52. Infamous Act 4

52. Infamous Act 4

Howbeit, she left it unlocked and walked away. She got to the elevator and joined the other staff members in the queue. After she got in, she pressed the fifth button and everyone wondered.
“Have you not closed from work today, Laura?” A concerned staff member asked her.
“I have. Why do you ask?”
“I can see that you are not going home yet.”
“I am going home,” she smiled softly and responded while concentrating on the lift.
It stopped when they got to the fifth floor and the door opened. She walked out quickly and headed to Stephanie's office. Unfortunately, she had left the office.
“Idiot. She must be at the car park,” she told herself and rushed back to the elevator.
To her annoyance, she had to wait for the two lifts that had taken the passengers to the lobby to return.
“Shit! I can't wait,” She exclaimed and resolved to use the staircase.
“What is she doing here?” The other staff members asked each other.
She hardly left when the lift opened and they got to the lobby before her. They saw her running towards the senior staff car park. Despite the presence of the managers, she fished Stephanie out and walked up to her. At that point, she was the main attraction.
Meanwhile, Stephanie was already in her car with some junior staff members who did not wish to join the bus.
“Tap,” she tapped on her car window and Stephanie was attracted.
She was about to turn on her car engine but stopped and rolled down the window.
“How may I help you, Laura?” She asked without suspecting anything.
“Are you asking me, Stephanie? When did you become the President's Secretary to serve as a contact person?” She asked angrily.
“Did you ask that, Laura?” She asked angrily, got out of her car, and faced her squarely.
Laura squared up with her and assented to her question, “Yes. I asked you. Why are you serving as the representative of the President? Are you his Secretary?”
“Are you saying that I should not do the work that was assigned to me?”
“Why should you accept it? Can't you tell Sgt. Young that it is not your job?”
“Sgt. Young?”
“Yes. Wench. You took adv …,”
“(Slap) Who is a wench, Laura?” Stephanie asked and tried to hit her again.
“Yeah!” Laura screamed and grabbed her arm and twisted it.
She pulled her hand away from her and grabbed hers. Now, her passengers were out of the car and the managers were walking to the scene.
“Bitch,” Stephanie said and shook her vigorously.
She left her and she staggered backward. Nevertheless, before the managers could stop her, she gained composure and pounced on Stephanie.
“Stop it,” one of her passengers said but it was late.
She pinned Stephanie to the car and punched her in the face, but Stephanie wriggled away from her grip and punched her in the face too. Unlike Stephanie who was without shoes and supported by her car, she tripped and fell. Likewise, Stephanie kicked her face and pulled her hair.
“Ouch!” She shrieked. “Let go of my hair,” she shouted.
“Stop that,” the two managers who were already close shouted.
Stephanie served her the last dish she had for her by trying to pull her up. To her delight, she tore her blouse.
“Stop, Stephanie. The Captains are here,” her friends shouted and she let go of her.
She looked up and saw the managers and was ashamed of herself. Instantly, she ran into her car and shut the door. Laura got up quickly and ran after her but she was late.
“Come and fight me, you bitch,” she cursed not minding the presence of the Captains.
Stephanie's passengers joined her in the car and shut the door.
“Oh, my God! What have I done to myself?” She exclaimed and rested her head on the steering wheel.
Her friends understood her plight and advised her, “You shouldn't have gotten out of your car.”
“Yes. She is battling with so many things and just wished to vent her anger,” another person consoled her.
“You are right. I should have ignored her. The miscarriage, divorce, and withdrawal of her convoy won't go down well with her,” Stephanie reasoned and drove off.
“You should be ashamed of yourself for fighting with your senior in the office,” one of the managers scolded Laura.
“She took my position, Captain. She took advantage of Sgt. Young because he is new, and he used her name in the jingle instead of mine,” she cried out.
Since Stephanie had gone, the Captains got her unfounded grievance and advised her, “Run along or you will miss your bus.”
She ignored them and tried to gather the pieces of her jewelry that had fallen off during the fight.
“Just pray that Sgt. Young did find out about this, or you will end up in the guardroom tomorrow,” the second Captain informed her, and her brain began to function properly.
She looked at the Captains who had already moved before she looked around fearfully as if George was a Grim Reaper coming to give her a cruel bite with its sharpened teeth. With or without her missing jewelry, she picked up her purse and ran along.
Notwithstanding, she got to the park and met her bus driving off. All her attempts to stop the driver proved abortive. Although she could not say whether he heard her or not. As for her colleagues, they did not recognize her.
Tim's House
After watching the fight, he was tempted to give Gen. McDonald a call and ask him how he coped with Laura but reconsidered it.
“What if he says, 'Was she not your wife?' How did you cope with her?" he asked himself.
“That will be more embarrassing,” he resolved.
All the same, he waited for her to get home so that he would get the true picture from her family.
“Mhhh. I will know what she will tell her black-hearted family about her office and the fight.”
Laura's House
After the bus driver disregarded her, she had no choice but to find her way home not minding her disheveled look.
“I hope that Sgt. Young won't know about this or he will have a good reason to make life more unbearable for me,” she told herself and walked on.
To her consternation, the cab she booked got to her and fled after seeing her swollen face and tattered wear, and assumed that she was a mad woman.
“Why did he not stop?” She asked herself and booked another one.
After three attempts, she succeeded in getting one and boarded. While in the cab, she took time and arranged herself.
“Thank you for the ride,” she appreciated after she paid and alighted. The cab driver breathed freely and watched her walk into the estate.
“How can someone like this live here?” He asked himself and drove off.
She walked past the gate quickly to avoid questions and got to her gate.
“Welcome back, Boss,” her gate men greeted her, and she answered curtly, “Thank you.”
She hurried to her house hoping to put herself together before seeing her parents, but she was mistaken. Her dejected parents were waiting for her in the parlor.
“What happened?” She shouted and sat down not minding her disheveled look.