Chapter Sixteen
LOVE BEYOND EXPLANATION.
She asked while walking back to her seat. Jeff looked at the tea with contentment and replied.
"It is all right by me."
He sipped his tea and cast a glance at the television. The auction teaser had been aired again, and he was able to get all the details he needed. The Operations Manager concentrated on the magazines that were carefully arranged on the center table. Then, Madam Sica Ray broke the silence.
"Jeff…"
Jeff sipped his tea, dropped the cup on the saucer and suddenly began to laugh, which startled Madam Sica Ray and the Operations Manager. She gave him a startled look, while the Operations Manager became infested too and chuckled.
"Why the laughter?"
He laughed some more before he replied.
"You love that name so much."
She chortled at her unexplainable loss of etiquette. She almost spewed her tea as she laughed while she looked at the Operations Manager and asked.
"Have I been calling the name too much?"
The Operations Manager giggled before he gave her an honest answer.
"Well, if I had counted correctly, you have called the name up to twenty times since we got in here."
She burst into another session of laughter, and they laughed along with her until she began to cough.
"Water."
Jeff shouted as he headed to the fridge, but the manager was faster. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and a glass cup. He poured it quickly and handed it over to her while Jeff looked on.
"Thank you."
She said as she gulped down the water with pleasure written all over her face as she continued. This time, she laughed softly while the manager and Jeff looked on. She called the name again and another round of laughter ensued.
"Sit down Jeff."
The Operations Manager reminded her.
"You have said it again."
"Oh my God. Okay. I promise. I won't use it again."
Jeff took his seat quietly and the office became abnormally quiet. The Manager and Jeff had the same thought.
'Let us see how far she can go.'
Jeff sipped his tea silently while the manager flipped the pages of the magazine. All of a sudden, she fumbled with her promise and said.
"How is your lecture going, Jeff."
"Wow! You have used the name again."
The Operations Manager reminded her
"Oh! My God."
She giggled. Jeff quickly emptied his cup, covered it on the saucer and announced.
"I think I should be on my way. Lest the name will be exhausted."
They laughed slightly and she took charge.
"Yes. Before you leave, I wanted to ask; how did you see the Organic Tea?"
"Forgive my manners. It's perfect. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. Thank you for the gift."
She emptied her cup too and stood up, walked Jeff to the elevator and bade him farewell.
"Thank you, Jeff, for coming. I hope to see the result of your research."
"I will let you know when the result is out. Thank you for being so caring."
The manager accompanied him into the elevator and sent him on his way.
"We hope to see more of you, Jeff. You made the boss laugh so well."
"I will always keep in touch, Manager. Bye."
At Madam Sica Ray's Office.
She got back to her office and slumped on the couch. She rested her head on the headrest and her two legs on the center table. Not only that, but she watched Jeff drive off from the CCTV. Then she took a deep breath and slept off. She woke up after three hours of peaceful sleep. This was the first time she was sleeping for such long for many years. At that instance, she was calm and elated as she endeavored to clear the table. Then, she picked up Jeff's tea cup and looked at it and thought aloud.
"This is beyond explanation."
However, she took away the cups and picked up the wine bottles, steadied her gaze on it before she opened one of them and sipped it religiously.
'Wow! It feels so good to be gifted. No one had ever given me a gift.'
At the Eagles City University
Jeff got back to school at 1 pm. The Lecturer was already in the class while the latecomers were standing outside, and he joined them. It occurred to him that he can use that opportunity to work on his Mini Project, he left the porch of the class and walked to the library.
Incidentally, the Lecturer in the classroom was Prof. Wood. When he sighted Jeff standing as a latecomer, he was touched because it was not in his character to be late. It was burdensome for him to pardon just him, so he quickly thought of what to do.
'I can as well amnesty them and allow them to come into the class.'
At that instance, he called out.
"You can all come in. Next time, you may not be lucky."
"Thank you, Prof. There will be no next time."
They thanked and promised, but someone was missing – the go-getter or, better still, the amnesty-getter. The disgruntled Prof. Wood was speechless when he noticed that. However, he carried on with the lecture dolefully. Shortly, his time was up, and he left for his office, wondering where he must have gone to. Jeff returned to the class for his next nature.
At the end of the lecture, he went to Leon's class to pick him, but he met him chatting with the lecturer he gifted his phone in an almost empty classroom because most of the students had gone. Jeff stood by the window to wait for him.
"Leon, thank you for the gift. You can have your gift back, I was only pulling your legs."
Proclaimed the sixty-seven years old lecturer who was holding the gift. Leon did not wish to have the gift back, so he teased.
"Prof. Since you chose to pull my leg on your volition, you can keep the gift on my volition."
The Professor who was ecstatically lively laughed and that attracted Jeff's attention.
"You are a funny chap. I just feel you need it more than I do."
Jeff walked in to join them when he noticed that the chatting was taking long.
"No, Prof., you need it as well. Consider it a gift from him. We shall be on our way."
Jeff chipped in when he joined them and pulled Leon by the hand.
"I am delighted to have it. Thank you."
The Professor appreciated and watched them leave. He remembered when he was a teacher in a high school. He loved youngsters so much. Likewise, he looked at the gift again and exclaimed.
"Cherry Fields!
At the Morris Ancestral Manor.
After lunch, Jeff and Leon retired to their suite. Mr. Morris had fallen in love with the Organic Tea. He had taken some packets to the office, and he is taking the second cup after he got back from work.
'I will send some to Africa. I'm sure my son and his wife will love it.'
He thought. Jeff had almost concluded his Mini Project, as well as Leon. Just then, he got a message alert.
Ding!
It was from Prof. Clement Thompson, the Acting Vice Chancellor. He had replied to the email from the Cherry Fields Oil and Gas Group requesting him to state the needs of the school.
He quickly forwarded the mail to his father, the International Vice Chairman of the Cherry Fields Oil and Gas Group.