chapter 27

ENYINNAYA

I pace continually in my office, unable to sit down for long and concentrate without Iris images sneaking into my head. Everything around me reminded me of her and the fact that my last encounter with her wasn't so good, just made matters worse for me. I keep wondering if she's still mad at me or if she has forgiven me, even more I fear the thought that she may have completely wiped me out of her mind. I want to hang on to the fact that she hasn't because somehow that makes me feel safe.

"Sir, your coffee." My secretary says to me as she presents the cup of expresso coffee on the table.

I check my watch and find that it's already way past closing time.

"Jessica, you can take your leave, you don't have to wait for me. Okay?"

"Yes sir." She nods and gently walks out.

"Oh and Jessica?"

She pauses and turns to face me. "Yes sir."

"Have the gift brought to my office before you leave. Make sure you don't forget to do that."

"I won't forget sir." 

I stack my files together before placing them in my bag. I decide it would be best for me to go see Iris. 

I walk towards my secretary's office and find her getting ready to leave. She's totally immersed in arranging her desk and doesn't observe my presence. I clear my throat to announce my presence to her and she lifts her head immediately.

"Sir, I'm sorry I didn't know you were standing there. Here is the gift, I've already written the note you would take with it." 

"That won't be necessary, Jessica."

"Sir?" She asks, doubt written all over her face.

"I will present the gift to her myself and I have prepared a note for it as well. So just take out the note you wrote." 

"Are you sure about this sir?" She asks again, this time looking like she was unsure that she heard me right. 

"You are leaving now right? Why don't you hop in, let me drop you."

"Okay sir. Thanks." 

I take my leave and she walks slowly behind me, after a while I slow down so she can walk ahead of me.

I understood where Jessica's doubt as regards the gift was coming from. 

Being the Playboy who never wanted to disappoint his women, I always had Jessica buy gifts and write gift cards or notes which was sent to the woman I had in my life at particular time. However, this time around I had gone with her to pick the gift I wanted to gift Iris, and now I was insisting to add a note I wrote by myself, something I never did. Her doubts and surprise was thus not unexpected.

"I will alight here sir." Jessica says, just as we arrive by her junction. I halt my car and she steps out. "Thank you sir."

"Are you sure you are okay with me dropping you off here? You know I can take you to your house?" 

"I'm fine with you dropping me here, besides you have somewhere to be at," her head runs towards the sit I placed the gift on, indicating that I had a date to catch. " and I'm sure you know that time matters when one is chasing after something or someone." 

Now she has my undivided attention.

"What gives you the impression that I am chasing after someone?" I am curious to know how much she knows.

"Well it's too obvious. First you get the gift yourself, secondly you insist on using a gift note you wrote by yourself and you also want to present the gift yourself. It would only take a blind eye to not see how deeply invested in this, you are."

"Wow! You know too much already. I guess you have been really doing your studies on your boss."

She smiles

"Enough to know that whoever it is you are chasing is definitely giving you a hard time."

"Why would you say that?"

"Sir, to be honest, you didn't get even get up to fourty percent of today's task done. You were just prancing to and fro in your office, all the while staring at your phone, like you were expecting a call or message from someone, and at the same time thinking of calling the person."

"Jessica! If you weren't my secretary, I would have had you arrested for stalking me." I laugh, though not completely. I am afraid that perhaps Iris could read me this much too and that could be the reason she was taking everything like a joke,  maybe she wanted to see me hurt. I couldn't let myself fall that helplessly and become a tool in her game play. I will just have to fight this feeling now that it's just beginning to sprout.

"You know you shouldn't fight it."

"What! How?"

"I've worked with you long enough to tell your thoughts from your expressions, though not all the time."

"Am I that easy to read." I ask

"Like a book." She answers

I place my both hands on my face, while laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"And if you ask me" she continues "I will say that Aphrodite and Cupid are on your matter."

"Cu.. what?" I ask, I have heard about that creature several times but I never bothered to find out as it always came up when love was being discussed. I am not a man of love.

"Cupid is the Roman god of love. He is often displayed as a baby with an arrow.  People say that when Cupid shoots it's arrow at someone, that person falls in love. Aphrodite on the other hand is..."

"I know who she is, was unfortunate to have a project done on her while I was in school. Anyway whoever that your Cupid is, ask him to shoot his arrow at Iris Adelana. I don't want to be the only victim in this."

"Well, sir I don't think being in love makes you a victim, so, you don't have to regret it."

"Fine, Teacher Jessica . I have to leave now, will talk with you tomorrow" 

"Okay. Good bye sir" 

Jessica says as she waves at me, I ignite the engine of my car and zoom of.