A Second Chance

The board was seated. Elizabeth stood to address them. "Good morning, everyone. I trust that we're all doing well. Today, we're discussing our marketing strategy," she started. Everyone paid her full attention. "Our products aren't getting as much attention as they used to and as they ought to. I would like the marketing department to answer this."

She sat down, straightening her black skirt as she did so. Everyone at the table turned to Annalise, head of the marketing department. She nervously stood up from her seat to address them. "Good morning everyone. As Miss Elizabeth said, we need to discuss our marketing strategy." She looked around the table nervously. Cold beady eyes stared back at her. "Well, I would like to first of all apologize. The marketing department hadn't really noticed any big problem until yesterday and then they called me to attention."

Elizabeth removed her glasses with her mouth agape. She held up her hand to stop her from saying anything further. "So you mean to tell me that you never noticed our sales were going down? You had to wait for your subordinates to call your attention to it?"

"Ma'am, I-"

Elizabeth cut her off. "Shut up. Have you forgotten what your job is? As head of the marketing department, it's your duty to keep tabs on things like this. So what, if we hadn't scheduled this impromptu meeting, you wouldn't have given a thought to it?" she asked.

Annalise bent her head. She could barely look up anymore. "You don't have to bother giving us an explanation as that will only waste more of our time, since you don't know how to do your job. Annalise, you are fired as the head of the marketing department. In fact, you are fired from the department as a whole," Elizabeth barked.

Annalise's eyes widened in shock. Her head snapped up. "Ma'am, please. Give me a second chance, I beg of you," she pleaded.

"Don't bother. Because of you, Uncle Fluffy would have made more losses. You will resume as my personal assistant with immediate effect," the boss said. Everyone at the table nodded in approval.

Elizabeth looked around. "I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time for no reason. We shall all meet again when I appoint a new head of department and they can come up with a solution to this problem. Once again, I apologize," she said. She got up, gathered her things, and dumped them in the hands of her new assistant.

Annalise stood at the stop, holding the file and notebook but her eyes were fixated on the wall. The members of the board began to leave, giving her weird looks as the room emptied quickly.

Elizabeth had gone quite a distance when she realized she was walking alone. "What is the meaning of this?" she whispered to herself as she whipped herself around and went back to the board room. When she got back there, Annalise was sitting in a chair, looking like someone who had lost all hope in life.

"What are you sitting there for?!" Elizabeth screamed. "Get to work already!"

Annalise jumped. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. I didn't realize you were ready to go," she said, shivering.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "What? Were you sleeping or something?" she asked.

"No ma'am," came the reply.

"If you weren't sleeping, then how is it that you didn't see me walk right past you earlier? I was almost halfway through to my office when I realized you were nowhere around me," Elizabeth said.

Her new assistant scratched the back of her neck. "I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't see you. I-"

Elizabeth facepalmed. "Is it that you simply sit around and not work? Maybe that's why you didn't see the writing on the wall until a subordinate decided to tell you," she said harshly.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I promise it won't happen again," Annalise said with her head bent.

"Better make sure it doesn't. I do not tolerate lousy behavior, especially from my assistants," Elizabeth said. Annalise nodded vigorously without saying anything. "Now pick up those documents and let's go. We have a lot of work to do today."

"Yes ma'am," Annalise said as she scooped the file and the notebook up in her arms and headed out of the boardroom with her boss.

Elizabeth was a woman who walked briskly. Most people described her as a woman who walks like she's running a marathon. All the while her previous assistants complained about this one trait of hers, Annalise thought they were either joking or just didn't like her. That day, she changed her mind.

"Listen carefully to what I have to say. When getting to my office, you will hand in your badge first," Elizabeth started. "I will relieve my now former assistant of her duties. She was incompetent right from the start. That notebook you're carrying is now yours. Thank God I bought it just this morning."

"Yes ma'am. I hear you." Annalise struggled with keeping up with her. Her boss's blonde hair bounced as she walked and the heels of her shoes made a faster noise than they normally should. "But ma'am, why are you giving me the notebook? I can just get one, you know. I don't think you need to give this one, especially since you just got it."

"Shut up. You don't talk when I'm talking," Elizabeth said sharply.

"Yes ma'am."

The other workers watched them from the corners of their eyes as the two of them passed. Annalise wanted to bury her head in the documents she was carrying. "I wish I could cover my face," Annalise muttered.

"What was that, Annalise?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nothing…ma'am," she replied.

"Better."

They soon got to the boss's office. Miriam got up from the desk in the office that was just before Elizabeth's. "Good morning, ma'am. Welcome back from the meeting. What shall I get started for-?"

"Pack your things and get out," Elizabeth said as she entered her office.