29 - DEAL

“Lola, you came,” Salmon said with excitement. He was lying on the sick bed assigned to him at the men’s ward, and next to his bed was another bed with a man lying on it. the man looked sadder than Salmon who was all smiles.

“Yeah,” Lola walked over to her bed and stood by his side. She had a plastic bag with her, she did pick pieces of stuff for him from the store down the street. “How are you doing?”

Salmon smiled. “I’m good, just getting ready to meet God,” he pulled out a crucifix and kissed it.

Lola took a deep breath. She wasn’t comfortable with the fact that he was ready to accept death if ever it would come to him. She dropped the plastic bag on the drawer at his bedside.

“Don’t say that, Salmon, you will be okay,” she leaned in and hugged him, “thank you so much, Salmon, I’m a free woman.”

Salmon smiled and placed a hand over her bag.

“Now, you can go get yourself a sensible young man, the one who deserves you.”

***

A white shirt masked with a grey pullover, black pants and black stilettos, well-packed hair and a warm smile and the entire staff couldn’t help the thrill as she walked into the big hall with her handbag.

“Was she called back?”

“I thought she resigned.”

“Wasn’t she the whore who said shit in Mr Grey’s face?”

“Shut up, she’s no whore.”

Their whispers were louder than they thought, and together, it was a fuzz in the hall. Even the supervisors couldn’t concentrate on the staff in the cubicles.

“What does she want here?”

“The ungrateful ingrate is back after a fight with her boss.”

“Shut up and watch.”

Lola stopped before the guard who ushered clients into Grey’s office if only, they had an appointment with him. The lad raised a brow. Yes, she used to pass through without being stopped, but this time around, the lad stood in her way with such an unfunny face.

“Do you have an appointment with my boss?” he asked.

“Call your boss and tell him that I am here,” Lola said.

The look on her face was stern, she wasn’t up for a joke and delay. The lad smiled and stood firm at his place. He wouldn’t default. She isn’t going anywhere.

“Tell me you didn’t hear me,” Lola said.

“You no longer belong here,” said the lad. “Can’t you see everyone is amazed to see you? You are now an outsider…”

“Lola,” it was her neighbor, the reserved one, “Lola, you are here.”

She approached Lola and hugged her. Lola held her tight for a while before they broke the hug. They took time for the ladies to think of looking each other out.

“You look gorgeous, Lola,” said the lady.

“And you look sweet,” Lola laughed.

“Come on, we’ve been waiting to see you sit in your cubicle and work with us,” the lady said with a smile.

The guard narrowed his eyes. Lola was said to have resigned. Why on earth would the lady speak to her like her name had not been taken off the staff list?

“Come on, let’s…”

“Stop, she no longer works here,” the guard snapped.

“Very good, get off from here,” the lady shrugged the guard aside and led Lola into the office where their cubicles were set.

“Mr. Grey, is here around?”

“Sure, and he is free at the moment.”

***

Knock-knock!

Grey looked up from his computer and sighed. He had never been so lonely in his life, but he was reckless enough to realize that Lola, his former personal assistant had been such warmth to him until she resigned and packed out of her apartment so he couldn’t find her when he went in search of her.

He wiped his face and relaxed in his seat.

“Who’s there?” he asked. “Please come in.”

The door cracked open, and like always, he returned his gaze to the computer without a glance at who it was that entered his office.

“How may I help?” he asked. He hadn’t looked up yet.

“Sir?”

***

The voice was familiar. He waited for a while. He couldn’t believe it. she left him for good after he proposed the deal the other time, and she can’t possibly be the one who uttered the word he just heard.

He looked up and lo, it was her. She was pitched at the doorway; her eyes were rested upon him, and her face had what seemed to be an unsure smile.

“Lola,” he rose to his feet.

She shut the door and walked gently to his table. She seemed not to acknowledge the fact that he rose to his feet for her sake. She was rather up with the same respect she has always had for him as her boss, not her lover, or a husband-to-be.

“Sir,” she finally smiled. “I’m…I’m back.”

His face broke into a warm smile. He gestured at the seat beside her.

“Please, have a seat, Lola.”

“Thanks,” she sat and he did the same.

“I’m sorry for the other day, I shouldn’t have…”

“That’s why I’m here, sir.” She didn’t let him finish. “I’m here to accept your deal.”

Grey’s brows touched his hairline. He couldn’t have imagined she would return to him after she spoke crazy the other time with his crazy contract.

“You mean, you will…”

“I am here to sign the contract, to be your contract wife, have a baby for you, and still work under you if you don’t mind, but you won’t dump me at your mother’s place,” she said. “Both of us will live under the same roof. Have our child there and share each other’s presence.”

“Lola, I don’t want to get emotionally attached to you.”

“Then we can sleep in separate rooms and I won’t bother your life, but you will be a husband and a father for real.”

“Money will sort all that, I’ll be so busy with business,” he snapped, “and like I said, I don’t adhere to love. I don’t want romance. I just want to have a son for my mother, so she would stop bothering my life.”

He reached out for his drawer and picked the contract from it. he placed it on the desk.

“All you have to do is sign this, and your life will change this very moment,” he said.

“My life has changed the best it can,” she said. “I’ve paid off my debt. I don’t need a change of life here, that is why you won’t strip my career from me.”

“The contract will favor you, I believe,” he dropped a pen on the contract. “Sign here.”