Diary of a 9-5ver(Episode 10)- Trouble comes to town

                           

Eno smiled as the messenger delivered her a bouquet of flowers. They looked and smelled so great. She closed her eyes and sniffed them yet again

“Those look beautiful” Gbadamosi’s voice startled her

“Hello sir, Good afternoon” she stammered

“Hmmmm… I was wondering where you went yesterday afternoon”

She had gone out to the meeting with Jayson afterwards they had stopped to get lunch and thereafter she had sneaked back into the office with the help of Greg. He was totally amazing. Greg was the friend she had needed all these time.

“I stepped out for lunch sir”

“Oh I see... Lunch now takes hours? Anyway that’s totally none of my business. Get the….”

“It is my business!” Scott barked interrupting Gbadamosi

“Good... Afternoon sir…” Eno fidgeted

“Well-done madam. When I check on you repeatedly and can’t find you for over an hour, it means one of two things: that you are either dead or no longer an employee here. OPR files were due yesterday and you were nowhere to be found”

“I went to lunch sir”

 “I passed your desk at noon and as at 3.30pm when I was about leaving, you still weren’t back. What were you eating? A whole cow?”

Betty chuckled. Greg walked back in from taking a call to find everyone assembled in the central office. “What’s going here?” he asked no one in particular.

“Your friend or girlfriend has decided to be useless” Scott spat

Greg frowned

“Oh you think I didn’t know?” Scott replied

“Know what sir?”

It was becoming a tense and scot seemed ready to make a scene. “It’s okay Scott, Greg join us in the boardroom” Gbadamosi walked away. He needed to avert the impending embarrassment. Everyone thought Greg was gentle, but he wasn’t always; the wrong trigger could spook him and the office would crash with his outburst.

Eno gasped as she sat. What an embarrassment, she thought.

“Hey,” Amara touched her shoulder

“Amara, not now”

“I was just going to say you shouldn’t be worried about his outburst. He’s always like that and you shouldn’t let anyone make you cower”

“Thanks Amara”

“Plus you do all the work around here. You and Greg. You are indispensable so don’t take his sack threats seriously”

“I’ll keep that in mind”

As Amara turned to walk back to her seat, Eno spotted bruises on her neck. The fresh marks looked like someone had strangled her or held her neck tightly. “Amara!” Eno screamed.

“Are you okay?” she spoke again, remembering to reduce her voice.

“Yes... Yes” she gave a smile that belied the pain raging her entire body. No one needed to know.

“I was…. Never mind.” She waved Amara off. Eno would not get in another lady’s business. This was an office environment and everyone respected everyone else’s privacy.

Amara walked back to her seat and smiled at Greg. He had just returned from the board room with the two heads.

“Eno, stand up and follow me I need to talk to you” he said firmly.

Eno shivered but followed his order.

“First I am really sorry about what just happened Greg I didn’t mean for Scott to talk to you like that” she apologized immediately they got out of hearing.

“I am not really angry over what he said. I’m just irritated at your attitude. First this is a work place and while whatever you do out of work is not my business, you must carry yourself in such a way that no one has the right to talk down at you. Eno you are a decent young lady, a good woman. I’m not suggesting you should stay off Jayson but let him respect your work ethics. Go to lunch yes, but come back early and do your work. I hate when a man shows the demon in him just because he has been given the room to.”

“I am sorry Greg” she had become teary

“I will always look out for you no matter what, I’ll try to protect you but you mustn’t break the hedge because when you do, you make it difficult for me to help you”

“I understand”

“Come here” he said drawing her into an embrace

“Break it...” She tapped his back. “They’ll soon come and say we are dating now”

Greg laughed. “Scott knows I am not in a position to date or love anyone”

“Why? I thought you told me about a girl you wanted to go out on a lunch date with”

“Well, whatever it is I felt for her fizzled out. I’m just not ready for anything or anytime soon”

“There’s a lot you need to tell me and I, you. So can I invite you to a Friday night movie?”

“Are you sure Jayson will not have an engagement for you that day?”

“Jayson will be alright, this whole charade seems like high school love for me. Jayson is my first date… it will pass. I need to spend some more time with you and Tolu”

“This is your first date, Are you kidding?”

“Yes it is”

“What happened before now?”

“It’s a long story…Friday should be enough to share a part of it.”

“Friday it is then…and about Tolu, you should call her”

“Yes I have been meaning to, it’s just that when Tolu gets in THOSE her moods, it’s always best to leave her bed”

“Well, that’s why you are friends, call her”

“Mind if we all hang out together on Friday?”

“Perfect!” Greg smiled

“He wants to see you and I don’t want you begging when you go in there”

“You aren’t coming with me?”

“I am… it’s more of the OPR work, just be yourself and if need be apologize for exceeding your break during work hours”

“Okay, thank you.”

They went by their desks to pick needed documents and went to Scott’s office.

 “Those two must be dating” Betty declared.

“How is that your business?” Amara hissed

“You are quite edgy Amara, are you good?” Tobi asked

“Yes I’m fine and please mind your business too.” She didn’t like the boy. He acted like a desperate human being. She was anything but desperate. Tobi smelled of evil especially with when he gossiped others. Men who gossiped had a special place in hell, she thought.

To be continued..........