“This silly girl will never stop to anger me,” he answered while they walked out of the lobby.“Which girl?” He asked at once.Jerry was too angry to speak and Collins helped out, “It is Miss Dickson. She attacked her colleague.”George stopped suddenly and asked, “Did she come to work today? I thought she went to court.”“Maybe she returned from the court with anger and decided to vent it on her colleague,” Jerry stated.“She must be punished,” George said and inched backward.“No need to go back. I have taken care of that,” Jerry declared.George mellowed and asked him, “What did you do to her?”“I asked the Corporal to send her to the guardroom.”“That is good. Inform the Corporal that she will be there until 8 PM.”Jerry grinned and accepted it, “It is all right.”In The Staff BusWith the embarrassing post about Laura, many wished to see her at the canteen but failed. Bright looked out for her, too, but missed her. He hoped to see her at the lobby but George visited the Steel Mil
She looked down immediately at the humiliating message. Previously, they did not worry about subscriptions because the company provided all of that.“What do we do?” Her husband asked her dejectedly.His phone had been bad for over a week and they were waiting for the month's salary to fix it.She swallowed hard and answered, “Let us wait. She will be back.”To their disturbance, she did not return even after 6 PM. Her mother never bothered to ask questions again but began to cry.“What have we done to deserve all these? She must have been detained.”Her father ran his hand over his head and lamented, “How can we lose all our children in one year? We can't even do anything to help them.”They were in that awkward condition when the door opened and they looked up. She walked in with a heavy heart and sat down dejectedly. Although she was back, they were like a woman who recovered from an illness only to return from the hospital and discover that her child had died.“Welcome back,” her
The Next Day - At The ComplexGeorge arrived that morning and looked sternly at Laura without minding whether she noticed him or not. Everyone was surprised and paused to know his reasons for such a look. Likewise, Laura died and was resurrected when their eyes met.'If not that she is our gold mine, I would have court marshaled her,' he said and moved on.Now, Laura was drenched with sweat. She watched him until he got up into the lift. When the gates closed, she breathed freely. Others shook their heads in sympathy for her and went back to work.Meanwhile, Tim and George had agreed to visit the boys after work but Tim arrived earlier than necessary. To avoid suspicions like the other day, he visited George's office and met him smiling happily.“What is it? Did you win a jackpot?” He asked after the greetings.“It is not far from that. I got a letter from the Promotion Board.”Although Tim expected that there would be a promotion for the year. Considering his age and the number of ye
The Canterbury Defense AcademyIt was a few minutes past 4 PM when they drove in and the school was quiet. They were filled with guilt for being the only parents around to disturb.“Are you sure that this is good?” Tim asked him.“I know that it is not good. I will see them all the same,” he said like a spoiled child.“It is all right. I wish to see them as well,” he said and called the Housemaster.The phone began to ring, and they waited anxiously for the Sergeant to pick up his call. Eventually, it timed out.“He must be busy,” he pointed out.“I can call Gerald and he will fish him out from wherever he is,” George proposed.“Let me try again. If he fails to pick up, we will call Gerald.”He tried to do that but the Sergeant's call interrupted his. His face beamed with joy and he looked at George's smiling face.“He is calling back.”“Yes,” he said and received the call.“Good evening, Tim. How is work?”“Good evening, Sgt. Dotson. My work is fine. And yours?”“Work is fine. How m
A Few Weeks LaterThe two officers that Tim recommended for promotion had been invited by the Board and he was happy. The thought that George would be promoted as well gave him more joy and a sense of accomplishment.“Grandfather would be happy to hear this,” he said to himself.Nevertheless, the Supreme Military Council had eyes on the Auxiliary Armory PLC as one of the Economic Power House of the country. The discovery of the precious stones was no mean feat, and they recommended the Accountant, and he was happy. Now, Lt. Col. Ben Smirnoff had been waiting patiently for an invitation letter from the Promotion Board but got none. He was not too bothered about it until he learned that the Commandant was invited. His breath almost ceased out of anger.He stared at the wall for a long time before he asked himself, “Why would he be invited without me? He is at it again. That was how he got to his present position after I informed him.”Nevertheless, he has not spoken with him since the
The old man's eyes showed fear and Tim continued, “We kept many things away from you because they may be too many for you to digest at the same time.”“Why would he do that? I have not offended him. I thought he was standing in for me because I was temporarily incapacitated.”“You don't need to offend people before they envy what you have. Like I said, we kept many things away from you. Take a look at this,” he said and swiped his phone to the video of the fake Duke's confession.(You are right but I just recalled that in addition to praying for him to die, I teamed up with Cecilia and planted a poisonous mushroom in his house. As you can see, I worked harder than everyone.)The old man began to sweat immediately after he got the epiphany. He watched the video again and blurted out, “He shamelessly admitted it.”“That is it. We have to be careful. Did you get me?”“Yes. I wouldn't have known this if not for you.”“I got it. Our next step is to make him take his hands off your office.
Soon, they were at the car park, and Richard got out of the car, but Tim did not. The observant General Manager got out of the car before George and the Accountant. He walked to Richard and saluted him.While that was going on, Tim honked his horn and left. The General Manager got another confusing epiphany. They waved happily at him like kindergartners whose father just dropped off at the kindergarten. He swallowed hard and saluted Richard before they walked into the hall.They saw Brig. Dale, the Commandant saluted them warmly.At The ComplexTim was happy that the General Manager would not return until lunch and he would have the chance to chat with Stephanie and the clerk. He got to the lobby and saw Jerry.“Come with me, Jerry. I want to check the CCTV in the office,” he informed him and he got up.Meanwhile, with or without a face mask, he was certain that Laura never recognized him and they walked to the elevator. Soon, they were at George's office and Bright welcomed them hap
Tim breathed freely and faced the despondent Head of State and placated him, “Consider it as one of those scandals that are associated with leadership.”“I know but how do I explain it to my wife? Will she ever agree that I am innocent?”No matter how strong a man is, he must have a weakness. Gen. Richmond, who was dreaded by his fellow military Head of State, was afraid of a woman.Tim looked at the Second in Command and he pouted. He faced the Head of State and advised him, “She may not be as distraught as you think. Has she called you?”“That is the problem. She ought to have called to inquire why I have not come home for lunch but she has not,” he explained.They were silent for a while their phones continued to beep with remarks. They were so many that they did not know that the people of Savanna, Oregany and the citizens of other countries were retweeting in their defense.“I will go home for lunch. I will face whatever she has in store for me,” he spoke afterward.“That is the
At Mount Olive The next day, the Minister of Information released the jingle and the fake Duke and his men were happy.“This is splendid. They treated our matter so soon,” the fake Duke made clear.“I said it. If you didn't move, they would assume you are not qualified to rule the Dukedom,” Elder Kefas pointed out, and the other elders agreed with him.“The time is short and we need the allocation to start planning. Has it been released?” Another elder asked them.“Not at all. What do we do?” The fake Duke asked the elders.“Huh! I propose that you should visit the headquarters again. Ask the person in charge to hasten things up.”“You are right,” he said and looked at the time, “It is just 10 AM. I can do that today,” the desperate Duke stated.His proposal was suitable and they accepted it at once. Without hesitation, he got ready and left.At the Mining Field Ann was preparing happily and perfecting her cooking skills. That was to Valentine's benefit because he became her judge w
At The Mining Field - January The Christmas celebration had come and gone and the workers felt the impact. Fabian's presence brightened the estate. The farmers were happy to hear that they were secured and working for the government and Valentine's workload had increased. Despite his increased responsibilities, as the school resumption was drawing closer, he was getting worked up.“What will I do?” He asked himself.“What did you say, Supervisor?” Pa Suresh, who was sitting with him, asked.He never knew that he was audible enough to be heard and he cautioned himself, “I was just thinking aloud.”They were yet chatting when Fabian joined them and brought up Ann's departure.“She is supposed to leave on the sixth as her admission letter stated.”“I think she is aware of that,” Pa Suresh acknowledged.“That is on Saturday,” Valentine said and Fabian added, “Yes, Supervisor. Three days from now.”“That is good. Have you informed the Major?”“Ha!” Pa Suresh exclaimed and Fabian asked, “
Although she got to the bus before the other staff members, she was standing and waiting for the others because the drivers were not close by.At that point, the fight she tried to avoid came upon her. Since she was the first to come, she expected that the other staff members would allow her to get on the bus before them, but they were too happy to think of that.“I came before you,” she said and tried to stop the staff who was about to get onto the bus.“And so what?” The staff asked and removed her hand that was blocking him forcefully. She staggered backward and the others held and stopped her from falling.As an aggressive person who must not let go, she regained composure. Without appreciating those who helped her, she got onto the bus and hit the staff who was about to sit down very hard and a fight ensued. Before they could separate them, the staff had beaten her beyond her expectations.“Do you think I am your late husband who you can treat anyhow?” He asked her and sat down.
At Laura's House They expected a better life after appeasing the twins, but the opposite was the case. Due to the silent war, they did not watch the program because they felt that it would not interest them. Laura had been in her room since morning and only came out to prepare a quick meal for herself. Afterward, she returned to her room and kept herself busy with her phone before she slept off.Nevertheless, Madeline was worried when her husband did not return. She looked at the time and it was a few minutes before 7 PM.“Where has gone to?” She murmured bitterly and continued to wait.After a while, she got up from her seat, walked to the bedroom, and returned to the parlor. She could not have her dinner and unknown to her, she slept off on the couch.Laura woke up from her sleep and ate the remainder of her lunch. She overlooked her mother and returned to her room. Shortly afterward, she took her bath and went to sleep.However, Madeline woke up a few minutes after midnight and wa
The other women joined them but those who could not, never bothered despite the prize. The groups danced and it was fun.“Thank you for this,” the host appreciated them, but there was an observation.A middle-aged man was sitting with the widows, and it was strange. The organizers thought it was an error and one of them walked up to him to correct it.“Hello, Old man. You should sit with the widowers and not here,” the official informed him.“Thank you for informing me, but I am not a widower,” he clarified.The organizer furrowed his brow and inquired further, “If you are not a widower, what are you? A widow?”Now, one of the security men thought that he was proving stubborn, joined them and waited for his answer.He smiled mildly and answered, “No, I am not a widow. I'm representing my daughter. Her husband died during the war.”The two were touched and the security man sympathized with him, “We are so sorry for the loss. Why is she not here?”“She had been sick since then and had b
“They will like it if you can assist with the transfer. The university has a campus in Birmingham,” he pleaded as though it was on their behalf and not for his benefit.“Is it possible?” Richard asked him.“Yes, Major. If the President talks to them, they would reconsider her.”“It is all right. Remind me on Monday,” Richard said and shut the door.“Thank you, Major. I …”He stopped when he saw the farmers coming to them with their produce.“We brought the squirrels, Supervisor,” one of them announced and looked at the Major's face.He was happy to know that he liked it. Valentine helped them to arrange them in the trunk. The good thing about their produce is that it is free from fertilizer because they could not afford it.“Thank you,” Valentine appreciated them and shut the trunk.“You are welcome, Supervisor. Thank you for informing him about our predicament.”“It is my pleasure.”“Thank you for the gifts,” Tim and Richard appreciated them at once.“Thank you for accepting them. W
In The Morning Tim, George, and the boys were preparing to go for their shooting training when he got a disturbing call from Richard.“Where are you?” He asked him at once.“I am at the gate, Boss,” he answered him.“I will be with you, shortly,” he said and walked out of his room.He got to George's room and informed him that he wished to visit the mining field. He frowned his face and asked, “On a Saturday? You need your rest.”“I know. Take the boys to the shooting range. I may meet you there,” he instructed him and moved quickly to avoid more questions.“It is all right,” he answered and continued dressing up.Tim got to the garage and drove to the gate. Richard joined him and he moved.“Kindly read the message to my hearing,” he requested and Richard did.After listening to him, he asked him, “When did this happen?”“I don't know.”“Have you not spoken with him?”“No, Boss. I woke up and saw the message and decided to come over at once.”“That is good. I wonder who would have
That evening, they closed from work for the day and resolved to visit the estate and show their appreciation for their cooperation.Likewise, they brought some farm produce to them. To cap it all, the hunters among them brought five sizeable edible gray squirrels.“These are from our hearts. Kindly accept them,” one of them said cheerfully.The workers focused on Valentine who was thrilled with the gesture. The foreigners were thrilled with the neighborliness and waited for him to speak.“This is wonderful. We are happy to know that you found us worthy of your friendship. We appreciate it,” he said.“Thank you for accepting us.”“I hope no one is molesting?” Valentine asked.“No, Supervisor. We appreciate you for your presence.”“You are welcome,” Valentine said and they walked away.He turned and looked at Pa Suresh, who was smiling beside him, and asked, “What do we do with the gray squirrels? I have not eaten it for a long time?”Before he could speak, Tyler and his friends walked
“Thank you, Mark,” they responded one after the other.“Kindly take us to the pavilion,” George requested.“It is all right, President,” he answered and led the way. They moved with him and George was surprised to see Tim walking with the General Manager.'When did he arrive?' He asked himself.Some days are heavy but Tim had to grin and bear it. They checked the pavilion and took notes of the minor work they needed to do before Sunday. George did not have the chance to speak with Tim. However, he was confused when he got on the bus with them.When he looked around and did not see his clunker, he asked himself, 'Did he come with us?'Tim was obediently sitting beside the GM like a wimp and he had forgotten about him. They returned to the complex afterward and got out of the bus. To avoid missing out completely that day, he decided to take the plunge.He followed the General Manager back to his office. When they got to the door, he asked him, “What brings you, Driver?”Now, he had ope