Ordinary Life: The Challenge

Sudden Trouble

"I'm happy you're feeling better now, Genevieve." Justin said to me as I was assigning new positions to a case. "I'm happy too. I feel....refreshed." I say with a big smile on my face. "Bruno must be coming home today, huh?" He laughed. "He does. I pick him up from the airport once I get off." "I really wish you two the best. I wish I could experience that kind of love. It's very rare to find. At least in this city." He said. "Besides, I liked one person, but, things happen for a reason right?" He appeared shy, embarrassed. "Who was it?" He slowly looked up to me and said, "It's okay. You have things to do, I'll leave you to that." He brushed his shirt, even though there was nothing on it, and prepared to leave. "Justin" I said. "Sit down. I have all the time in the world. I'm your boss and whatever is discussed in this office, will stay in this office. I don't want you to be afraid to tell me things. I've seen and heard it all." I said with a genuinely. "Charlie." He said, avoiding eye contact. "I liked Charlie. A lot." "You're..." "Yes. I am. And he knew, but I just never knew....he'd do the things he did. It broke my heart because....that could've been me. And with Faith being the outgoing person she was, he took her." I pulled my hair behind my ear and asked, "You don't blame yourself for you her death, do you?" "I feel like if I kept Charlie, under my wing. He would forget about the negativity going on in his head...but, I let him stray away. I let his hate consume him." I also felt guilty to Faiths death. And I know, until the day I die, I will live with that guilt.

"CHIEF REYNOLDS!" My secretary ran into my office. I knew there was an emergency. "What is it?" I asked, standing up. "We have a situation in the women's bathroom. "Okay. Justin you stand guard outside the restroom. Let's go."

I walked as fast as I could to the restroom, to hear fumbling and cursing, and screaming. There was a crowd of women circling around a fight, as if this were an after school high school brawl. "HEY!" I shout. "If your bladder isn't going to burst, I suggest you get the hell out before I burst the living shit out of your paycheck. NOW!"

The crowd cleared up and I saw two women on the floor, picking themselves up. Their hair, ripped and messed up. Shirts torn and skin scratched. "Should I even ask what you were doing?" I pursed my lips as I grew angry. "My office, now!"

The two women and I walked back to my office while the others watched in awe. "Shut my door." I say to one of them. I handed one a tissue, whom was bleeding from the nose. "I'm quite tolerant of many things, but violence is not one of them. I get it. You're human and you get angry, but to fight in your work space? Do you really want to come to work and fight? Well damn, be a boxer, an MMA fighter for Christ sake." I said. "I'm not even going to look into this because you two should know better. One thing you should know about me, is I don't pick sides, I split it down the middle. I won't fire you, but I'm taking you off for a week, no pay." Although that didn't sound so bad, it was a tough cut. With them being paid every two weeks, and 50% shaved off the top, that's a lot. "You finish the day, and don't come back until next week. Do you understand me?" "Yes." They both said. "One question I will ask you. Is there a third party that may have initiated the problem? One woman, with her arms crossed said, "That metal head, Lapierre." The other simply just said, "Lapierre" I knew I didn't have a good feeling about that girl. I wanted to get rid of her, but deep down, I needed her