1 Same Woman, Same Looks.
What I need is a woman who is something, anything; either very beautiful or very kind or in the least resort very wicked; very witty or very stupid, but something.
ALFRED DE MUSSET
"Stop day dreaming, Kuga".
"And who said I am dreaming, Spooky?
"I said day dreaming, and not dreaming, there is a difference."
"And do you have to nag about everything, like a man at 33, err Spooky. Look, can you evacuate from my mind and give me a breathing space for once!."
"That can only happened, if you stopped thinking".
"Just shut up this one time Spooky, just this one time!."
I found myself at crossroads. The way to life, What a puzzle it is?
Resting my aching spine on the cozy chair, I draw in the cool air in the office space, and let it soothe my strenuous nerves after having build up so much tension from my weary stream of thoughts, I have no friends to share with.
Perhaps I am trapped in my own world, a wealth of ideas weighing heavily on my mind causing my toothless gums to itch miserably.
I heard the ladies whispering to each other "What a handsome dumb guy".
"I learnt he is smart with the figures though, a valuable asset to the company," another added.
"Poor guy, he communicates through writing. Strange how he writes answers to questions before you ever asked," miss petite said.
"He did that to me once and it felt so weird. I later concluded the man is not deaf after all, perhaps he is lyrically impaired and his ears are working just fine," miss rosy chicks offered and they looked at me curiously like astronauts staying an alien material from saturn.
I didn't return their look. Pretentiously, I kept myself busy. I get that a lot especially, from the newbies.
They will soon get used to working with me without a verbal exchange.
However, these are times I have to muster every ounce of strength not to burst out laughing aloud, exposing my gaping hole.
Inwardly, that's exactly what was happening. The sound of my own hysterical giggles filled my ears.
At home, I stand before the mirror, and gaze into its depths as though seeking to find its mysteries.
But I know I am looking for this one thing, and that is exactly what was staring back at me, the reflection of my treasured toothless smile.
My secret, a funny secret only I can laugh about.
I know I can easily get it fix by a dentist, even an inexperience dentist at that; but why bother.
Perhaps I never want anyone to have a peep into that secret hole I conceal in my mouth, like a jade shall I treasure it for all time.
Perhaps I am the ultimate realist, the last man standing when it comes to siding with nature. I don't want any metallic or plastic component in my gum for the sake of giving me a new set of teeth, a new alien life that is not me, I love my toothless treasure.
Look, I was born this way; I have pre-molars, molars and canines. Why nature deprived me of incisors? trust me, I don't really know.
I simply wouldn't open my unique mouth until the new science teacher showed up in my class.
It was my first year in senior high school.
I remember the science teacher asked the class to show their birthmark if anyone has any.
She was treating genetics. She walked up to me and called me by name; "Kuga, do you have a birth mark?" I shake my head vigorously.
She was the prettiest young female teacher I have ever seen, and something about her voice got my heart pounding, and drumming symphonies.
"are you sure you don't have any birth mark Kuga?" she asked with an infectious smile, and I grin for the first time in class dropping my guard an aware.
She burst out laughing hysterically, and her beautiful face turned tearfully blissful.
In big belly laughs, her sweet voice which I did liked in our first encounter, now turned heinous, and will torment me for years to come.
She did been choking for breath as I picked up my bag and walked out of the class, never to return.
I kept asking myself; why did she laughed at this one thing only I have the exclusive rights to laugh about?
And why did she has to be so beautiful without a blemish I could also laughed about as payback?
In time, I learned to turn my fury to my studies, worked hard to better my grades
Introverted by necessity, I had so much time at my disposal to excel in this endeavor.
Some of my colleagues looked at me with genuine interest, some gnaw at me with open hostility, while the few competitive ones simply kept their distance.
But the bullies lay in wait. I know. I saw them lagging in the alleys. However, when they came at me, I was very ready than they did expect.
Ferociously, six pair of fist connects with my face and body. But, it was to be their last assault.
Only if they knew, what I had in store for them. I robbed the irritating leaves I had in my gloved hands on the skin of every last of them.
"It burns!" one cried. "ouch!" another exclaimed....
I called it the 'grandma recipe'. "Thanks Gramma", I murmured to myself as they scattered around scratching at their skin in mad confusion, looking for water to wash away the itch.
Fools, if only they knew water is but a catalyst to this irritating dance.
I sniggered inwardly with my swollen hooded eye brows, bleeding nose and blistered melon lips spewing blood.
Life is funny. People made it funny. My mind seem to automatically filed hilarious scenes, which I will later recall in my private moments to laugh about before a mirror.
Then I will laugh at myself, and dedicate my last toothless laugh to the rest of the world. Life, sweet muddling life.
****†**†******
Sitting in the office during lunch break gave me time to think.... about the next step I wanted to take in life.
Then it occurs to me…. for the first time in seven years I wanted to visit the company cafeteria across the street where virtually all employees spent their lunchtime.
I started counting my steps as I walked towards the elevator door…. Then I saw her, same woman, same pretty face, same smile… she was walking right towards me, just like that day in the class, she never aged a day or so I thought.
As I drew closer towards the elevator car, her infectious smile cracked into a grin….
"you are late Ryhmz, what took you so long?"....I looked at her dumbfounded, thinking she is referring to me.
"Sorry dear, I hope didn't keep you waiting forever?", a crisp male voice answered from behind me.
I realize her smile was not for me but the gentleman that walked passed me to take her hand as she offered it to him.
Then, as though by their own might, my fingers curve into a ball, and adrenalin gush forth, warming my blood, and causing my jaws to clench together till my toothless gums and few teeth hurt painfully.
I walked into the car with the couple, trying to camouflage my presence in the background. But I found there is no need since she shows no signs of recognizing me.
I was elated by this fact, annoyed by this fact, and frustrated by this same fact, because unlike her, I still remembered her.
How she managed to keep herself so young and petite over the years, boggles and intrigue me.
"you look lovely dear," the man croons into her ears, and she smiled brightly, and said;
"I know, everyone tells me that Rhymz, it's kind of boring."
"Okay, I think this will do just fine," Rhymz said and tried to kiss her on the lips, but she turned her head to my side, and his lips brushed her rosy dimple chicks instead.
In that split moment ,we locked gazes. She seem to notice me for the first time, yet I could see nothing register in her mind…. She really doesn't remember me.
"Why do you want her to remember you, kuga?"
"Get out of my head spooky, I mean, right now."
"Hello, are you stepping out?" the voice, the same sinful voice, slashing through my reverie. I step out and nodded my thanks with purse lips.
They are working in the company, for how long? "that is what happens when you alienate yourself from your environment, kuga."
I did worked in the place for seven good years without ever stepping out of the office, Except when I'm going home.
I follow the two happy young couple as they open the double glass door leading into the cafeteria.
The warm smell of different delicacies teases my senses as we walked in.
There was murmuring here and there, and few laughs here and there as colleagues from different departments, que to serve themselves, before moving to join their comrades at the dinning tables.
Since everybody seem to know everybody in the place, myriad pair of curious eyes bore on me as I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible, a sure sign I am not a regular here.
I felt like walking out of the place.
"don't even try coward, get yourself a seat and keep your toothless mouth shut" my alter ego taunts.
"well, you get out of my head and let me be Spooky" I taunted back.
There was only one vacant seat close by…. And it was facing her… my enemy, my tormentor, the one who knew my most feared secret, my young high school science teacher who refused to grow old, now working at the same company with me.
The question is; what is a science teacher doing in Wodmax group?
" It's my birthday Rhymz, what do you have for me?" the sinful voice said and my heart leapt in agitation as she converses with her lover or friend or colleague…. What do I care;
"Off course you do care Kuga? You like her, be a man and tell her that"
"just shut up okay, let me think".
"excuse me, did you say something?" my tormentor asked me in her sensual voice, and I looked at her surprised, and shake my head. And she looked at me strangely…
"so, how old are you now, Rubiana?" Rhymz asked… "twenty" she replied.
"how may I be of help sir? Tell me what you want and I will get it for you," the waitress asked me breaking through my racing thoughts.
"twenty? No that can't be, perhaps this is a different person entirely. Maybe a relative to the science teacher.
On the menu I indicated black coffee with honey and nothing more… the waitress watched me oddly, for she knows we have coffee machines at the office, and it was noon for God sake.
I don't need to open my mouth to sip coffee. So her name is Rubiana. A beautiful name befitting a beautiful lady.
Ruby for short, a precious gem, hard to find. A fantasy, a dream, an intoxication… damn, I am already day dreaming, what is wrong with me?
Then, another thought occurred to me, maybe this is the daughter of the science teacher. So many nagging questions. Well I am going to find out.
The coffee soon arrived and I folded the white tissue on the serving tray, and write on it with a pen, careful not to tear the soft material.
When I was done writing, I sipped the coffee a couple of times, put some bills under the plate for the kind waitress who took a pity to order for me, then stood up to leave.
All this while I notice Rubiana observing me timidly across the table, her sandwich left untouched.
Rhymz was now shaking her hand to get her attention "what is wrong Rubiana? You look like you've seen a ghost, do know that weirdo anywhere?"
Aha, that's a new one befitting my nature so well, 'weirdo'. It sounds better than 'dumb guy'.
On my way out, I gave the folded tissue to the waitress and whispered into her ears…. Once again, I have my colleagues who saw me did this, look at me oddly, for this is the first time they saw me actually speaking to someone up-close.
She nodded joyfully and smiled when she saw the currency note in-between the folded tissue, then I walked out into the street, cross over to the office to put in the last two hours before closing for the day.
Rubiana will give me a call tonight… I am very sure she will "are you really sure?" ."no". "oh come on, share the fun Kuga" "will you stop bothering me…Spooky?"
Thirty minutes to closing time, I started logging out from all the accounting software's I operates with; QuickBooks, tally ERP9 and Siege.
This is the real operation room where Wodmax Group had nothing to hide.
The financial statements depict the skeleton of the company in great detail, details of what comes in and what goes out.
Details most executives and board members are not privy to…
On a much closer look, so much is going out, than its coming in, and that spells trouble.
Funds supposed to be use to run and complete projects that will fetch money, simply vanished as though into thin air.
Lots of transfers to pseudo names from the company bank accounts that have nothing to do with operations.
Huge sums flows in, and flows out, just like that without tilting the soil for cultivation.
Well, I am here to find out what is going on. that is why I chose to work in this company, specifically under finance department, for this is where the action goes down.
