Second Chance at Love

Ugh, the story of my life - having to work twice as hard just to get half as far as everybody else. It's like the universe hands you a little something, but then instantly snatches it back with the other hand.

This struggle? It's been my constant companion.

“Sophie, come down! Breakfast is ready, and you’ll be late for work,” called my mom, the one person in my life who hasn’t turned into a burden.

“I’ll be down in a minute, Mama,” I replied, rushing to the dining table.

“Good morning, Mommy,” greeted my child. Yes, I have a child too. Now you know there are two people in my corner.

“Good morning, baby,” I said, planting a quick peck on his cheek before almost inhaling my breakfast and ignoring my mom nagging about taking it slow. I was too pumped for this new job to care about little indigestion. With food still in my mouth, I squeezed both of them and hurried outside, ignoring my mom’s reminder to drink some water.

“Be good, sweetheart. I love you,” she called after me.

At work, the day was just beginning. I settled into my role like I was born for this. I was operating on pure adrenaline and nerves. I was determined to prove my worth and show my employer that hiring me was no mistake

“What do you think you are doing?” Celine, the head of my department asked as I was about to go grab a bite for lunch.

“ it’s lunchtime so I was about to get something to eat,” I said feeling confused and unsure if I had done something wrong

“Do you think this place is for people like you? Celine’s expression hardened

“I…”I tried to get a word out but I couldn’t as she interrupted

“Oh, or u think you deserved to be here. Girl you have to work for your place here. I don’t even know why the job was given to you. Everybody here went to a prestigious school and worked hard to earn their place here and then there is you coming from a no-name and less prestigious school and you think this place is your playing ground?”

My feet couldn’t move from the ground neither could my mouth come up with anything coherent to say as I slowly sat back on my chair. Tears welled up in my eyes and all I could say was

“ I. I’m sorry. I Didn’t mean to offend you. I just saw others going out and I was told of the lunchtime policy when I was employed that’s why I thought it would be fine to go” I manage to stammer out

“Others, not you and if you must work under me, you must do it my way or kiss this job goodbye” She declared before leaving the office.

Not exactly how I'd pictured my first day going but I promised myself in that moment - Celine was going to eat those words. One way or another, I'd prove to her that I belonged here just as much as any of them so I cleaned my eyes, and took my phone out to look at the pictures of the two people who mattered most to me which were my mom and my baby. They are my motivation and I can’t quit.

Working hours were finally over, but I wasn’t done with the task Celine gave me, so I decided to stay back to complete it and make her happy by morning. I was the last to leave the office, and when I got home, my mom was outside waiting with concern evident in her eyes.

"Where have you been?" she asked, with a sigh of relief immediately as she saw me. Before I could answer, she added, "You look so exhausted. Let’s go in so you can eat."

I was too tired to even answer her question. After dinner, I went up to Dawson's room where I saw him sleeping peacefully. Gently, I pressed a kiss on his cheek and then went to my room to take a shower. As I was coming out, I was surprised to see my mom sitting on my bed.

"Mom, you should be resting. I apologize for keeping you awake at this hour.”I said feeling guilty for being the reason she was disturbed

"I don’t think I like this job. It’s too dangerous to be coming back by this time, and the way you were rushing your food was obvious you didn’t have lunch. Talk to me," she expressed her concern.

"I just love your meals, and you know it," I said, trying to hide the truth from her because I didn’t want to worry her. "Go and sleep, and I have to sleep too because I have an early morning," I added playfully, pushing her out of the room.

"If you ever need to talk, just know you have someone," she said with a caring tone.

I nodded and then closed the door, letting the thoughts of the day fill my mind until I drifted off to sleep.

….

It was another challenging day with Celine. I had worked hard on the file she assigned to me, staying up late to complete it. I approached her table, feeling hopeful that she would recognize my efforts.

“Celine, this is the completed file,” I said with a smile, adding “ I had to stay up late for it”

“And, I’m supposed to applaud you for doing a job you’re paid to do,” she said condescendingly.

She then turned her attention to Mia, praising her work while ignoring me entirely. "Hmm, Mia, this is good. You've made progress. Keep it up."

“Should I come back?” I asked feeling dismissed

“ I’m not pleased with your work, redo it” she threw the file at me

“But you haven’t even opened it,” I said

“Are you questioning my judgment”. Wait so you are now the head and I’m under you. Sorry boss, please how do I serve you? She said sarcastically and everybody burst into laughter. “ know your place, you’re here to follow instructions”.

“In what area do you want me to work” I managed to ask feeling helpless

"You are educated, right?" She didn't wait for an answer before continuing, "EVERYTHING. That's absolute trash, and you would have spotted that if you went to a good school."

As I stood there, feeling helpless, she announced that the new president would be arriving that day. She instructed everyone to get ready for the conference hall, but she pointedly excluded me. "That doesn't include you, Sophie, so get out of my face to your desk and start working."

With my head bowed, I took the file and returned to my desk, while everyone else prepared to meet the new president.

I was flipping through each page of the file, trying to identify what needed to be changed, but I couldn’t place my finger on it. I was still engrossed when they all returned from meeting the new president. Laughter and friendly banter filled the air.

“Oh. My. God. He is so dreamy, like something out of a romance novel!” Mia gushed, giggling like a schoolgirl.

Derby, who’s married, chimed in, “I can already picture having his babies!”

“Hey now, keep those babies to yourself, Mrs. Taken! The rest of us single ladies call dibs,” Mia playfully nudged her.

I wished I could join in this conversation, but the pressure to deliver wouldn’t allow me to act like a normal human being.

Celine did one of those loud cough-clears to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, ladies, that’s enough daydreaming. Let’s get back to business!”

As everyone shuffled back to their desks, Celine zeroed in on me. “You. Yeah, you over there. Can we have a word?”

I looked around, realizing she meant me. “Who, me?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, the invisible person behind you. Yes, you, dummy!”

I got up and walked over, bracing myself for her wrath. Celine had this way of making me feel about two inches tall.

“You know, whenever I try to talk to you, I feel like a complete bitch. But today, in our very first meeting with the new president, you made me look incompetent.”

“I’m so sorry, Celine. That wasn’t my intent at all,” I apologized quickly.

“Save your sorry. You know the first thing he asked for when he got here? That file you oh-soconveniently couldn’t prepare for me. I had to bullshit my way through that one, and there is nothing I hate more than going in unprepared.”

“I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again,” I said, but in my mind, I was thinking, “It was ready; you chose to be mean to me only to get the heat.”

“It better not,” she said sternly. “Because you’re going to present that file to him yourself tomorrow morning. And just so we’re clear—I want that color scheme femmed up a bit, got it? This is a professional services firm, not a frat house.”

I started to protest that gendering the aesthetic didn’t seem appropriate, but the icy glare she shot me shut me up fast.

“No problem at all,” I replied carefully. “Feminine color palette. Got it.”

“That’s what I thought,” Celine said with a sarcastic sweetness as she turned and headed for her office.

I headed back to my desk, feeling about two inches tall again. This was going to be a long night…

The clock ticked past midnight, but I barely noticed, too engrossed in the glow of my laptop screen, determined to perfect this before morning.

“Still at it, huh?”

My mom’s gentle voice pulled me away from the laptop screen. I glanced up with bleary eyes to see her leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyebrow raised in that classic look of disapproval.

“Yeah, just… trying to wrap up this task for my new boss,” I replied sheepishly, running a hand through my disheveled hair. “Want to make a good first impression, you know?”

She sighed softly, shaking her head as she crossed the room. “By running yourself into the ground before you even start?”

“Mom, I got this. It’s only temporary,” I said, trying to make her feel better.

She sank onto the bed beside me and placed her gentle hand on my arm. “Sweetie, I understand, but remember looking after yourself is crucial too. I’ve prayed endlessly for you to get this dream job, but your health and well-being matter just as much,” she said, a touch of sorrow evident in her eyes.

“Mom, everything I do, every late night, every effort, it’s all for you and Dawson. I want us to have a better life, to never feel looked down upon again. This is just a phase,” I reassured her, trying to ease her worries.

“I hate seeing you struggle like this. It’s heartbreaking to witness how you have taken on various jobs and endured insults from people, all because of us. And now that you’ve landed a decent job, it’s like you’re losing yourself, and I fear that your health will suffer. I just can’t find that happiness in you anymore, but you won’t open up to me. You shouldn’t bear this burden alone. I can’t help but feel like we’ve failed you, your dad, and I,” her voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Please don’t say that, Mom. You and Dad have been incredible parents. I wouldn’t trade you for anything, not in this life or the next,” I said, my own emotions starting to surface as I hugged her tightly.

“Dawson doesn’t have a father because of us,” she began, but I interrupted gently.

“Mom, please. It’s not your fault. It’s on them, not you or Dad. Dawson is happy with just us. We’ll be okay, I promise,” I assured her, trying to offer comfort amid her worries.

She clung to me fiercely, and I felt her body begin to shake with quiet sobs. We stayed like that for a long while. At last, Mom sniffed and pulled back, offering me a watery smile as she cupped my cheek. “My sweet angel. What would I do without you?”

I managed a half grin, covering her hand with mine. “Hopefully, we never have to find out. We’ve got this, okay? Like always – me, you, and D against the world.”

She nodded, a few defiant tears still sliding down her cheek. “Damn straight. This family’s too stubborn to give up.”

“That’s the spirit, mama,” I cheered as I reached for my laptop, fully intent on completing the task to Celine’s satisfaction. It was a matter of finishing it today or facing Celine’s wrath, and the latter was not an option.

“Let me get you something to eat while you work. You’ve got this, my angel,” she said as she got up and exited the room.