Free My White Boss by Aaliyah Jackson Page A

the hell did he get here so fast? He must have been in the damn parking lot!
    Panicking, I quickly looked around the café as if hoping for some sort of escape. Maxwell just looked at my expression in confusion, trying to see what I was staring at. There was no time to explain.
    Andreas brushed past Maxwell to stand right in my face, pushing him to the side.
    “So you think you can duck me? You think I haven’t been waiting for you to come downstairs all day so I could talk to your ass?”
    He reeked of cognac and weed, and there was a crazy look in his eyes that I had never seen before.
    “Answer me, bitch!”
    All I could do was hang my head, too ashamed to reply. Meanwhile Maxwell was watching everything unfold with his mouth open in shock. Shaking his head, he stepped forward and spoke up.
    “Excuse me.” Andreas glared at him as he continued. “But this café is company property, and since I own the company that makes it my property. I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises.”
    Andreas laughed, tilted his head back and gave him the middle finger.
    “You think I give a fuck white boy? I finna stay right here, so you should get the fuck outta my face before I do something I might regret.”
    If I could have ran away right then and never come back, I would have. The embarrassment was too much to handle and I burst out in tears, unable to hold them back.
    “Get out Andreas! Haven’t you done enough to ruin my life?”
    Maxwell looked back and forth between me and Andreas, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.
    “I don’t think you understood me. You’re on my property and harassing my employee, you need to get out. Now.”
    Laughing, Andreas turned around and started to strut towards him. Maxwell adjusted his tie and cuff links as if he was preparing to give a speech, seeming strangely unconcerned with his advance. When they were less than a foot apart, Andreas reached forward and shoved him backwards.
    In an instant, Maxwell sprang into action, shifting his weight forward as he swung his fist around towards Andreas face. His head snapped back and his body crumbled. He quickly tried to pick himself up off the floor, but he kept stumbling and falling back down.
    Maxwell stepped forward and pulled him up, pointing a finger towards the door.
    “I asked you politely and it didn’t work, so I’m going to say this one more time. Get the fuck out or I’m going to go to work on you, then call the police and get you arrested for trespassing and harassment. I don’t think you would do well in court against me.”
    Andreas was still reeling from the punch, but even in his drunk and stoned haze he knew that he had lost. Quickly making his way towards the door, he stumbled several times on his way out.
    Maxwell turned to face me with a stern expression still on his face. It was only once Andreas had left that I realized that everyone in the café had been watching the whole thing.
    “Now Tanya, do you remember what I said about your personal problems interfering with your work? Well now your personal problem is interfering with everyone’s work. Who the hell was that?”
    I could barely look him in the eyes, since I was so embarrassed and thankful that he had come to my defense.
    “That was my ex-boyfriend, Andreas. I broke it off with him a few weeks ago and he hasn’t taken it well.”
    Maxwell raised his eyebrows. “Well, at least he’s an ex-boyfriend and not your current boyfriend. In any case we need to meet up later to discuss this incident. I don’t want to talk about it in front of everyone. 5:30 PM in my office, don’t be late.”
    I hung my head as he turned around and walked out. Why would he want to meet me at 5:30, after most people had already gone home? I wondered. After everything that had just happened, I was almost certain that it was to fire me without making a scene. Trying to be strong, I quickly stood up and left the café, avoiding everyone’s eyes as I walked