Morning literally arrived after the blink of an eye. Mina's alarm went off at 5.30 AM while she was struggling to fall asleep. She got off the bed immediately. She couldn't take chances, and be late again.

    She put on a pale peach-colored blouse with a collar and tucked it under an off-white pencil skirt. Then she applied plenty of a bronze concealer to hide the bags under her eyes. She tied her hair up when she remembered what her boss had said Yesterday. She decided to go against his order and let it loose. If he thinks he can control me to the level of how I do my hair, he is mistaken, she sneered as she thought about it. Control is something that she had always despised and her fiercely defensive nature surfaced every time she met a controlling person in her life. 

    As she gazed at the mirror thinking about the toxic people from her past, she suddenly remembered that she needed to find a therapist in the city. She quickly made a note of that on her phone. Work has taken over her life before she even settled down in her new place.

    It was 6.15 AM when Mina stepped out of her apartment. She tried to eat breakfast but felt queasy at the smell of food. It was cold and rainy with tiny flurries of snow floating around. A bout of nausea hit her once she reached the train station. She promised herself a sumptuous dinner and sleep after work today to not fall sick. 

    She knocked on Daniel's office door at sharp 7 AM. Daniel was leaned back with hands behind his head and feet up on the desk; there was an amused look on his face.

    "I see that you have finished all the training modules that were assigned to you," he smirked.

    "Yes." She replied while standing. He did not ask her to sit down.

    " It turns out that some of those modules were not pertinent to your job responsibilities. You surely passed the quizzes that came with them but that doesn't mean anything because you won't be using that knowledge." He gave her a slight close-lipped smile.

    "But those were assigned to me!" 

    This was surely another dirty trick that he played on her.

    "This is what happens when someone as clueless as you works for a company like mine. You don't even know your job duties accurately. You just nod like a sheep and do whatever you are told to do."

    He wouldn't stop until he completely unnerved me, Mina thought.

    "Will you be assigning more courses then? And I have to finish them by tomorrow morning?" She asked.

    "Sit down," he said, "To answer your question, yes, you will be assigned more training, but don't do them so blindly. I also have one more thing for you to keep busy." He stretched his hand to grab five huge binders full of paperwork and tossed them her way.

    Mina looked at the binders questioningly.

    "They are Standard Operating Procedures for you to review. As a regulatory and compliance person, you should be able to remember every sentence that is on there. Some of these protocols need revisions though. Go over all of them, and revise everything that you feel needs a revision, with a justification of course. Provide a thorough justification for every file that you think does not need a revision."

    Mina's jaw dropped. "How much time do I have to finish this task?"

    "Finish it by next Tuesday, and come meet me with the files at 7 AM. I think a week is more than enough. See you then." He turned away from her and started working on his computer. 

    She was relieved that she didn't have to meet him for a week. She planned to ask Nathan for help and buy him lunch every day in return if she had to. As she got up from her chair to collect the binders, a strong wave of nausea caused her to throw up. She rushed to the trash can that was next to the door. She felt lightheaded and grabbed on to the doorknob for support.

    Daniel placed his arms around her shoulders.

    "Have you been sick? There is a health services center on the fourth floor if you want to visit." 

    Mina was scared-stiff at the thought that she might be pregnant. Her periods were unusually light the past two months which she thought was because of stress. 

    Daniel wanted to take her to the chair for her to sit down but she refused. She wanted to get out of his office as soon as possible. She did not want to cry again like she did Yesterday. She apologized for making his trash can dirty and proceeded to pick the binders.

    "Leave them here," he placed his hand on hers to stop her, "I will have someone bring them over to your desk."

    "Thank you," she said and turned to leave.

    "Here, don't forget this." He handed her handbag.

    She saw the same attractive man from Yesterday stepping into the elevator.

    "Morning! Do you work on this floor?" He asked.

    " I had a meeting with my boss," Mina replied.

    "Danny? He is here so early?" He looked surprised before he said, "Oh yeah, that's' right. He is probably trying to get everything done before leaving."

    "Did you say he is leaving?" Mina asked in anticipation.

    "He is going on a week-long vacation. Why don't you know that? You should always keep track of your boss's absence. That's when all the fun begins while the cat's away." 

    " I am new. It is my second day today." Mina wondered how Daniel was related to this nice man. She remembered seeing him on the website when preparing for the interview.

    "That's awesome! Congratulations on your new job. It's a competitive workplace but Danny is an amazing person to work for."

    "Are you Mark Fernsby? I am sorry if you are not. I think I saw your picture but I am not sure," she asked doubtfully.

    Mark chuckled. "Yes, I am. I was only 22 when that picture was taken."

    He was David Fernsby's son and Daniel's cousin.

    "I am Mina." She shook hands with him before he left.

                                                **************************************  

    "Why didn't you tell me? The boss is going away for a week!" Mina greeted Nathan cheerfully.

    "Yes! Fun times, we usually go out for two-hour-long lunches or leave work by 3 PM for happy hour. There's a Cardinals game coming up if you want to join us," said  Nathan excitedly, "Did you get coffee by the way? You look like you need one."

    "I need breakfast, let's go." Mina was in a good mood until thoughts about possible pregnancy came to her mind again. She tried to push them away until later when she buys a kit to test.

    "Where is the boss going by the way?" She asked Nathan.

    "Aspen, Colorado. He will spend time skiing with his girlfriend before they come back to get engaged next week."

    "Oh wow! Is he going to go away for a month before getting married then? I hope he does, within the next six months." Mina giggled.

    "If I go away for a month, I will make sure to give you three month's worth of work, don't worry!" 

    Mina turned back in shock. Daniel and Mark were standing in the line behind them to order food. Her stomach churned immediately.

    "Were you really sick this morning?" Daniel was talking to her like it was just the two of them in the room.

    "Don't bully her. This is not your office," Mark punched Daniel in the shoulder before saying, "Does he give you a lot of trouble, Mina?"

    Daniel was staring at Mina, with his arms crossed.

    "Go get your food," he told her when she looked at him instead of responding to Mark's question. 

    "What was that about?" Nathan asked Mina once they sat down at a table.

    "He hates me. And wants me gone," replied Mina, "Mark's dad hired me after arguing with him."

    "He never talked to me the way he talks to you. I am sorry that he is giving you a hard time. Did you have a meeting with him already? It's barely 9 AM."

    "Yeah, he asked me to review ginormous binders full of SOPs by the time he returns, with justifications." Mina rolled her eyes.

    "What? That will easily take you a month!" Nathan exclaimed.

    "I hope he gets stuck in a snowstorm for a month on those mountains," said Mina with a sad expression. 

    Mina resolved to leave work by 5 PM today. She bought pregnancy kits from two different companies. 

    Negative!

    She sighed in great relief. Her mind was in turmoil all day until she tested herself. 

    She was craving Chinese food, so she cooked mapo tofu and Sichuan style chicken with sticky rice on the side. She also unpacked most of her stuff before going to bed. She felt a strange relief sweep over her as she closed her eyes to go to sleep.