"Why didn't you stop her on time and instead decided to come here to tell me rubbish?" The boss shouted at the top of her voice for Nsisong, who grabbed her attention as soon as she stepped into the living room, heading upstairs to her room after a long day at work.
Nsisong had been looking for different ways to tell his boss something really terrible about Bassy that would prompt her to send her away promptly while he was driving her back from work, but nothing surfaced. He vowed to himself and Bassy that she wouldn't see the next day in the house after she had the guts to talk back at him. His desperation to see Bassy in a higher stage of peril led him to concocting desatrous lies for his boss.
Nsisong stood in an obeisant gesture close to the grand entrance double door hallway, fiddling with his fingers jittery. "I tried to, ma'am. I warned her not to steal the gold necklace when she told me about the idea, but she didn't listen. I even ensured her I was going to inform you about it, but she said she doesn't care, perhaps, you never believe whatever I say, so why should she listen to me?" Nsisong's tone was crackly and barely above a whisper.
"Wow, I see," his boss clapped her hands together, lowering herself onto the fancy couch, taking a deep breath in amusement at what she had just heard. "So, it has gotten to an extent where the both of you contemplate on if you should or shouldn't steal from me?" She tried to calm herself down from the rage boiling inside her. "Did I do anything wrong by employing two people from the same village to work for me? Did I do anything wrong by telling you to help me get someone from your village?"
"No, ma'am, not at all. I've been working with you for more than five years now, and I know you are a good woman, which is what I've been struggling to explain to Bassy since all this while. She'll never listen. That's why I always come to tell you she's not a good fit for the job. I made a mistake by bringing her here, and I'm ready to amend that mistake by changing her to someone else, ma'am."
Nsisong's calm words caused the boss to take a deep breath for a moment, thinking of what to say next. "You still haven't answered my question, Mr. Man," was the next thing she said, glancing at him in disbelief. "Why didn't you stop her or tell me the moment she told you about her plans of stealing from me? Rather, you waited for her to finish stealing my jewelry before telling me?"
"It was my mistake for not telling you instantly. I thought I would talk her out of it. Bassy is really a bad girl; she's the opposite of what I thought she was..."
"Call her for me."
The firm, furious voice of the boss caught Nsisong off guard as his boss couldn't wait for him to finish talking.
Nsisong searched for Bassy in the kitchen, but she wasn't there. Thinking of where she could possibly be at that time, he remembered that she'd be in the children's bedroom putting them to bed as usual since it was their bedtime.
He went straight up to the room to fetch Bassy, with a sound of triumph all over his tone while he yelled her name and ordered her to follow him to the parlor without telling her what was going on.
Bassy followed him immediately since the children had already dozed off. She was arranging the things they've scattered while they were playing in the room when Nsisong echoed her name, prompting her to hastily come out of the room before the children woke up again.
The outrageous tone of the boss as soon as Bassy appeared in the parlor frightened Bassy, causing a shiver to run through her spine as she mentioned that she stole her jewelry.
At first, Bassy thought it was a kind of joke or something, but not until Nsisong confirmed it in her presence that if she wanted to doubt it they should search her bag.
Confused about what to do or say, Bassy took some moments of silence, calming herself down. She knew that Nsisong had been trying so hard to send her out, which was why she decided to have that brave conversation that never went well with him earlier in the car today.
With her heart pounding and her brain scanning what to do or say, she got lost in her thoughts for some seconds. "There's no way I can defend myself. Nsisong might have hidden something in my bag for him to keep insisting we should go and search my bag if I want to deny it, because the both of us know that he's lying. There's no way I can defend myself, but I'm still not going to accept defeat that easily."
The echoing tone of the boss woke her from her inner turmoil. "Answer me before I give you a hot slap and call the police to pick you up from here. How dare you have the nerves to steal my gold necklace?"
The firm words that came out of her mouth made Nsisong lose his breath for some seconds as he stood like a statue without even blinking.
"Nsisong was the one that asked me to steal it; he told me that it's worth a lot of money and promised we'd share the money after he finishes selling it. Perhaps, I don't know anywhere in this city where I can sell gold chains, and I've never tasted one on my neck in my entire life, which I can swear on my parents' grave." The rate at which Bassy spoke firmly, without any trace of dumbfoundment in her tone, caused her boss to gasp.
"Don't you dare try to put the blame on me. Wait, are you attempting to drag me with you?" Nsisong stammered, trying to regain his breath.
"Stop playing innocent, Nsisong. You know what you are doing, and so do I," Bassy faced Nsisong, speaking in a querulous manner.
It was the first time Bassy addressed Nsisong by his name, as she mostly addressed him as Sir or Mr. Nsisong as a sign of respect. But this time, it seemed like she left all her respect in the children's room and came alone.
"I'll deal with you so much, you..."
"Enough," the boss's stern voice cut in, ending the argument between the both of them. "Now, can I have my jewelry back before I call the police to come and pick the both of you?" She spoke, stretching forth her arm as she spread her palm to receive her property.
Bassy glanced at Nsisong with an uneasy gesture, as if urging him to give her back the chain, while Nsisong peeked at her with so much despise and fury in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, Bassy broke the silence with her strict words. "Before God and man, ma'am, I didn't steal any of your property. I confirm it because Nsisong was insisting we should go and search my bag, and I wasn't sure if he hid something in there or not."
"Shut up that your stingy mouth and give me my property," the boss cut in, prompting Bassy to close her mouth immediately. Are you people giving me my property the nice way, or should I call the police?" She picked up her phone, dialing a number.
Nsisong, who was standing speechless, still baffled by what Bassy had just done, finally spoke with a voice slightly above a whisper.
"Actually, ma'am," he slowly took his hand to the back of his head as if scratching something. "Bassy didn't steal any necklace. I lied. You can search among all of them to confirm if any is missing if you think I'm not saying the truth. I just so much despise her and couldn't figure out a way of getting rid of her."
"Why do you despise me?" Tears ran down Bassy's cheek at Nsisong's confession. Her firm tone suddenly changed to choked as she spoke with an already wounded heart that felt like someone just poured fuel on a burning fire.
Nsisong refused to admit his mistake to Bassy, rather focused on begging their boss to forgive him. He ignored Bassy's question completely but clapped his hands together and went on his knees, imploring for the boss's mercy.
"Please, ma'am, I've been working for you for over five years now. Don't let this girl come between us..."
"Shut up, Nsisong! How could you be so wicked to someone who is supposed to be your sister? You've been telling me all sorts of lies lately about this innocent girl, making me hate her for no good reason. Yet instead of you imploring for her forgiveness, here you are begging me for mercy as if I'm the one you offended.
"You know what? The both of you will have to leave my house because I'm tired of all this drama. I'll manage to take care of my children all alone, even if it means taking a week off from my job until I get a new housemaid and driver. It's even a good thing I can drive myself as well."
In the end, Nsisong's attempt to sabotage Bassy's livelihood ultimately led to his own downfall, serving as a cautionary tale of the dangers of deceit and manipulation. As they parted ways with their former boss, both Nsisong and Bassy were left to contemplate the repercussions of what had just happened, knowing that their paths had diverged irreversibly.