His Nineteenth Secretary [✔]

Five

Hell-bent on finding out the reason why Mike broke up with me, I drove to his place the following day in the evening after trying his number countless times with him not picking up. It was preferable to go to his place in the evening, rather than in the morning or afternoon when it was certain he would still be at work.

When I got there, his place seemed deserted, even the flower bed in front of his house which he never joked with; the pretty flowers always looking healthy and shiny, looked unwatered too with a part of it already withering off.

I pressed the doorbell several times but no one answered. The only option I had left was to call his friend, Ellis, who worked at the same studio as him, who the last time we talked told me that he wasn't in town and had been gone for some time now.

I learned through him that Mike had traveled also and when I had asked him where, he wouldn't tell me. After that day, he stopped picking my calls too.

~

The day for the interview at MAXCO was on Friday of the that week and I was one of those contacted to show up for the interview. Not wanting to arrive there late, I woke up very early to prepare.

I got donned in a white chiffon blouse and a black pencil skirt after taking my bath and to look more formal, had my hair tied up in a tight ponytail.

I couldn't get myself to eat anything, maybe because I was nervous. On the day I told Alicia about MAXCO, she seemed shocked and was silent for a while when I asked her the reason for that.

When I eventually got her to talk, she told me about the rumour she heard about their CEO who she was told was strict and merciless in his dealings with his employees especially towards his secretaries. According to what she told me, he changes secretaries like clothes.

"It could just be a rumour." That was all I told her, but, I couldn't stop thinking about it. The interview was going to start at 8am and at half past six I was already seated in the cab that would take me there.

The moment I stepped down from the cab in front of the company, I couldn't stop the pounding in my chest anymore. The company's building was unbelievably tall and gigantic so much that I almost sprained my neck from wanting to check where it reached.

Seeing how nice and perfect the exterior of the building was, I couldn't help but to imagine how beautiful the inside would be.

I think I almost had an heart attack from seeing how extravagant the inside was the moment I stepped in. Just the ground floor and I was this way.

Following the direction of the receptionist, I got into the elevator and got off on the eighth floor where the interview was to take place.

It wasn't hard to feel numerous gazes on me the instant I walked into the air-conditioned waiting room where others who came for the interview were, waiting. Within seconds their gazes were directed back from me to what they were doing before I entered. Relief swept over me and I found myself somewhere to sit beside a lady who was dozing off.

At 8:30am, there were already so many of us in the room while some had already been called inside to be interviewed. I jerked up at the mention of my name, that which attracted curious gazes from the others and if they were not nervous like I was they would have laughed at me. I slung my bag over my shoulder before following after the lady who called my name and that of three others.

I breathe in fresh air upon exiting the building. The interview went quite well and my answers to some of the questions earned a few satisfying nods from the interviewers. I dialed Alicia's number as I walked away from the building.

"Hey, baby girl," Alicia answered the call on the second ring.

"Just finished with the interview."

"Really? How did it go?"

"It went well," I waved down a cab just then and got in. "But there were so many of us, although there were those who applied for other positions but still I don't think I will stand a chance." I huffed.

"Stop being pessimistic you brat!" She scolded loudly and I winced. Sometimes she could be bossy in a funny kind of way. "You will surely get the job."

"I hope so. I pray so."

"You will, okay? Are you on your way home now?"

"Yeah, already in a cab."

"So umm, with that done, will you please come over to my place today?" She asked.

"I don't think I will be able to come over. I've actually got some things to..."

"I've got lots of gist."

My ears stood up.

I loved gists.

"I'm coming over." I quickly said. "Okay, it's not because of the gist though, so don't think I'm coming over because of that. I just feel like whatever it is that I want to do could wait."

"Liar!" She accused.

"Whatever."

"Okay, see you later. Bye."

"Yeah, bye."

I danced to the song playing on my phone while I made lunch. I was halfway done, when I heard a clicking sound from the living room since the music wasn't too loud.

I froze, when again I heard the door open and closed back up. It couldn't possibly be Alicia, she should still be at work. I quickly stopped the song and grabbed a pan, holding it tightly, making ready to pounce on whoever just entered my house. With slow and quiet steps, I exited the kitchen.

Inside the living room, close to the door, there was a figure bent over doing something.

"Who are..." I was saying but the remaining words died on my lips when I realised it was my grandma. She stared at me with surprise, and then at the pan that I was holding in my hand. What got into me, I just remembered my grandma had a spare key to my house and I had hers too.

"What are you doing at home at this hour, shouldn't you still be at work? And what are you planning to do with that thing?" Her eyes were back on and fixed onto the pan in my hand.

"I-I thought it was a thief." I stuttered.

Just great! Now she is going to find out that I got fired?

"Shouldn't you still be at work?" She asked again.

"I am not feeling too well, my boss gave me a day off." I lied as I walked over to her to give her a hug.

"And you didn't bother calling to inform me." She said after I had pulled away from her.

"I'm not a kid anymore grandma." I whined and she was going to slap my shoulder like she always did whenever I utter such words but stopped herself.

"What have you been doing with yourself. Look at how thin you've become, even your bones are now visible..." She lamented sadly as her eyes roamed and examined my body. I knew I had lost a lot of weight but she was always exaggerating, so like my grandma.

My grandma was the only family I had left after my mum and dad died in a plane crash when I was just two. She took such great care of me and never for once made me feel the absence of my parents.

But maybe she took feeding me too far, seeing how throughout my kindergarten and high school days, I was the fattest kid in my class. She would make me eat until I couldn't get up on my own two feet for a while, afterwards. I got used to eating that way.

When I got admission into college, I was made jest of more than ever because of my big stature and I did everything to lose weight even if it meant starving myself sometimes and I did lots of fitness exercises back then.

She brought me groceries as expected and of course nutritional supplements. She left before five in the evening saying she needed to get back to her pottery shop.