The Meeting

Another staff meeting, Ella thought as she walked around to the other side of the table. Sitting down, she placed her notebook down and flipped it open to the next blank page.

Silently, she watched as the other managers filed in, carrying notebooks, hardhats, and the ever-present cup of coffee. Somewhere in the distance, the plant alarm blared, but no one reacted since it was the morning test. Only one beep, not two.

From across the table, she watched as Mitch, the plant manager, sat and tapped away at his phone, sending another urgent message. As he set the phone on the table, the phones around the room started to ding.

That text message the stoic manager had sent was received by all the plant managers, not just those in attendance.

Ella glanced at her phone, and she partially read the text but thought she must have read it wrong.

Picking it up, she held her phone in her lap and read the text again. Barely able to keep from laughing out loud, she looked up and saw Gia, her best friend, suppressing the same bundled-up laughter. There was a twinkle in Gia's eye, and Ella wondered what snappy retort was rolling around in that zany brain of hers. If she could read minds, she probably wouldn't be able to stop laughing.

Around the room, Greg cleared his throat and looked down at his notebook, clearly avoiding eye contact. Maria turned a bit red and was suppressing a smile. At the same time, Harold tapped Jan's knee and nodded his head in Mitch's direction.

Everyone was thinking the same thing. Did he just send that? We wish you good lick on your new job!

Honestly, did he just send that? It must be a typo. Right?

Mitch was oblivious to the pandemonium raging silently throughout the room as he droned on about the weekend job reports. Keeping his eyes on his computer screen, he maintained his serious demeanor.

Daring to glance up, Ella looked across the table at Gia, knowing full well that it would get her in trouble. Gia was wagging her phone in the air and winked at her. Oh no! She was up to no good.

She watched helplessly at Gia, hid her phone under the table, and typed away, ready to send her inside thoughts to her. As she hit send, Gia winked at Ella and grinned. She was so pleased with herself.

Seconds later, Ella's phone vibrated on the wooden table, and her eyes glanced at the text message. Just one question. Just one. But it was as if Gia through a firecracker in a crowded room. Things were about to blow up, and fast.

Glancing up at her, Ella frowned, shaking her head. Gia didn't just send her the text. Nope. She accidentally sent it to everyone. Everyone, including Mitch, he wasn't going to take kindly to Gia's shenanigans.

Turning her head, she watched as Mitch read the text. A small crease formed at the corner of his lip, and his eyebrows furrowed.

Ella held her breath. Would Mitch admonish Gia in front of the team? Or would he make her suffer the anxiety of what would come and demand an explanation in front of HR?

Wiping her hands on her pants, she looked at Greg, and he gave her a sympathetic smile. She nodded to him and waited as the pounding in her heart slowed down.

Picking up her pen, she started to doodle on the page, trying to drown out the thousand scenarios that were playing out. Starting with the base of the tree, she drew line after line and slowly filled in the leaves.

She needed to keep drawing and concentrate on the reports and not the repercussions of that bloody text message. Her stomach flopped as she replayed the words in her head. And what will Mitch lick?

How? How could Gia have sent that to everyone? How was she going to explain it? Gia was going to get fired!

Ella snapped out of her fear-mongering when she heard Mitch clear his throat and ask Gia to provide an update for her department.

Gia tilted her head and gave her best electric smile, lighting up the room. She pretended like nothing was happening and that she didn't fear what was to come, but deep down inside, Ella knew the tears would surface in her office if Gia managed to weasel her way out of this.

Finally, Mitch wrapped the meeting up, collected all of his belongings, and nodded to the team as he walked out with his notebook tucked under his arm.

Ella looked at Gia and shrugged her shoulders, afraid to speak her inside words in front of the others. Holding her finger to her lips, she signaled to Gia to keep quiet, and she hustled her out of the building into the parking lot before she admonished Gia for her stupidity.

The damage was done. Only time would tell if Gia would survive another day working for Mitch!