Tangled Break.

Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp, gulp. Freda quickly wiped her mouth, and straightened her clothes. She looked around to see if she had dropped anything on the floor, or (God Forbid!) the stationery. Eating in the supplies store had become her thing but how long would she be able to do this? Dusting a few crumbs off of the rims of paper, she picked up one, and turned to the door to leave…

“Oops!” She cried as the door opened just as she touched the handle.
“Sorry! What are you doing here?" James stepped back so she could pass.
"Was looking for paper" Freda said and scurried up the stairs to her office.

"Freda, come here!" Her boss called as she walked past her open door.

"Good morning Hafsa" She said and stood there waiting while Hafsa totally ignored her like she had not just asked her to come into her office. Finally after what seemed like a century later, Hafsa turned from her computer to look at Freda.

"Where were you?" Hafsa asked

"In the store" Freda said showing her the rim of paper she was holding.

"Do you have to go to the store yourself?"

"No, but I could not find David, and I needed the paper urgently"

"I hear you go to the store quite alot lately" Hafsa said coldly. Freda was amused. "That amuses you? Losing office supplies amuses you?"

"Office supplies? What are you talking about?"

"David says alot of things go missing from the store each week, and the only person he has noticed going to the store so frequently is you" Hafsa's hands were now crossed over her chest, and she was slowly swivelling in her chair as she looked straight at Freda. What was she looking for? Guilt? Did she really think Freda had taken those supplies? And what supplies were those? How come Freda had not noticed anything when she was in the store. The store looked the same everytime she entered it.

"Do you seriously think I have been taking things from the store?" Freda was offended. Hafsa stopped swivelling. She leaned on her desk and looked at Freda for a while before she said "What am I supposed to think? You are in that store alot, and things go missing. Is it David taking these things?"

"How would I know?" Freda almost shouted. She was angry now. Of all the things Hafsa had done to her, accusing her of theft had to be the worst. The problem with Hafsa was she ran this office like it was her household; with great paranoia. She believed everybody was out to destroy whatever she had 'built with her own hands'.

"Freda, I trust David. David has been with me for forever. David worked for me before i even started this company, and if you think you can come in here and accuse David of stealing from..."

"But i have not said he stole..."

"You implied it, and for me that is bad enough"

"I did not do that!"

"Do you want to argue with me? Should i call David in and tell him what you have said?" Hafsa shouted at Freda. If anybody had not heard her, they were obviously deaf. "I will not sit around while you come into my office and steal from me!" Hafsa continued to shout.

"David! David!" she called at the top of her voice. She called loudly until David came running up the stairs. Freda smelt him before he even entered the office. The smell of his stale sweat always preceded his presence.

"Freda thinks you are the one stealing the supplies!" Hafsa said to him before he even reached her desk.

"What! No madam. Banange no Madam! Madam you know i would never steal from you." David pleaded on his knees. Freda could not believe this drama being played out infront of her.

"Banange Madam, why would i steal from you?" David was still pleading.

"I know you can't. It is her stealing and ..."

"Hafsa, i have not stolen anything from this office!"

"Look at her. Hear how she speaks to me." Hafsa said with such contempt. "Get out of my office." she said to Freda. "Get out!" she shouted when Freda did not move.

Freda looked at her in disbelief, and could not believe her feet as they turned and started walking toward her office. She walked to her desk and sat down slowly. Her hands were shaking so hard, and her heart beat like it wanted to walk out on her. Carol was looking at her when she finally looked up. She was in shock too. “I’m sorry” She whispered sympathetically to Freda. Freda just looked down. She was on the verge of tears, and Carol’s sympathy was going to break her down.

Stealing supplies? Freda shook her head. The tears were now clouding her sight, so she quickly got up from her desk and went to the bathroom. Of all the things to be accused of doing. How ridiculous!

“I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!” She cried in the bathroom. It was a small bathroom, basic with a toilet, sink, and shower, but this basic bathroom had been her place of solace the last six months she had been in this job. Hafsa was mean to everybody, but this? this was beyond anything Freda could ever have imaginee. Stealing supplies indeed.

She cleaned her face and decided to take a walk, get some air out of this office. She would use the fire escape and go down to that little field outside their office. That little field was haven number two for Freda. number two because she shared it with the occasional street kid, or stray cat. ‘why would Hafsa accuse me of theft?’ she wondered as she approached the last of the little stairs on this poorly built fire escape.

There were two men standing in her usual place. That little corner under the tree on the far left. “Aargh!” Freda muttered to herself for she would have to go over to the rock with no shade. As she walked away though, she recognised one of the men. James the accountant . The same James she had bumped into as she left the store. ‘What was James doing here?’ Freda wondered. He was gesturing wildly and poking the other man’s chest with his finger.

Freda didn’t know why but she quickly went back to the stairs, out of their view. She watched as James continued to gesture and poke the man. What could this man have done to anger quiet James?

Just then she heard footsteps above her and ran to hide in a corner under the staircase. There were boxes here and she was sure the person coming down would not see her. It turned out to be David, and as she had hoped, he did not see her.

“James!” He called as he walked toward the two men. Freda tip-toed nearer to the entrance and watched them through the crack between the door and the wall. James was walking toward David.

“Get those boxes out of here before Boss finds them!” David said to James.

“I’m working on it!” James responded irritably. “That fool there was supposed to take them but now he says he can't!” He said pointing to the man he had left standing by the tree. Freda turned to look at the boxes near her. ‘Are these the boxes David wants moved?’ She wondered. Quickly she went over to the boxes to see what they contained but they were tightly sealed with masking tape. She looked for something to cut the tape with but couldn’t find anything. She suspected these were the missing supplies but the quantities seemed more than she had imagined they would have been . ‘What if these are not office supplies?’ She thought. ‘What if David and James were hiding something bigger?’ Freda was determined to find out whatever they were hiding. If it was the missing office supplies, she was going to get Hafsa down here to see the real thieves for herself.

She ran up the stairs to her desk and picked up a pair of scissors. Carol looked up from her work and asked her what hurry was for. Freda did not respond. She quickly went back down the fire escape, checking to see that the boxes were still there in the corner, and that David and James were still outside. She went over and slashed the tape on the top box. She peeped inside and ...

“Oh my God!” She exclaimed.