GIVE ME A HEART
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CHAPTER1??4??
Today was presentation day from the business administration department. I didn’t know why but Victoria had chose me for the job. I spent over an hour and a half, preparing for the presentation. I was going to use a projector so I did a ten minutes video of my presentation and just after lunch, I was ready for the presentation.
The board of directors were all there. Seated amongst them was Ronnie. She was among the big boys in the executive chairs. I gazed at these people with great fear and respect. These were people with the six figure income. The people with the power. The authorities.
I stood in front of these big people and introduced myself. Victoria stood afar off in the shadows, watching me as I did my presentation. I spoke for five minutes and just then I was impressed by the constant nodding of their heads. They were impressed by my performance, I was making a great success out of my speech. Finally, it was time for me to put my words into the projector.
I fixed the video and played it on the white board.
” And now,” I announced as they turned towards the board. ” I’ll want you all to feast your eyes on the stocks we’ve gone through over the last few days.”
Then the first brand appeared: BRAZZERS!!!
I stiffened. The board of directors, sat up.
The next brand appeared: REALITY KINGS!!!
By now spider legs were crawling up and down my spine. Victoria covered her mouth in shock.
The next brand appeared: BANG BROS!!!
Some of the executive directors removed their glasses. The rest covered their forehead. The remaining glared at me. Ronnie was frowning at me.
The last brand appeared on the board: GANG BANG!!!
” Will you shut down that projector,” one of the managers shouted at me.
I shut it immediately with unsteady hands. When I was done, I slowly glanced up at Ronnie.
” In my office,” she said, frowning. ” Now.”
She got up and marched out of the conference room. I followed her, overhearing Victoria apologizing to the directors for my sake.
When I arrived at Ronnie’s office, she turned and slapped me in the face. ” What the hell is your problem? What sort of embarrassment are you trying to cause me in front of my bosses? After everything I’ve done for you, this is the best way for you to repay me? Why, Andrew? What have I done to you to deserve this wickedness.”
I held my cheeks, my face growing red. If I hadn’t been holding myself with an effort, I would’ve cried. ” You don’t know that, Ronnie. It wasn’t me who….”
” Then who did it, huh?” She yelled at my face. ” Who else beside you made that stupid video? Was I there? Was Victoria there?”
” Ronnie, hear me out,” I said with a shaky voice. ” I…I…I had no idea what happened back there. It wasn’t my fault.”
” It’s never your fault,” she shouted. ” It’s always never your fault. You pervert. I thought you were for real. I thought you were different but you’re just like the every other men. How could you do this to me? You always pray for a heart but you’re heartless. Just who do you think you are?”
For a moment, I said nothing. We stared at each other without saying anything to each other. I was hurt and she knew it.
Just then, Victoria came in. ” That was a disaster. The board of directors are raising hell in there,” she paused as she met us staring at each other without saying anything.
” What were they saying?” Ronnie asked, her eyes still locked on mine.
Victoria took a deep breath. ” They wanted Andrew fired.”
There was silence. I said nothing and neither did Ronnie.
” But I pleaded with them,” Victoria continued. ” I told them there was probably some hitch or someone might’ve replaced the video tape with another. They saw a light in what I was saying and drew back their decision. So Andrew is not getting fired after all.”
” That’s alright,” I said. ” I quit.”
Victoria and Ronnie was shocked. They stared at me the same way your stare at someone who’s just been slapped.
” What do you say?” Victoria said.
” I quit,” I repeated. ” I’m going to clear my office now.”
With the two of them staring at me, I walked towards my office and cleared my things. As I did so I snobbed quietly, fighting back burning tears. The only thing belonging to me was my briefcase and my pens.
I didn’t belong here. Mr Ade was right. There’s no better job for me out there in the world. I was a failure. I was a nobody. I’m just nothing but a delivery pizza boy. Tomorrow, I’d go join the streets. I could be a wheelbarrow pusher or a bus conductor. At least no one who’d yell at me or make my life miserable. I paused as I wrote my resignation letter. Or I might return back home and join dad in his fishing business. But I was afraid of home. I was afraid of everything, of everyone. Nobody likes me. No one, not even Ronnie. The world would be better off without a pest like me.
And with that, I submitted my resignation letter, grabbed my briefcase and ran down the stairs out of my dream company, High Bonds Incorporated. Outside it was raining heavily but I didn’t care. The guard on duty saw me walking in the rain and he called out to me.
” Hey,” he yelled. ” Are you cr@zy? This rain is dangerous. You might get a cold.”
But I wasn’t listening. I walked slowly down the lane like a rejected wet fowl. The rain pelted down on me like stones but I didn’t care. People in umbrellas ran past me, some stood in shades watching me walking with my head bent against the heavy rain. As I walked, I cried. I’ve never felt soo hated in my entire life. I’ve cried many times but now it was a tears that came from the bitter part of me.
Just then, from nowhere, a big Prado Jeep voomed from around the corner and parked in front of me.
I stopped and stared at my feet without looking up. Ronnie unwind the window and called out to me. ” Andrew, get in the car, I want to talk to you.”
But I didn’t say anything. I walked around the car and walked on without giving her a second glance.
She revised her car and paced after me with the car. ” Come on, Andrew, listen to me. Okay, I’m sorry. I really am.”
I said nothing. I stared at the ground without giving her a glance. Suddenly, she killed the engines and stepped out of the car. She ran over to me and stood in my front.
I stopped.
” Andrew,” she called, moving a little closer to me.
The rain fell heavy on two of us. We were the only ones in the street.
” Andrew, I’m sorry,” Ronnie said. ” I knew I hurted you when I said those words but I didn’t mean it.”
” It’s not your fault,” I spoke. ” It’s all my fault.”
” Andrew, don’t say that,” Ronnie said but I cut her off.
” No you’re right. It’s all my fault. I guess my past has caught up with me after all. What can I say, now I do believe in karma. What goes around surely comes around and I have to pay for being a jerk. Cain was right about me, I’am nothing more than a monster. I have no heart and I’m never going to have a heart.”
” Stop it,” Ronnie said her voice approaching tears. ” That’s not true. You know that’s not true.”
” That’s enough, Ronnie,” i said. ” You know nothing about me. You only knew what I told you. I am a horrible person. I don’t deserve to live nor do I deserve a heart. No one who’d give me their heart. I bet even God didn’t see any need of giving me a heart because he knew I don’t deserve it. Nobody likes me. The world hates me. And I bet you hate me as well.”
” I don’t hate you, Andrew,” Ronnie said, crying out tears. ” I never did.”
” Stop trying to make excuses for yourself,” I yelled at her, crying out loud like a baby. ” If I hadn’t met you, my life wouldn’t have been as bad as this. If I hadn’t given you a ride a ride home that rainy day, I wouldn’t have known who you are. If I hadn’t accepted your job offer, none of this wouldn’t have happened. I don’t belong with people like you. You’re rich, you’re well connected, you’re perfect. I’m a nobody. I have no future,” I paused as I sucked in my tears and rubbed my eyes. ” S…s…so…so just leave me alone, Ronnie. Go for your surgery, I’ll definitely pray for you.”
Ronnie sniffed as the rain cleaned her tears. She ran up to me and hugged me with her arms wrapped around me tightly. ” Ahhhhhhhhh,” she cried, burying her face in my shoulders. ” Andrew….Andrew…. I’m…I… I’m Veronica!!! I’m Veronica!!! So shut up about saying you have no heart, okay. Shut up!!!”
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