Peeling Back the Top Layer 🇯🇲

52| Wide-eyed

My boss, Mr. Henry pulls me into an impromptu face-to-face, meeting the instant I arrive at work Monday morning. He doesn't meet my eyes and seems out of his depth. This conduct is unlike him, which is the first inkling that this has something to do with Steven's suicide.

"This is regarding a somewhat personal matter," he informs me after we exchange pleasantries.

"Does it affect my job?"

"No, it doesn't but it involves your junior, Shanice."

"Oh," I say, knowing now that my inkling was right.

"She is facing criminal charges in relation to breaches of the Cybercrimes Act."

"What?" I ask, surprised. This is not the news I was expecting.

He nods, adding "Apparently she recorded her boyfriend in a compromising position then uploaded the video to a porn site and sent the link to several people, including his co-workers."

"Oh my God," I gasp. My mind swirls as it tries to process what I'm hearing. So this is why Steven killed himself. He was exposed in a most cruel way. Mr. Henry pauses a few beats, gauging my reaction. I swallow hard, allowing his revelation to sink in.

"I've been told that you used to date the same man," his voice grows somber when he speaks again. "I don't know if you've heard, but he has since taken his life."

"Yes. I know he committed suicide but I had no clue why."

"You can take the next few days off, Kelsie. I know it must be hard dealing with this. My condolences," says Mr. Henry.

After Chaunard and I patched things through Saturday night, I found myself crying a little because of Steven's death. The situation is immensely sad and my heart breaks a little bit more for his mom but I'm still not mourning, not the way I would have if probably we were still together.

This is hardly the time to mention that though and especially not to my boss. Who refuses time off from work?

"Thanks Mr. Henry. I really appreciate this."

"Alright, see you next week then. Take care of yourself Kelsie."

I send Marsha a quick text with the new information when I'm done with Mr. Henry and she replies with a forwarded message.

"A video of the deceased having sex with another male was sent from his email to a number of his contacts. It was also released on the Internet. All fingers point to the girlfriend. She's in police custody," reads the text, presumably from her police source.

"Yuh did know seh him a batty hypocrite?" Marsha follows up with her query.

"Yeah. Dats why mi lef. Mi soon give yuh di details." Now I'll have to tell both her and Gillian the full story of our breakup.

Chaunard meets me at the office, having dropped me off earlier. He insisted on driving me here this morning after he got an alert to some important matter that required his individual attention. No matter how hard I press, he won't tell me what it is.

"Sorry to interrupt your important business. You can drop mi off at the house and get back to it," I scoff, plopping down into the seat.

"This actually work out better fi me," he grins.

"How so? Yuh nuh fraid mi find out yuh secret?"

"Well since yuh waa know weh mi up to here's your chance," he says, pulling out of the parking lot and into morning traffic. It's 10:30 am and the road is still congested.

I share the latest on Steven's situation with him and he comments that Shanice is cruel. "Mi nuh support him lifestyle but since a dat him pick she shouldn't expose him like dat. Although him shouldn't get involved wid her knowing him prefer fi go deh wid man."