Jane (5): something lost (1)

The Pink Slip

Jane was exhausted. Tax season was in full swing, and she felt like she'd been staring at numbers for days on end with no rest…because she had been. Her company had more business than ever, and with their other top accountant out sick, everything was falling on Jane's shoulders.

David shook her shoulder as she fell asleep at the dinner table. Jane looked up to see DW staring at her with a concerned expression. Jane smiled at her but decided it was time to go to bed. She pushed her full plate aside and staggered to the master bedroom, closing the door gently behind her before collapsing into bed with all her clothes on. She was asleep in seconds, not even bothering to get under the covers or get into a comfortable position. She was that tired.

"Daddy, is Mom okay?" DW asked with a sad tone.

Arthur nodded, "She's just busy at work. She's fine."

David nodded in agreement, "She's been pulling long hours at work trying to get all her work in. She'll be fine soon," David said, looking up as the phone rang. He left the table and answered it—with it being tax season, they were getting calls at all time of the day.

David answered the phone and was greeted by the voice of Jane's boss, "Sorry to bother you so late, David, but I need to get some paperwork from Jane. There's a file missing that I need ASAP."

"She's already gone to bed, and I honestly don't know if she'd be of any help right now. Can I get her to do it in a few hours?" David asked.

Her boss sighed, "She looked dead on her feet today, didn't she? I guess it can wait until morning," he said before giving David a description of the file—who it was about and what the file contained. David jotted down all of these important facts on a notepad next to the phone. When he was finished, he returned to the table to find the kids were done with dinner and eager for dessert. Not wanting to cause any commotions that might wake Jane up, he gave them small pieces of cake and put them in front of the television. It was up to him to keep the house in order, and that's just what he did.

[LINE BREAK]

David shot up at the noises he was hearing. Once his eyes adjusted, he realized Jane was destroying the master bedroom. He sat up, unsure of what to do. Was she sleep walking? It was almost one a.m., so it was a possibility, but she'd never done that before.

David finally found his voice, "Honey, what are you doing?"

"I can't find it!" she hissed, rushing over to him, "That note was from my boss, right? Yeah, well I don't have that file. I'm supposed to have that file, but it's nowhere here. It's supposed to be here. According to my notes, I brought it home to work on their return, and I did do that two nights ago. My boss is trying to double-check the return before it goes official, but he needs that file and I don't have it!" Jane said so fast that David could barely keep up.

"Okay, let's look—"

"NO! I've been up thirty minutes. It's not here, okay? I looked all over. This was my last chance, okay? This was the last place it could be and it's not here," Jane said swiftly, rushing into the bathroom to wash her face as tears started to fall.

"Should we ask the kids in the morning if they've seen it?"

"I've put the fear of God in them about my papers, David. They wouldn't do that," Jane called back through the closed door. She sighed so loudly he could hear her, "I'm done. This is what's going to get me fired."

"But it's tax season and he said he knew how tired you were—"

"Yeah, but you can't go around losing confidential documents and keep your job, David!" Jane said sharply, grabbing her keys from the dresser, "I'm going to check our cars again. Just…go back to sleep."

Well that was impossible now, he thought, but he obeyed her, staying in the room and tidying the messes she'd made. When she hadn't returned and he grew antsy, he walked downstairs to find the house in shambles. He started cleaning up, but after an hour, Jane still wasn't back. David went to check on her and found she was sobbing in her car. He knew to just leave her alone.

[LINE BREAK]

Jane looked up from her desk as her bossed stepped in, closing the door behind him. Jane knew why he was there and had nothing to say. She was the one who had lost the paperwork in the first place, so she deserved whatever he had to say.

"I'm disappointed in you. I know you've been worked to the bone, but this is unacceptable," the boss said, looking up to her, "I'm glad you're trying to find the files and make this right, but I don't know what I'll be able to do. My hands are tied. They'll find out in a few days when they come to get the file that we don't have it, and they'll want revenge for it. It'll be your job, okay? There's nothing I'll be able to do. A woman running tax season alone won't be good enough for these people. I've known them for years—"

"I know. I've known them for years too," she reminded him, glad she'd finally found her voice. She put down the paperwork she was holding, "I'll keep looking, but I don't even know where it could've ended up. I checked all my briefcases and bags. I even looked under my hood in case it ran out of my bag in the car and found a hiding spot. I know the paperwork isn't some cat waiting to come home. It's my fault and I'll accept that. Just…let me finish out the season for you. It can be as a consultant if you want, but let me at least do that for you."

The boss nodded, "I can accept those terms," he said, checking his ringing cellphone. He sighed, "I better take this," he said, leaving the office.

Jane's tears were gone. She had other clients waiting for their returns. While she still had a job, she knew it was important to keep going.

[LINE BREAK]

The client finding out about the missing paperwork was like a nuclear bomb being dropped off in the heart of Elwood City. Security had to be called to keep the clients outside while they yelled and screamed. It was the only way to protect Jane from whatever destruction they wanted to bring upon her. No amount of excuses was enough. In order to calm them, the boss had to let them know that she was fired, 100 percent fired.

The clients wouldn't leave until they saw her get escorted out, so another security officer came by to get her. Jane packed her things—besides, this was real anyway. She packed her personal belongings and carried them out in a paper box, her head held high.

[LINE BREAK]

Jane found easy work even without her old company. She was in the middle of a huge investment portfolio when her phone rang again. She used a sticky note to mark her place in her files and answered the phone.

"Hey, Jane, how goes it?"

Jane felt herself go pale, "Hey, boss, things are going fine. How about you?"

"Well…I've got some good news and some bad news," he said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I decided I needed to call you on this one because I knew they wouldn't—"

"They who?"

"The clients, you know the ones. Well, it turns out they came by and grabbed the file before you even took it with you that day. I finally figured that out when their secretary tipped me off. I fired them. I refuse to do work for anyone who's willing to lie like that," the boss said.

Jane sighed with relief, "I'm glad that turned out okay. I couldn't remember a thing from those days, and I still don't."

"Well I remember it clearly, all of it, and I can't let this go unnoticed. The bad news? I have no choice. The paperwork is final, and you're only allowed to work with us as a consultant, which probably won't happen next year no matter how much I beg. I've already called, and the final word came in a few minutes ago. I just wanted to tell you so you don't spend the rest of your life waiting for some file to turn up when you move or whatever. You never had it to begin with."

"I thank you for calling me, but…I'm getting work. If you hear of anything, you have my number," Jane said.

The boss nodded, "That I do. Well, I better let you get back to work. Have a good one."

Jane took a minute to recover from the news. David arrived home a moment later, so she rushed to tell him everything. Getting it out made her feel much better, and she was soon back to work. She was going to be fine now that everything had fallen into place, but it was good to know she was never to blame in the first place. She was still more careful just in case, especially since she was going it alone at home, but knowing she was never wrong to begin with really lifted her spirits.

~End

A/N: Piece 36 of 100 for my 10x10 Challenge. I'm doing this for NaNo2018, but I would love for others to join me during other parts of the year. The themes are on my profile and you can PM me for more information.