Where on earth could she possibly get money for all of this? She thought. She felt like calling Tobi again. She wished she had someone to talk to.
Tobi had travelled on business to see some client.
She didn't wish to bother him anymore. He had helped her enough. She had to fight her battles alone.
Emilia walked into Mr Jason office, elegantly dressed. She had heard about his upcoming movie and had decided to help him with a role to enable the movie get more publicity since she was a world known actress.
Jack was Mr Jason friend. They had being school mates from the University, and often supported each other.
Mr Jason had begged jack to do him a favour by contacting Emilia to help feature in his movie.
So when Emilia had showed up at Jacks house, uninvited, Jack had requested, that she helped Mr Jason with a role in his upcoming movie.
" Ok, I will do it, because of you, I will do anything for you" she responded.
Few days before that day Emilia had showed up at Mr Jason office and asked him to fix her in the role of the main character. Since that would put her in the forefront of the movie.
He had then explained the various roles and characters in the play, and Emilia had simply preferred the role of Princess Cindy; Maria's role. He had no other choice than to let her do it, especially since she would do it for free.
Maria got a taxi that drove her straight to the hospital. As soon as she got in, she met Mandy still in the waiting room panting and pacing round.
What happened?" Maria quickly asked,
as soon as she got to her, trying to her calm down.
" I don't know. I just came back and saw her lying down sick" she said, and began to sob again.
It's going to be alrit" maria said , trying to calm her sister, while hugging and rubbing her back.
" She is going to be fine. You will see" she said, trying to be strong. Someone had to be the strong one.
"The doctor are also asking for a deposit of the money" Mandy said immediately, shaking her head, as maria sighed, remembering what had just transpired with her movie contract.
How did it go?" Mandy suddenly asked as if reading maria's thought.
Maria shrugged.
"I mean the movie. You hurried out this morning saying it was urgent from Mr Jason. What was it about?" Mandy asked , as maria took a deep breathe and exhaled.
She didn't want to say anything about it, atleast not when they had their mother to worry about. She would find another way of raising the money. There was always a way. She thought.
Never mind, we will talk about it later" she finally said, as they strolled to the corridor of the building to the doctors office. She walked pass a large crowd of cars, sucked in traffic and made her way into a building opposite the busy road. It was very tall with an inscription of
"TIMOTHY'S LAW FIRM" boldly written at the top.
The reception hall had many people going in and out of different offices. A receptionist sitting in a small decorated cubicle by the side of the entrance, smiled at those who approached her for questions and sometimes waved at people leaving the building.
The weather had being cold outside. Too cold, and maria felt thankful that the building had some kind of warmth.
She wrapped her hands around herself, trying to embrace more warmth, as she walked slowing to the cubicle where the receptionist sat.
She was busy typing something into the computer Infront of her, and immediately raised her head to look at the person approaching.
"Hello" she said, exposing a small part of her dentals. "What can I do for you?" She asked sweetly.
'' I am Maria, I was scheduled for an interview" she replied.
"Oh, you are welcome." She answered." Go through your left, to the first office, there is a hall where you will find others who are also scheduled for the interview."
"Thank you so much" maria replied, faking a smile, as she made her way to the office.
Maria walked into a small hall and almost froze when she saw crowds of people sitted in a large hall. The hall looked almost choked crowded.
She didn't want to imagine, that all this crowd were also there for the same reason she had come for.
She looked for any empty seat close to the door and sat still. She tried not to worry about anything. Not about the crowd nor the interview.
She had being notified and scheduled for the interview when she had called Professor Magid, a professor from her university who had picked interest in her and always treated her like his daughter.
She had reached out to him, when she became overwhelmed by the happenings of the last few days to seek for his advice.
He had then advised her to be calm and trust God, and also assured to help her secure a part time job at a law firm owned and run by his best friend Mr Tim.
It had seemed too good to be true, especially with the various disappointment she had being encountering in the various law firms she had applied in.
True to his words, the following morning, she received a text message, inviting her for the interview for a part time job.
Professor Magid, had advised her to go for a per time job to enable her also run her law school programme concurrently
As various thoughts raced through her mind, she suddenly heard someone, a lady's voice call her name from the mega speaker attached to the wall in the hall.
"Miss Maria Thomas, you can go in to see the chairman now" she wasn't sure she heard correctly, until the voice repeated again.
She quickly stood up and hurried from the hall towards the chairman's office, where she had being directed to.
She could see all eyes in the hall fixed in her direction. Her feet almost became cold and she almost stubbled. She quickly gathered her remaining confidence and continued to the office. She saw" Mr Tim office" boldly written on the door by her left.
She knocked.
"Come on in" she heard a husk voice
from inside said, and she pushed open the door a little and ushered herself into a perfect furnished and equisite office.
There was a wide television set on the wall and a laptop sitting perfectly on the table. The office looked aluring and the fragrance emanting from it was what she couldn't describe. She took a deep breathe as Mr Tim offered her a seat.
It's a pleasure meeting you hon" he said, extending his hand for a shake.
The pleasure is all mine" she replied, exposing a little dentals at him. The man looked elderly, like one in his early seventies but still had his onion on.
He was dressed in a creamy while suit on black pants. His beard were stylishly carved across a narrow face that made him look handsome. He was elegantly dressed.
" Tea or coffee?" he asked smiling, as maria shrugged.
" thank you sir, anything will do" she answered sweetly, as the alluring scent from the office made her forget her many troubles for a moment.
He quickly dailed some numbers into a telephone on the table and spoke into it.
"Get me some creamy tea and snacks please" he said, and dropped the phone.
As he turned to speak to her, he looked at the telephone that had started ringing, and hesitated.
He took a second glance at the caller and raised the phone to his ear.
I will be done shortly" he spoke into the receiver before replacing it.
He cleared his throat, before proceeding.
" My name is Mr Tim. A good friend of mine, Magid told me a lot about you". He began to say, as Maria nodded and gently bit into her snack. She discovered she was hungry. She hadn't enjoyed any decent meal, ever since her mum got admitted.
"As you may have noticed" Mr Time continued. "The crowd of people you saw outside this office shows you the level of unemployment in the country today, and I sincerely sympathize with you on the challenge of finding a Job." He said as Maria knodded and paid apt attention.
"l do not in any way, doubt your competence, as I have being briefed of how you have in the past executed some note worthy projects at the University and outside it."
"However, we do not have any vacant space for a part time intern or worker at the moment. But if you let me, I would like to speak to someone who might be of help to you. While you wait for some minutes, I will speak with him and reach back to you" he spoke wholeheartedly, while the words hit Maria like a bombshell.