Chapter 41

Samuel Goldfield was lost in thoughts. The events that had taken place within the past few weeks seemed to have taken a toll on him. He remembered what the doctor said and he got even more scared.

"Hello Sir, do you care for some snacks?" Nicole asked as she entered his office.

However there was no response from Samuel. He had not even noticed Nicole's presence in his office.

"Sir? Sir?" She called and decided to give a knock on the table. Samuel immediately rose from his chair as he came back into consciousness.

"Is everything okay Sir?" Nicole asked as he regained consciousness.

"Y-yes, I'm perfectly fine." He stuttered.

"I'm all ears Sir. A problem shared is half solved. Besides, you can't continue to ride on in life smoothly when you decide to carry everything on your shoulders. At least try to say something. You are not the first to go through whatever you may be going through now. Save yourself the stress by saying something." She cajoled him.

"I'd like to be alone for now Nicole." He told her and she looked at him worriedly. She could see that he was trying very hard to hold back the tears that had welled up in his eyes. She therefore decided to let him be.

Grudgingly, she stood from the chair on which she had been sitting, and walked one step after the other, out of his office. Her shoes were sounding like music in his ears and when he could hear them no more, he suddenly allowed the tears he had held back to flow freely down his cheeks.

He wept bitterly like a little boy, who was homeless. He remembered James and Pearl.

"I deserve this for what I did to them. I deserve it." He cried to himself.

He felt that what he was going through was a great punishment for the deaths of his friends. He saw himself as the devil who had entered their lives to destroy them. He remembered the role he had played and continued to weep bitterly.

"So, Pearl's ghost decided to hunt me? Oh no!" He said to himself after he remembered seeing Priscilla, who he had mistaken for Pearl at the hospital.

"Yes, I was okay. I was okay until Pearl's ghost decided to visit. I was okay." He suddenly began to behave like a lunatic, speaking to himself as though someone was there with him.

****

Sonia couldn't believe what had transpired at the restaurant. Stanley had invited her for lunch not because of her sisters, but rather to propose to her. She was already boiling within.

"Perhaps, I need to look for another investigator to get this work done." She told herself.

"I can't wait any longer. I have to find them as soon as possible." She said to herself again.

The bell rang for closing and Anita quickly jumped up from her chair. She was excited to go home purposely to play with her father. Lately, Reynolds had been spending more time with his daughter. He did this because Priscilla's term was almost due and she had not been able to have enough time for Anita. He decided to fill in the gap by spending more time with Anita and even getting closer to his daughter. As Anita ran outside with her friends, she saw that her father was waiting at the school gate for her.

"Daddy!" She shouted and ran towards him to hug him.

"How are you doing my little princess?" He asked her and she smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm very well, thank you. What about you daddy?" She asked him.

"Well, I'm just so excited to see my darling daughter." He responded and she beamed with smiles.

"So we can go home now right?" He asked her and she nodded her head in response.

The driver opened the car door for them to enter. Afterward, he entered the driver's seat and drove off. The workers seemed to be more comfortable these days with Reynolds. He had changed so unbelievably that they wondered if he had really changed. Others believed he had truly changed, while some felt he was pretending to have changed.

"So, what did my princess study in school today?" He asked Anita.

"Well well, Daddy, we studied jolly phonics today." She responded and began to sing a song as he listened with rapt attention and so much joy.

"Ah ah, ants on my arm. Ah ah, ants on my arm. Ah ah, ants on my arm. It's causing me alarm."

"That's so beautiful my princess." Her father responded after listening to her song.

"That's so amazing." He added.

"Thank you, Daddy." She replied and beamed with more smiles. She enjoyed spending time with her father these days. He hadn't had time in the past with her and she was glad that he spent time with her these days.

After they got home, Priscilla ran to her parents' bedroom to see her mother. She was however disappointed to see that Priscilla was fast asleep.

"Lordina, why does my mother sleep too much these days?" She asked the maid who stood by the door.

"Your mother needs to sleep because the baby wants to sleep, Anita." Lordina gave her the best response she could think of.

"Was that the same thing that happened when I was in mummy's stomach?" Anita asked childishly.

"You are right Anita. That is exactly what happened." Lordina responded and Priscilla turned herself on the bed, as the voices were beginning to distract her sleep.

"Let's go now." Lordina whispered to Anita who quickly hurried out of her parents' bedroom.

"Let's go to your room so you can change." Lordina instructed and Anita obliged. After opening the door leading to Anita's room, Lordina saw Reynolds seated there patiently waiting for his daughter. Lordina's heart jumped up immediately. She had forgotten that her boss spent more time with his daughter these days.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know you your you were here." She stuttered, mixing words together.

"That is okay Lordina." He answered and Lordina paved the way for Anita to enter the room.

"Daddy, I wanted to say 'hello' to mummy however she is already sleeping." Anita said after entering the room.

"Yes Anita, mummy is very tired and has to sleep. Come and change your clothes, and do your homework." He told her.

"But Daddy, I first of all take a shower, eat my dinner and then do my homework." She told her dad who looked amazingly at her.

"Oh oh oh, my baby girl is learning so fast." He said in amazement.

"That's wonderful. So take your bath, let's eat dinner and then you can do your homework." He said to her.

"Lordina, please help her to take her bath and then you can set the table for dinner." He instructed Lordina who was too afraid to move an inch.

"Yes Sir, yes Sir!" She replied hastily with her head bowed down. Reynolds understood why she was behaving in that manner.

Most of the servants were still afraid of him and doubted that he had indeed changed. In the past, anyone who stood in his way was sacked with immediate effect. He never listened to anyone's plea and whoever dared to plead for a worker who had been sacked was also sent home. This act by Reynolds had caused most of the workers to fear him so much especially when he was home. Anytime he was around, there was so much tension in the household until he had finally left. Whenever he left for work, there was some kind of relief among the workers in the house, and they were free to move about freely anyhow they liked. They loved Priscilla because she was very concerned about them and sometimes spent time with them. She however couldn't do much whenever Reynolds sacked any worker because he was the one responsible for paying them.

****

Stanley tried so hard to concentrate on his work, but he couldn't. He had been trying to call Sonia however she just wouldn't answer his call.

"Hey my guy, what's up?" His coworker Alex asked as he entered the office.

"You don't look cheerful at all. What is the problem? You know you can always count on me." Alex urged him on.

"Hmmm my friend, I've been trying to get in touch with Sonia but she won't answer my calls. I'm going crazy here." He said to Alex.

"Oh, that pretty lady." Alex said and gave a mischievous grin.

"I proposed to her, and she walked out on me." Stanley told his colleague.

"Oops, that was a bit harsh." Alex said.

"Very harsh, not a bit harsh." Stanley retorted.

"Ok, relax. Why did she walk out on you? Or does she have someone in her life?" Alex inquired.

"Well, she would have told me. It's just that she gave me an assignment to look for her sisters and I was yet to give her feedback. She probably thought I asked her out for lunch in order to give her an update on her sisters' whereabouts." He said sheepishly and Alex watched him questioningly.

"Oh okay, I understand your point now. That's the investigation you have been working on for some weeks now right?" Alex asked him.

"Yes, the one I told you about," Stanley replied.

"But my guy, you shouldn't have gone to that extent. This is all your fault. Even with that investigation, I don't think you took it seriously. You were just thinking about Sonia Sonia Sonia. You could have taken your time to do this investigation and then after getting information regarding her sisters, you can now go ahead to propose at the right time. Right now, she would be very mad at you." Alex told his friend.

"So what do I do now?" Stanley asked.

"Be serious with the investigation and then get some feedback for her. Then you would be able to win her heart. After her heart calms down as a result of reuniting with her sisters, she would have no other option than to listen to whatever you may want to tell her." Alex advised.

"Thank you for the wonderful advice Alex." Stanley expressed his appreciation.

"We thank God, Stanley." Alex responded.

"I'll see you when it's lunchtime." Alex said before leaving Stanley's office.

"Ok cool." Stanley responded.

****

Nicole was very worried about her boss. For some days now, he had not been cheerful in the office. He always looked moody and didn't say anything to anybody. He mostly kept to himself these days. She felt obliged to pray for him. She would be happy if only he could share with her what exactly was going on with him. However he wouldn't. She decided to use the opportunity to go to his office. Suddenly she remembered that a student had brought a proposal letter to do research with the company. She decided to use that as an excuse to go to his office and then find a way to get him to talk.

Samuel Goldfield heard a knock at his door. He was sure it would be his Secretary, Nicole.

"I've given her updates on what to do. What does she want this time?" He asked himself.

"Yes, come in." He responded and Nicole entered, wearing her spectacles.

"Good morning Sir." She greeted and he nodded his head in response.

"Please I have a letter to submit to you. It's from one good student researcher who would like to use our workplace for a research assignment." She said to him.

He suddenly remembered his university days and how he and his colleagues had been turned down many times by some organizations whenever they wanted to do research. He remembered how frustrating it had been until they finally landed on one organization that was willing to allow them to carry out their research.

"Fine, let him in." He said to Nicole, thinking that the student in question was around and wanted to see him.

"He is not here Sir." She said and he looked confusingly at her.

"Can I have a seat at least Sir?" She asked and he paused for a few seconds, before agreeing to her sitting down.

"So Sir, thank you. Actually this student is not here like I said earlier." He nodded his head in response and continued to listen to her with rapt attention.

"He, he, he brought a proposal letter to carry out his research here." She stuttered.

"I won't sack you from my office if that's what you're thinking Nicole." He said to her and she smiled widely.

"My boss is talking now. Hip hip hurray!" She exclaimed excitedly and he gave a little boyish grin.

"Do you now care to share what has been bothering you?" She asked him quietly.

"Nicole, how much are you paid to insist? You are very good at it." He said to her and she smiled.

"I promise not to tell anyone about it, Sir." She assured him.

"I know you very well Nicole. I know you wouldn't tell anyone if I told you what is happening." He said confidently to her and she was glad he had that much trust in her.

"It's just that I wish this problem wasn't a problem in the first place Nicole." He said to her and sighed deeply.

She looked at him with concern and earnestly hoped that he would open up. After a long pause, he finally spoke up.

"I'm dying Nicole. I don't know how much time I have left." He said to her and put his face in his palms as he wept freely.

Nicole had heard his words clearly and she was shocked to the bone. She didn't know what to do or say to him. She didn't know whether to keep sitting or to leave his office. She was very much confused as she sat there and he kept wiping his tears with his little handkerchief.

"What condition did the doctor mention Sir?" She asked him after he had wiped all the tears and none seemed to come out again.

"He said it's cancer. Prostate cancer Nicole." He said to her and she was dumbfounded. She felt very sorry for her boss.

"By the way it's good you are here. I would like you to help me get in touch with three sisters. One of them is my daughter. The other two have one father but they all have one mother. I have greatly wronged them and I have to ensure that they get to know each other before I leave this earth." He said vehemently and the tears Nicole had been fighting streamed down her cheeks.

She was upset that her boss had to see her crying. She felt she was rather supposed to be a source of encouragement to him by being strong. However the weight of what he told her, was too heavy for her to carry.

"I'm sorry Sir." She said and quickly wiped the tears in her eyes. He looked at her and sighed deeply.

"It's okay Nicole. I understand how you must be feeling. You wouldn't want to lose your boss. I perfectly understand. So, I hope you will help me with this request I have made because I'm not too healthy to be moving around." He said to her hoping to get a positive response from her.

"Certainly Sir, I would do as you have requested. I'll get to it right away." She said and stood to leave.

"Nicole." He called as she was just about to turn the doorknob. She turned to look at him after he had called her, waiting to listen to what he had to say next.

"Thank you for insisting. I think I feel a lot better now." He said and she was glad. She wished she could also help to get rid of the cancer from his body.

"I'm glad I was able to help Sir." She responded, smiling through the tears.

"I'll send you details of the investigation you are to help me with, later in the day." He told her and she nodded her head in response.

"This is well noted, Sir. Thank you so much." She responded amidst forced smiles.

On her way home, she thought about her boss and what he had said to her. She felt really sorry for him and sighed. He was a very wonderful person and she was very glad he was her boss. Losing him was going to be a big blow to her and she wasn't ready for that. However she didn't know what exactly she could do to help him.

****

Priscilla decided to visit her mother. She went with Lordina who helped her to carry the gifts she had gotten for her mother.

"Mother!" Priscilla exclaimed excitedly after seeing her mother.

"My Dear daughter!" Her mother responded excitedly and hugged her with caution because of Priscilla's protruding belly.

"Good morning Auntie!" Lordina greeted the older woman who was glad to see her. She loved Lordina because of how well she treated Priscilla and how she was at her daughter's beck and call.

"Lordina Dear, you good?" Mrs Brown asked.

"Yes, Auntie, by God's grace." Lordina responded heartily and Mrs Brown smiled.

Priscilla and her mother walked slowly together to the living room, and Lordina walked behind them, watching every step of her boss. After they had settled down on the sofa, Priscilla asked Lordina to get her the gifts she had bought for her mother.

"Oh Priscilla, these are very beautiful." Her mother said delightedly after seeing the beautiful gowns Priscilla had gotten for her.

"Thank you so much, my dear daughter." Her mother appreciated her.

"It's fine, mother." Priscilla responded.

She went on to tell her mother about Reynolds' sudden change of behavior and what had transpired at the hospital.

"Someone called you Pearl?" Her mother asked alarmed.

"Yes, I was there with Lordina when it all started. He froze as though he had seen a ghost. Then he began to believe that the so-called Pearl wasn't dead as he had thought. Rather she was alive. Some male nurses had to carry him away. Everyone thought he was going insane. However something tells me that I know the man from somewhere. He seems to be very familiar. It's as though we have had close ties together. I don't understand why I feel that way." She said to her mother who looked anxiously at her.

"No, it's just a mere feeling. You don't have any close ties with whoever that man may be." Her mother said.

"But how do you know when you haven't seen the man I'm talking about mother? How do you know?" She asked.

"Well, I am your mother. I know errmm some err things which you may not be aware of. I just want the very best for you, my dear daughter." She said smiling.

"I'm interested to know what you know that I don't know about, mother." Priscilla said to her.

"I want to know who exactly Pearl is mother. Even if it's his relative who I don't know about, I would like to know her. I want to know what Pearl looks like, and why he called me by that name." Priscilla said vehemently and Mrs Brown was alarmed. She knew there was danger nearby and she wanted to prevent any disaster from happening.

"No my Dear, please listen to me. In your condition, you don't need to do anything like an investigation. You need to take your time my Dear daughter. Please listen to your mother." Mrs Brown pleaded.

"Alright, if you say so, mother." Priscilla responded in order to calm her mother down.

"Oh, that's so good of you my darling daughter. I'm glad you still listen to your mother." She said to her daughter.

"It's okay, mother." Priscilla responded. She had other plans in mind to get to the root of all this. She felt there was something like an error going on with her life, however she didn't seem to get to know what it was. She pondered over her mother's words and made plans to get to the root of everything that was happening.