"No, she didn't say much, dad." Pelumi said into the phone as she got out of her car. She sighed heavily as she listened to her father apologize on her mother's behalf.

Somethings would never change...

She walked briskly into the eight story building, her phone pressed to her ear. When she got to the front desk and saw it was empty for the third time in a row, she hissed loudly. She glanced at the clock, and saw it was past nine, before glancing back at the empty desk.

"Why did you hiss?" Her father asked. "Hope it's not because I am taking up your time?"

"Oh! It's not you dad, though you are taking up my time. Let me do this, I'll call mommy and apologize for walking away." She conceded, her eyes still on the receptionistless seat as she waited for him to speak.

"I don't know about dinner this Saturday.... I'll try my best." She said hurriedly, happy that the conversation was over.

"I can do this. I can do this..." She chanted before turning towards the lift. She pressed the button with the number seven, then began to tap her foot as the doors began to close. Just as the lips of door were about to kiss, a well manicured hand slipped in, causing the door to give way.

"Good morning Best friend!" Precious sang happily before entering. "How was your night? Hope you slept well? I hope the bed bugs didn't bite? What about the mosquitoes? Tell me Nepa let you sleep with light because I just hate sleeping when there is no light." She said without pausing to take a breath, her body radiating joy.

"When will you wake up and come to work all gloomy and sad?" Pelumi asked as she looked her assistant over. Precious was putting on a brown flared skirt, which had a cream cotton armless top tucked into it. She finished the look with a very artistic brown ankle boot. Her baby face was devoid of make up, and her short tinted brown hair looked more curly than usual. She looked absolutely stunning.

"Why would I wake up all gloomy and sad when my God in heaven does not permit me to be sad?" Precious commented as she linked her arms with Pelumi's.

"Why can't you wake up gloomy and sad? It's normal to wake up hating the world." Pelumi argued as she tried but failed to wriggle free.

"Oh please! Is this how you talk on dates? No wonder.." Precious trailed off with a slight frown.

Pelumi kept waiting for her to continue but Precious just kept mum. When she couldn't take it anymore, she asked.

"No wonder what?"

"Nothing!" Precious replied sweetly, dismissing her comment with a shrug of a shoulder. Pelumi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Precious had this weird way of making her feel inadequate.

Maybe inadequate was too strong a word. But it was close to describing what she made her feel about herself.

"Why would you say nothing when you ended with a 'no wonder' ehn... Tell me what you wondered." She almost snapped. She had to remind herself that Precious fed off anxiety. Showing she was anxious to know will only make her more determined to keep quiet.

"You're dying because you're curious bah?"

Too late...

"Remember all those times you always left me hanging? Payback is a bitch, right?" Precious said,  looking triumphant as she freed Pelumi's arm. It's not everyday she had the upper hand in a conversation with Pelumi.

Pelumi rolled her eyes at her comment when she stopped mid- rolling as she remembered Precious said something earlier about 'dates'. She turned to glare at Precious who was oblivious to her friend glaring as she applied lipstick to her bow shaped lips, using the mirror in the lift. The lift finally got to their floor and they stepped out.

"Thanks for yesterday." Pelumi said through clenched teeth.

"Oh! Don't mention it my dear. I am like that. Always helping people when it.... Wait! What did I help you with?". She blanched as she saw the barely leashed anger on Pelumi's face.

"Ha.. what about yesterday did I help you with?" She stuttered out.

Pelumi scoffed loudly, "You don't remember?"

She shook her head vigorously in denial. She would have remembered if she over stepped, though she had been accused a lot of times for doing or saying things she shouldn't have said or done, and she did not think what she did or said was wrong.

"When did you start talking to my mother? Was it recently you started or you've been at it for a while?"

Duh-duh! Precious knew she was in trouble. Lying was not an option.

"Which answer would make you feel less angry?" She gave a hesitant smile. The smile didn't stay on her face long when it dropped, never to return to her face again.

"Don't be stupid! I don't appreciate you telling my mother about my whereabouts. And only God knows what else you've been talking to her about." Precious cringed as she heard the disappointment in Pelumi's voice.

"I am sorry." She hung her head, partially because she was sorry and because she couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her friend's eyes. She knew she made a mistake but when Victoria kept bribing- sorry, gifting you things like clothes and money, you wouldn't really know how to say no to her.

"Let yesterday be the last time you would talk to my mother about me again."

Having said her piece, Pelumi walked the short distance from the front of the lift to her office, leaving Precious to stare after her.

~

Pelumi stretched as she took in the time displayed by the owl clock her sister gifted her. Only two hours had passed since her conversation with Precious and she was already tired. One would think that with a mind as tired as hers, she would have nothing to think about. But then whoever said a tired mind had no energy for thoughts obviously hadn't met Pelumi's mind.

She kept on replaying the incident the night before. And with every playback came words of abuses at her stupidity. She was still at it, when a knock sounded softly on her door.

The missing receptionist came in looking all glammed up. Nothing was out of place. Not even her expensive bone straight hair. She had a huge smile on her face like she hadn't broken a rule at the office.

"Precious told me you wanted to see me." She said in her soft angelic voice. Pelumi always thought people like that were nothing but sweet and kind. Cynthia was anything but sweet and kind. She was only sweet to rich men like their boss.

"Yes. I wanted to see you. Have your seat." She said, her eyes on the hooky playing assistant like a hawk. Actually, a hawk would be put to shame by the way Pelumi had her eyes on Cynthia.

When Cynthia had placed her butt gently on the seat, she spoke. "I noticed for some days now you've been coming late to work. You didn't tell me anything about that. As the human resources manager, you're supposed to tell me when you would be late and why"

Cynthia, apparently not seeing an issue with what Pelumi had said, smiled brightly. Any brighter and Pelumi would have been rendered blind.
" I told Jide about it and he told me not to worry." Was all she said.

A moment of silence passed, partly because Pelumi was shocked by her statement and more because she was waiting for her to continue.

"Why Jide? Last I checked, I am the HRM." She pressed on when she finally got hold of her ability to speak.

"Well, Jide employed you right? I didn't do anything wrong at all. I told your boss, who is also my boss." Her sweet smile was still on her face, though it had vestiges of smug around it.

"Okay. Let's agree you told Jide. Why were you late?" She asked after mentally counting one to a thousand.

"It's not easy being a single mother. I have to take my children to school every morning and I have no one to help me with it."

As if that was explanation was also enough, she didn't elaborate any further. It was common knowledge she lived with her younger sister and mother. And last time Pelumi asked, they were still living with her.

"I thought your were still staying with your mother and sister in your family house." Cynthia tried to interrupt, but she held a hand up for her to keep quiet. " And I already told you to tell me when your living situation has changed. Remember that you promised or should I say, signed, that nothing will distract you from your work. Remember also that you're not the only mother in this company. Mary has five kids and she takes them to school in the morning before rushing to work, and still she comes in earlier than you." Cynthia tried to speak again but Pelumi wasn't finished.
" I also would appreciate it, if you stop asking Jide for permission to come in late. I don't like repeating myself, but I'll do it one last time for you. I am the HRM of this company. All issues regarding staff, is on me. Do not let this happen again. That's all, you can leave." She dismissed the now frowning receptionist.

How to wipe the smile off a lying skank with a permanent sweet and bright smile on her face... Show her who is boss.

It was absolutely necessary to be tough on some people at times. Wanting to be liked shouldn't push us to taking shit from people.

Cynthia left the room, holding in all her anger at being spoken to like a child so as not slam the door.

Later that afternoon, as Pelumi rounded up her meeting with Jide and some other employees, she asked to speak privately with Jide. He waited till everyone filed out of the room, before he sat down directly in front of her.

Not for the first time, she wondered how he did it. Jide was one of a kind. He didn't do office wear, always on casual. Today for instance, he had on a pair of lightly cut out jeans, that fitted his thigh well and a dark red t-shirt. He had taken off the face cap he wore earlier in the morning. He finished his look with black sneakers. It was the least casual he had done and he still commanded respect from the suit and ties he hired and the ones he did business with.

At first, she thought it was because he was their boss, but later she got to realize it was the man himself. He was a great boss, a hardworker even though everything about him seemed to suggest he was a slacker. She admired everything about him except his weakness for beautiful women, and that was the reason she decided to speak with him.

"So, to what do I owe the honor of your presence." He said with a lazy smile on his ridiculously handsome face. He was truly blessed in the looks department. So blessed he modeled for Men's clothing brands in America for a while.

"What do you mean by that? We see when we are supposed to see, don't we?" She asked, stalling time so she could broach the topic she planned to discuss without being brash or undiplomatic.

"You know what I mean, Pelumi." His voice went low as he flirted with her.

"I think that's enough for me. Seeing your face every time would be bad for my health."

He cupped his heart in mock hurt and she reluctantly gave a smile.

You could never accuse Jide of not having a sense of humor.

"Actually, I have something important to say to you." She started. All signs of playfulness vanished immediately and she could tell he was paying attention.

"I have been working at Gavingstone for almost six years now. I was the assistant Human resources manager when your father was the head of the company. You made me the head of human resources when you came on board because you saw how hard I worked." Through out the speech he just kept watching her. A lesser human would have squirmed uncomfortably under his watchful eye but Pelumi was made of sterner stuff.

If only she could use it with her mother. Her life would be free of drama.

"I don't appreciate Cynthia not informing of her intention to come in late. For three consecutive days now, she has come in at past ten or to eleven. I called her to my office to explain herself, only for me to listen to her tell me that you gave her permission."

"Is that bad?" He asked, the seriousness that was on his face some seconds before, gone. He apparently didn't think the matter was serious.
Despite herself, she found it rather annoying he was dismissing the issue.

"Of course it's bad." She might have yelled that out a little. Only a little.

"Okay. Okay." He raised his hands. "Calm down. I really didn't see anything wrong with it. She's a single mother and I felt pity for her is all." He said.

If Pelumi weren't so disciplined, she would have rolled her eyes at his reason for giving her time off. It was common knowledge that Jide was tapping that. And by 'that' they didn't mean a drum or any other inanimate objects.

"Regardless, she should tell me. There are plenty married and single mothers working here, in every capacity. She is not the only one in need of extra time. Would you give the rest of them permission to come late if they came asking?" His silence was reply enough.

"Jide, you're my boss. A great boss I respect and admire, and whatever you do in your personal life is not my business. But I think you should draw a line between work and that personal life, even if the person sharing your personal life works with you. That way, the rest of your staff would not feel aggrieved."

That was all she had to say.

He looked like he was thinking on what she said. After a minute of silence, he stood up from his spot on the table.

"I am sorry I interfered with your work. And I also appreciate that you would bring this to my notice. It won't happen again. If it does happen again, you can do the needful." He gave his word, and his word was as good as gold.

No more Cynthia coming in late to work again.

"Good. Thanks for listening. That's why I said you're a great boss." She smiled at him and he returned the smile.

"When would you agree to date me?" He asked just as she got to the door. She turned back to look at him.

"No offense, but the last man on the planet thing won't even make me date you."

"Never say never." He yelled just as she closed the door.

That ship isn't going anywhere dude. She thought as she walked away.