Beautiful Mask
By Ameh Juliet
Episode 5
Simon:
“Caroline?”. She must have ran off due to the embarras-sment. Well, no my problem. I am not that idle to start looking for a girl with confidence issues.
Okay, i am idle but that doesn’t mean i would start looking for her. When she’s done, she would find her way upstairs herself. And if she is too embarras-sed to come back then that’s a win situation for me and i would have the chance to employ that h0ttie at the last interview.
I start walking towards the elevator but i find myself stalling. Okay, maybe i should just find out if she’s okay. When did i grow a heart and why for this girl?. I hurry outside to look for her.
She isn’t inside the company’s premises. Maybe she is gone. Or Maybe i should just check outside the gate. If i had her number, it would make it easier to find her.
Note to self, collect her number when you find her. I reluctantly leave the company and thankfully i see Caroline standing by a roasted corn vendor. So while i was searching for her, she was purchasing corn?.
I walk up to her and she j£rks in shock as i tap her shoulder.
“Oh sir, i was just buying some roasted corn” She says without looking at me. Her eyes look watery.
She is definitely not okay.
“Are you okay, caroline?. You just ran out like that”
“yes i am fine. I just realised i am hungry. Do you want one?” She asks gesturing to the corn.
“Caroline, are you sure you are fine? That girl was just mean. You know you are not a clown. I mean your clothing are damn right ugly and isn’t something to write home about-”
I hear Caroline sniff and i look to her. I watch in horror as Caroline bur-st out into tears. Some pas-sers by start looking at me with disapproval and i try to explain to them that i am innocent.
Even the corn vendor is shaking her head at me. Okay, i cant take this anymore. I pick Caroline off her feet and throw her on my shoulder then walk back inside the company building. She is quiet now. I drop her on her feet slowly and her brea-sts brush my che-st which causes tingles all over my b©dy.
I pu-ll away from her quic-kly.
“Am sorry for my outbur-st. Its just that i feel so overwhelmed. What was i thinking?. I wouldnt fit in here. Everyb©dy is just beautiful and glamorous and i am just… Just me”she says.
Okay, what would a gentle man say in this situation?.
“there is nothing wrong with you Caroline. Sure, you nee-d to get rid of that ugly scarf and you also nee-d better clothes but that’s something that can be fixed. What cant be fixed are those people’s rotten attitude”
Wow, nice speech Simon. I must have said the right thing because she smiles a bit.
“I know you are just trying to make me feel better but thanks. Behind all these ha-rd features, there is a heart in there.” she says and hvg me.
I awkwardly hvg her back. I am starting to relax into her warmth when someone calls my name behind me. I pu-ll away quic-kly and turn to see Beatrice. And now, my day has gotten worse.
After i c@m£ back tO Nigeria, my guilt made me search for the family in that accident and that’s how i found Beatrice. She is the only survivor of that accident. I found out that her twin was never found, her father died in that accident and her mother died about a year later due to depression.
I want to atone for my sin so, i made contact with her. She told me she forgives me and i am happy about this but i know she wants more than friendsh!pfrom me. Don’t get me wrong, Beatrice is infact the most beautiful woman i have ever met but she is as snobby as one could get.
“What is going on here?. Simon, are you slee-ping with your cleaner?” she asks and my phone starts ringing in my hand.
“umm, ofcourse not. I have to take this call so be nice” I say and move away to answer the call.
************************
Caroline:
Simon walks away from us to answer his call and the lady, Beatrice, looks at me as if i stole her most precious possession. She must be simon’s girlfriend. I am so in trouble.
“Am sorry about that. I didn’t mean to hvg your b©yfri£nd” i say
“Oh, so you just happen to get stuck on each other?” She asks and eye me throu-gh her gorgeous fake eyelashes.
“Am sorry. plea-se don’t get mad at Simon. Its totally my fault” I gr-ab her hand to plead with her and the next thing i know, i am getting a ha-rd sl@p across my face.
“Don’t you dare t©uçh me again” she grins out.
“What is going on here?” Simon says behind me. I cant even answer. I am stunned speechless.
“Simon, this tramp just sl@pped me. I was just advising her to preserve her dignity as a woman and st©p public displ@yof affection and the next thing i know, i am being sl@pped” Beatrice bur-st out into crocodile tears and i am dumbfounded.
“what is your problem? You think you can just start throwing sl@ps around here just because i showed you pity” Simon thun-ders at me.
“but is not-“I finally find my voice and try to explain but Beatrice cut me off.
“she says you are in love with her. She was br@gging about it to me” she says and i cant take it anymore. I just want to rip her pretty br@ids off her head.
“what?!” i scream and Beatrice cries get louder.
“Simon plea-se get her out of here. I don’t want to see her. plea-se, for me” she sobs.
“Caroline, you have to leave now. And by leave, i mean you are fired” Simon says and lead Beatrice into the company and i just stand here stunnef. Just day one and i am alre-ady fired.
I should have known that nothing good happens for me. I should have been satisfied with the monetary help simon’s mother gave me. Tears fall off my eyes and iwipe them off.
Well, i guess i have to go back to my life
Beautiful Mask
By Ameh Juliet
Episode 6
Caroline:
“So you mean you saw his buns” Favour, my one and only bestie, exclaims
“buns?”
“I meant his as-s cheek, girl”
“Out of everything i told you including about me getting fired on day 1, that’s what you are more curious about?”
“in only one day you got to see his buns girl, this must be what they call fate” she say excitedly.
“You are crazy, you know that right?” I say giggling
“I know. And I also know that you love my craziness” she answers with a big grin on her face.
“But seriously, from what you’ve told me, he seems like he cares about you. Else, why would he go after you and console you?”
“I don’t think he does. Look at me favour. why would a rich and goodlooking guy care about me” I protest weakly. He wouldn’t have fired me if he cared.
“Am looking and i don’t see anything not to care about in you. You have a big heart and a big as-s. Who wouldn’t care for that?” she asks and i laugh. Yea, nothing like your bestie to make you feel better.
“don’t worry Caroline, if that job is for you, they will surely call you back”
“thanks favour. I feel better now” i say and hvg her. She hvgs me ti-ghter and my heart feels lighter.
“You really should st©p this your habit of hvgging everyone. This is what got you in trouble with bit-chrich” she tease and i re-lease her.
“I cant believe you called her bit-chrich” i giggle.
“i sure did girl.” i shake my head at her.
“I have to head to the farm now. We have to bring home the cas-savas we uprooted yesterday so we can peel them” I say.
“alright girl. Goodbye”
I bid her goodbye and head to the farm. Father is alre-ady there. We gather the cas-savas in silence with my thoughts still on yesterday’s
drama. Simon should have atleast given me the chance to explain. Maybe i should tell his mother about all that happened yesterday. No, i shouldnt bother her. She has done alot alre-ady.
Hours later, we have loaded the cas-savas in sacs and we carry them home in a tricycle. When we get home, i see a venza parked in front of our house which is weird. I re-move my mind from the mysterious car and help my dad to offload the tricycle.
We pay the driver and he drives off. These sacs weigh so more but i don’t complain.
“Chinedu should be the one doing this with me” my father grumble.
“its fine dad. I am equal to the task” I as-sure him.
“The biggest miracle of my life is finding you in that river years ago. You are an amazing child” he says and squee-ze my shoulder. My father doesn’t usually get emotional. This must be because of mother’s big surgery which is next week.
“Caroline, let me help you with that”a voice yells from our gate and i stiffen. I know that voice.
Simon:
Last night, i couldn’t sleep. I just kept turning in be-d. I just couldn’t st©p myself from feeling bad about firing Caroline. I just didn’t want Beatrice to cry because of me. She had alre-ady been throu-gh alot in the past because of me and i saw yesterday as an opportunity to do something for her.
I had gone to work early this morning after not being able to fall asleep till dawn. When i got to the office, the security guard who opened the gate asked me about the girl who got sl@pped. I thought he was talking about Beatrice until he pointed out that the girl with the scarf was the one who got sl@pped.
That was when i knew i messed up. The security guard must have wanted to help Caroline by indirectly telling me she was the victim yesterday. I had quic-kly called my mom to ask for Caroline’s number.
My mom told me Caroline didn’t have a phone but thankfully, she gave me her address. After getting the address from her and as-suring her that Caroline was okay, i drove out of the company to find Caroline.
After looking for her place for almost two hours, i finally found it. I had alre-ady prepared to beg as soon as she c@m£ out of the house but I was greeted by a middle aged woman. I told her i was Caroline’s boss and she let me in. I have been sitting in their cosy sitting room impatiently for hours before i heard a tricycle outside.
I rushed out to check and thankfully, it was Caroline. She’s carrying a sac that looks ten times her weight.
“Caroline, let me help you with that!” i see her stiffen but i ignore it as i take the sac off her hand and carry into their house. With the help of her father, we carry the many sacs inside.
“Caroline, can i talk to you outside plea-se?” I ask as soon as i am done.
“Am busy right now. I have to peel these cas-savas so that i can take them to the processor tomorrow.” she says and start opening a sac.
“But that would take hours” I say
“then you better join in so it would go fas-ter” her mother put in.
“mother!. Look at him. He wouldn’t be able to do it” Caroline says and they laugh. At me!. Oh, i am going to show them. I take my jacket off, roll my sleeve up, and pop some bu-ttons off to get comfortable.
“Where do i start?” I ask and caroline’s mother laugh.
“There, son” she points to a tiny uncomfortable stool by the sacs.
“Mother! Shouldn’t you be resting?. You should be slee-ping” Caroline chastise her mom
“I’ll sleep when i am dead. God knows if I’ll survive that surgery next week” she says but Caroline usher her to her room.
“Here, son” Caroline’s father hand me a knife./“Iits easy. Watch me” he continues. He takes a cas-sava and peels it with flair.
”Show-off” i grumble. He peels another cas-sava then hands me one.
“You can start now” he says. This shouldnt be that ha-rd . I try to peel the cas-sava but end up murdering the cas-sava. Caroline walks in again and i pretend to know what i am doing. I pick another cas-sava and pray to the gods of cas-sava that they save me from embarras-sing myself in front of caroline.
My prayers aren’t answered as this one turns out worse than the previous.
“here, let me help you” Caroline gr-abs my hands and directs me. We succeed in peeling the cas-sava and i cant help but feel excited.
Caroline is so close to me and i can feel her breathe across my face. If i turn a bit, ourl-ips would connect.
“thank you and i am sorry. plea-se come back to work” i whisper
. tbc