11. Stress 1
He ignored the call and concentrated on his video. Now, George and the General Manager walked out of the department and headed to the Accounts Department. He was able to visit seven departments and ended up in the Production Department.
He looked at the guns and the other products and requested, “Can I have your latest product for the President's perusal?”
“Oh, that is interesting! You can have this,” the Production Manager, Capt. Andy Miles agreed and handed a handgun to him.
He appreciated him and left. Likewise, he faced the General Manager and appreciated him, “Thank you, Capt. Bolton for having me. It's been nice working with you.”
The captain was elated and responded at once, “I'm delighted to be of help, Sgt. Young. My regards to the President.”
“I will do that,” he answered and walked on without looking at the fatigued Laura.
“Goodbye, Sgt. Young,” she said tiredly and George turned as though he was seeing her for the first time.
“Goodbye, Secretary,” he responded and walked on to the car park to join his team members.
Afterward, they closed for the day while Tim continued to monitor the activities at his office.
Meanwhile, Laura dragged herself to the elevator and later found herself in her office.
“Oh, my God! What a day!” She exclaimed and slumped on the couch.
She rested her head and gasped for breath while Tim observed her. He wanted to log out but was interested in ensuring that George carried out his instructions fully.
Now, she was thirsty and needed water from the dispenser which was in the President's office. She got up and walked straight to the door to get one. To her chagrin, the door was locked. She furrowed her brow and turned the knob again but got the same result.
“Who asked him to lock the door?” She asked herself.
Meanwhile, the janitor who returned with the washed teacups, asked, “What did you just say, Miss Dickson?”
Without a response, she walked to her seat and sat down dejectedly. Instantly, she rested her head on her desk, and the janitor was lost in what to do with the washed teacups. She looked at Laura, whom she perceived was crying, and looked at the tray in her hand.
“That is good. He locked my office,” Tim said at that point, logged out, and began to wait for the return of George and his team.
“I will find out from Dr. Robinson if she can cope with the work with her condition. If not I will take her to the front desk where she can meet all the men she wants. Ingrate,” he said, and logged out.
At Laura's House
After Gerald's call got no response, he declared, “Put on your uniform, Samuel. We are going to the military headquarters to make inquiries. They are the ones capable of operating with helicopters.”
“You are right. They must have been authorized to kill without any warning or attempt to arrest him,” Samuel explained and Gerald was aggrieved.
“What would warrant such a treatment to be meted out against a poor civilian who is trying to survive,” he asked with bitterness.
Samuel was touched by his brother's mood and pointed out, “Who knows what Big sister told her boss about him?”
“I can imagine that?”
They dressed up silently and walked out of the house. The chef was worried when she saw them because they would miss lunch.
“Are you sure you don't want to eat?” She asked and attracted their parents.
“Never mind, Madam Ella,” they responded and moved on.
“Where do you think you are going, Gerald and Samuel?” Their father, who had just run out of his house, asked with a raised voice.
“We will be back, Dad,” Gerald said.
“Come back and have your lunch before you leave,” Madeline said authoritatively.
At that point, they were out of the gate and the gate men could not stop them either.
At The Military Headquarters
Their parents were not veterans and many people were unaware of that. Their uniforms accorded them so much respect. They got to the gate and the officers especially the head of the team on duty, Cpl. David Carter was happy to receive them.
“Cadets. What brings you?” Cpl. Carter asked jovially.
“Good afternoon, Corporal," they greeted him with a heavy heart, one after the other, and he was surprised.
“Good afternoon. How may we assist you?”
“Thank you, Corporal. We wish to inquire about the civilian who was killed yesterday,” Gerald stated, and the Corporal furrowed his brow.
“A civilian killed?” He asked in bewilderment.
“Yes. The news is all over the place,” Samuel made clear.
“I don't think this is the right place to make such an inquiry.”
“This is the right place, Corporal. Those who killed him came with a military helicopter.”
“Yes. They took his body away with it after killing him.”
When the information became too much for him to process, he beckoned to his colleagues. They arrived at once and he repeated the story to them.
“Don't take the social media stories seriously,” one of them faced the two and advised.
“It is not false news, Corporal. He is our brother-in-law,” Samuel made clear.
Then Gerald confirmed his explanation, “Yes. We have been trying to contact his killers but they are not picking up our calls.”
The officers looked at each other and one of them requested, “Call the person again.”
“All right,” Gerald said and swiped his phone.
They looked intently at him and waited. Soon, the line connected.
At Tim's House.
He was happy to receive George when he walked in and saluted him. He returned the salute, and George said, “These are the gifts from the company.”
“Oh! That is good,” he said.
Then, he collected and admired them before handing them back to him.
“Keep the flower on the shelf and keep the wristwatch for yourself. I hope you love it.”
George's eyes beamed delightfully. He admired the gift that his one-year salary could not afford and giggled. Tim was happy to see his joy.
“I love it, Boss. Thank you for the offer,” he appreciated.
“Don't mention. Sit down,” he said and ushered him to a seat.
“Thank you, Boss,” he appreciated once again and took his seat.
“You did a good job,” he complimented him.
George smiled shyly and responded, “Thank you, Boss, for the compliment. I wish to do better than this next time.”
Tim smiled too and continued with his evaluation, “I like that. How do you see the managers? Do you think they are dedicated and trustworthy?”
“Yes, Boss. They are dedicated. The only person who needs to be brushed up is the secretary.”
He feigned surprise and asked him, “Why do you think so?”
“She is not smart. I suggest that we replace her with a young man.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“It is all right. We will …"
The phone call from the gate interrupted him and he paused. Then, he looked at the caller, ignored it, and continued.
“We will look into that. You can leave and take your rest.”
“Thank you, Boss,” he appreciated him and left.
To Tim's confusion and disturbance, the call came again and he mumbled, “Why are they calling a dead person?”
He tried to cut the call angrily but paused and meditated, “Are they not in the classroom? How can the Commandant permit such frivolity in the school?”
The call timed out and he breathed freely.
“I will contact him after lunch. Such an attitude cannot be condoned in a military school," he concluded, and went for lunch.