Page 36 of My Boss

“Well, the jerk only sees the tip of his own nose, he is a complacent stiff and totally selfish.” I hand him a piece of paper with a number on it. The muscleman stares at me for a long moment. He looks as if he wants to say something, but he purses his lips and hides the piece of paper in his pants pocket.

“Then maybe I’ll write down your number too,” I add. “What’s your name?” I take out my cell phone.

“Tadeo.”

“Very original.”

“It’s actually a nickname. My friends call me that.”

“Tadeo from Tadeusz?”

The guy momentarily turns red. Holy shit, the guy is powerful as a bull; he’s got tattoos all over. Probably at the sight of him, some guys just shit their pants, and this guy is ashamed that his name is Tadeusz.

“I like it. Your name is masculine and dignified. Like Tadeusz Kosciuszko, general, commander of the uprising…”

“Yep.” Tadeo quickly gives me the phone number, walks over to the chair and lifts it effortlessly, like it weighs next to nothing.

“My name is Maria.” I save his number on my cell phone.

“I know.”

Well. I put the phone in the back pocket of my jeans.

“But you can call me Mary, if Polish names annoy you.”

The guy smiles.

“I’m irritated only by mine. Mary sounds feisty, and Maria is feminine. It suits you.”

He walks out into the hallway with the chair.

Oh wow, gee, he’s actually a nice guy. Looks are deceiving. But I already know something about that, don’t I?

“Wait, I will open the door for you.” I follow him, I have to squeeze between his butt and the wall because the opening is narrow.

Gosh, his buttocks are hard.

“I guess you exercise a lot, huh?” I grab the handle and let him out in the stairway.

“A lot.”

“Obviously, it comes in handy on the job.”

“As long as I do physical work, yes. After college, probably a little less.”

“Are you a student?” My eyes open wide. That surprised me.

“Don’t I look like one?” he replies, but there is no resentment in his voice, rather an acceptance of how people perceive him.

“No, I mean yes.”

Tadeo shakes his head and starts walking down the stairs.

“Sorry. That sounded bad.” I follow him.

“Quite hasty to judge people, eh?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

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