BROKEN PIECES.

CHAPTER 25 | OPENING UP.

#NotEdited

The more the car moves is the more I get nervous and all those stupid or not so stupid questions come playing in the front of my mind and I truly so hard to ignore them but they stop. I don't want to be negative and expect the worst. Ii am going to be positive and hope for the best cause I need a little bit of positivity in my life right now. I am putting my faith and trust to a man  whom  I only met two days ago. A man I don't even know his name.
Here I am in a car he sent for me to bring him. I am so nervous I am not going to lie. I bet Mr Ricco can feel my nervousness cause he keeps looking at me through the rearview mirror and gives me a ghost smile. I think he's trying to make me feel better. He keeps driving but the traffic is just bad at this time and it looks like it's going to rain hard. Summer rains can last a whole week. The taxi drivers keep hooting and swearing at slow drivers especially those with learner drivers stickers from what I can hear and see from the dim windows.
The boards keep saying we are moving towards Sandton. I have never been to Sandton and I don't know if we are going to his house, his flat or workplace. I hope he's not looking to hurt me, want something from me or even disappoint me cause Thato did that before and he's doing it again even after he promised me. I know for a fact that a girl can't be in your room unless you too are in a relationship. Which means she and Thato are lovers. He forgot about me the moment he stepped on that plane. I was just too stupid to see.
As the car moves I notice that it is facing towards this huge and sky scrapper of a building. The architecture looks like nothing I have ever seen in television or  since I lived here in Joburg. The security gate opens and he doesn't stop to sign in or what cause the guards at their little office just nod at him. The car moves and goes to underground parking then he parks. I clutch my bag tight cause I suddenly feel like I'm stepping in somewhere I'm not ready for.
Mr Ricco steps out of the car and comes to my side and opens the door and takes out his hand for me to hold it so I can step out. What a gentleman.
" Mr Ricco? "
" Yes ma'am but please call me Ricco "
" No, you're my elder so I have to show respect to you "
" Thank you ma'am. Please call me Bra Ricco then "
" What about Bab' Ricco then? I like it better " he nods and gives me a small smile.
" You wanted to ask something? "
" Can I leave my bag here? I don 't feel comfortable walking in there looking like this and carrying a school bag "
" There's nothing wrong with what you're wearing and yes. I watch over your bag "
" Thank you." I take out both my phones and hold them in my hand.
I give him my hand and he helps me step out of the car and locks it. He asks me to follow him and we walk just a few steps then he presses a button and the doors open. We get inside the elevator and he presses the last floor which is the 15th floor. Wow I hope I don't have a fear of hights. My did he ask bab' Ricco to bring me to his workplace. What are his co-workers going to say or his boss or bosses? " God.
The elevator stops moving and the doors open. I almost gasp cause the marble in here is nothing like I have eve seen in movies. Bab' Ricco stretches his hand showing me to step out and the moment I step out of the elevator I expected the Reception area or whatever this is to be cold because of the marbles on the floor and high ceiling but it's not. It's warm and inviting. The artwork on the walls, The statues is absolutely beautiful.
What catches my attention the most is the beautiful and powerful portrait of a man who looks like somebody's son. I think it's his father cause he looks like him. His eyes are fierce and piercing like he is looking at you and watching your every move. He is sitting on a chair but it doesn't look like any normal chair people sit on. It's like those Kings or Chiefs chairs you see in Nigerian movies. He is wearing his traditional clothes and holding a gold staff in his right hand.
That tradiotinal wear is not Nigerian. It looks Ghanian cause of the colours and his head is bald and has salt and pepper goatee. The Artist who drew this picture captured his essence. The man himself and you can feel it. They did an amazing job and they truly are talented.
It's like the Interior Designer who designed this place knew what they wanted the office to look and feel like. I love each and every piece here and somehow all of them connect like they are telling a story.  I'm busy looking at the beautiful pieces around me when I feel this tingly feeling all over my body. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stands. Not in a bad way but the opposite. I stand still and hold my breath.
" You approve " I don't know if it's a statement or he is asking me.
I don't say anything or turn to face him cause I suddenly feel parallized. I just nod.
" Breath out slowly. I don't want you passing out on me." He says next to me.
When did he get here cause his voice a few minutes ago was just de metres away from me. Why didn't I hear him move?. I close my eyes and breath out slowly.
" Better " He says. " Can you turn and look at me? " He asks.
I turn around with eyes closed and I'm afraid to open them. I feel like if I do open them I'm going to see something that will turn my world upside down.
" You're eyes are closed. You don't want to look at me? " I open them and see Somebody's Son. He smiles and I find my lips forming a small of their own.  " Beautiful. Come "
He takes my hand and threads it with his and I don't freak out. I follow him and we pass three desks. Two of them are empty and one is occupied with a woman who is doing something. She looks absolutely beautiful from what I can see from her waist up and she's wearing formal clothes. I can feel her eyes on us at the back of my head.
She offer him a smile and a polite nod then her eyes go to me and they do the same but I can see curiosity in them and questions especially when her eyes go to our hands. I offer a ghost smile then we pass her and turn around a corner where there are two more desks with two women who look like they are working in their computers. They smile too and I feel awkward. He opens the door that's at the corner a few metres from the women's desks. I guess they are secretaries.
He motions for me to walk in first and I do. The office is big and it is facing the whole city. The windows are wide and long showing the beauty of Sandton City. It makes me wonder what it looks like when it's night time or when it's raining.  His office is neat, clean and also warm. I notice there's no marble of the floor but dark wood and it matches against the white on the ceiling and wall. The pieces fit this office. I wonder who makes them and where he bought it cause this is pure priceless artwork and it must have cost a fortune.
His desk is placed where he can see in every direction. The dark rich mahogany wood of his desk is big and it looks very heavy. There are few thing on his desk. It's not cluttered. This one is a clean freak. I can feel his eyes on me as I examine and walk around his office. There is a couch by the windows that looks very comfortable, a coffee table and two velvet high chairs that support your back and hands. I think that's where he eats his lunch or breakfast. I continue to walk and see this cabinet that has bottles of alcohol, glasses and inside are picture frames of people.
" Can I? " I ask without looking at him.
" You may. "
I open the cabinet and pull a frame that looks like it has all his family member. I feel him standing next to me and his smell engulfs me. My eyes go to a very beautiful woman. She looks like she's in her late 50's. She has kind eyes and a beautiful smile.