P R O L O G U E

It was a busy Monday at work today. The queue for the customers section was very packed up with different customers complaining about the poor services they had experienced over the weekend from Rexon mobile. The customer care agents were neatly dressed in yellow shirts and black pants or skirts, the same colours with the company’s logo. All the agents shared the same open office but different desks, telephones and computers. Only the supervisors had their own private offices.
‘Next please!’ Miss Kemi Philips called out as she arranged some of the files she had used from other customers into the lower part of her desk neatly.
The customers were given serial numbers and they were called upon in turns. Today was different because the company had a terrible network break down that took the engineers over 48 hours to rectify. So the customers let out their frustrations on the customer care agents on days like this. Their best staffs like Miss Kemi are usually more effective on days like this but while her colleagues complained she never did. Her charming looks and voice always gave her away, especially the married men. They all wanted Miss Philips to attend to them. Some even ask irrelevant questions just to get her attention.
‘Good evening’ said a heavy built tall man took in front of her dressed in a black suit with a brown envelope and a briefcase. He was dressed like a security officer or a professional body guard without the hefty physique. ‘Can I sit please’ he added while taking her sun glasses off.
‘Oh yes please… have a seat’ she replied sounding as calm as often. ‘Welcome to Rexon mobile, my name is Oluwakemi Philips. How can I help you please?’ she stretched out her right hand for a hand shake.
‘Oh thank you’ the man replied making himself comfortable on the chair. There was an awkward silence which was sort of normal for first time male customers because of her looks she thought. She looked up from her computer and caught the man eyes piercing through on her cleavage. She smiled and adjusted to cover herself up a little.
‘So how may I help you sir?’ she asked with a stunning smile to break the silence.
‘Oh yeah’ he cleared his throat. ‘I have something for you’. He turned to carry his bag which he had dropped beside his chair and brought out a brown envelope with a gift in it. ‘It’s from my boss’.
‘Your boss? I don’t understand’ she asked looking confused. The man smiled and removed the package inside the brown envelope. It looked like a wrapped gift.
‘Yes my boss’ he brought out the placed it on the table.
‘Oh really?’ she sighed. Now she felt offended but she tried to sound as nice as she could. This was about to be the 5th gift she would be rejection for the month from her numerous admirers. Why can’t they just bring this gift when after work ehn? Men can be stupid... She thought to herself. I swear her subconscious replied.
She looked up to see if her pervert boss was in his office. She had refused to go on a dinner date with him two weeks ago and for some reason, he had been monitoring her closely ever since she turned down his sexual desires towards her. She knew she couldn’t receive this gift without her boss finding out; especially through gossips from her female colleagues. Haters!!!
‘I’m sorry I can’t have this, you would have to take it back and tell you boss I’m very grateful. I can’t accept gifts from strangers and besides it’s not my birthday anytime soon sir’. She smiled and pushed the gift back to the man.
The man didn’t look surprised instead he laughed. ‘He told me to consider myself fired if you refuse the gift madam’. They both laughed.
‘Then give it to your wife sir, I believe you are married’
‘Married? Not at all! But lets not go there’ He paused to clear his throat again before speaking. ‘My boss …’
‘Hold on sir!’ she interrupted him. ‘I’m really sorry but if you don’t have any complaint about customer services as regards Rexon mobile sir, I might have to let you go because I have a long queue of people waiting in line to be attended to’ Her voice sounded a little tougher than she started this time.
‘Oh I see’ he giggled. ‘Well I totally understand. Everyone knows how difficult you could be Miss Philips’.
‘Excuse me?’ she knew he was trying to get on her nerves. ‘What do you mean by everyone?’
‘Oh yes my dear. My boss told me you would most likely reject the gift but I must warn you. Your career ends the very minute I step out of this office if you refuse this gift.’ He gave a wide grin. He had gotten her full attention definitely.
‘Seriously? My career? For saying no to his gift?’ she asked ridiculously.
‘Your boss must be a comedian sir.’ She laughed hard before drinking water from the bottle in front of her. ‘Sir with all due respect for the last time, if you really don’t have any complaint about our network services, I might have to beg you to leave for me to attend to other customers’.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to know who the gift is from?’ the man asked
‘Sorry I’m not interested and I don’t have time for this anymore. Tell your boss I’m grateful but I can’t receive gifts from strangers for the last time.’ she raised her hand to signal the next customer.
‘Thanks for using Rexon mobile sir and Have a night day. It was sort of part of her job. Her suitors would go any lent to get her attention even as far as tampering with her nerves. This last time she lost it, she slapped an Alhaji that got her fired from her previous job. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
‘Ok then I’ll leave but I guess I have to use my last straw’ this time he pushed his chair backwards to stand.
‘It’s from Chief Roland. Your father’ He said and pushed the gift closer to her side of the desk.
She sat there in shock with her mouth open with the sound of that name. The man started laughing when he saw the sudden expression on her face. She didn’t let out a word for some few seconds lost in her thoughts from the sound of that name. ‘Daddy? How did he find me? This can be possible.
‘I’m sorry to burst your bubble my dear, he survived.’ He laughed hard. He studied how she stared lost in her thoughts.
‘Its funny how you are reacting the same way predicted. Anyway, I guess it’s really time for me to leave. There’s a new mobile phone in this package. Chief is going to call you on it later tonight.’ He added.
This time she looked around her to see if her colleagues were watching before placing the gift on her lap under the desk.
‘What’s in it?’ she asked. She stretched to reach for her scissors to open the wrapper but he stopped her.
‘I would advice you to open it alone especially when I’m gone sweetie’ he winked. She dropped the scissor without hesitating. He could see the fear in her eyes. She knew what Chief was capable of.
‘Good girl!’ he teased. ‘Enjoy the rest of the rest of your day madam and by the way my name is Adewale. I’ll be seeing you soon Miss Philips.’ He added and walked away.
She sat there with a pool of horrible scenes playing through her mind as she watched the man walk out of the building. I thought He died? Is he in Lagos? How did he find me for God’s sake? I thought I was done with this. Bastard! She didn’t realise she was crying down her cheek until it dropped on her wrist. This was going to be another roller coaster of drama she thought.
‘Are you alright?’ her next seat colleague asked. ‘You are crying.’ He added.
‘Me?’ she snapped out of her thoughts and wiped her tears. ‘No I’m fine Gbenga. Thank you. It’s a gift from an old friend.’
‘Oh I see.’ He said. ‘I guess you might have to go explain that to Mr Roberts from the way he is staring at you from his office.’ He gave a teasing smile.
Customer care agents are not allowed to receive gifts from customers during working hours except it’s from her family members. So she knew she had a lot of explaining to do to Mr Roberts; her die-hard office toaster/suitor and supervisor. But he was the least of her problems right now. She had to know what sort of game Chief was playing with her after 11 years.
‘Yes of course’ she replied with a fake smile and picked up the scissor to open the gift. ‘But not after seeing what’s in here.’
She tore the wrapper and saw a brand new Iphone 5 smart phone with an instruction written on a white paper stapled to the pack. ‘SWITCH THE PHONE ON IMMEDIATELY AFTER READING THIS’ was written on the white paper. She could feel her heart pounding as she removed the phone from its pack. She knew she was in trouble.
An instant message appeared on the screen as soon as it came on. She could feel her eyes getting watery again. She clicked on the screen and saw two unread messages. She stood up and dashed to the rest room to save herself some privacy because she had a feeling what she was about to see would bring her so many tears. Her past had finally come to haunt her after 11 years.


Twenty minutes later, one of the cleaners ran out of the ladies screaming for help. She said she heard Kemi on the phone arguing and pleading with someone and the next thing she heard was a crashing sound on the floor. When she rushed in, she found her lying on the floor, still holding on to the brand new phone with her with blood gushing out of the side of her head.

I pray i have time.....loving it

@KiddaBlingzz thanks alot bro...