FED UP!

(…continued…)

He held Mabel’s hand and said, “Of all the staff here, you are one of the strongest, but there are times that even the strongest need to be taken care of.”

  “Thanks for the complement. Don’t let the password issue make you think I am not ready for work. I am.”

  “Ok, if you say so.”

  “But as the day goes on, if there is anything I feel I can’t handle, I will let you know ok. Let me at least try.”

  “Ok. I like your spirit.”

  “Let the likeness remain for my spirit.”

                He laughed. She smiled and used her index finger to remove a tear that wanted to run down her face.

  “Thank you for being a friend and a brother, standing in for me.”

  “Not just me. We all had a share of your work load.”

  “Thanks everyone,” she said to everyone.

                They answered her. The customers there didn’t know what was going on so they just assumed she had been sick. Some told her “sorry”.

Ephraim and the rest of the staff went back to work and Mabel faced hers. She went through the folders in the computer and confirmed that everything was intact. After working for a while, her phone rang for a second and cut.

  “Who is flashing me?” she asked rhetorically.

                She checked her phone. The ‘flash’ was from Cynthia. She dialed Cynthia who picked and asked her how work was going.

  “Let’s us chat,” Mabel told her.

                Cynthia agreed and she hung up. Then she put on her data and chatted with Cynthia. She told her everything that happened and how she was not sure she was ready for the work. Cynthia told her to accept everyone’s advice and go home. She refused. Then Cynthia told her that she was still making her hair in Chidinma’s place. Mabel was so engrossed in the chat that she did not know she had chatted for an hour. It was when Ephraim came to her table that she realized she had abandoned her work for more than an hour.

  “Madam B said I should find out if you have handled those files,” he said.

  “Which files?”

  “The ones I handed over to you in her office.”

  “Where are they?”

                Ephraim pointed at the files on the table and said, “These ones.”

  “Oh,” Mabel said, looking embarrassed with herself.

  “You need to go home.”

  “No please.”

  “I will just tell her you are almost done and then I will come and help you.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  “Please get to work immediately.”

  “I will.”

                Ephraim sent the message to Mrs Biodun that the work was almost done. Then he came to Mabel’s table.

  “Come and sit here,” Mabel said, drawing a seat close to her.

                He sat and helped her work on the files. Soon, they were done.

  “Thanks a lot,” Mabel said to him.

  “You are welcome. You need to really brace up.”

  “I will.”

                The rest of that work day was without such incidents. Mabel did her work so well that Mrs Biodun had to commend her.

  “I am glad you came today,” She said when she met Mabel in her work station. “We have achieved much more than we did in the past few days.”            

  “Thanks ma.”

                She tapped Mabel on the shoulder and left. Mabel smiled and looked at Ephraim. He gave her a ‘thumbs up’ sign and she winked at him. When it was some minutes to their closing time, they began rounding off.

  “Mabel, remember the story you promised to tell us,” one of her colleagues reminded her.

  “I have not forgotten,” she replied. “After we are done, I will tell those who care to know.”

  “Ok.”

                When they were done and there was no client in the office, Mabel called them together and told them what happened. They listened quietly to everything she said. Even the two that were gossiping earlier listened with rapt attention. When she was done, they began telling her the version of the story that they had heard. She put them through on everything. While they were still talking about it, Mrs Biodun came out of her office.

  “What are you doing?” she asked Mabel.

  “Nothing ma.”

  “I heard everything. Why are you doing this?”

  “They are my friends. They need to know what really happened.”

  “…from the horse’s mouth,” one of them said.

  “It is good that we heard it from her,” Ephraim said. “Because what we heard before now was that she cheated on her fiancé and ran away with another man.”

  “We know who is spreading that rumour.”

Mrs Biodun turned to Mabel and said, “Well, as long as you are comfortable talking about it, ok.”

  “It is not a problem ma.”

Mrs Biodun turned to the rest and said, “Whatever you have heard should remain with you. Act matured and don’t go spreading what she told you. She doesn’t need any pity party. As you can see, she has overcome that.”

                They agreed not to talk about it. Then she told them she was leaving.

  “Mabel, will you come tomorrow?”

  “Yes ma,” Mabel replied.

  “Are you set to go so I can drop you off?”

  “I will drop her ma,” Ephraim said.

(…to be continued…)

-©2015.Chinedu Isaac