I walked in angrily to work that morning.The rage brewing inside like a storm. Eating me up from inside. I wanted to shout, hit something, lash out at the world, or just blame someone, but I couldn't. In as much as my anger was all over, a small still voice of reasoning was nagging me at the back of my head. Reminding me of the fact that I was at work.
But the whirl of emotions I felt that day, was like any I had ever felt. It was almost suffocating. I was so angry. Angry at what I had found that morning. As I sat there at my desk, I was like a bomb, ready to pop at any minute. My knuckles were sore. Probably from the intense clenching of my fist. I couldn't think clearly, not to talk of concentrating.
I looked at the system in front of me, but rather than seeing what was on the computer, images of the morning kept on playing back in my mind, driving a knife through my already wounded heart, over and over again. I stood up abruptly. I needed to cool off. I was dangerous in this state and I didn't trust myself not to do anything nasty.
As I walked down the corridors, down to the garden outside, I was like a walking chaos inside of me. One could tell from my posture that I was in no happy mood. Taking a stroll round the garden outside our work premises, I felt myself relax a bit. Knowing the only thing that could completely quench the fury within, I took out my ear bud and placed it in my ear. Turning on music, I continued my stroll round the garden.
I slowly walked round the garden again and again as the music kept on playing. The sweet smell of nature enveloping my senses. As the minutes stretched, I saw myself relaxing bit by bit and in no time I was as serene as the waters in the ocean. Taking a deep breath, I stopped the music, and put my earbuds back in it's casing. And with a final resolve to forget all about it, I walked back inside, ready to face reality.
Later in the day, my best friend came to me during our break hours like we usually do to hang out.
" Hey Precious, what was all the commotion about in the morning", Anna asked first.
" What commotion?" I asked.
" You were so angry I could literally see smoke coming out of your eyes and ears" she explained further.
" What happened" she asked, genuinely curious.
I took a long deep breath. I didn't want to recall what happened earlier that morning, but I knew Anna. She would keep on pestering me until I spoke up and told her what happened. With a defeated sigh, I spoke up.
" Well, I stumbled on some hidden skeletons in the closet back home, that is all" I said.
This piqued her interest. She bombarded me with so many questions all at once. I shook my head smiling, the first smile I had smiled since that day. I went ahead to tell her about all that I had discovered that morning.
Anna was my best friend and I thought I could trust her. We had met at the office and we instantly just clicked. we've been friends now for five years and we shared our secrets with each other, so I went ahead to tell her about the skeletons I found hidden in my parents' closet.
"Well, I overheard them discussing in hushed tones in the kitchen, early this morning. So I might have eavesdropped a bit to find out what the secrecy was all about." I started off.
" So what did you find," she asked curiously.
" Not good, I discovered that they had been planning to send me away to stay with my uncle overseas without my consent. " I continued.
I went ahead to tell her how I confronted them about it. They knew I would never agree to that, yet they went ahead in making preparations to forcefully send me there. I told her how I made it clear that I wouldn't go. I loved my life here too much to travel to another country or continent to stay with an old man all because he was wealthy enough to take care of me. I had already started a career for myself here, and I didn't want to depend on anybody, but they didn't seem to understand that.
After I had gisted her on everything that went down that morning, she sympathized with me and tried to cheer me up. Little did I know I had just made a big mistake. The following weeks that passed went on smoothly. Until one day in the office, I was accused of tampering with some documents that could have me imprisoned for life. The evidence was surprisingly there. They found the documents on my desk with my signature on them. It was a framed work and I didn't know what to do. I was about to lose my job, my career I had just started building all in the blink of an eye for a crime I didn't even commit. I tried explaining to my boss, but it was all useless. Who ever had done it didn't leave any trace. Definitely, I packed my stuff and carried my handbag. My boss had thought it merciful enough to fire me instead of calling the police on me. I headed to my friend's office to tell her what had happened and that I was leaving. But the door was already slightly open. She was arguing with another of our work colleagues.
" Precious doesn't deserve this, why?" I heard Paige say angrily.
I quickly hid out of sight to hear more about what they were arguing about. I took out my phone to record the whole conversation.
" Oh relax, she will be leaving soon anyway. I just made it easier for her. You don't have to feel bad for her."
" By tarnishing her image like that, I regret being a part of this"she said angrily.
" You deceived me" Paige pointed an accusatory finger at her.
" Look, you will keep your mouth shut or else I'll expose your secret too. "
Having heard enough, I quickly went to my boss's office to report what I had just heard. After showing him the recording, appropriate actions were taken, and she lost her job instead. I earned my job back and was even promoted.
As Anna walked out of the office building shamefully, with her head down, I couldn't help but ask why?
She looked at me and smiled bitterly. "I wanted your position" she admitted. She went on to tell me how she envied me,
" You had everything; a good family that cared for you enough to want what is best for you, a great paying job. When you told me about what your parents were planning for you, I thought it was my opportunity to remove you from this place and take your position, but I see the errors in my ways now. I’m so sorry. She said as she walked away remorsefully.
