A day of shit

A day of shit
It was morning. She was joining Simon Leclerc's team. Alice felt nervous; she had bought so much clothes with her mother that they didn't fit in the wardrobes, and there were bags everywhere. There was no uniform, so daily outfits were plentiful, and she wanted to change her style for something more... eye-catching. Her mother recommended it because of her new figure, and she accepted, because when she saw herself in those clothes, she loved the look she had. That woman in the mirror looked amazing.
  "You are beautiful," her mother said at that moment. Now Alice was just like the others with a slimmer figure, her face had always been too beautiful. She had the most beautiful face of all, and now the change in her body made her a beauty to which her circle was more accustomed.
  Thin women, with those small waists and those flat bellies.
  They had given the diet Alice would follow to the cook. She didn't even want to gain weight again because, with all the effort in the world, she could never have lost so much weight.
  Her mother would accompany her in the evenings in her exercise routines, and with that, she would tone her body, achieving more desired results.
  Little by little, just two weeks after the divorce had taken place, Alice felt that she was getting back into the rhythm of her new life.
  Divorced, dating the man she loved so much, and with a new job.
  She was happy, she had forgotten Robert and that ordeal he put her through, where she remained, with a failed attempt at marriage, clinging to the promise she made to her father about trying.
  "I'm tired, Mom." Her body drenched in sweat, she threw herself on the floor, too exhausted to continue, stretched out her hand to the water bottle, and threw a good bit on her face, breathing heavily. "Let's finish for today."
  "It's best, tomorrow you start work. You always have to go with your hair tied up."
  "That's very boring," she commented with annoyance.
  "Working life is boring, an adult's life, full of responsibilities, is boring."
  "I'm the divorced one, right? The only one who has to work. And I'm not complaining, but..."
  "Alice, don't you realize how lucky you've been? This could have ended badly. Feel fortunate that your father let you have a relationship with Jared Sinclair."
  "Mom, why should Dad let me or prevent me from being with someone? The situation was greatly misunderstood, but I didn't ask for permission to go out with Jared. I informed about the relationship I would have with him." She propped her elbows on the ground, and the water flowed down her chest, mixing with her sweat. "Do you think I'll be grateful to Robert for that?"
  "He hasn't asked you to thank him, and it's not what I said, I didn't mention him, you did."
"It was morning. I'm a bit tired of this. Yes, I'm an adult who listened to her father and married a man I didn't know, and endured an entire damn year in a marriage with someone I didn't love. But then I'm also an adult, and they want to tell me who to be with. What's the point? For some things, I'm responsible for my decisions, and for others, they want to make all my decisions. Tomorrow I'm moving out. The more time I spend here, the more trained I feel, waiting for you to tell me what to do. Exercise, eat this, buy this, dress like this. Following orders is exhausting, mom. I don't want to."
"You're not cut out to be the rebel, Alice."
"I don't want to be the rebel! I'm trying to be independent, don't you see? And I've already decided."
"Will you move in with your boyfriend after less than a month of being divorced?"
"I won't live with Jared and if that were the case, it's my business. I'm not trying to oppose you, mom. I wish at least you would understand me. I feel that if I accept one more thing you say, I'll find myself heading to another wedding, marrying someone you chose and that terrifies me. Goodnight."
She was tired and couldn't find a way to tell them to stop, to stop telling her what to do, just stop because she needed to start choosing for herself, make mistakes, and not feel like her life was planned out by her parents.
She knew she had let herself down from the moment she agreed to marry Robert, she was the first to betray herself and then her parents, but she told herself that was in the past and she had a wonderful future ahead, with a job, a boyfriend, and lots of plans.
Without Robert Graham in her life.
(...)
The morning came cold, it was dark outside, but the sun was already rising. He took a hot shower, made himself a coffee while wandering around the house in underwear, excited about the job, wishing the hours would pass so he could get there, see Simon, and who knows? Maybe have a coffee. He had high hopes for his new job and nobody could take that away.
Two weeks since the divorce.
Could he feel any freer? Absolutely not! It was as if he had always had a noose around his neck, he breathed normally and no longer felt the constant pressure from his father or the suffocation of having a child with Alice.
He was happy.
He dressed without rush because he got up very early, sprayed just one drop of his perfume, and looked up.
"Happy! Happiness!" - many plans, a look that no longer haunted or tormented him, and new purposes, nearby goals, and others that he would have to fight for with all his might, but more than anything... without any Taylor by his side.
He took his car keys and left.
Was he humming a song?
Robert really felt very happy.
That little traffic jam seemed like nothing, he waited without getting upset and arrived at the company with a huge smile, too big to be real.
A new work environment, people to meet, and maybe new loves. He was open to anything, it was a new beginning, and it was also the first time he didn't feel his father breathing down his neck.
Freedom.
He took the elevator, but it went down to the basement, heading to the garage. On another occasion, he would have cursed because it would make him late, but he didn't, because nothing could ruin his day.
Except for the stunning blonde that appeared when the elevator doors opened, just like Robert Graham's mouth when he saw Alice in front of him.
Was it because of how spectacular she looked or the surprise of seeing her there?
The woman opened her huge eyes upon encountering Robert Graham, her ex-husband; she felt the urge to make a very childish gesture, like crossing her arms or refusing to get into the elevator, but she held back, taking a step forward. This had to be a terrible coincidence, right? It had to be.
"Good morning, Alice," Robert said when the doors closed, she was one step ahead of him. It was Robert who pressed the number, feeling uncomfortable when he saw Alice didn't press any, which showed they were going to the same floor, something horrible for both of them. Robert was very curious about what she was doing there so early, and he didn't intend to stay with that curiosity. "What are you doing here so early?" The woman again remained silent. But he wanted an answer; he tried not to be direct, but he was very curious, and if Robert had one thing, it's that he liked to talk, unlike Alice. "Dear ex-wife," he said to get her attention, and he sure did!
Alice turned to him, her eyes sparking. She didn't want to talk to him because she tried to talk on the day they went to sign the divorce, and it was Robert himself who didn't want to say anything, passing by her as if he didn't see her. Now Alice tried to do the same, but Robert talked a lot and was persistent, achieving his goal.
"Alice, you can call me Alice. I don't go around calling you ex-husband."
You could hear the anger in her voice.
"I called you Alice earlier, but you ignored me."
"Because I don't want to talk to you."
"Neither do I, but curiosity gets the better of me. What are you doing here?"
"That's none of your business anymore," said the young woman in front of the opening doors. She almost ran out of there to avoid any conversation with Robert.
How was it that on her first day at work she found him there? She had the same questions he asked her, why was Robert Graham there at that hour in the morning?
She looked back after breathing calmly so that her great and first day was not affected by the sinister presence of Robert Graham, but to her damn bad luck, he was following her.
Angry, she began to walk faster. She needed to get to the meeting room and was told it was on that level, but that man kept following her as if his life depended on it, as if he was trying to annoy her.
Alice clutched her purse, ready to hit him if he persisted in bothering her.
She stopped next to the closed door and looked back. Robert was getting closer and closer until he reached her.
Alice took several strides towards him, her heels clicking with each step. She pointed a finger at him and spoke with a furrowed brow.
"Stop following me, Robert Graham. I told you I don't want to talk to you!"
"I'll tell you something you probably don't know or have never been told in your life, Alice Taylor. The world doesn't revolve around you; the sun doesn't only rise for you, nor are you the only one the moon shines on at night."
"Ha Ha Ha. Very funny. When do I start laughing?"
"I'm sure this is the first time you've heard that. I'm not following you; you just happen to be in my way."
"As if I'd believe that. You've been following me since the elevator. And I don't want to talk to you."
"When I think bad coincidences don't exist, I'll remember this moment." He walked past her, crossing his arms over his chest. He stopped in front of the large wooden door and knocked.
From there, an elegant woman with long black hair came out, casting a curious glance at the man in front of her. She knew who he was because she was expecting them. Both of them.

"Good morning, Mr. Graham. Good morning, Miss Taylor. Please, come in. Mr. Leclerc has been waiting for you."
The two looked at each other, was it still a coincidence? Not for them.
They entered the room and seated at the back was Simon Leclerc, who didn't bother to stand up. He greeted them while seated, looking at his computer screen. He removed his glasses and looked up at them.
"Hello, Alice. Long time no see, Robert. Welcome. I don't have much time, I'm very busy, but Samantha will give you a tour of the company so you can get to know all the areas. You'll have the morning for that, then you can go to your respective areas and settle in." Alice was about to say something, but Simon didn't give her a chance. Robert had so many questions that he almost didn't hear what he was saying, especially since Simon spoke very quickly, without pausing to let them speak. He adjusted his glasses and continued at the same pace. "Robert, you are the head of the department Alice is in, which means you are in charge of her, you are her boss. I hope you get along well and guide her in the right direction. It's her first job and she has a lot to learn. I trust you to guide her, Robert."
What Alice felt at that moment was indescribable, she almost fainted, but Robert's hands kept her upright. He was just as stunned and at that moment was speechless.
Why was Alice Taylor there? He now had the answer: she would be working in the same place as him, which deeply concerned Robert, knowing that this couldn't be a coincidence but rather Henry Taylor's doing.
"Follow me, please," Samantha said.
That day turned into one of the worst for both of them.
They didn't know what to say or do, other than follow Samantha, with a thousand questions and sidelong glances making it clear that neither of them had expected this.
Robert hated the idea that Henry Graham was plotting something. And Alice hated more than anything in the world having to work with Robert. And to top it off, he was her boss!