Howbeit, she left it unlocked and walked away. She got to the elevator and joined the other staff members in the queue. After she got in, she pressed the fifth button and everyone wondered. “Have you not closed from work today, Laura?” A concerned staff member asked her.“I have. Why do you ask?”“I can see that you are not going home yet.”“I am going home,” she smiled softly and responded while concentrating on the lift. It stopped when they got to the fifth floor and the door opened. She walked out quickly and headed to Stephanie's office. Unfortunately, she had left the office.“Idiot. She must be at the car park,” she told herself and rushed back to the elevator.To her annoyance, she had to wait for the two lifts that had taken the passengers to the lobby to return.“Shit! I can't wait,” She exclaimed and resolved to use the staircase.“What is she doing here?” The other staff members asked each other. She hardly left when the lift opened and they got to the first floor befo
At that point, Tim adjusted and fixed his eyes intently on his device.“Welcome back, my dear,” her mother greeted her weakly. Instead of answering, she looked at her father's hopeless face and asked, “What happened to my brothers? Please don't tell me that they are dead?”“I wish I would not say so. Your brothers are not in school,” her father announced.She was hysterical and cried louder. Her parents cried weakly because they were tired of crying.On the other hand, Tim was lost and wondered which brothers she was talking about. When she calmed down, she asked, “Who told you that they were not in school?”“The Commandant. I got to the school …”“Where could they have gone to?” She asked dejectedly.After a long silence, her father asked, “What happened to you, Laura?”“Yes. Did you fight with anybody?” Her mother asked.“Yes, Mom and Dad. A colleague vilified me before the President's Representative and he hated me. Now, he is using her as the President's Secretary instead of me.
“Yes, Boss. I am prepared.”“I like that. You will address the soldiers tomorrow. You would have done that today but I forgot to inform you.”George's eyes widened and Tim asked, “I thought you said that you are prepared.”He composed himself and answered. “Yes. I'm prepared, Boss.”“I will give you the contact of the Brigadier before you leave for work tomorrow.” “I got it, Boss.”“Good. Is there anything else you want me to know?”“None, for now, Boss.”“It's all right. Just a heads-up. My brothers are coming tomorrow.”“Wow! I can't wait to see them.”“Okay. You can leave.”“Good night, Boss.”“Good night.”At The Canterbury Defense Academy.After the call, Gerald walked to his brother's block and searched him out.“Guess what, Samuel,” he requested.Samuel looked at his happy face and asked, “What's up?”“Just guess?”“What will you give me if I guess rightly?”“I will take you to Brother-in-law's house tomorrow.”Samuel laughed aloud and asked, “Can you even trace his house?”“I
“Thank you for that, dear,” she appreciated him and walked into the office.Meanwhile, when Gilbert informed George that he had a visitor, he looked through the security camera and saw her. His mind went to the auction sales jingles and he wondered if anything had gone wrong.“Good morning, President,” she greeted ruefully. George was surprised and tried to cheer her up, “Good morning, Stephanie. How are you coping with the jingles?”“I'm coping well, President. I came to apologize for my shameful act,” she declared.George furrowed his brow and asked, “What happened? Were you rude to any caller?”“Not at all, President. After work yesterday, … I am deeply sorry, President. I promise that it will not happen again,” she concluded and could not look up. George was unease after listening attentively to her story. After a while, he advised her, “I have heard you but I would like you to put all you have said in writing.”“Thank you, for that, President.”“You're welcome. Address it to th
At Tim's HouseHe was monitoring all the activities in the office and was happy with the support given to George especially the humility of Brig. Dale.So far, he could not tell what punishment George would give to the two erring staff members.Meanwhile, George returned after two hours with the Brigadier and read through Stephanie's letter.“Why can't this untrained girl do the same thing? She has been here with me and has not thought of apologizing,” he murmured.He looked at the time and it was a few minutes before 11 AM. Instantly, he called Cpl. Barton. Tim was on and off his monitoring device because of the news.At The President's OfficeCpl. Barton arrived after a few minutes and saw Laura and Gilbert hanging on the window. He did not answer her question the previous day when she inquired about when to refurbish the office. Not because he did not wish to but because he had no answer for her.“Good morning, Cpl. Barton,” they greeted him simultaneously.“Good morning,” he answe
At The Canteen George and the managers were sitting and chatting at their usual table. Capt. Abrams, one of the managers who was at the fight scene the previous day complimented George, “Your decision is apt. We warned her, but she would not listen.”“Did you witness the fight, Capt. Abrams?” Capt. Bruce asked.“Yes. I was there with the Personnel Manager.”“I see,” Capt. Bruce stated.To their consternation, Stephanie walked in and they gave George a questioning look. He understood the look and smiled softly.“She reported herself and apologized,” he informed them.Capt. Bolton pretended not to know what they were talking about and the other managers heaped praises on her.“That is good to hear.”“She must be well-trained.”“That is the hallmark of a respectful staff.”“Before I forget. How is the registration for the auction sales going?” George faced the General Manager and asked.“It is going on well. The buyer is happy with us for our help.” “I like that.”Soon, the waiter ser
Tim turned on his car engine and teased, “I hope you are well and don't need to see the doctor?” Gerald laughed shyly and explained, “We were missing you and …”“And you have to cook up stories to get sympathy,” George completed it for him and they laughed happily.Now, Tim was out of the gate and connected to the main road. He looked at George and instructed, “Watch out for your drivers.”“I got it, Boss,” he answered and got his phone ready for any photographs.They saw some of their buses, but no driver was found wanting. Meanwhile, Tim had surprises for the boys.At The Auxiliary Armory PLCBefore 4 PM, Laura was starving and had cried her heart out. Not because of the imprisonment, but for the injustice of punishing only her. When the warden got tired of making her stop crying, she covered her ears with her earpiece.“You can leave and behave yourself. We don't pray to have staff members here,” she advised her after she unlocked her.Laura stormed out and walked away without ap
“What if we take the clunker home? I will take them to the clinic with a car.” Tim obeyed but laughed inwardly. Meanwhile, Gerald and Samuel had the same opinion but could not speak out because they did not know his relationship with the cars. After processing his talk, he asked, “Is this not a car, George?”George was mute and looked down. Soon, they were at home. They drove in and the boys got out of the clunker followed by George. Nevertheless, they were surprised that everyone was glad to see them including the security men.“Welcome back,” They greeted them one after the other. Before they could respond, Tim instructed, “Collins, give George the car keys and park my bucket of bolts well for me.”George laughed loudly at his joke and the boys were infested. They laughed too and got into the car and George drove them to the clinic.At The ClinicDr. Morgan was about to leave when George parked and he stopped in his tracks. He recalled that he had seen the car before but could n
At The Mining Field Valentine and Fabian returned from Birmingham the previous night after ensuring that Ann had settled down. They were at work when Richard arrived and they welcomed him warmly. After the greetings, he informed Fabian that he would perform at the event and he was excited.“Thank you, Major, for finding me worthy to be at the occasion.”“You are welcome. Kindly give me your stage photograph and name,” he requested and he did.“Thank you, so much for accepting the invitation despite the short notice.”“It is my pleasure, Major. I haven't been to Mount Olive before. How do I find my way?”“The supervisor will bring you. You will arrive incognito so that the youths will not overcrowd the event.”“I got it, Major.”“Good. Kindly share your bill and payment details with me,” Richard requested.Valentine who was smiling happily all the while said, “I'm happy for you, Fabian.”“Thank you, Supervisor,” he said and faced Richard, “I appreciate the gesture, Major. I will do th
The General Manager believed him and said, “The manual is there. You should have read through it.”“I did. But I had a problem along the line.”“I see.”He stood up immediately and appreciated him, “I'm grateful,” he said and returned to the Secretary's office.To avoid exposing himself, he brought out his phone and the manual. Then, he looked at the clerk and requested, “Kindly put me through on how to use the phone.”He smiled and walked to him. He sat beside him and began to teach him. As a good student, he learned faster, and appreciated him afterward, “Thank you for your assistance.”“It is my pleasure,” he responded and returned to his seat.Then, Tim got up, looked at Stephanie, and said in a low tone, “It's remaining one a half day.” She smiled softly and he walked away. Meanwhile, the edited jingle of the ceremony was on air. The posting of news was not as domineering as it was the previous day.At Mount Olive The edited jingle left much to be desired. Instead of including
“Huh!” He exclaimed and laughed euphorically.Tim was infested and laughed as well.“How can I invite them?” He asked him.“Are they not your friends? Let me have the names of the friends you wished to invite.”“It is all right,” he said and gave him the names of eight Dukes and he walked away.He got to his room and contacted the fake Duke and asked him to invite them.“Sir, we have invited them but they declined the invitation,” he answered.Tim was surprised and asked him, “Why? Did they give any reason?”“Not at all. They arrogantly turned the invitation down.”“It is all right,” he said and ended the call.At Lt. Col. Ben Smirnoff's Office He has been as happy as a lark and dancing with all his might since the breaking news.“They are no longer searching for the poster of the scandalous post. Maybe they searched and could not get me," he said to himself and continued dancing. Unfortunately, he had no friends to share his joy with nor did anyone call to rejoice with him. Not bec
Tim walked into George's office and they locked eyes. He noticed that he was sad and inquired, “What's up, Boss?”“I don't know how the boys would cope with a new Commandant,” he sat down and responded.“You just said my mind. You should have advised the Second in Command.”“The Head of State distorted his work after he submitted the list to him.”“Ha! He must have his reasons.”“What could be his reason? That was the man responsible for the scandal against him,” Tim blurted out.George was bewildered and he locked eyes with him. After a while, he spoke, “Maybe he wished to disgrace him by sending him to where he cannot function well.”Tim looked at him for a while before he said, “You may be right. I have not thought of that. But he should not joke with the children's studies.”“Let's watch out.”Tim wanted to speak but the door opened and he halted. George smiled when he saw the visitor. Tim turned and saw the General Manager. He got up at once and greeted him, “Good morning, Maj.
Kay did not want to argue further with him and concurred, “It is good, Your Excellency” “Good. Publish the postings and the take-off date and time at once.”“I will do that, Your Excellency.”“It is all right. You can leave.”“It is all right, Your Excellency,” they appreciated him simultaneously and walked away. At The Second in Command's OfficeThey got to Kay's office and he asked Tim, “What kind of posting is this?”“Huh! Can Ben manage the school?”“It baffles me. I thought he would punish him because of that scandalous post against the school and the government,” Kay stated.“I thought so as well. Does it mean that he is compensating him for working against his government?”Kay walked to his swivel chair and sat down while Tim sat on the visitor's seat and waited for his response.“That is the challenge. He will assume that his act was not discovered.”Tim noticed that he was angry and pacified him, “Don't let it bother you. Just publish the postings.”“Thank you for your conce
At The President's Office Bright and Gilbert have observed that George laughed exceptionally aloud whenever Tim was with him and that day was no different. He walked in after he left the General Manager's office. Nevertheless, George had been curious to hear the outcome of his visit.He looked at his hand and grimaced his face, “What did he give to you?” He asked him anxiously.“I have not checked it,” he answered and sat down.He brought the gift out of the shopping bag and a smile beamed across his face, “It is a handset,” he announced happily.“Wow! What did you do for him to attract this? I mean what attempted deceit did you foil during the Widow and Widowers Empowerment Program?”Tim laughed and narrated the story. George laughed aloud and pointed out, “Oh! They don't value you but wish to enrich themselves through you.”“Just imagine that but he regretted it. Seeing a supposed ghost will disturb him any time he remembers it.”“You are right. Congratulations on your New Year gif
Tim shook his head and asked her, “What is remaining? Just make it five times a week.”“No. I'm not selfish. Four and a half are all right by me.”“Not selfish indeed. If I do, what will I tell your boss is my reason for frequenting his office?”Now, the die was cast and she looked forlorn. They locked eyes for a while and saw the burning desire they had for each other in their eyes. Tim looked away and his eyes fell on her phone.“Your phone is fine,” he complimented her.She smiled happily and said, “Thank you for the compliment. It was my birthday gift.”“Wow! That birthday cake was one in town and now this.”“I was shocked as well. Even the former President's wife had not celebrated her birthday with such size of cake,” she explained.“I see. What is the brand of the phone? Let me take a look.”She innocently gave him her phone and he pretended to be studying it. He kept her busy with compliments while connecting her phone to his. When he was done, he teased her by asking, “Can w
At The Complex Soon, he was in the complex. He got out of the car and Richard drove off at once.Tim walked into the lobby, greeted his men with his head, and walked to the elevator. He pressed the button of the last floor and waited. When it opened, he walked in.The unfriendly-looking security team answered his greetings and let him in. He walked in and greeted Bright and Gilbert accordingly before walking into George's office.He was happy to see him and asked him immediately, “How did it go?”“It went well. They have started planning how to visit the house.”“Huh! So early?”“It baffles me too. Samuel reminded me of the Waitangi Day holiday.”George laughed aloud and Tim was infested.Nevertheless, Major Bolton came around earlier to have a private meeting with George before the Weekly Meeting. He heard them laughing and wondered if another manager was there. He opened the door and walked in and was surprised at their familiarity. “Good morning, Major,” Tim got up from the visit
Likewise, he sent a message to Richard and informed him that they arrived safely. He pleaded for an off on Monday. Afterward, he began to wait for his response.He had been busy since he disembarked and had not gone online. Now that he had settled in his hotel room, he could do that. He was shocked to see their story and pictures trending.He furrowed his forehead and asked himself, “Who is doing this?”Presently, he was panting and sweating despite the January cold. He sat up from the bed and read the details of the story quickly. To his delight, the post was not harmful and his details were not explicit.He tossed his phone aside and breathed in and out before lying back on the bed.“What will she do if she finds out about my past?” He asked himself.“What about her parents and brother? They are too morally upright to accept me as their son-in-law,” he lamented.The fear that he would lose her gripped him at once and he began to cry like a baby. At that point, he could not think of