Perpetual

One of the things that grief will teach you is that the next person will never feel it as you do and that’s okay. You are only responsible for how you handle a situation, anything out of your skin is not your responsibility.

I breathe out deeply and try to calm down but my pits are sweating like crazy. This is the first time I am coming to the office since I discovered that I might lose the company. Since that time I have had to share half of everything with Sasha and I also lost Pearl in the way.

‘Are you ready?’ Sasha asks. She has come through so that I can introduce her as the co CEO.

‘I am not.’ I tell her honestly

She smiles but it’s a professional smile.

‘You need to know that everything you did was for the good of the company, you built this from the ground up there was no way you were going to lose it just like that.’

‘You have a point there.’

‘Then let us go and do this.’

She is still wearing the same professional smile and I am wondering how she is taking this so lightly meanwhile I am panicking.

We walk out of the office with her following behind me. I could tell when I reported for work how the workers were looking at me, I couldn’t quite put a finger to it whether it was pity I saw in their eyes or there was something more than that. After my confrontation with James three weeks ago, I told him as far as I was concerned the company was still in my name and there was no way that I was going to shorten my grieving period just to give the board what it wanted. So here I am almost a month later from when Pearl died and I thought I would be ready today but I guess with death no one is really ever ready to live without the deceased.

We walk into the board room and I see the looks on the directors faces, one can easily tell that they have been expecting us to come because how then are they not surprised to see me with Pearl.

‘Good morning Gentlemen.’ I greet putting on my CEO pants

‘Good morning.’ They respond in unison

‘Before we begin this briefing I would like to apologise for my silence the past weeks. Losing Pearl shouldn’t be an accuse for how I have just gone quite but I promise to make it up for the time that I have been away.’

‘We understand.’ James says

‘Without wasting any more of your time, I believe we all know why we are holding this meeting.’

Sasha hands me the printed report that I asked her to draft. It has four copies for the directors in the room since she and I already know word for word what it contains.

‘What you have in your hands is a report from when the time started. The finances we had and how they have been used coin for coin, you can tell that all funds were allocated the way they should have been and there is record and accountability. To your emails Ms. Sasha here will be sending scanned receipts to back everything that is in that report.’

I see the blood drain from their faces.

‘I have decided to give fifty percent of the shares for the company to Ms. Sasha here. From the documents that were signed with our lawyers when this company was formed there is a clause that allows me to buy off all your shares with or without your shares and that is what I have done. You are welcome to remain employees but if not, I can only wish you well in your future endeavours.’

‘You are joking right?’ James asked

‘It’s nothing personal, it’s just business.’ I say repeating his words

‘You bastard.’ One of the directors says

‘Language.’ I tell him not batting an eye

‘After everything we have been through, you are going to throw us under the bus just like that? Without even sitting us down?’

‘I am sorry gentlemen but given my shoes you would have done the same. You did the same. You threw me over and was ready to run me over, I am just doing what you did or could have done. And like I said, it’s nothing personal.’

They all stand up angrily and walk out of the board room one after the other except for James.

‘They are boundaries that you never cross no matter the circumstance Leo. I don’t know what’s going on with you but this is just wrong. I don’t know how you managed to cook up these books but it will come back to haunt you.’

‘I will find you in my office James, there is something I need to discuss with you.’ I say dismissively

He walks out of the room and when it’s just Sasha and I, I turn to look at her.

‘Now that this is over, congratulations are in order daddy.’

‘What?’

She puts a positive pregnancy home tester on the table.

‘Looks like we are going to have a little Leo.’ She says with a smile and I don’t know how to react.

…

Kwenje’s Girl

Winnie

🙇🏾‍♀️