Kincaid was relieved when the orientation ceremony finally came to an end. He had never been one to enjoy such occasions, filled with bootlickers and people who seemed more focused on impressing their superiors than actually learning something new.
As he made his way out of the auditorium, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. Finally, he could get back to work and focus on what really mattered: doing his job to the best of his ability. With a smile on his face, he headed back to his desk and got to work.
Just as he was about to get into his car, he heard his name from behind him. Turning around, he saw a dark-skinned woman standing a few feet away from him. At first, he wasn't sure if he knew her, but as she approached him, he realized that she looked familiar. He tried to place her face, but nothing came to mind. "Excuse me, do I know you?" he asked, hoping she would provide some context.
She smiled and shook her head. "It's me? Susan Johnson," she said tentatively, hoping that her old friend would recognize her. But when he still didn't seem to remember her, she went further. "We attended the same college. We were even study partners," she added, hoping that this would jog his memory. But even as she spoke, she couldn't help feeling a little hurt. After all, they had once been close friends, and now he didn't even seem to know who she was.
She watched as recognition dawned on his face, and a smile spread across her own. It had been years since they had last seen each other, and she was thrilled to have run into him again
"What are you doing here? You still in college?" Kincaid asked, his voice flat and unfeeling but Susan didn't mind.
She was used to his demeanor and the way he always seemed to be judging her. "No, I graduated a year after you did. I had some issues that kept me back," she replied, trying to keep her tone light. "I just came back to attend the orientation because of a friend "
Kincaid nodded but didn't say anything else. Susan felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped he would be a little more welcoming, but she knew that wasn't his style.
"I....
"Bye!" Kincaid said, cutting her off. "I have lots of work piled up for me."
She tried to say something, but he was already walking away. "Can I at least have your card?" she called after him.
He gave her a weird look before suddenly stopping and digging out a business card from his wallet. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "Don't bother contacting me unless it's important." With that, he turned and strode away, leaving her standing there feeling a little foolish. She looked down at the card in her hand, determined to make the most of the opportunity.
Kimberly appeared seconds later, holding a file in her hands. She was looking a bit tired. As soon as she saw me, she let out a deep sigh and collapsed into her friends arm. "Where could you have got it that it took you so long to find?" Susan asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Kim sighed, feeling the weight of exhaustion settling into her bones. "Let's just go. I need to submit this and go get some rest," she said, trying to sidestep the question.
But Susan wasn't so easily deterred. "Did you find it in your trash or something?" she pressed, her voice rising with each word.
Kim stopped in her tracks, feeling a pang of guilt shoot through her. "Yes, I did," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know. Maybe I threw it out by mistake?"
Susan shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you would do that," she said, disappointment evident in her tone. "Didn't you know that you'd need it today?"
"I know, I know," Kim said. "I was just too exhausted with the whole preparation."
Susan sighed, her expression softening. "Fine, let's just go. But we're talking about this later," she said, before turning and walking towards back into the auditorium.
* * *
The silence of the room was interrupted by angry grunts and the sound of smashing vases. In a fit of rage, she threw another one against the wall, shattering it into pieces. The woman's temper had reached its boiling point and she was taking out her frustration on the poor, innocent objects around her.
"She's just one tiny girl. Why can't I get rid of her?" she yelled, her frustration reaching a boiling point. She had tried everything to get rid of her adversary, but the girl seemed unstoppable, always one step ahead of her. The more she tried to push her away, the stronger the girl seemed to become.
With a heavy sigh, she collapsed onto the sofa, defeated. It seemed like there was no way out of this endless cycle of conflict.
"Don't you think there's a good side to this?" Another voice spoke in the darkness. "She's hiding the child, meaning she wants no one to find out."
The first voice scoffed. "What possible good could come from this? She's the mother of the child of the man I want."
"Think of it. She doesn't know the man who got her pregnant and she hasn't made a move to find him. There's no threat here. You can still go ahead and get the man you want. If in the long long run, she poses a threat, you can still get rid of her."
As she sat there, staring at the solution that had been in front of her the whole time, she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner. It was so simple, so obvious, and yet somehow she had missed it until now. But now that she had seen it, she knew it was the answer she had been looking for all along. She smiled to herself, feeling a sense of relief and excitement wash over her at the same time. She couldn't wait to put her new plan into action and see the results for herself. She was right, and it was going to change everything.