SEVEN

ADAM

“What devil is that, boy?” He quizzed, sitting up.

“It’s Julie” I told him.

“Julie, Julie, Julie. That name kind of sounds familiar. My old brains have it somewhere, but I can’t seem to say where” He thought hard, while staring into nothing in particular.

Dad used to have the sharpest of memories when we were younger. It made it difficult for me to tell contradicting lies, because he’d always find out, even if it happened ten years later. Seeing him try so hard to remember Julie, brought me to the full realization that he was getting old indeed and there was nothing I could do about it.

“You seriously don’t remember Julie?”

“No, son. Although the name rings a bell”

“That’s my former assistant, dad. The young lady I got pregnant. I could have sworn that you remember her, given the fact that you kinda threatened to kill her” I explained.

“Ohh, yes yes yes! I know Julie. And, point of correction, I never threatened her. I only did what I did to scare her from doing something dangerous to the company name” He defended.

“Well, whatever you did to scare her, did not really work, ‘cause she’s back now”

“Oh wow! I guess she’s got some strong backup or something, because nobody goes back to where her life was threatened”

“I thought same too, dad. I really did”

“So, what do you want me to do? Is she still pestering you?” He questioned, with his eyes shooting wide.

“No, dad. It’s different this time around”

“You know, I could arrange for her arrest, or better still a kidnap with no traces. Just say the word and it’s your call”

“What the fuck, dad?! Why would you even think of doing that? She hasn’t done anything to me. At least, not yet” I frowned.

“Alright alright. I should have known you’re still weak. So, where do I come in in all these?”

I took a deep breath to think of what I was about to do. Telling dad about Julie would warrant him coming around the office once in a while, just for the purpose of checkmating her.

If there was anything I hated the most, it was dad being in the office bossing me around. He always found pleasure in criticizing how I ran things over there. To him, I was being very soft on my staff and his brute was what built the company over the years.

“You know I told you something about taking our fashion franchise to a global scale, right? I decided to open up.

“Yes, you did. What has that got to do with the girl?” His interest heightened.

“The company visited a certain Luxanne in Birmingham. Good stuff they do over there. Been making waves too. So, we reached out to them for a deal where they’d be our fashion consultancy agency and guess who gave their presentation?” I paused, waiting for his reply.

“Don’t tell me it’s the girl” He was curious.

"The same Ol’ Julie, dad!” I affirmed.

“You mean to tell me that she went from being your pathetic assistant to giving presentations in companies?” He asked, with an air of doubt.

“Trust me, dad. This is no prank. Let’s just say the jilting made her go through some hard character development” I laughed.

“You can say that again”

“So, currently, she’s back in the company, our company, as a consultant and partner” I broke the news, waiting to see him go mad with rage.

But none of that happened. He seemed rather quiet about the news, which was awkward.

“Adam, I’d have to be honest with you here. Not just as your father, but as someone that knows a lot about women. No woman would be treated that way and come back better without having ulterior motives. Not a single woman! I’m damn sure this one is here to take revenge on you and if you let her in, sooner than you expected, she’d turn the entire company against you. Never underestimate a woman’s scorn” He advised.

“Well, to be honest, she already started with Samantha on her first day. You know they never got along then”

“You see?! And that’s exactly how they operate. Who knows who would be a victim of her scorn the next? You? Speaking of Samantha, what’s it to you two, Adam?” He inquired.

“I knew you’d definitely ask this. Can’t we just focus on the issue on ground, dad?”

“No, we can’t. You talked about her first, so you answer”

“Samantha and I are just there. Yeah, we had our good times and all that, but I’m too busy for all that now. She’s just not the sort of girl I need in my life right now” I answered, admiring the finesse with which the gardener did the flowers.

“You know, son, I really thought the both of you would end up together. You two would have made a great team” He was visibly disappointed.

“I guess. But we’re still making a great team at the office. Isn’t that what matters? Let’s get back to Julie, please” I cut in, steering the topic to the initial.

“Has she displayed any attitude to you yet?” He queried.

“Just a tiny bit, but I’d definitely clip her wings soon” I assured him.

“Make sure she never forgets her place. If need be, don’t hesitate to send her away again” He gnashed his teeth.

“I’d put that into consideration. Care for some rum?” I got up to get myself another glass of rum.

“Just a little would do. Since you all said an old man can’t have his favorites”

“You know, she also has a son. About five or six years old” I announced on my way back with the glasses.

“She never aborted the so-called baby she claimed you had together?” He said in shock.

“She did. She said she got married and divorced a few years later.

“She must be a whore. Sleeping around with different men. I’m damn certain the kid she tried to pin on you was never yours. She must have fucked around and gotten pregnant by her multiple sex partners, then tried to hold you down with it. Good thing you got rid of her the first time and you should do it again” He took one gulp of the rum, draining the glass of its content.

“Nah, Dad. I don’t think she’s harmful. I don’t blame her for how she acts towards me now, ‘cause I was an arsehole then” I smiled.

“Now you will listen to me, Adam. You did what was best for the family and the company. In no world was I going to stay alive and watch a nobody ruin my blood and sweat. So, you better get rid of that guilt in you” He said with a domineering tone, as he walked back into the house, leaving me to myself.