Chapter 16
Harper.
Next Day…..
Friday 8:30am
I exhaled deeply as I pushed the door into Mr Henry’s office open, I knew I got the description from his secretary right
because his name was written in bold imprints on his door.
He welcomed me with a warm smile immediately he sighted me at the door and my lips stretched open in a smile also.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” I muttered as I adjusted my blazer jacket and took my sit in front of him.
“I love your new look, you look more lively,” he said and I released a genuine chuckle, I actually felt more alive myself.
His facial expression slowly changed into a more serious note and I knew that was my cue to go straight to the business I
came here for.
“I know you’ve worked with my father for many years now, and I’m sure one way or the other you might have encountered all
the staff that worked here,” I began and he nodded slowly urging me to go on,
“I’m curious about a certain Alfred Brown, have you happened to hear about him before?” I asked, his face was drawn into a long thoughtful frown and after few seconds, he shook his head slowly.
“That name sounds really familiar, I can’t really place it,” he replied in a whisper.
“He was a construction worker,” I quickly supplied hoping that it would juggle his memory and he would say something that
would help my curiousity.
“Oh, I guess that’s why I don’t know who he is, I work mainly in the office,” he said and I nodded slowly my hopes of getting any information from him slowly thinning into the air, I exhaled deeply as I nodded firmly and forced a firm smile,
“Thank you for you time,” I whispered
“But, I should have some employment files from over the years, I’ll tell my secretary to compile them and bring them over to you, is that fine?!” He asked and my eyes shone in anticipation immediately, Atleast that’s progress, I nodded repeatedly as I
slowly got up to my feet,
“Ofcourse, that would be lovely,” I replied, he gently got up to his feet also and stretched out his hands to me, I took his hands in mine in an handshake and he slowly looked up at me and looked into my eyes,
“Your father always trusted your judgement to lead the company, it broke my heart to see your mother and sister ride you like that, but I’m glad now that you’re taking your place,”
“Your father always wanted you to break free yourself, he told me that the day you have the mind to stand up to your mother, is the day you prove your ability to lead the company fearlessly,”
“You don’t know how happy I am that the days your father talked about has finally come, and I know for sure that your father is equally as pleased,” he said.
My Father! I just knew there was something I’ve not done in the past few weeks, this was it! My father, I’ve not gone to his graveyard. I stared at him as he spoke, I could feel tears at the brim of my eyes, I blinked back the tears immediately, I cannot afford to cry and ruin my hours and hours of perfectly done make up, I needed to maintain my composure.
I forced a small smile and nodded slowly at him,
“Just know that whatever it is you encounter as turbulence, you have an ally in me,” he muttered and my lips finally broke
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out in a small smile.
“Thank you.” I whispered in reply.
Hours Later …
I parked in front of the cemetery where my father was laid to rest, I looked out through the window at the cemetery, it wasn’t
as full as the last time I visited, that means the people who were here before are still alive, if only they knew that they already
had spots in a burial ground, taking a pause and thinking about it made a cold chill run down my spine, look at me thinking
of the dead people who was supposed to occupy here and pitying them when I’m literally just like them, I gently pulled down
my glasses to my face and wound up my car window, I stretched out to the backseat and took out a bouquet of flowers before
stepping out of the car.
It wasn’t difficult to locate his grave I gently walked up to his tombstone and squatted in front of it, I carefully placed the flowers I bought on his grave, I reached for the headstone and rubbed it slowly.
For the longest time I felt angry at my father, it felt like he knew mother was abusing me in a sense but he enabled her.
He was the absolute sweetest to me, because of him I have most of the things I wanted to have, he loved me and it was evident, but when it came to mother he just lets her do whatever, and even if she was blaming me for Michelle’s mistakes, he
only speaks up for me on few occasions.
And now after speaking to Mr Henry I saw another angle to it, he was trying to take away my timid nature, he just wanted me to be able to stand up and speak for myself, not just take in every accusation thrown at me, his approach might have been off but I knew that he had an end in mind. It’s just so painful that I didn’t see it that way until now.
“I miss you so much dad,” I muttered as tears streaked down my face, I sniffled in deeply as more tears streamed down my
eyes,
“I thought I was going to see you again but somehow I found myself back here,”
“I don’t know what is going on but I know that you’re my angel and you’re watching over me,” I bursted out in tears crying heartily over his grave, my father was the only one who understood me, and crying one more time over his grave I felt a feeling of relief was over me, I felt light, I felt more energized, I felt encouraged and I could just feel it that henceforth, I can’t
remain the same.
I know now of the expectation he has of me and I’m definitely willing to not fall short.
Back at the office..
12:00pm ….
“You came to work late you know the penalty for that?” Mom said to me, my brows furrowed as I stared at her, ofcourse I know the penalty for coming late, but she’s a big joker if she thinks I’ll do that dirty job late comers do.
If you’re late for ten minutes you’ll do ten minutes of service that day, basically just tending to everybody’s needs and running on errands, and now today I’m late by almost four hours, I unconsciously bursted out in a chuckle at the thought, four hours of service? Interesting!
“I had things I needed to urgently attend to,” I replied casually not meeting her gaze which I knew she so desperately wanted me to meet, Michelle comes in at anytime she wants and it’s not an issue, so what’s the irk!
“Well the rule is the rule, you have to adhere,” she said, I kissed my teeth and rolled my eyes to the back of my head,
“Okay then, you can go on and find who will play by your rules, that would definitely not be me!” I replied.
“You’re testing my patience Harper!” She barked at me as I turned around to leave, I chuckled lightly and slowly turned back to her, I wanted to tell her that Michelle doesn’t get a dirty hour of service for late coming so why should I but I stopped myself immediately, I want to stop myself from constantly comparing myself with Michelle, she wasn’t my standard.
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“The only people that get hours for service for late coming are regular staff not executives, so why are you yelling” I replied instead, she huffed angrily and I could tell she was trying to stop herself from stomping her feet on the floor, did she really call me to her office to tell me to be an errand girl for the day all in the name of being punished for late coming.
“I heard you’ve not being attending classes for about a week now!”
“How do you expect BMC to still give us the contract if you fail woefully on the exams” She ranted and I chuckled inwardly. this same exam that I would accurately predict the questions that would come out, I’ve attended the class once in my lifetime and I’m not interested in attending it again, even high school and university syllabus is not as stretching and strenuous as
this advanced course
I already know what the course is and everything about it, why should I waste my time attending the classes when I have better things to do with my time.
“I’m the one taking the course right? Let me fail first before you kill me,” I replied calmly and she just stared at me in disbelief, for the first time my mother had no words, she had a reputation for always knowing what to say but this time around she was lost for words
“Is this why you asked to see me?”
“At this point, you should start making use of your phones, you can’t be stressing me like this everytime over meaningless matters, it’s a whole long journey from my office here,” I replied as I slowly stretched forward and plucked out a grape from the bunch of grapes on her table, eating grapes from her table just hits so differently, I slowly placed it in my mouth as I
turned around and walked out of her office
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