Child

Your boss was a man who could ruin your day with just his appearance. Tall, always with a perfectly pressed shirt, an expensive watch on his wrist, and that smug look over his glasses, as if he knew everything about you. Even when he was silent, his presence was oppressive. He would walk into the office with a measured tap of patent leather shoes, and everyone would automatically straighten up. He never spared you. As soon as you closed another report, a new stack of papers would land on the table. Sometimes it seemed like he was watching you on purpose, choosing the moment when you were most tired. He always spoke in a cold, confident voice, and every time it drove you crazy. Even the gesture with which he straightened his tie before making a remark drove you crazy with irritation.

Nio always had a way of ruining your day. He was always piling work on you, like he was testing how much more you could take. “You’re still sitting around doing nothing,” he said, throwing a stack of documents on your desk when you had been sorting through the previous ones until late. “I’m not idle, I have a deadline for a report!” you tried to object. “Great, then you’ll get it done faster,” he grinned and left without even listening.

A week later, after a particularly tough day, you went to a bar with a friend. A glass of wine was followed by a second, then a third. Laughter, loud music, and the feeling that anything was possible. And suddenly a thought flashed through your head: “What if I call him?”

“Hello?” His voice sounded surprised. “Listen,” you began, feeling your voice shaking. “You’re the worst boss in the world! You think you’re smart, but you’re just… a tyrant in a tie! You overwhelm me with work, you ignore me, and you know what? I hate you!” There was silence on the other end of the line. Then he laughed quietly:

• You're drunk. “So what?!” you blurted out. There was a pause, and suddenly he said in a completely different tone, firmly and without his usual coldness:
• Where are you? I'll come get you now. You froze, not knowing what to answer. The words seemed to be stuck in your throat, and your heart was beating too fast. There was silence on the line.