My Call (A Journey) – Chapter 14 || The Dismissal

Read the previous chapter (13) Here!

At the end of the third month at my workplace, I was ready to commit suicide.
Mr Arinze was true to his words, he made my life not only unbearable but it was hell on earth.

Mr David had gone abroad on business which had taken him long, after the day he said the strange thing to me he was barely available at work, he was always busy getting things at the radio Station running smoothly

He finally had things on track and was in the office a little less busy when I had walked to him, with my resignation letter hin is hands.

I knocked on his door softly and opened the door as quietly as possible and walked to stand in front of his desk.

“Good morning, Sir” I greeted

He looked up from the paperwork he was appending his signature to gaze at me

“Ah, Mary, How are you?” He asked with his smile

“I am good, Sir” I replied with a wry smile

“Any problem?” He asked curiously

“No problem, sir, I came to give you this,” I said stretching my hands to give him the letter I was holding.

“What is this?” He asked
“It’s nothing much, It’s just my resignation letter”
“Your resignation?” He raised an eyelid, opening the letter to read its content
After reading he sighed deeply before asking
“What is wrong, Mary? He inquired
“There is nothing wrong Sir, I just want to leave” I replied staring at the floor
“But you just got here Mary, you’ve only spent a few months with us,” he said
“I know that sir, I just got tired of working here that’s all”
He stared at me for a long time before saying “Is there someone troubling you?” He asked “No,” I said quickly then caught myself “Not at all, everyone has been nice to me”

“So you just want me to believe that you are tired of working here and want to leave. Just like that?” he asked as if I was demented

“Yes Sir” I muttered

“Mary” he murmured and got up from his chair and walked to stand in front of me, studying me intently.

“Mary, the last time I called you to this office I told you we have a lot to do together, do you remember?” He asked

“Yes I do sir, though I do not understand what you meant by it” I replied

“Mary, we have so much and I mean so many things we have to do together and we haven’t even started and you want to leave?” he said

“I don’t understand”
“I know there is something that seems to bother you that is making you want to leave” he let out “No, there isn’t” I refuted
“Don’t lie to me?” he said

“You know what? we are going to talk about this, I want you to wait by my car after work, we are going to talk about what is bothering you and we are going to trash it out” he muttered putting his hands on my shoulder as if I comfort me

I had begun to deny what he has said but he curtly cut me off

“Hush, we are going to talk about it, so for now go back to your office” he took the letter I had handed to him from his table and placed it back into my hands

“Take this with you and I’ll see you after work” he muttered, patting my cheek.

I walked out of his office utterly confused at what had happened, I walked quite wobbly back into my office.

I walked past Mr Arinze, he gave me a malignant look and stepped into his office.

After work that day, I took my bag waved goodbye to Bimbo and walked down the step to the car park and stood beside the boss’s car.

Mr Arinze had come down to the park to enter his car when he saw me standing beside the boss’s car.

He walked to stand in front of me, an ugly frown on his face
“So you are sleeping with him right?” He proclaimed an accusation “Sleeping with who?” I asked in shock

“Don’t play coy with me?” he said “I had been wondering why he chose you out of all the others who had better qualifications and experiences than you, now I can understand?” he said seething

“Sir, I would not condone an accusation on my morality”

“Morality? My dear you and morality can’t be on the same page, you shameless slut” he muttered

“Sir, with all due respect” I began but was cut off when a voice said

“What is going on here?” It was the boss

“It’s nothing,” Mr Arinze said feigning a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes

“That doesn’t seem like nothing,” he said sternly

“I was just teasing her that’s all, isn’t that right, Mary? He asked

I was about to reply with an affirmation to what he said but was cut off again

” You don’t need to lie, Mary, I heard all that was said” the boss muttered to me then faced Mr Arinze

“Mr Arinze I think accusing someone without evidence of their immorality is a stain to their character and doesn’t look good on you”

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said dejectedly

“Oh No, I’m not taking sorry on this matter. I’ve heard from some staff about how you’ve bullied some workers in the past, but I never knew you are this nefarious”

“I didn’t…” he began to deny the accusation but was curtly cut short

“I won’t condone such acts in my office, I am a believer of respect and harmony at my workplace”

He turned to me
“Was he the reason you said you wanted to leave?” He asked irritated

I wanted to shake my heads in denial but his eyes were so intense and they spoke to me daring me to deny it, I did not know when I nodded in affirmation.

“So, you are so demeaning enough to steer a worker to want to leave a place of work?” he bellowed at Mr Arinze in outrage.

“I did nothing,” he shouted in denial
“Mr Arinze your work with me in this company is over” he muttered finally fuming “Over?” He repeated in disbelief “You can’t be serious”
“Yes” he affirmed “I am dead serious,” he said determinedly.
I quickly ran to him begging him not to let him go and to forgive the man
“So you are dismissing me because of this wretched bitch?” He ranted

The boss moved to hold him and pulled him up with his shirt. He was a tall man and Mr Arinze was an average man in height. He pulled him up till his legs were dangling in the air while still ranting

“I have spent years in this company, I was here before you came to take over, I have put in my sweats and creativity to help this company and you this small boy is dismissing me because of a bitch you are sleeping with”

This statement made him furious that he gave him a hard slap across the face.

Mr Arinze didn’t let up, he kept shouting and throwing accusations at him which had created a small scene, the boss wanted to go grab him again but I pleaded with him to let go.

He ordered me to get into the car and we drove out of the premises. Read the next chapter (15) Here!