I asked to take half a day off work, on Thursday, and I was told by HR, “You can’t, but I can, because I am the only person who can work from home.” One, that was incredibly mean, and two, I don’t want half a day off work to work from home. I really just wanted half a day off work for me. Anyone who has a husband, wife or fiancée/fiancé is allowed to have time off work. So why can’t I? You have to declare why you need the time off, when you fill out a holiday form, and yes, this is a handwritten piece of paper. Last year, I had days off for British Gas appointments and to do work on my maisonette, to make it liveable – those were valid reasons, but my workplace doesn’t accept wanting to have time off for me as a reason. There is only one other person who doesn’t have a partner. They are divorced and they have never been granted time off either, apart from an upcoming date, when their daughter is returning from Italy. So I need to add a requirement of having a child in order to get a day off too. I am not going on holiday to visit family or to spend time with my spouse or my child, which are the only valid reasons, apart from a medical appointment to book a day off, but it’s not fair. My experiences with dating have made me never, ever want a relationship ever again – I cannot cope with the mental abuse. I never ever want a physical relationship with anyone ever. I will never date a man ever again, but women are so catty, spiteful and demanding that I never want to date a woman again either. I never want children. I do not want to adopt a child that I will never like just to be allowed to have a day off work, because I am then a mother. Why can’t being a teddy bear mum be enough of a reason to be allowed to take time off work. I will be sat at my desk in ten hours and the thought of that makes me cry.