Chapter 3 - three

She had also noticed Jeff looking more and more uncomfortable as Andrew continued. She turned to him. "Alright, Jeff. Let's hear what you came up with and we'll see if you're thinking along the same lines."
Jeff fingered his checklist paper nervously. He had skimmed through the task, rating the foods on smell and appearance only, considering himself too good to waste time and unnecessary calories ruining his diet for some stupid project. He had never needed to try hard at anything before; people just liked him and gave him the benefit of the doubt. But now, seeing Melissa's sharp eyes turned on him, he began to worry.

"Well, I, um, decided that the bigger, more attractive foods would be the focus, since they would photograph well in the ads. I thought the cinnamon roll would be the focal point, along with some of the more colorful cupcake designs. The tortes and cakes Andrew mentioned were all one color and didn't have a lot of high contrast like the, um..." he trailed off nervously, sensing the obvious displeasure from his boss.

"Jeff, did you base your entire analysis on the aesthetics of the foods?"

"Well, yes, I..."

"Did you fail to read the instructions thoroughly, or did you just choose to ignore them? I specifically asked you and Andrew to sample the products. Do you think that the rules don't apply to you?"

Jeff's face burned and suddenly he felt very warm. He was sweating.

Melissa stood up abruptly. "Andrew, draft up a formal proposal for this afternoon. Jeff, I'll see you in my office. Now."

Jeff was shocked...he was already in hot water, and now he had just bombed his assignment. He worried that Melissa would rescind her generous offer of allowing him to keep his job. He silently followed her into her office and sat in the chair facing her desk. He winced as she shut the door firmly behind them. "Did I say you could sit down?" She barked.

Jeff jumped back up, even more frightened. Melissa delicately seated herself behind the desk, then asked him why he thought he was better than her. "Do you want to be the boss? You want to do my job? Is that what this is?"

"N-n-n-o, ma'am..."

"Oh really? Then why are you disregarding my instructions? Did you think they were stupid?"

"No! No, I just..."

"You thought you were too good to take orders from someone else?"

"No!" Jeff was close to tears.

"You know how much hot water you're in. You know I could fire you with a snap of my fingers. I could send you to jail right now if I wanted to. Do you realize that?"

"yes, ma'am." Jeez, she really meant business!

"The next time I give you instructions, no matter how stupid you think they may be, you had better carry them out EXACTLY the way I tell you. Is that absolutely clear?"

"Yes! Yes ma'am!"

Melissa's voice and demeanor shifted instantly from furious to calm. "Have a seat, Jeff."

He sat down immediately, not wanting to get yelled at anymore. This whole thing was ridiculous.

"I can tell you're having trouble adjusting to your new lifestyle. I expected you to try harder at work, not to blow it off. You're taking my kindness for granted. That needs to stop. I want to see your receipts like we talked about last week."

Jeff pulled a crumpled roll of papers from his pocket. "I wasn't able to sell everything yet but I did move to a smaller apartment." He tried to sound humble and apologetic.

"Jeff, I know this must be hard on you, and I'm sure you've been feeling down lately. I don't want your work to suffer. I'm wondering if you've ever thought of seeking....professional help.....while you're going through a difficult time? I know a really good doctor, he's helped out a lot of people I know when they were dealing with personal crises....divorce, death, financial trouble..."

Jeff had never thought about seeking help for this situation he found himself in, but now that he thought about it, he had been angry and depressed. Maybe he should take his boss up on her offer. "Do you think it would help?"

Melissa smiled her most winning, radiant smile. "It can't hurt, and it'll be totally covered by insurance. I just want you to succeed, and I know how difficult this must be for you, but you're doing the right thing by repaying the company, and I want to make sure you have the support you need. You're still part of our office family, even though you've made a few mistakes. The doctor isn't taking new patients, but I'll call and see if I can get you in this afternoon as a favor."

Melissa made the call, and sure enough, the doctor was glad to help out a colleague of Melissa's. "I'll drive you myself!" she announced triumphantly, and Jeff was momentarily reassured. Maybe his chances with the boss weren't ruined after all.

Only an hour later, he was being ushered into an examination room by a pretty blonde nurse wearing jingling silver hoop earrings. "The doctor will be right with you!" she chirped.

Moments later, an older gentleman entered the room, introduced himself as the doctor, and began the examination. After asking Jeff a myriad of questions to help evaluate his mental health, the doctor stood up and scribbled something on his prescription pad. "We can help set you right. These will help moderate your mood swings and prevent you from feeling as hopeless. They should improve your mood overall. You can get it filled at any pharmacy, just tell the front desk and we can call it in for you." With a last handshake, the doctor was gone as suddenly as he had arrived, leaving Jeff with a tiny paper in his hand, on which was written a single word: ZYPREXA.

If Jeff had even the slightest familiarity with mood-altering supplements, he would have realized that many anti-depressants have certain side effects, often including weight gain or increase of appetite. If he had done even the slightest research, he would have discovered that the one drug that is faulted above the rest for causing rapid weight gain with use (studies have shown as much as 30lbs within the first 2 weeks) is....Zyprexa. Fortunately for the story, Jeff had little interest in the particulars of the drug he had just been prescribed. If it would help him feel less frustrated, great. If it would help him find the patience to wait out the horrible financial situation he had gotten himself into, so much the better.

He walked out to Melissa's car with his prescription in hand, which he filled at the local pharmacy. Melissa watched with rapturous joy as he purchased a bottle of water and took his first pill. The prescription had been no accident; the doctor was a personal friend that she had met through Carmen. They shared the same taste in men.

"You've had a rough morning," she said as they got back into the car. "Why don't you go home and regroup, and we'll try this whole thing again tomorrow. Ask Andrew for a copy of his proposal draft before you go home, and brainstorm for a while. If you still have those bakery products I sent you, I strongly recommend you try them before tomorrow."

"Yes, I definitely will....thank you so much, I really appreciate everything you've done for me." Jeff was, for the first time in a long time, being genuine.

"I'll call you to check on you tonight. Take care!" She dropped him off outside the front doors of the office before parking and walking inside to her own desk. She couldn't have been happier.