Meeting Mr. Mogul
By: Mel RyleHe smirked and walked around me towards a small desk across the door. “For someone who just started, I can’t believe that you had to pick tonight to be clueless,” he said, his serious façade back. Terry was right, the man was humorless.
“I’m so sorry, Jack. I don’t know who you mean or why you are angry,” I said calmly in reply. I reeled my tongue in and tried not say any more witty comebacks.
“He told me that you told him to wait and deliberately overlooked him. Does that refresh your memory?” he asked lightly, though his voice sounded grave.
As soon as he mentioned it, I was able to refresh my memory. “Ah, yes. I remember that guy. He was a prick if you ask me,” I answered, snorting in disgust as I recalled that scene.
“You don’t know who he is?” Jack asked, looking slightly taken aback by my words.
“Well, I did just say that...” I pointed out sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
“William Maxwell, CEO of Maxwell Enterprises. The man owns almost half of the city’s businesses. He co-owns this club with me,” Jack explained quickly, giving me a gist of the man’s background.
“Holy...” I started, but trailed off as a memory came to me. He was the man who I served in the restaurant the night before. He was the boss of my boss, only now, it turns out he was also the boss of my other boss. It just dawned on me that I disregarded twice the man who has the power to ruin my life, which is putting both my jobs at risk.
Four
Jack was very calm after I admitted—innocently—that I didn’t know who he was. He forgave my lack of knowledge and told me to not be rude to the man again. I wanted to comment more on that, but I held my tongue and just nodded. I may have only encountered the man twice, but during each encounter, he made my blood boil. The arrogance he emanated was overwhelming that I almost lost my cool.
After our chat, Jack gave me a lift back to Terry’s apartment since it was almost four in the morning. Well, there goes my sleep. When I got inside the apartment, the sky had turned gray, which signified dawn. I was so exhausted that I didn’t bother to change my clothes and just crashed on the couch.
When I woke up, the sun’s rays seeped through the window, blinding me momentarily. Then someone nudged me, taking me by surprise. In retaliation, I kicked the person, which resulted in a series of profane words.
“I didn’t know you were so violent when woken up,” Terry hissed, his voice suddenly close to my ear.
I turned my face to the side, since it was face down (the way I mostly sleep), and stuck my tongue out like a kid.
“Why are you annoying me? I just got home—wait… What time is it?” I asked in alarm, quickly sitting upright.
Terry studied me with his brown eyes, smirking at my animated actions. “You looked funny. I never actually saw your ‘just woke up’ face,” he said, looking amused.
“Don’t ruin my already sour mood, Terry,” I warned and glanced at the clock. “Shoot! I got to go!” I exclaimed, getting up as I frantically searched for my bag.
“Here’s your stuff,” Terry said as he held out my bag and jacket. “Do you need a ride? Or a shower perhaps?” he asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
I looked at him sternly for a second before getting a whiff of myself. I cringed at how badly I smelled. I reeked of beer (though I never drank last night), sweat, and a whole lot of other things. Basically, I smelled like someone who had a rough night. Glancing back at him, I gave him a grim smile and gestured for him to wait a second. Shortly after that, I sprinted to the bathroom to freshen up. When I finally had a good look at myself in the mirror, I jolted in surprise once I saw my reflection. I almost didn’t recognize myself. Maybe I was just overreacting, but I think I looked like a caveman with my fuzzy hair and dark eye bags.
I sighed for a second before showering really quickly. I brushed my teeth after and then tried very hard to straighten my hair, which I ended up styling into a messy bun anyway. Lastly, I changed into fresh clothes in less than fifteen minutes. When I was done, it didn’t take long for us to be on the road.
I accepted Terry’s offer this time around, since it was already noon. I was already late than usual. On the ride there, I prepared a bunch of excuses on why I was late. It’s quite hard to convince someone who knows you inside and out and could tell if you lied.
“Hey, Dad. Terry is with me today,” I greeted once I entered the room. He was watching reruns again.
“Hi, Mr. Peterson. How are you today?” Terry greeted as he followed me inside, bringing a box of goodies as gift. The truth was I bought those as a peace offering in case my alibi didn’t go well.
