Page 122 of My Boss

“No. I want to be left alone.” He turns his back to me and covers himself, as if arranging himself for sleep.

And yet, it’s only four o’clock!

I stand on the threshold and stare at his silhouette. I have no idea what happened today, but it has clearly exhausted him. Soon his breathing calms down, lengthens, slows down… He is asleep in less than five minutes.

As soon as I leave the bedroom, the sound of my phone rings out. It’s Nina. I pick it up and, listening to her account of the holidays, I put on my jacket and shoes, grab my smokes and head out the door.

“Tadeusz and I are having a New Year’s Eve party at the club. Everyone will contribute,” she says as she finishes the story about the bad sweater gift she got from her parents. “I know it’s last-minute, but there’s space freed up for a group of ten in a dedicated area. There will be a DJ, a buffet, and booze. We start at eight. I’ll text you the address.”

“How many seats do you have available?” I ask.

“I’m calling you first, of course. I’ll talk to Toska next about whether she’ll come together with Radek. Then I will contact Arti. Maybe he’ll bring some guy with him.”

“Will you have space for one more person?”

“Sure. For whom?”

“For one more guy.” I smile to myself.

“Er… am I not aware of something?”

“Maybe.”

“Did you meet someone? When? We talked on Christmas Eve in the morning and you didn’t say anything. Who is this guy? Do I know him?”

“Personally, no. But your Tadeo, whose ass I’m going to kick for hiding this from me, knows him very well.”

“Tadeo? Maria, tell me what’s going on and who this guy is because I’m about to go nuts with curiosity.”

I take a deep breath.

“It’s my boss,” I reply. “And I’m spending the Christmas break with him at his house in the mountains,” I add, after which I tell her everything from the beginning, leaving out only today’s incident at the restaurant because I don’t have the faintest idea of what to think about it.

Cigarettes smoked—seven. Movies watched—two. Pizzas ordered and consumed—one. Wine drunk—half a bottle.

It is midnight, and Jan is still asleep.

I brush my teeth, change into my nightgown and get into bed next to him.

I feel tired from the whole day and a bit confused about what happened. I recall how vulnerable Jan looked when he was leaning against the wall of the inn, and I feel like hugging him. But I don’t. I’m afraid of his reaction.

I turn my back to him and close my eyes. Time to sleep. Tomorrow I’ll talk to him and I’m sure everything will become clear.

But it doesn’t.

When I wake up, Jan is no longer in bed. He’s sitting in his office. And, surprise, surprise, he’s rummaging through a disassembled watch.

“Hi, how are you feeling?” I walk slowly inside and observe him attentively. He seems normal.

“OK.”

“Can you tell me what happened yesterday in the restaurant?” I sit down across the desk from him.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He doesn’t look at me, but screws something into his watch.

“I’m guessing, but I’d like to know… in case it happens again.”

“It won’t happen again.” His gaze is hard. “I told you that I don’t go to these kinds of places. However, you insisted. There will be no next time. No restaurants, pubs, clubs, discos, supermarkets, concerts, cinemas, theaters, parties, and other such gatherings of more than five people.”

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