The Boss & The Assistant - Rewritten Edition of "The Boss"

Chapter 13 - Emerson

Lafayette seemed stressed about having people over on Saturday. It looked like he was on an old sitcom and the boss was coming over for dinner. He was the boss so what was he stressing about? Plus, it was only six people, all of whom he had known for years. I helped him clean up the terrace so we could barbecue. Most of the terrace furniture had been covered, so I took off the covers, fluffed the throw cushions, straightened the furniture so it was laid out in a nice sitting arrangement, and swept the floors. Lafayette didn't ask me to do this and he even told me to not worry about it, but I told him I was his assistant so I would assist.

By the time everyone was supposed to arrive, the terrace looked great. The string lights were lit, casting a hazy, yellow glow that was just bright enough to see but not too bright to kill the ambiance. Lafayette had the grill set up and was already cooking a variety of foods, the smoke carried through the window he opened so it didn't carry up over the terrace, even though the ceiling was also open. Drinks were ready on the beverage cart and music was playing on the speaker. Still, Lafayette was stressed.

I had never hung around with Lafayette and his crew. Lafayette said he met Jerry and Don when he was eleven. They lived in a townhouse next to the Catholic school he had attended. He went there after school sometimes. I remember he said that he stopped attending that school after the seventh grade and that he went to the public school where Emilio and Michael attended. So he met them when he was thirteen, almost twenty years ago. It was crazy to me, having the same friends for that long. I barely had any friends, none of which I had known for very long. The three of them met Carla and Marion in college, so the three of them had known those two for over a decade.

All of them arrived at the same time, and in a matter of minutes it's like they had been there for hours already. Michael and Carla sat on the couch talking. Marion and Emilio were standing next to Lafayette at the grill. Don and Jerry were upstairs in the art gallery. Lafayette said I was not on the job. I was staying with him and was there to hang out. Nonetheless, I still felt like I had to be the dutiful assistant. So I was tending to the food on the table for snacking and the beverage cart.

When the food on the grill was done, we sat around the patio table eating, talking, and drinking. I sat next to Lafayette, who was not saying much. I also was not saying much. I felt so awkward and out of place. There wasn't a name for the feeling I was feeling, but it gave me the self-conscious feeling I felt all the time in high school. Alone, out of place, an afterthought.

"Hey," Lafayette said, tapping me on the arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. Did anyone ever say they were not okay?

"Do you like the food?" he asked. His plate was empty while mine was half full.

"Yeah, it was really good," I said. "I'm just full already."

He nodded. "Well, let me know if you want me to kick everyone out."

I smiled lightly. "No, that's so rude," I said.

He shrugged. "They'll get over it." He drank his beer.

"You literally told me that you want to put your house to use more," I said.

"One house guest is enough," he said. "Look at these guys anyway. They're such slobs. At least you clean up after yourself."

"Well, these are your friends and I'm your employee. You could fire me if you thought I was too much of a slob," I said, smirking.

"I would not fire you for messing up my house when I was the one who invited you. If anything, I could get the ax from the board for letting you stay here," he said.

My smile dropped. "Are you serious? I don't want you to get fired. How can you get fired? You're the CEO. Do I need to leave?" I asked.

"No, Em, it's fine," he said. "But yes, I can get fired, which is a good thing. If I couldn't get fired then I could do all kinds of corrupt things. It's good governance. All of the board of directors are volunteers, external stakeholders, you know. So there is no bias."