I turn to the door when I hear a soft knock.
‘Yes?’ I call out.
‘I missed your call. I was busy organising the marketing meeting which will be held on Monday,’ Betty, my personal assistant, says from the door. I rang her desk phone earlier.
‘What time is the meeting?’
‘Ten o’clock, sir. You have an hour with the team before you meet Mr Lungelo from the bank.’
‘Fine.’ I put my hands in my pockets. ‘I wanted you to go call Thandeka for me.’
‘Thandeka?’ She looks like she is wracking her brain. ‘Ooh, you mean the one from editorial?’
‘No. The one who brought tea the day I came back from my leave? The one who spilt the sugar.’
‘Oh,’ she raises an eyebrow and quickly looks away when I tilt my head at her. She doesn’t need to make sense of any of my business. ‘I will get her for you. I hope she is not gone yet. They knock off at three o’clock on Fridays.’
I hope so too.
I nod at her and she closes the door and disappears.
Oh, she was right. From this window, I can see a few of the cleaning ladies rushing out of the building. It is amazing how they transform after their shifts.
I walk back to my desk and take a seat. It has been a long week.
When I hear a knock, I dart my eyes to the door.
Thandeka is here.
She walks in hesitantly and I rush to stand. I feel like a goofy teenager right now. My smile probably makes me look like a fool.
‘You called for me.’ She closes the door.
Wow, doesn’t she look perfect in that white dress! What did I say about these cleaning ladies? They wear uniforms and aprons, but the moment they knock off, they turn into these beautiful beings. Thandeka joined the crew. She looks stunning. It is the first time I am seeing her with make-up. Just a hint of it, but her face looks so pretty. I love it.
‘Yeah, where did you disappear to?’ I ask while walking towards her. ‘Please, take a seat.’
‘Is there anything you need me to do for you?’ she asks. She looks so different today. Very, very different.
‘Not really, I need to talk to you.’
‘Sir, my friend is waiting for me and our bus is going to leave in less than fifteen minutes. If I miss the bus, it is going to take me hours to get home.’
‘I can drop you.’
‘No, sir.’
‘I insist,’ I plead and she shakes her head with a frown on her face. Why does she hate me so much?
‘I need to go, sir. If you don’t mind.’
‘I do mind.’ I’ll say anything to keep her here. We need to talk. I want to change her mind about me. I don’t know why it is so important to me but it is. ‘I need a cup of coffee.’
She stares at me disbelievingly.
‘Sir …’
‘I need a cup of coffee,’ I say firmly. ‘No sugar but with cream.’ I walk back to my seat, with her eyes on me. I settle on my chair before starting to type an email.
I feel like a jerk, but there’s no turning back now. And if it gets me one proper conversation with her, it is worth it, right? When we start talking, I’ll be able to show her who I really am.
When she storms out, I head to Diana’s office for a favour. She is packing up her bag, getting ready to leave.
‘Any plans tonight?’ I ask. Diana gives me a sweet smile.
‘Have anything in mind? I have all the time in the world. Plus, you have been avoiding me for weeks now.’
‘Can you please pick up Ciara from school and drop her at Daniella’s house for a sleepover party? The nanny has her bag ready. I am sure she will just jump into a quick shower.’
‘Oh!’
‘Please.’
‘Well … sure.’
I walk out of her office to mine. Diana is not happy with me. Ever since the funeral, which was a month ago, I have been avoiding her. She hints at us spending time together – but I am never in the mood. I don’t feel like hooking up with her. I have a lot on my mind. Maybe Thandeka also has something to do with it. She invades my mind every day – it is starting to scare me.
It is weird that Thandeka comes to mind whenever I need something to keep me from thinking about my loss. Watching TV and working on new business ventures are not helping; it only makes me feel worse. Ciara stays in her room all the time. I hope this sleepover helps to shift her mind from her brother.
My watch says three-thirty and Thandeka is not back yet. Did I just push her away for good? Would she leave without bringing me a cup of coffee? She wouldn’t, would she? What is this woman doing to me though? I laugh at myself.
A knock on the door makes me jump a bit – with excitement. My face drops when I see my PA look in. I glance at my watch and it is already twenty minutes since Thandeka left. She definitely went home.
‘Sir, are you going to need anything before I go?’
‘No, thank you,’ I say. I could tell her to go search for Thandeka but that would make me look like a loser.
‘I will see you on Monday.’
‘Monday it is.’
She closes the door. I start clearing my desk. There is no reason for me to stay here. I don’t have any deadlines to chase. It is only that … well … I am not looking forward to spending the weekend alone.
Another knock on the door and I wait to see who it could be.
She didn’t leave. Thandeka walks in and places a tray on the coffee table. She doesn’t look at me but I can tell that she is pissed.
‘Oh, I thought you left.’
‘I thought you said you need a cup of coffee,’ she coldly responds.
‘It takes you twenty minutes to make just one cup of coffee?’
‘If I need to go up and down the elevator to a different floor to get you just a cup of coffee, yes … it is possible to take twenty minutes.’
Different floor? This tells me that Diana must have changed the floor Thandeka is working on. So that’s why a different lady brings coffee whenever I call for it.
‘Did Diana move you? Is this about the rug?’ I ask and she doesn’t say anything. ‘Please take a seat.’
‘I need to leave, sir,’ she spits. Okay, I know I am being unreasonable. She has already missed her bus. I am such a jerk.
‘Forgive me, really. I just needed company.’ I sigh deeply. ‘Since the funeral, I haven’t done anything fun or … just anything at all. And you seem like someone who would understand … I didn’t want to piss you off, really. I don’t know what came over me. I just wanted to invite you to drinks.’
She stares at me with her head tilted. I don’t even need this cup of coffee. It is a fucking hot day for goodness’ sake. I just need her to lend me an ear. She knows how one survives after losing a child. I just need someone to tell me that everything will be fine. I need her to tell me that.
‘Okay, I will join you,’ she says at last. ‘I owe you one after your kind words that night we met. What you told me about my angel … It is something that I have engraved in my heart.’
Wow. I didn’t know.