Fight to the Top

by S. L. Gape

  Mike finished his drink, “It was pretty obvious that was the situation, I could see the hurt in Georgia’s eyes. And while I’m sure she, like you, is a tough cookie, I also can’t stand by and watch someone be mentally abused, by my own staff. Your staff,” he said pointedly.

  “Georgia, I can assure you I didn’t know anything about this,” Erika said somewhat difficultly.

  “Well, I’d hardly expect you to admit it,” she said sharply.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Erika said.

  “Well, I offer you support when I see you visibly upset, tell you to go home. Jesus, I even said I’d stick up for you with Mike if you needed me to. And you go rushing to the CEO to say I stormed into your office, bullied you, made you cry and so you haven’t been in since? I’m sure it’s all a ploy, quickest and easiest way to get rid of the British bitch,” she snapped.

  “What are you…?”

  “Wait, Erika?” Mike stopped her. “Georgia, where did you get that Erika came running to me about you?”

  “You told me,” Georgia confirmed.

  “What? I didn’t, when?” Mike responded.

  “You came in and asked what had happened? You said she went home sick because I made her cry.”

  “Yes, I did, bu…”

  “You did?” Erika questioned. “What did you do that for?”

  “Because Tim told me. That didn’t happen?”

  “No,” Erika said.

  Georgia turned to Mike. “What I told you is correct,” she said quietly.

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry to step in here, Mike. But, I think as I’m the only one not directly involved, we may need to back up a bit. Clearly, Georgia has not been exaggerating, but equally, I get that Erika has not been involved in this... conspiracy theory. How about we order some food and start from scratch?” he said.

  Chapter Forty

  “Holy hell, that’s pretty darn bad huh? So what are you going to do?” Taylor asked.

  “Nothing, I’ll decide whether I retract my resignation over the next couple days, and I’ll discuss with Dan tonight, then I guess go from there,” Erika said squarely.

  “Right,” she nodded her head.

  “What’s that mean?” Erika snapped.

  “Nothing. So you fancy taking Dulcie the movies?” she said.

  “Don’t do that to me. What do you want from me? Honestly, I don’t actually know if I fancy it, could we go for dinner? I just kinda feel like I need to spend a little time with her and then an early night.”

  “Well, I can leave you guys. It’s no biggie.”

  “No,” Erika jumped in. She grabbed her hand, “Seriously, I just need a friend, and I’d really like it if we all went for dinner, if you got the time?”

  “Of course. I best make the most of our time together, before you leave,” she said sadly.

  “Mommy, what’s Taylor mean? Are we leaving?” she said sadly.

  Taylor looked at Erika apologetically. “Ummm, come here, munchkin. You need to stop eerie earwigging with these little things,” she said, wiggling her tiny little ears. “I just meant before she needed to go back to work, you know? Cause she’s been spending some time at home with us,” Taylor explained to Dulcie.

  “Ohhh, I know, I don’t like it when you work, Mommy. I like staying at home and baking choc chip cakes.” She smiled.

  Erika stroked her daughter’s face softly. So, y’all wanna eat out, then get dessert after?” she said animatedly, trying to not over think what this could do to her baby girl.

  “Yayyyyyy, can we go to forest café?” she said, jumping up and down on Taylors lap.

  “Not tonight baby, it’s too far for night time. We need to just go someplace local. And then we can go there one weekend. Go get your jacket on, okay?”

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  “Sorry about that,” Taylor said apologetically.

  “Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. I’m gonna have to tell her sooner or later. I guess I should just talk to the family first,” she said sombrely.

  ***

  Erika got seated at the restaurant and ordered their food. Dulcie was happily coloring with some crayons and papers the server had given her. She and Taylor and she were chatting quietly about the situation.

  Erika stopped talking and began focussing in ahead of her.

  “What’s up, who have you seen? Is it Dan?” she said concerned, turning her head around to see what Erika was looking at.

  “No, it’s her.”

  “Who her?” she said, trying to have a look.

  “Don’t look,” she said, grabbing her arm.

  “Well, you can’t say to someone ‘it’s her’ and then not expect them to look. Who is it?”

  Shit, too late. Erika quickly turned away.

  Chapter Forty-One

  “Damn, it’s her,” Georgia whispered to Emily.

  “What? Who?”

  “It’s Erika. Over there a couple of tables away, two women and a child, the dark haired one.”

  “Is she gay?”

  “What?” Georgia spat. “No, why?” Georgia turned back to her.

  “Is who gay?” John asked.

  “Nobody,” they both turned around and snapped at him.

  “Sheesh, eaaaassssyyy. I was just asking,” he said confused.

  “Sorry, baby,” Emily said to her husband. “That’s Erika over there,” she pointed out to John.

  “And she’s gay?” he said, looking at the family of three.

  “God! No, she’s married with a kid, clearly, the little one there,” she said.

  “Well, you need to go say hi. I know you don’t want to, but clearly you have both seen each other, and that’s not good to just ignore it. Essentially, you are the more senior person, plus you’re leaving tomorrow, so I think you should go over,” John said sincerely.

  “Seriously, I couldn’t just meet some immoral folk, could I?” she sighed.

  “Honey, he is right. Like you keep saying, you’re forty years old and are more mature than the rubbish at work, so be the bigger person,” Emily said to her.

  “Ya know what, I’m retracting the invite to my house,” she said to them, shaking her head as she walked over to Erika’s table.

  ***

  “Hi,” Georgia said nervously. “I thought I should come over and say hi. Figured it would be rude not to. Shit.” Shit she swore in front of the child, and she immediately covered her mouth. “Sugar, I’m so sorry,” looking down to the little girl. “I’m sorry for swearing, and I’m sorry if that sounded like a dig, it wasn’t at all.”

  Taylor felt incredibly awkward, the poor woman was reaching out an olive branch. “Hi, I’m Taylor, I’m guessing you must be Georgia?” she said warmly.

  “Ouch, never a good thing, when people are aware of you, without meeting,” Georgia said awkwardly. “Anyways, I just wanted to say hey, and, well I’m sorry about yesterday and sorry things got as awful as they did. But as I won’t see you again, I guess all the best for the future whatever you decide,” Georgia said, smiling kindly.

  Erika was about to say something, before she was beaten to it.

  “Who are you? I’m Dulcie. That’s Taylor, she’s my nanny. Are you a nanny too?” Dulcie asked inquisitively.

  “Well, hi, Dulcie. That’s a cool name. I’m Georgia, nice to meet you,” she said, shaking her hand. “And no, I’m not a nanny. What you doing there?” she asked, showing an interest in the little girl, and ignoring the look from Taylor over to Erika.

  “It’s a coloring, ya want it?” she asked.

  Georgia couldn’t help but smile at her. She was absolutely adorable, and it made her realise how much she missed her own nieces and nephews. “Um, that’s incredibly kind, but maybe you should give it to your mum or your nanny,” she said.

  “Why do you speak funny, Georgia?”

  “Dulcie, that’s rude,” her mom reprimanded her, causing Georgia to des
perately remain tight lipped.

  “It’s ok,” Georgia smiled. “I think you’re confused. I don’t speak funny. It’s you that speaks funny,” she said seriously.

  Dulcie was laughing hysterically, “No, I don’t, you do. Doesn’t she, Tay?” she asked.

  “Erm, maybe she does, I can’t quite work it out,” she said, tickling Dulcie

  “Anyways, it was very nice to meet you, Dulcie. I’m gonna head back to my friends,” Georgia said.

  “Bye, Georgia,” she said, waving enthusiastically.

  Georgia smiled widely, “She’s a beautiful, incredibly infectious, little girl,” she said to Erika. “Nice to meet you, Taylor, good luck,” she said, smiling and leaving the table.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Erika put Dulcie to bed and joined Taylor, pouring them both a glass of wine. “Do you think we have a drinking problem?” Erika said.

  “No, I think we are working through a difficult time,” Taylor said, laying further into the couch.

  “Cool, I’ll go with that. Okay, c’mon then?”

  “C’mon what?” Taylor asked confused.

  “Don’t pull that with me. I know you’ve been desperate to say something all night. Just get it off your chest already.”

  “Seriously, there’s nothing. I was surprised by her. I didn’t expect her to be like that, she was good with Dulcie, and I bet she got homesick. She was nice, and I have to give her dues, she was gutsy coming over like that, is all,” she said.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “It’s a shame it went the way it did, I think you would have gotten along well with her, ya know?”

  “Yup, well everything happens for a reason. There’s nothing I can do now,” she said.

  “Hmmm,” she said.

  “What, Tay? What? What exactly could I do? I mean, I’m still not sure I’m staying yet.”

  “Hmmm, yeah I guess,” Taylor said.

  “Okay, so what would you suggest then, if you were me what would you do?”

  “Stop her. And try to work it out…oh, and sort your staff out,” she said.

  “Stop her? Jesus, this isn’t some freaking love story where I run after her at the airport and beg her to stay. We work together, she’s a colleague,” she said.

  “Okay, no need to be sarcastic,” she said. “I didn’t literally mean go and run through the airport, jumping over boarding gates and beg her to stay, you ass. I mean call her up, ask her for a coffee in the morning and see if she wants to give it a proper shot, work together, collaboratively. Be a team and try to make this work. Geez, it’s twelve months, if that?” she said. “Listen, Dulcie is amazing, she just emanates beauty, kindness, generosity. That’s you guys that have instilled that in her. In most part, you. If she behaved like that, seriously dude, you’d kick her ass.”

  “Hmm, well I think it’s probably too little, too late for that right now. I think we have half way killed Derek and Mike, ya know?” she said seriously.

  “All the more reason, to show them you are professional and serious!”

  Taylor and Erika spent the remainder of the night discussing everything down to a T. More so since the pool party hadn’t gone as planned on Saturday, so they hadn’t really spoken since last week. Taylor was definitely pulling her mom’s and Mike’s card out on her, and the whole guilt trip BS was driving her insane.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Georgia finished packing and was relaxing until Derek came to pick her up that afternoon due to booking on the same flight. She still had hours to go though, and still needed to go and buy something for Emily and John, and Torrance too. She was a good kid, so completely motivated and driven, and Georgia saw a lot of herself in her. She had passed a sport shop when she drove to Mike’s on Monday, so she wanted to see if she could get anything from there.

  Georgia grabbed her car keys and pushed her phone into her back pocket. God she would miss this weather so much she thought to herself. Taking in her white jeans, flip flops and sleeveless denim shirt, Georgia grabbed her purse, opened the door, and bumped straight into Erika.

  “Erm, hi?” Georgia said, looking down at her watch, checking the time.

  “Oh, sorry, you are on your way out?” Erika said.

  “Erm, yeah, I was just going to try and find a sport shop that I think I saw the other day, for a present. Err, what are you doing here?” she said confused.

  “Do you have time to talk, or do you need to go to the store now?”

  “Well, I have a fair few hours before Derek’s picking me up, so I suppose? Do you want to come in or do you want to go somewhere?” Georgia said.

  “Here’s fine, well, if you are prepared to invite me in?”

  Georgia sighed lightly, “Come in. We can sit in the back garden, it’s nice out there.”

  Georgia opened the door for Erika to come in, trying to assess the sombre look on Erika’s face as she noticed the packed cases by the front door.

  “I guess somewhat different to back home huh? I got this for you, it’s nothing, just a bit of a peace offering,” Erika said, handing her a six pack of beer.

  “You sure about that, I mean it’s not really going to help with alcoholism, is it?” she said, unlocking the door and allowing Erika to go outside.

  “Ok, I deserved that.”

  Georgia opened her beer and took a long swig. Seriously, there really was no better feeling than an ice-cold bottle of beer in the sun by the pool, she thought nostalgically.

  “So, what’s up? What are you here for?” Georgia questioned.

  “Well, I came to apologize. And, yes, I know it’s too late in the day. I didn’t know my team would behave that way, and my personal situations are in no way an excuse, but I apologize for my behavior. Believe it or not, Mike was right on Monday, my behavior has been completely unacceptable, and I should have welcomed you in as the woman who was going through the exact situation I was. I should have been more professional in front of my staff and maybe not been so emotionally reactive about you, without first understanding the situation. And lastly, I should have never made anyone feel this way. If anyone did that to Dulcie, I’d kill them. And you, like you say, have been thrown through the mill, actually, in a much worse position than I have. I’m not going to beg you for forgiveness or to stay, but what I will say is, I’m not too ashamed and proud to say I was a dumbass and it took my nanny to make me realise that. If I could do it over, it would have been done very differently. Starting with taking you out for a beer on the way home rather than beating your ass down and insinuating you were a drunk. Which, FYI, as my nanny also pointed out, I would have done exactly the same thing as you had the situations been reversed with the drink on the flight over here,” she said.

  Georgia was taken aback by what she was hearing, and she had to give it to Erika for apologising. Although, she was wondering if it was just another set up.

  “I’m sorry. Like I said, I didn’t expect you to just start jumping up and down and accept the way I behaved, but I couldn’t let you leave thinking that’s me. I’m not looking for acceptance, nor forgiveness, but you pretty much walked into my life as it hit destruction. You didn’t deserve to be the one that got beaten down because of that. I took out my marriage and job issues all on you,” she said sadly “But look, that’s all I came to tell you,” she said, standing and walking away.

  “Erika?” Georgia said, standing.

  “Yes?” Georgia could see by the look of fear and hope in her face, that she wasn’t here to screw her over again. God, she wished she wasn’t such a soft touch. “How bad do you want to make it up to me?”

  Erika raised her eyebrow. “Well, I suppose it depends on what you want,” she said nervously.

  “Chill out,” rolling her eyes. “So, funny story. I got a pretty amazing car in the garage. However, I have never driven in the states. Pre-coming here I hadn’t driven back home for three years either. Nor had I ever driven an automatic. So when I a
rrived I got…” she shook her head sarcastically. “Like, ditched. Was called an alcoholic. Basically, leaving me no option but to attempt to drive again and then got pulled over by a cop. So, as you can imagine, I’m somewhat nervy about driving at present,” she said seriously. “I’m thinking you’ve apologised, and if you really want to make it up to me, and if you have time? Then how about taking me to a place I can buy a sports top. I need to buy a Texas Pacers top.”

  “Okay, okay already, I get it I’m a bitch. Sure I can, but I don’t think I have time,” she said seriously.

  Ouch, Georgia thought. She suddenly felt like an idiot, and she really shouldn’t have bothered. “Oh okay, not to worry I can do it, I’m sure,” she said embarrassed.

  Erika was smiling at Georgia, “I can take you, for sure. The problem is, we may have to travel the entire US to find a Texas Pacers jersey,” she said.

  “Really? Are they that important? Why are you laughing at me?” she asked inquisitively.

  “No, they aren’t that important, they are, that non-existent. The Pacers are Indiana’s team.”

  “What?”

  “It’s the Indiana Pacers, not the Texas Pacers,” she laughed. “Come on.”

  “Is Indiana not an actual place? Why would you support a team that isn’t where you come from?” Georgia said confused.

  “Not much into sports then huh?” Erika laughed.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  “You sure you wanna do this?” Erika asked again.

  “Well, I think it’s too late to back out now, it’s done,” Georgia said to the woman.

  “I guess we better go then,” Erika said.

  A short while later, Erika and Georgia were sat in front of their respective bosses.