THE ENDORSEMENT
Help! I need an antidote for anxiety.
It had been one week. One week of twiddling my fingers and wearing my carpet thin. One week of not hearing back from the DEA.
I was almost foaming at the mouth. Every day like clockwork, I would get to the office before anyone, because I was going stir-crazy at home, amongst my staff. I probably checked the company mail about ten times every hour. When that didn't yield any fruit, I shifted my attention to my personal mail, and then it was back to the company mail once again.
And then I began to ruminate.
Maybe they got some alphabets mixed up. It had happened to me once when I sent a mail to a company and waited for weeks for a reply. They eventually called saying they hadn't gotten any mail from me. Turned out I had mixed up an n with an m.
So maybe that was what probably happened.
Mr. Hendricks did seem impressed, so what was the big hold up about?
A thought occurred to me. Perhaps they wanted to send me a personal text message but didn't have my number. But even as the thought was conceived, I shut it down.
That would have been highly unprofessional of them. And there was the fact that I guarded my phone number like a vault. Only a handful of people knew it. People I could literally swear wouldn't give it out.
I consoled myself with the saying that no news was good news. But the silence from their end was jarring to say the least.
The muted ring of my phone sounded off, taking me away from my scrambled thoughts. I patted my pocket but it was empty, then I remembered I put it on my desk earlier on after receiving a call. Now, it was buried amongst the myriad of files on my table.
Not wanting it to ring off, but not able to find it, I pushed all the files to the side - big mistake - because I watched in horror as they slid across the desk. It was like slow motion, or maybe it was my mind that tried to slow things down.
Unfortunately for me, that only happened in movies.
All the papers in the files landed in a pile, with all the papers strewn all over the floor and my phone right alongside them. With the agility of a two year old, I dived for it. Unfortunately, it stopped ringing before I was able to get a hold of it. Even as I stared at it, upset with myself for being such a doofus, it rang once again.
This time I picked it immediately.
"Alexander Moore, here."As soon as I heard the chuckle, I mentally slapped myself for not checking the caller ID first.
"Is that anyway to answer your phone?"
I closed my eyes and curled my fist around the edge of my chair. "Hello . . . mother."
There was a pause on the line before she spoke. "Hello, Alex, son. Sorry I wasn't able to come for your wife's funeral, I had some important things to take care of."
I tightened my hands around my phone and tried to swallow a lump that had suddenly erupted in my throat. Oblivious of what I was going through, she continued speaking.
"Anyway, now that that woman is dead, when do you think you can remarry? And this time, it has to be to a woman that suits your status, especially one that can give me a grandchild."
I squeezed my eyes shut and then flexed my neck. My breathing had increased, along with the beating of my heart. I opened my eyes once more and silently counted to ten before I replied. "I was in the middle of a meeting. I'll call you back when I deem it fit to." And then I cut the call.
I knew I had just asked for it, because my phone rang again almost immediately. I picked the call quite alright, but left the phone on the table.
She could talk to herself for all I cared.
Was it a crime to be an only child?
Maybe it was an anathema to marry whomever I pleased?
Oh! This was a good one.
Was it my fault she couldn't accept the fact that Aretha had captivated me from the get go against her wishes?
Whatever way I looked at it, it definitely didn't give her the right to treat Aretha shabbily. She had never liked Aretha, not even when Aretha (who was a professional chef), regularly made her sumptuous food to eat, and would drive to the other side of town to give it to her. Now she had passed, she dared to mock her- even in death?
I shook my head and released a sigh that helped calm my erratic heart beat.
I didn't want to be rude to her but I couldn't stand her attitude any longer. Even after sending word to her about Aretha's passing, she had not come, neither had she called to commiserate with me. Not one time.
What kind of mother was that?
A knock sounded off, cutting off my angry thoughts. The door to my office opened, and Kelly walked in. There was a look on her face I couldn't place. She waved something in the air and it took some seconds for me to realize it was a letter.
"This just came by courier. It has the stamp of the DEA on it."
She placed it on my desk and all I could do was stare at it. They didn't send a mail or place a call after all. They did it the old-fashioned way - by letter.
After a few seconds of staring dumbly at it, I lifted it, the same way one would, precious stones. I've never used glasses before, but suddenly it seemed difficult for me to read what had been boldly emblazoned on the front.
At least, I was able to make out a long slip of paper snugly fitted inside.
"That's right, keep staring at it and it just might open itself." Kelly drawled from in front of me.
I had completely forgotten she was still standing there.
Without wasting anymore time, I took a hold of the paper knife and slowly opened up the edges of the letter. This time, I was clearly able to see the logo of the DEA at the top left.
I skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the body of the letter.
It is with great thought I .......this letter ......In all honesty, I had known...... beginning......that .......Exceva .......the one. When we first talked ......the phone......your passion ....... drive .......and I ..........
I cut off all the unnecessary information and jumped to the end.
A big congratulations,Mr. Moore, The Department of Justice's drug enforcement administration hereby endorses Exceva . . .
My mouth fell open and the letter slipped from my hands.
Kelly was beside me in some seconds. "What's wrong?"
She picked the letter from where it had fluttered to the floor and began to read from the beginning.
It is with great thought I type this letter to you. In all honesty, I had known from the beginning that Exceva was the one. When we first talked on the phone, your passion and drive were palpable to me. You almost bunched it up when you waltzed into your boardroom looking like you had just stepped out from a whorehouse -
"Wait! Is he allowed to type this?
Kelly looked at me with wide eyes.I couldn't reply. I was too much in shock at that point. She shook her head and continued reading.
. . . but then I saw on the news about the passing of your wife, and I understood clearly what you were going through. Accept my condolences, once again. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, without further ado, the department of Justice's drug enforcement administration hereby endorses Exceva as a cure for killing cancer cells in the early stage. A big congratulations, Mr. Moore.
Kelly looked at me with eyes that had gone big and round. Her mouth opened up in a wide smile and then she hollered, pumping her fist in the air. "Yes. Yes! You did it. Exceva is live!"
My initial shock gave way and I was finally caught up in the excitement pouring out from her. "Fifteen years, and now it's finally here." I smiled widely.
"This calls for a celebration." She turned to me, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "And I know just what to use."
She flounced off and returned a few minutes later, smiling from ear to ear with one hand behind her back. She stopped in front of my desk and within a jiffy of an eye, whipped a bottle out from behind her back.
"Champagne, for this momentous occasion." She announced it like she was the Mc of an event.
She popped it open and the cork flew off and landed somewhere on the floor. She took out two flute glasses from my cabinet and poured a healthy amount into each one. We cheered and I took a sip of the bubbly drink.
We did it, Aretha baby, this is for us.
I smiled against the rim of my glass.
"Congratulations, once again, Alex. I never doubted you could do it. You are my hero." Kelly smiled coyly. She traced the rim of the glass with her fingers and then slowly dropped it on my desk, all the while maintaining eye contact.
As she walked towards me, a glint entered her eyes. She stopped within an inch of me and I waited, waited for her to make a move so I could show her I was interested in no one but Aretha.
Her hand lifted in the air, settled on the back of my collar and I froze. Turned into a complete icicle. I closed my eyes, swallowed hard and opened them again, only to see her face had moved closer.
The invisible bonds that bound me, loosened.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I removed her hand from around my neck and side stepped her. "'I've got to get to the lab. Exceva needs me now."
SECOND CHANCES"So, Mr. Moore, what can the public expect from Exceva in the long run?"Mr. Moore, how many people do you perceive will be cured using Exceva?""Mr. Moore, will you . . .”I mentally shut out the words of the third reporter. At that point in time, I was about ready to keel over. My eyes had become blurry and red and they stung, but I lifted my shoulders a little higher and pasted on a smile that didn't reach my heart. "As you all know, my wife was diagnosed with womb cancer. Unfortunately, she wasn't diagnosed on time, and as a result. . ." I looked down and shook my head, valiantly trying to keep the tears which threatened to swim to the surface, at bay.I looked back up at all the reporters that swarmed around, eagerly waiting for the rest of my words and I knew I couldn't let the water works reign free. "Exceva was meant for people who have been diagnosed with early stage cancer. It is a drug that's meant to give sustainability, but above all, restoration and comple
RAIDEDSix hours earlier"Bless me father, for I have sinned. . ."Sweat pooled on my forehead and I was not able to speak further. The priest must have sensed my distress, for he sat up and peered at me through the peep holes in the confessional booth."You can speak freely, child of God, there is no condemnation for you in the house of God."I stayed quiet for a bit as I sat on my hunches. I took in the statue of the mother of God which stood on the right of the altar, and then I swung my eyes to the altar itself where the tabernacle lay. Its presence relaxed me a bit and I breathed easier.Clearing my throat, I began to speak. "I've been having murderous thoughts."There was silence as I waited for the priest to comment. He seemed to be pondering on what I just dished out to him."What kind of thoughts are these? Speak clearly so I can understand what you're talking about."I sighed dramatically and made myself as comfortable as I could on the kneeler.This was going to take some t
AT SEAAs I opened my eyes, I realized two things immediately.My insides were on fire and every breath I took was torture.What was happening to me?Where was I?Most importantly, who was I?To my right, an annoying machine beeped nonstop.I shook my head to clear it of the blurriness but it brought on an intense wave of dizziness that almost made me pass out. Then there was the jack hammering in my head like someone was drilling a hole inside of it.I lifted my hand in order to touch it but found a wire dangling from the inside of my wrist. It extended to an IV hung on a stand beside me. I noticed the same thing was on my other wrist as well.What the devil was going on here?I tried to talk but became aware something was in my mouth. That wasn't all. This something was plugged right into my throat and led directly inside of me. I felt it each time I breathed because it hurt like a bitch.I became aware of the pain that seemed to come from every part of my being. It seemed like a li
THE STRUGGLE You'd think that after two weeks I would have begun to feel better. Yes, the tube had been removed from inside of me along with the IV's on my wrists, but another one was put under my nostrils. I was told it was a ventilator to help me breathe better as my lungs needed extra oxygen and could not function on their own for now. The whole of my body still hurt. Even though every breath I took didn't hurt as much as it had initially, I wasn't exactly functioning at a hundred percent. Did I say a hundred percent? Make that less than thirty percent. That's how shitty I felt. I couldn't walk, neither could I move my body without shooting pains going off in every part of me. And the ache in my head was still very much there. I was a walking poster for pain. A nurse walked into the room cutting off my thoughts."How are you feeling today?" She was one of the nice one's. I called her happy Abi. She always had a nice genuine smile on her face and a kind word for me. I shrugge
I closed my eyes and expelled a tired breath.Working from home had its perks but when you had about twenty of your staff running around in the basement, those perks became like right ropes around your neck.I didn't know if I made the right decision to bring them here, but I was left with no other option. The second and third follow up drugs of Exceva needed to be completed and ready for ship out in the next two weeks. Thankfully, Exceva was doing really well in the market and there was more demand for it, even more than I could handle.So we had to work extra hard to meet up.The lab was still under construction and wouldn't be ready till the following week. All my security guards had been replaced with new one's. They had been hired by a reputable security company that came highly recommended and were already on standby. Matter of fact, six of them were in the basement with my lab staff, making sure to keep a tight reign on whoever goes in and comes out.As a security risk, the lab
If you're a man and you find yourself attracted to a woman you know absolutely nothing about, what do you do?Do you wish those feelings away or ignore them and expect they'll go away with time?I was presently in that very predicament and I was in a terrible quandary.I didn't hear a stitch of what was going on in the meeting. My mind kept wondering to those deep green eyes, the colour of the bottom of the sea. I had decided they weren't exactly green but turquoise. A mixture of blue and green.A smile rose on my lips when I remembered her voice. Lilting and melodic, like soft resonating-"Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore!"I snapped out of my runinations only to see twenty pairs of eyes staring worriedly at me."Mr. Moore, are you alright?" Gavin, my head publicist asked with a worried look on his face. "We've been trying to catch your attention but you looked -""Lost!" Kelly finished from beside me.Ever since I rebuked her for entering my bedroom the other day, she had acted sulky and distan
Three months later and I was finally released from hell. By hell, I meant the hospital.As I was wheeled out into the open, I closed my eyes, lifted my face to the sky and breathed in the fresh balmy air of Newark county. People walking by looked at me curiously once I opened my eyes.Happy Abi bent to my level. "Congratulations, Mia, you made it. I'm so proud of you."I stared up at her, a wide smile on my face. "I want you to know I couldn't have done it without you.""Stop that sappy shit now." She wove my words away with a flick of her hand. From the smile on her face, I could see my words had made her happy.Alex had made good on his words.Waiting at the front of the hospital was a man dressed in a black suit. He had on dark sunglasses as well. Something like a wire stuck out from his ear, and I saw his lips move. I realized he was talking to someone through it. He looked like a secret service agent, the type I watched on tv yesterday. Those men were bad men, but looking at this
She moved with an agility that terrified and at the same time made me admire her. I watched as she jumped through hoops, crawled out of wide gutters and jumped tall trees.She was like a well-oiled machine, moving without pause. Never looking back. Always moving forward.She couldn't have been more than eight years.She was far ahead of the other kids who lagged behind. It felt like I was one with her as I moved as fast as her but always a step behind. The landscape changed to a rocky one and a mountain loomed in front. She paused, but only for a nanosecond. Before I had the time to second guess her next move, she began the climb, like a cat.I tried to mirror her movements but found it became increasingly difficult the higher I went. I began to drop behind until I felt a sharp pain in my legs and I buckled.I opened my eyes and realized it was a dream and my body was on fire. Pinpricks of pain radiated the length and breadth of my broken leg and hip. Above me a large mirror spread, e