Pink Slipped (A short story)
Claudia was making her way home but that was the last place she wanted to be. She knew there were people angry with her. They had every right to be angry. She had done the same thing she did last time. She took her car, drove as fast as she could and went to the bar that she found solace the first time she hit a rough patch. It was a quaint bar just outside of Rochester in the U.K. She didn't want to look into the eyes of her loved ones, see the disappointment or let them see her cry.
She felt like she had been slapped. She drank for a while, got stupid drunk and then sat on the sidewalk to sober up. She did this a few times in her life and there weren't many who knew where she'd actually have run to. She ran the fingers through her hair as a pair of dark blue pants appeared in her side view.
"You're a bloody idiot, Clauds," the voice scolded her. "The biggest fucking mess I've ever seen."
She knew that voice, but, it wasn't the one she was expecting. She didn't dare look up at her close friend, Roger Baker. He looked down at her, his eyes angry and hateful.
"Look at me, right now," Roger demanded. "You're being a child about this. You have children at home worried and scared and YOU are sitting here, fucking drunk?! You're pathetic!"
"Don't you dare..." Claudia started to say before he cut her off.
"No... you're going to listen to me," Roger scolded. "You will get off your ass, make a phone call, go home and hold your head up. Because if you don't, you will go home to an empty house, no husband and no children. Better off... no friends either. Henry's in up to his eyeballs with trouble with Alice because he defended you. You're a piece of shit!"
Claudia stood up and swung at him. "Go to hell!" she screeched as she barely missed Roger.
Roger grabbed her and put her in a head lock to hold her still. "You better get home and beg Michael to forgive your sorry ass," Roger hissed at her. "If I were you, I would get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. He is a much better man than I am. Hell, if he gave the word, I'd get rid of you for him right now!"
Claudia stopped struggling and looked back at him. She knew deep down that she had ruined a lot more than just her job. She ruined her friendships and her marriage.
Roger was right.
"I've always told him he deserves better..." Claudia muttered.
"Except that you both look at each other and it's like no one else exists," Roger murmured. "I've seen the way you look at him, Clauds. You wouldn't be happy... but I know you want him happy. Give him his space but go back home. Make sure you apologize over...and over... tell him what he means to you... because you don't know when you won't get to say it again."
Claudia looked up at him and felt her heart drop. "Why were you really in Japan..?"
Roger smiled sadly as he shrugged. "To say my last good bye to someone I never told my feelings to..." Roger whispered. "Don't make the same mistake I did."
With that, Claudia picked up her phone and called one person she felt could give her a ride back home.
"M-Marcus.... Hi buddy."
