Turn Me Bad

*****

There was a real need for Violet to find her own clarity, on what she felt as well as wanted, in order to move forward without doing something she might regret. The puzzle needed solving and only she could do so, calling into doubt even the super powers of her friend Abby.

If this need was already strong in her, then it would be doubly so when it came to returning to work on the following Monday morning. At 10 a.m., she was just hitting her stride when her phone rang; the incoming call was from the meeting room and, upon answering it, she heard Bob, her manager’s voice. He asked her if she had a spare 10 minutes to speak to ”them” and, upon entering the meeting room, Violet discovered that ”them” also meant her office supervisor Barbara.

This kind of surprise meeting with higher powers only usually happened if there was a major development, as it had when she had been promoted. On this occasion, however, the interaction would not be so pleasant, although as ever they would be friendly and understanding and she would leave feeling very lucky that she worked for a compassionate company.

”Hello, Violet. Thanks for joining us,“ Bob greeted her. ”Please take a seat.”

“No problem,“ she replied.

”Erm, Violet…“ he began, a little awkwardly. ”We’ve called you in to speak about the last couple of weeks because we’ve noticed that your time keeping has been unusually lax.”

”I’m very sorry, Bob,“ she replied immediately. ”You’re quite right and I’ve been having a word with myself this weekend and getting my act in gear.”

”That’s reassuring to know,“ he said. ”Please understand that the only reason we have noticed this is because your standards are usually so high. In all honesty, you’ve been something of an example for some of the younger staff we have employed here and we’d prefer for it to stay that way.”

”Thanks, that’s nice of you to say so. I don’t plan on making the same mistake again.”

”We also wanted to ask about your well-being though, Violet,“ Barbara added, and Violet sensed that Bob was then pleased to pass the more sensitive area of the discussion over to the other female in the room.

”My well-being?“ Violet asked.

“Yes, Violet, this is a potentially sensitive area if we allow it to be left unsaid,“ Barbara continued, sounding as tactful as she could. ”So please let us know if we have got the wrong impression and we’ll apologize, but we’d prefer to just get it out in the open now rather than have it trip us up later.”

”Sure.”

”There’s a rumor going around the office, Violet, that you’re dating a guy who was one of the models we used here – and who is signed up for more work next week. Is this true?”

”Not quite in the context I think you’ve heard,“ said Violet who, despite feeling unease at the meeting, found she was relieved to get some of the details out into the open. ”The truth is that I met him – Benjamin that is – before the shoot. So it had nothing to do with the workplace and I had no idea that he would apply to be one of our actors for the day.”

”I see.”

”I’m afraid he thought that turning up at my workplace would amuse me, but I’m sure he’d agree – if he was here – that it was a bad call. Also I wasn’t aware he was signed up for anything next week.”

Bob and Barbara exchanged a glance and nodded. She thought she recognized something like relief on their faces and imagined that their biggest fear had been that Violet had somehow been messing around with the model selections in order to be with her boyfriend – or to get him employment.

”Well that clears that up, I guess,“ said Bob. ”However, it would probably be best if we don’t include him in that shoot next week, Violet, just to put any of these rumors to bed.”

Violet nodded her agreement, but Barbara wasn’t finished.

”We have also been worried about you though, Violet,“ she said. ”You don’t seem yourself and – don’t take this the wrong way – but you look tired.”

On this point, Violet was a bit stumped in terms of a response. She knew they were right, but no excuse was really good enough.

“As Bob says,” she went on. ”It’s only because it’s you and we’re so unused to seeing it that we ask. If there’s something you need, like less hours for a time, or…?”

”Oh no, absolutely not, Barbara,“ Violet insisted.

”It’s just that you’re such a valued member of staff and we don’t want to lose you.”

”Please let me assure you,“ Violet stressed, trying to sound as sincere as possible. ”I’m going to be back to normal in an instant. It’s true that I need some quiet time, but I’ll see myself through to the weekend and maybe book holiday vacation in a couple of weeks. This whole thing has highlighted just how important my job is to me.”

The surprise meeting ended cordially, and Violet thought she had them both back on her side, although having to go through such a conversation was not something she was used to. She had gone from the goody-two-shoes of the office to being an ”issue” in an amazingly short space of time. However, she was sincere that the change in her was temporary and that she would not be turning up late for work anymore – or calling in sick for that matter (a factor they must have known was also a symptom of her recent behavior).

For the rest of the day at work, therefore, she spent her hours building up a form of steely determination. She was due to meet with Benjamin again, but rather than partying, bike riding, and love making, knew that she absolutely had to have a serious conversation.

Something had to give and, if they really were to remain in a relationship, then it would have to be more mature and probably more distant. Wasn’t it about time he stopped paying for hotel rooms and went back to L.A. to complete some contracts? Maybe this was all just a big vacation for him after all and that was his intention all along. Either way, he would have to step back or call it quits, so that she could go back to being the boring dud Caitlin hated that turned up for work on time every morning.

Taking her profession lightly for any longer would see her in trouble very soon. She thought about sending Benjamin a text saying, ”We need to talk,“ but held back on realizing that was exactly the text girlfriends sent to their partners just before splitting up with them.

Was it really going to come to that? And could she really bring herself to be the one to do the pushing?

The part of her psyche that had been listening to her friend Abby’s oh so welcoming, but outlandish, suggestion that they might have a long-term future together had been severely impaired by the meeting with management. Understanding and measured as they had been, only the most reckless employees continue to take liberties after such a conversation. It was time to impress and watch whatever doubts they had of her dissipate.

All workplaces have their time and seasons and, if there were no more problems, Violet was confident this lone issue would be forgotten as soon as the next possible disaster came along and drew their attention. The firm had many employees and, being fast moving, demanded managers to be in constant crisis management mode. Getting them back on side would not take too long, so long as there were no further stories of her boyfriend infiltrating the workplace and she returned to her best form.

As if his timing could not have been worse then, Benjamin picked her up after work on his bike, sitting outside and revving his engine as if trying to draw attention to himself. That was his way. He never told her exactly where and by what means he would turn up, but when the day had ended, he would find her somewhere and usually have some surprise up his sleeve.

This time, he was insistent he should take her to a bowling alley where she could take out the frustrations of a working day on ten innocent pins.

Telling him that he was looking likely to become one of the pins she was trying to knock over would not be easy.