Knew I‘d cop it when I stopped for coffee.

Got to work late again. Knew I was pushing it when I stopped for a coffee, but the thought of sitting at my desk without one felt worse than the consequences.

At 10:12, my boss appeared beside my desk and said, “Can we chat when you’ve got a moment?”

Didn’t sound annoyed. More concerned, which is worse. I followed him into his office and sat down. He closed the door.

He said, “Look. I want to check in. You’ve been coming in late a lot lately, and I wanted to make sure everything’s alright. You doing OK?”

I said, “Yeah.”

He nodded like he was waiting for more. I had nothing more to add.

“I don’t mean to pry. I want you to know if anything is going on, you can tell me. I’m not trying to catch you out. Just… Are you alright?”

I shrugged and said, “I must walk slower than I think I do. I leave home on time. And then somehow it’s ten past.”

He chuckled politely at that, like I’d told a joke.

Then he said, “I also noticed your output’s dropped a bit. Nothing dramatic. You’re usually more on top of things.”

I repeated, “I’m fine”.

He nodded again, his signature move. He thinks he’s supportive, but it felt like being nudged toward a confession I don’t have.

“If you’re struggling, I’m happy to make adjustments.”

I said, “The dog next door barks a lot. I’m tired.”

He sat back and looked at his screen. He clicked something.

“Well… I need to issue a formal warning for your timekeeping. It’s not a big deal. I wanted to speak first, just in case.”

I said I understood.

We shook hands at the end. Like we’d agreed on something.

Back at my desk, I made a coffee I didn’t want to drink. On cue, the formal warning pinged into my inbox.

Reread it until the mug went cold. I thought about deleting it. Thought about replying to it. About walking out and not coming back because of it.

Instead, I clicked “Mark as read.”

When I got home, I didn’t turn on the lights right away. The flat was unchanged.

I wasn’t.

The email said the warning wasn’t anything to worry about. I still got into bed with my shoes on.

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