need to take that walk. I'll be back in a few hours."

And with that he left the room.

"He'll be back. Don't be too worried about that one."

But Jay wasn't so sure. He felt nervous. He didn't know what he would do without Gregor, but he couldn't have anyone or anything stand in his way. This had to be done and it had to be done the way he wanted it done. This curse had to be defeated, and if it meant risking his friendship with Greg, then that is what it meant.

Staring at the closed door, he said to his mother "How to we beat the curse mother?"

His mother stood and walked over so that she was standing in front of Jay. She lifted her arms and held his hands.

"We have to find a woman."

Sasha strolled into work at eight-thirty as usual wondering how it would be with Darren. After he'd come in his pants and the stripper made it very clear that sort of behaviour was for losers, Darren virtually fled Sasha's side, leaving her downing her drink and struggling to get up from her chair. By the time she got to the stop of the stairs of the club, Darren couldn't be found.

Sasha wasn't sure how to take the experience. That Darren would be embarrassed was natural. He'd put a huge stain at crotch level on his jeans, and both the women had known what happened, as he thrust uncontrollably into Sasha's hand, lifting himself off the chair he sat on. Willing to make nothing of it, Sasha pretended not to notice but when the cowgirl made it obvious she thought it was the sign of inexperience, Darren ran for the hills.

Although angry at being abandoned in such a place in such a way, Sasha felt prepared to see the experience from his side, and to acknowledge that the entire evening lay in the surreal. As soon as she got home, after taking ten frightening minutes to find a taxi, she tried to call Darren.

There was no answer on his mobile.

Again, Sasha showed patience. I'd be embarrassed too, she thought.

However, she'd tried to phone three times on the Sunday and again, had not answer and no return calls.

And so with this going on, Sasha arrived at work, wondering exactly which way her day was going to go.

It didn't take too long for her to find out. "Morning Sasha!" said Bob, a colleague who was part of another team. "Anytime you want to take me on a date, I'll go baby. I'd love to hit a strip club with you!" with that he fell into hysterical laughter and high fived another male colleague standing near him that Sasha barely knew.

Sasha turned red immediately. "I'm sorry? I don't know what you're talking about." The two men didn't stop to engage in chit chat. Continuing their laughter as if Sasha wasn't staring at them open mouthed, they walked on their way.

Sasha paused, took a deep breath, and moved toward her section of the floor.

As soon as she walked in, she could tell something terrible had happened. Three of the women she usually had lunch with, averted their eyes as if that would prevent Sasha from finding out they knew something embarrassing about her.

A group of men, all subordinates, started a round of clapping as she made her way deeper into the room, cheering, with the occasional "take it off baby" coming from a faceless voice in the small crowd.

Sasha fled to her office, with the cheers and laughter behind her. She slammed the door, only to find someone had pinned a large centrefold of a nude female to the back of her office door. He told them. He'd told them all.

She reached up and grabbed the centrefold, and pulled it down in one rip, to reveal the faces of those already at work laughing at her through the glass door.

Shaking with rage, Sasha moved toward her desk, and tossed her briefcase on it. She screwed up the piece of paper and hurled it in the bin. She sat at her desk. Shuffling through her briefcase as fast as she could, she tried to find her papers for today and concentrate on the days' agenda. Letting this one go may be beyond her saintliness, however, she didn't want to act with rage. Somehow she had to find a way to get through the next few moments of humiliation as she worked out what do to about it all.

Soon enough the clock hit nine, and everyone moved to their desks. Sasha had a moment of peace when she could call her secretary, Judy into her office.

As soon as Judy entered the room, Sasha started. "What the fuck? What the hell is going on?" Judy's face reddened. "I'm not sure. I don't know why they are..."

"Cut the crap Jude. Obviously they all know that I went to the strip club with Darren. I want you to tell me the full story without sugar coating it, so that I know exactly where I stand and what to do about it."

Judy took a deep breath. "That Darren asshole told everyone you made him go to a strip club on Saturday night. He told everyone you thought it would get you laid, but that it would take more than that to get him to fuck you."

Sasha turned red as a beet. Judy continued.

"I told them all there is no way it's true, but this prick was insistent. He reckons that is what happened."

"Well, it is what happened, except the reason we didn't' have sex was because he came in his pants and he was so humiliated he ran out early without even speaking to me."

A huge smile spread across Judy's face. "Jesus, boss! Can I tell them all that?"

"No. I'm one of the superiors here. I can't engage with this at all. It's beneath me."

Judy had a pained look on her face. Sasha could tell she wanted to say something else.

"What is it Judy?"

"Boss, you and I are ok, but... um... you know you're not that well liked here. You are tough -- I know you need to be, it's how we get stuff done -- but you're not that well liked and... well... I think this may take a while to die down."

"Really Judy, it's okay. I think I can handle it. Now let's get to today's agenda."

However, it was morning tea time, when Sasha, still working hard on her latest brief, looked up to see through the glass of her office wall, Darren walking in with Katy, the head of human resources on his arm. They were laughing and glancing in her direction. Darren immediately crossed the room to the group of men Sasha had trouble with earlier, and within ten seconds a roar of laughter went up as nervous looks were shot toward Sasha like arrows.

That did it.

Sasha immediately buzzed Martin, her superior. "Hi Sasha. What's up?"

"Can I speak with you immediately?"

"Sure. Come on in."

Sasha placed the receiver down and then realised she would have to cross the room to make her way to Martin's office. Darren stood in her way, with the woman from human resources. The group still laughed, though the sound had died down more now.

My appearing will only aggravate them. But I have to speak to Martin while that little prick is here.

Taking a deep breath, Sasha stood and opened the door to her office. Without a pause she marched up the hall, brushing hard past Darren who wouldn't get out of her way.

As she made her way into her boss office, she heard the laughter start up again as she closed the door.

"What's going on out there?" Martin asked.

"I just ran a gauntlet of humiliation. And I need to talk to you about it." And with that, Sasha relayed the entire sorry story to her boss. Martin went quite white with rage. "He'll be disciplined immediately. I'll get HR onto this. We'll find some kind of punishment to suit this. It is intolerable of course Sasha, but I hope you are satisfied with that. I don't want to dismiss someone over one error of judgement and the man is clearly humiliated."

"I don't want him fired, but I do want to know how you expect I am to show my face in this office. It will take days, maybe even weeks for me to live this down and even longer for them to respect me again. Oh and by the way. I think he's ahead of you. He seems to be dating Katy now."

"Jesus. It was you on the weekend? How did he get hold of Katy so fast?"

With lighting precision Sasha realised they must have been seeing each other before. That explains all the texts in the bathroom, she thought to herself. "I don't know, but I am guessing she's been told another story. She's out there right now joining in the jokes about me."

"Then I'll have to discipline both of them, but..." Martin trailed off.

"What Martin?"

"I will have to get his side of the story. If Katy is okay with this, there may be more to it." Sasha started to shake with rage. "There is nothing more to this story. He's being a bastard."

"Watch your language." Martin reminded her. Then his face softened. "Look, how about I have a talk to the two of them while they're here, and you go for a walk. Cool off. Actually, better than that, take the rest of the day off. I'll give you a call later and tell you how this meeting went and what needs to happen next."

Breathing heavily, all Sasha wanted to do was walk out there and clobber Darren over the head, but she could hear the sense in what Martin was saying. Plus it might help calm things down a bit if she's not here to add fuel to the flame.

"Thanks. Martin. I'll do that. Be sure to call me later, okay?"

"No problem" Martin said as she stood to walk out of the room. As she turned and pulled the handle of the door, she could hear him saying into the telephone, "Judy, get Darren and Katy in here right now."

Sasha made her way directly to the temporary safety of her own office and collected up her things. As fast as she could, she made her way past the stares and giggles, til she was in the elevator, safely making her way downstairs.