It's Tee's Day: Final warning

I gingerly walked into the office I share with five others, they are all busy typing away at their keyboard with their eyes glued on their computer screens. But the desk next to mine is empty, Gbemi's, It's so unlike her. I walk straight to my desk and dump the envelope in my hand on it. I have read the contents like twice and I feel like even peering into it one more time will just open the dam of tears I'm trying hard to keep a lid on. The query letter also lies in my email, waiting for me to open it and read it. I could just ignore but the instruction from the new HOD states I reply and also type and print out my reply for proper documentation.

I reluctantly clicked on the email, knowing every second counts toward changing the impression the new boss has about me. I'm Tolu our Team lead had already filled him in with awful things about me. Sometimes I wonder why she dislikes me so much. Issue of punctuality aside, she always looks for ways to pick on me.

Gbemi walks in just as I'm about to type what I hope and pray is a convincing enough reason for Mr Jacques to overlook my misconduct.

'Babe, how far?' 

She says as soon as she got to her desk that's next to mine. But I only gave her a sad smile as a reply which made me move a seat closer to my desk.

'Are you alright?' 

She asks and I hand her the envelope on my desk. I hear her suck in a breath as she reads the contents of the sheet she took out of the envelope.

'This looks like a pre-sack letter.'

She says after reading the letter and putting it back in the fold.

'What are you going to do?' 

She drops the envelope on my desk and looks at me. I turn to look at her as if she has suddenly grown two horns on her head.

'Reply of course. What else?'

She rolled her eyes at me.

Of course, you would reply. What I mean is what will you do after that? Something you will do to ensure this does not occur again?

'Thanks for spelling it out clearly. I still don’t know.'

'Hmmm, you better do o because this man is not here to joke.'

I release a frustrated sigh as I sag my shoulders, thinking of what will happen if I eventually lose my job. Probably nothing. Except that I would have ample enough time to brood about trivialities and slowly slip into depression. Gbemi gives me an understanding look and then taps my back and mutters something like I'm sure you will figure it out. It is well. I nod at her, hoping that she is right. Then out of the blue, she says. 

'But that guy fine sha...'

It’s like she noticed the surprised look on my face because she replies with the question 

'What?'  

And then goes to say while poking my left arm. 

'It’s the gist around office. What's on every single ladies' lips, even the married ones are not left out.'

I'm about to tell her I'm not part of her statics when she teases me.

'Marriage does not make one blind. I'm sure you noticed too and just pretending.'

Indeed! I am. But I'm not sure how my pretence or not affects anything. Does it make the man withdraw the query he served me?

'The office gist has it that Team Lead has it hot for him.'

'Tolu?'  

I ask nonchalantly.

She rolls her eyes at me.

'Who else?' 

She personally offered herself to him as a servant, a guide and everything.

As funny as it sounds, I refuse to laugh. I just shake my head as goes on with the gist. I won't be surprised if it was TL who filled in the new boss with bad things about me. She doesn’t need any reason to do that apart from her utter dislike for me but with a great reward like having Mr Jacques as her man, she can go an extra mile to tarnish me.