Her alarm clock rang incessantly and she yawned as she tried forcing her eyes open. She groaned as she felt her head throb. The aftermath of the previous night had lingered to the late hours of the morning. She lazily sat up and arched her back while squinting at her alarm clock on her side drawer.
“Oh my God”, she gasped.
She had overslept. In a frenzy, she sprang up from the mess she had laid on; layers of scattered fabrics she had earlier tossed and assured herself to get to. The cabinet of files beside her lampstand; another unfinished work she had postponed, and the empty bottles of cognac beside her blanket.
She burped and curled her lip in disgust at the smell of her breath, an aftereffect of the concoction of drinks she had ingested, cognac, rum, wine, and some gin. Slightly disoriented, she struggled to find her way to the bathroom. She dabbed her face with a wet towel, brushed her teeth as fast as she could, and almost slipped as she left the bathroom.
She tugged her hair thoroughly with her hair brush and exhaustedly threw herself on the stool in front of her mirror. Her eyes had a tinge of red and her face was so pale. She pulled her brunette locks into a sleek low bun and shielded her weary eyes with some stylish sunglasses. She wore a black, loose velvet top and a pair of trousers, the outfit she had been working on for a few days, and put on a pair of nude slip-on heels.
Pausing for a moment in a bid to recollect her thoughts on where she may have kept her keys, she hurriedly scoured through the pile of clothes on her bed, lifting one fabric over the other and throwing them on the floor. She sighed in relief, grabbed her bunch of keys, and drove off to work in her black sedan.
With narrow eyes darting around the office, she approached the receptionist, Maurice, a young lady in her mid-twenties, with a lanky physique and somewhat barrel-chested.
“Is the boss in already?”, she whispered.
She received a slight nod.
She walked through the hallway to his office and knocked on the small, mahogany door.
“Come in”, she heard from within.
She bit her lips and walked in.”Good morning sir.”
He looked up at her and turned back to his notes. After a minute, he crossed his arms and looked at her, his countenance annoyed.
“What says the time?”, he asked emphatically.
She rubbed the nape of her neck and turned to the wall clock hanging adjacent to her.”11:20 AM sir.”
He let out a tight-lipped smile and asked, “And what does that tell you?”
“I’m sorry that..”
He interjected with his fists clenched, “What does that tell you? Answer my questions plainly, please.”
She bowed her head in shame.”I’m late.”
He clapped his hands and nodded affirmatively.”That’s good. At least, I know you’re aware. And how many times have you been late consecutively?”
“Three”, she mumbled.
“I have condoned your excesses for far too long and I cannot do that anymore. I’m afraid your services are no longer required.”
She blinked in tears, “But sir, I try my best. I do and I still am. I’ve just been so busy combining my work and my other job plus some..”
“And what is your other job? he cut in and walked towards her.
“Um..er..sewing”, she stuttered.
He sniffed and crinkled his nose.”You forgot to mention clubbing.”, he frowned at her and continued, “I’ve been observing you for a while and honestly, you have slacked at your work so badly. As my secretary, you haven’t even presented the records from a month ago regarding the clerical staff. So what exactly is your purpose here?”
Her lips quivered, “I’ll change sir. I promise.”
He shook his head.”I’ve heard that before. I’m sorry but you should leave.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and trudged out of his office.
©Uju Omeh
