'Hey Babe, how's your day going?' Cynthia asks
'Going well, yours?' says Rii.
Sighs, 'my dear, I'm just here at my table like every other day, boring and bored to the bone. It's a few minutes past 12 and I'm on the fourth movie today from a few minutes to seven when I go to work today. To even think that I've not stood up since I sat down on this chair.'
'Oh, that's not good for both your waist, legs, spine and stomach. Your stomach will get so attached to being relaxed and then start expanding. That's why you hear people say I don't eat much but my stomach just keeps increasing in size, even when I drink water, my water is big. But they gave you guys a lunch break, right?'
'Yes.'
'Why not take the break now? Even if you don't have anything to eat, you can just take a walk round the compound of your office or the street of your office, especially now that the sun is up, it will help keep your relaxed nerves active. I'm sure you've been under the AC since that time you arrived at work.'
'Yes. You know I'm not the only one in the office and I can't hold the monopoly over the AC.'
Rii lowers his voice, 'but you said Jane does hold a monopoly over the AC.'
Cynthia smiles, stands up and looks up, 'Jane, pls I want to take a walk, in case anyone asks about me.'
'Alright, no problem,' replies Jane.
Cynthia walks out of the office and closes the door after herself and walks to the general passage leading to the Front desk, reception and the upstairs, 'it's me you want to implicate, right?' They laugh. 'Anyways, that's her but you can't expect the both of us to do things the same way. If I behave like that, you know we are both ladies, things might get really messy and you know I don't like that.' She climbs down to the Front desk and enters the kitchen through the door beside the Front desk.
'Awwwnn! That's petty of her though. You'd remove the remote and keep it by your side so that no other person can change the setting. Only you can dictate when it should be hot and cold.'
She opens the door leading outside and steps outside, she climbs down the three steps into the compound of the office. Within the compound are different cars of both staff, friends and visitors of the company. She takes a turn by a right and starts walking round the office building. The sun is hot but the wind blows the effect of the sun, so it's not so harsh on the skin.
'My dear, let's just be doing well. You know me, I don't like anything that will make my name get to the Boss that I did this or that and I don't know who's got anybody's back here.'
'That's good. So have you eaten today?' he asks.
'No, although I'm feeling hungry right now.' Sue walks towards the gate. As the Security sees her walking towards them, one of them goes to open the small gate for her. They gesticulate and greet each other, she steps out if the compound and the Security locks the gate after her. She starts taking a walk on the street.
'So what do you want to eat? Should I order some African dishes for you?'
'Honestly, I don't know but I'm hungry.'
'Alright, I've given you an option, left for you to take it.' No response from her, she just continues walking. 'Ok, I will order some African dishes for then.'
'Well… why don't you send me the money and I will get fruit parfait and cake.'
'But you know I don't support you consuming too much sugar.'
'Yes, I know but, that same you said you'd be buying it for once a month and you've not bought it for me this month and the month is almost over.'
'That's true. I've even forgotten. That's for reminding me.'
'So you can send the money for the parfait and cake now and you can buy the African dish some other time,' she replies.
'Is that what you want?' he asks.
With expression and sounding like a baby, 'yes.'
'Alright, you'd receive the money in your account after this call.'
Blushing, 'awwwwn, thanks babe. I love you.'
'I love you more. I'm really happy that I met you. Trust me, I'm not saying this to please you or something but I really do love you and I'm happy and blessed that I met you. I honestly can't wait to make you my wife and I will be waking up everyday to see that pretty face and amazingly sexy body beside me.'
'Honestly, me too. I'm so anxious to witness those times with you. Ehh! A time will come now that I will be getting it steady and I will be like Babe, what do you want to eat tonight? I don't really have much strength, you know the workload at the office was too much, let me just branch at the eatery close to the house and get us something.'
They laugh, 'but what if whatever you get at the eatery is not enough for me?'
'My dear, that's all for the day.'
'You are joking right? Thank God it's my house…'
She interrupts, 'point of correction, our house my dear. Once we are married, it becomes our house and no longer your house.'
'I'm sorry, our house.'
'Better!'
'Thank God, I've said I will make sure bread and eggs don't finish in the house, if whatever you buy is not enough to satisfy me, I will just enter the kitchen and sort myself out. That's one of the reasons why it's good to know how to cook, how matter how small.'
'Ehn? You said what? Uncle, that's definitely not happening. Once I'm done cooking and we've finished eating, no one is entering the kitchen to cook again.'
'Well, thank goodness, you said once you are done cooking, you said you'd branch at the eatery to get us something to eat. You are obviously not the cook.'
Surprised, 'you are joking right?'
'Joking?' Goofs. 'I'm serious my dear.'
'It's alright. I will then wait till you are sleeping, enter the kitchen, sort myself out, wash and return everything I used and come back to bed.'
'It's alright. It seems you've forgotten that my senses are sharp. It's when I'm sleeping that they are sharper.'
'Oh boy! That's a double tragedy for the dead body. But babe, you can't treat me like that now.'
'My dear, I have and I will. You are there eating all your junk, combining everything together to the extent that you are already having potbelly, don't worry, by the time we are married, everything will change. Your way and style of feeding would change and you will have that perfect shape and body again.'
'Now, I'm in this.'
'Yes oh, know that and know peace.'
'It's alright. Ehnehn, less I forget, where do you think we should settle, your side or mine?'
Take a deep breath, 'I can't say much but I think it should be a less commercial place, so that our profession would be in high demand. Why do you ask?'
'Nothing much, just that someone is introducing a piece of land here to me, although it's somehow at the outskirts of the town but I thought it nice to run it through you first before making any decision.'
'Ok… What do you intend to use the land for? Like, is it residential or commercial?'
'Residential.'
'Ok but if your plan is for us to stay there when we are married, you are wrong my dear,'
'Why did you say that?' he asks.
'The stress I go through everyday here moving from the outskirts to town and from the town back to the outskirts is not a thing I wish for myself again not to even talk of myself and my husband, then our kids when they come. Ah! Pls, God will provide money, we would stay in town. But you can go ahead to buy the land. You can develop and sell or rent it out or just buy, and leave it for a while before selling it off. With that, you might make more than the purchasing price, if not times two the purchasing price.'
'Hmmm!' Pause, 'I think that's what I will do. You see one of the reasons why I said I'm blessed for having you in my life.'
Cynthia is back in the office from her walk, feeling lively and more energized. She opens the door to the general office.
'Aha! This guy is still not not here.' Look at Jane, 'Jane, did he tell you he won't be coming to work today?'
Look up from the book she's reading, 'yes, he said he's a little bit under the weather.'
'Oh! I wish him a quick recovery then.' She goes to sit on her chair.
'Barrister?' closes the book
'Yes?'
'What's really happening in this office?'
'I'm confused pls. When you say this office, do you mean this general office or you mean the whole company as a whole?'
'The whole office. Like everybody is just doing things on their own, no corporation, no relation, nothing nothing. Take a look at it, you and I, we don't talk or relate apart from good morning, good night and it shouldn't be. If you go to the account section there, that one is even the worst, always behaving as if someone is a suspect. If you ask a question, they will tell you that they don't know whereas they know.'
'But I think we do talk now or is my memory failing me?'
'It's not that talk I'm referring to. I mean we should be free with each other. We spend most part of each day with each other here, we should be best of friends. If you know anything that's good and educative, even if it's within the company, bring it up and let's talk about it and if I too know or have, I will bring it up for discussion, not the one that after good morning till when it's time to close, the whole place would be dead silent.'
'Well, that's true. But if you have anything you want us to talk about, just say it, if I have knowledge in it, I will share and if I don't, I will drink from your well of experience. And about the office, c'mon now. You were employed as a Marketer and I as a Lawyer, you can't expect to start telling you things I know about the company or about the Boss. Both the company and the Boss are my number one clients here and I owe them a duty of confidentiality. I can't tell you anything about the company but if it's something else and I know about it, why not.'
'Alright then, no problem.'
Cynthia tabs her laptop to come on. She puts on her earbud and is about to tab the Space on the keyboard for the movie to continue playing.
'Did you know they increased some people's salary in this office?' Jane asks.
Cynthia removes the earbud, 'pls, you said what?'
'I said hope you knew they increased some people's salary.'
Cynthia trying to be unaware, 'really? Who and why?'
'They increased Donna's salary last month.'
'Really?' Shrugs, 'they must have their reason for that. But if I may ask, how did you know this, did she tell you?'
'No, I was in the account department and I saw the payroll for last month. But I'm just wondering, what's she doing that we are not doing that warrants her salary to be increased. If you noticed, she's the only marketer with a separate office.'
'Well, my dear, let's just be doing well. Those at the helm of affairs know and see things we don't know and see.'
'But that's not fair.'
'Wait, is this lady trying to whine at me or what?'
'Ok, you that you are talking, was your salary too not increased? The both of you met me here, at times I'm busier than the both of you but you both earn more than me, did I make a fuss about it? Just accept things and move on pls.'
Jane trying to vindicate herself, 'ok, let me explain what happened. It's not that they increased my salary but the Boss saw that I'm always going out on marketing, he decided to be giving me a little amount as transport for my marketing. My salary was never increased, only Donna's salary was increased.'
Cynthia is angry within herself, 'wait oh, do I look like a kid to this girl or what's happening?'
'Excuse me? Pls, stop it. You think I didn't know that it's Ify that relocated outside the country that the company decided to share his salary amongst the both of you? They might have given her the greater part and the reason for that is best known to them but you saying it is for transport is total rubbish. Don't say it again, pls. It's really annoying.'
Cynthia puts on her earbuds, tabs the Shift key and continues with the movie. Jane, out of disgrace, picks her book and continues reading.
'On a cursory look, what was the lady trying to do? Was she trying to profile me or get me angry or jealous? I don't understand. Or because her salary was increased and mine wasn't, she wants to rob it on my face?' Pauses, 'is that one added to salary not enough for her? Human beings ehn! So assuming I didn't know her salary was also increased, that's how she would've played the innocent card on me. I really have to be careful of this lady. Anyways, I don't blame her. If things are done normally, things won't have been like this. These are people that resume at any time and leave the office anytime they want and won't return till the next day but I that would come early and at times once I resume for the day till evening that I would close, I will be working about, that same me is not due for an increment. No problem, everything is a matter of time. Today is just like this, tomorrow will definitely not look like this. I will never let this continue into my tomorrow, never!'