Leila walked into the office on Monday feeling like a new person. Her husband was great, her sex life was better, things were looking up for her best friend and her husband. Life was not just great for her, it was perfect.
Her flowers arrived right in time as soon as she stepped into the office. She hugged it to her chest. Leila hadn't expected Kelvin to carry on with this tradition but now that he had, she never wanted him to stop.
Susie pulled up at her table. Lily joined her after. The two ladies sat on the edge of Leila's desk, she didn't try to stop them from taking out the note in the bouquet. Kelvin still typed the notes instead of writing them. His thoughtfulness was one of the things she loved about him. Leila loved everything about him.
"My heavenly flower, don't stop smiling," Susie read out from the note. Leila blushed without looking away from them. She wanted to tell everyone about her husband. "Aw. K is so cute." And kind and loving and the best thing to happen to her this year. Kelvin had started adding the initial of his first name to the note, he claimed it was more intimate. "When are you going to tell us about your secret admirer, huh?"
Gripping the armrest, Leila replied, "He's not a secret admirer." Their eyes bulged, and she affirmed her statement with a nod. "K is my husband."
"Liar," Lily spat out.
"Seconded. Big fucking lie," Susie added.
"I am married, guys. For real."
Their expression was priceless. Lily had troubles closing her mouth and Susie would not stop blinking. Leila brought out her ring from her bag under the table and inserted it into her fourth finger. She never wore it in the office but she wanted to change that.
She raised the hand with the ring for Lily and Susie to see. Susie reached for her hand first, pulling out the ring to inspect it.
"Waow. It's real," Susie said. She held the ring to Lily, they rubbed the silver band as if expecting the colour to wash off. "It's fucking real. And expensive." Susie returned it to her. "Yo, are those real diamonds?"
The ring was small and simple. A small band with a gem in the middle and tiny diamonds surrounding the gem. Wearing it made her proud. The diamonds had to be real, Kelvin didn't do fake.
"Yeah. They are."
Questions shot out from both of them. She dodged most of them and answered only a few. Kelvin's identity remained a secret, she let out a hearty laugh when Lily made a promise to find out who this K of a man was.
The only way anyone would know they were together was if she told them. They arrived thirty minutes earlier before resumption time, left thirty minutes later so they could ride home together. It was one of the little sacrifices she was making for her husband.
Making a V with her middle and index finger, Lily pointed at herself, then Leila and said, "I've got my eyes on you." To support her words, Lily put on her invisible hat and puffed her chest. More laughter spilled from Leila's lips, she was having fun with them, especially Lily. "Detective Lily Bloom coming right up. I accept the challenge."
They left her to do their jobs, each time she and Lily shared eye contact, the latter would squint. Work went by pretty fast but not fast enough for the eager wife, she wanted to be back in the same room with Kelvin.
A notification email erased her thoughts. Why would Sarah want to see her? Shaking slightly with trepidation, she started the short journey to Sarah's office.
Her hand balled into a fist when she was at the front of the door, it took a few deep breaths and some words of encouragement to herself before she knocked.
"Come in," the voice from inside commanded.
Leila wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and pushed the door open. Sarah was behind her desk, she didn't look up to welcome Leila but continued flipping pages from the note on the table. Leila stood by the chair waiting for the next instructions.
Sarah looked up. "Sit." She did as told. Sometimes, she didn't understand why this woman frightened her. "The first episode of Stars Glow was aired in your absence." Leila gulped. The woman's tone made it difficult for Leila to tell if she was being reprimanded. "The numbers were quite good, so good in fact..."
Her heart skipped a beat as Sarah picked an envelope from the desk. She couldn't be getting fired, right?
This year, she had not been as dedicated as she was in the past, all thanks to her husband. Leila wouldn't change a thing about her new lifestyle but she didn't want to give the impression that she cared less about her work now. It was still work for her. Work, then Kelvin. No, that didn't sound right. Kelvin first, then work. She would never tell him that to his face but it was the order she was operating on.
The pounding of her heart drowned other sounds. She knew Sarah was talking but she didn't hear what the woman was saying. It was tempting to rush to the window, open it and poke her head out to receive a breath of fresh air but Leila stayed put. The envelope stared back at her but she didn't dare to open it.
"Open it, Leila."
"Ma?"
"I said, open it."
A glance at her superior made her nod, she picked the envelope and ripped it open. She skimmed over the name of the company at the top and her heart resumed beating again when she read the first lines.
Dear Leila,
We acknowledge your dedication and commitment to Tech Valley and the steps you have taken to move the company to the next stage. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, same as the hard work of the last few years.
"Leila." Sarah's voice snapped her out of her trance. She wasn't a slow reader but she wanted to delay the inevitable if it turned out to be bad news. "What does it say?"
"That I have..." She skipped the first paragraph and went on to the next. "I have been promoted?" It didn't register at first until she read the paragraph again. She had been promoted. Her promotion came with a new office and a company vehicle to aid her. Leila read it again. This couldn't be right. She wasn't even in her fifth year. Next year would make it five years since she started working for Tech Valley, then, she could be eligible for this kind of promotion. "Ma? I don't understand."
"What part don't you understand? The promotion? The office? The car?" A set of keys dropped on top of the torn envelope. Her heart sped up, and emotions swirled around her head. "Congratulations, Leilani. You earned it." This was real. This was happening. "The office will be ready by the end of this week but your car is downstairs." Leila opened her mouth without a word, she had to say something but she couldn't. "You can leave now. Congratulations."
Spellbound, she exited the office with her car key dangling in her hand. She had a car. She had a fucking car. She knew who would be the first person inside her car. With that thought, she skipped to his office.