"You're right. That is why I called this emergency meeting. Not many people are interested in getting magazines anymore, which is why I need you guys to go and brainstorm on what would be the most suitable team for this year's edition of the Times Magazine.''
"Why don't we leave it to Gerald and Amanda to submit a proposal? Whatever comes out best would be used as the theme for the magazine," Rebecca, the head of Publicity suggested.
"That's a terrible idea,“ I countered.
"Why?" Leslie questioned.
"If you haven't noticed we both have different theories on what is meant to be in a magazine."
"This is exactly why both of you are best suited for this project. You guys are filled with lots of ideas,“ Damon chipped in.
"True“ Leslie considered. “I need both of you to submit different proposals to me three weeks from now. You don't have to limit yourself to your Department."
Now, why do I feel like she is giving Gerald the go-ahead to encroach into my field? The things women do for love.
“Expect a proposal in two weeks,” Gerald boasted, making me roll my eyes.
Men and their egos.
“Meeting is adjourned See you guys in three weeks," Leslie announced as she stood up from her chair and exited the conference room. The rest of us followed behind her.
I got back to my office to meet a curious Cassie waiting for me.
“How was the meeting?“ She asked as soon as I stepped in.
“Depends on your definition of ‘went well' and ‘it was terrible," I replied as I sat down on my chair.
"I'm speculating it was a combination of both," she concluded
"Yeah. Gerald was being his usual self all through.“
"I need to castrate that excuse of a man. Just give me the go-ahead Ama,“ Cassie raged.
“Stand down soldier. Gerald isn't our top priority right now. We've more pressing issues at hand."
“Oh, what's up? Has Lorenzo finally accepted our request to interview him?"
Lorenzo Delonte was an Artist. Some call him the magician of music. He is a man recognized around the world for his talents, but on the title page of the pamphlet of all his concerts, no references to him could ever be seen. He didn't do interviews and his fans knew nothing about him apart from his name. We have been trying to secure an interview with him, and he was still yet to answer us.
"Unfortunately, no. We have three weeks to think of a theme for the fiftieth edition of the Times Magazine."
“What! That's a huge project.“
‘Yeah, it is. And we aren't the only ones expected to submit a proposal. Gerald was also given the task. It all depends on who gives the best idea, I sighed as I explained the whole situation to Cassie.
Cassie thought for a while before she answered me, ‘Then, we just have to do some research and come up with the best. Idea“
I rolled my eyes, ‘Easier said than done“
"Don't just start with that attitude," she reprimanded me “There are numerous ideas out there, and we just have to find the one that fits best.’
“And what do you propose? Talk about the lifestyle of Artists. We've been doing that. We need to think of something unique that hasn't been delved into. Something that both the young, middle-aged and old people would be interested in,“ I rambled on.
“Wow, that's a great task. All this brainstorming is making me hungry already. I need to go to the pantry,‘ Cassie whined
“Speaking of food I forgot to thank you for your help yesterday. You made me have a wonderful breakfast this morning,“ I beamed happily.
“What are you talking about?“ Cassie asked me looking confused. Perhaps she has forgotten about making me a new pancake batter yesterday.
"I meant thanks for your help with the pancake batter yesterday. It came out beautiful and—“
“Sorry, are you sure all this brainstorming hasn't affected your head?“ Cassie cut me short.
"I don't understand. Didn't you stop by my place yesterday?"
“Nope I said I would but I had to go see Martins."
Martins was Cassie's boyfriend who was in the Army. Whenever he was around, Cassie always spent time with him Her excuse was that he wasn't always around, and she could never tell if he would ever come back after every deployment. I wasn't surprised that she felt that way; being a soldier was a risky job. Those men and women sacrificed their lives for their country, and I respect them a lot.
“Oh, so you didn't drop by my place at all?“ I asked her again.
“Ama, I just said no. Do you need me to whip you a cup of coffee from the pantry?" She asked as she walked towards the door.
"Yeah, that would be lovely,“ I forced out as I watched her leave my office.
What the hell is happening?
If it wasn't Cassie who helped me in making amends to the batter, then who did? Did someone break into my house? That was the stupidest idea I could come up with. Who would go through the effort of breaking into someone's house just to help them rectify their excuse of a batter?
Cassie came back into the office holding two cups of coffee in both hands.
"Here you go she said to me as she handed the cup in her right hand to me
There's nothing like coffee on a cold morning. And it's best taken with whipped cream and little sugar.
"I love you, Cassie. You know exactly what I need,“ I mumbled as we both burst into laughter.
"I'm heading to my office. If you need anything, I'm just a phone call away," she said to me as she walked out of the office.
“Alright, talk to you later“ I shouted after her before she closed the door.
I relaxed back into my chair as I savoured the taste of my coffee and thought of the incident with the batter this morning.
Guess I would have to be more careful and vigilant from now on. I might have done something to the batter without knowing it. Probably that was why it came out better.
Anyway, I put my laptop on and began making research for the upcoming project. The incidents of this morning were placed at the back of my mind and long forgotten.
I looked outside my office through the transparent glass and I could see that the sun was gone. Dark clouds formed, heavy with rain and thunder rumbled at intervals. The air felt cold.I lowered my eyes once more to my laptop and I continued with my work. I was trying to finalize the article which I was writing for the papers tomorrow. The Truth behind Susan Collins's divorce with Evans Lockwood, Revealed. Every paper company in New York knew that securing an interview with Susan was near impossible. I was glad when she called my number requesting to have one for the Times Paper. I guess the rumors concerning her divorce from her ex-husband were beginning to affect her career, and she had to clear the air. There was a knock on my door, so I looked up to see Cassie popping her head inside my office. "Hey, just want to let you know I'm clocking out for the day.“ “Oh, what time is it?“ "It's six o'clock already and I'm pretty sure the weather is not going to be friendly this eveni
I opened my eyes to the bright sun that was shining through the slits of my blinds. It was morning already. The incident of the previous night was still fresh in my mind as I rolled over on my bed. What happened was still a mystery to me. The words of the security guy never departed from my head. Miss, are you sure it wasn't the cleaner who came to your apartment? Turned out my kitchen, which looked like an earthquake had happened in it, had magically become a relaxation centre. It looked like I was hallucinating the whole incident of broken eggs and flour. There wasn't even a speck of dust in my kitchen and believe me, I couldn't remember cleaning it to that extent. Hell, I couldn't even remember the last time I cleaned it at all! Hence, I was beginning to feel that my house was haunted. I got up from my bed and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth after which I took a bath. Today was a Saturday, so I wouldn't have to go to work. Putting on a short and singlet, I walked to the
I placed the cake pan in the oven and set the timer for forty-five minutes. At least I decided to stick to one instruction from the cookbook. I settled down on a stool by the kitchen island to read a book as I sipped my coffee and waited for the timer to go off.A trip to the supermarket would be needed later to get some supplies for the house since someone decided to raid my refrigerator. Forty-five minutes later, the timer of the oven went off. I was filled with joy as I jumped down from the stool and rushed to check my masterpiece. I brought out the cake from the oven and the first thing that hit me was the fragrance.Why does it smell like strawberry? That was weird. I didn't remember putting strawberries in it. I let the cake cool down before I took a bite. Blast! It tastes wonderful!This wasn't what I was expecting. I know I deliberately messed up the procedure. Why was the cake perfect then? I left the cake on the kitchen island and hurried to check the items I used in prep
And so, I told her everything that had been happening without leaving any details out. I told her about the pancake batter that was magically rectified and that I thought it was her doing. I told her about what happened at my apartment on Friday evening after I closed from work.I also told her about how the ghost had raided my refrigerator and cleared everything in it while also tempering my cooking as well as cleaning my apartment after turning it into a disaster zone. “Wow, that's shocking and funny at the same time. Are you sure you are talking about a ghost here?“ Cassie chuckled after I had narrated my ordeal with the ghost to her. I threw my hands in the air, “Seriously, Cassie, I just told you about how my foodstuffs magically disappear from my refrigerator, and that's what you ask me? To answer your question, no, I'm not talking about a Genie,“ I said, sarcastically.“No offence, Ama. But I don't think this ghost means any harm to you. It's probably just a wandering ghost w
“Hey, you said I should be creative with my disturbance and that was exactly what I did. Did you think I would do some little cheap tricks like banging the door or making the TV go on automatically? That shit scares me even as a ghost," Calvin retorted Mason snorted. “Pouvez-vous imaginer cela? Un fantome qui peut etre effraye (Can you just imagine that? A ghost that can be scared)."Calvin brushed off Mason's comment, "I don't care what you say, Mason. I just want my favourite brother in the world to prepare a meal for me. Is that too much to ask?“ “Oh, now he is your favourite brother?“ Mason asked.Calvin wiggled his eyebrows, “Yes, is someone jealous?“ Mason scoffed, "Jealous? You wish. Just don't come running to me when you need help.""Why would I do that? I'm highly capable of taking care of myself - by myself." “Oh really? How about the time you flushed Drew's goldfish down the toilet?" "That was just a one-time mistake.“ “Okay. What about the other time you took his car
"Hey, Drew, I hope you checked that we are not going to have food poisoning by eating expired stuff, right?“ Mason shouted. "Don't worry. We are safe. She just restocked the fridge,“ Drew chuckled before continuing with his cooking. He added another tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the diced onions and sauteed it over medium-low heat until the onions were translucent and softened. Then he added the garlic slices and sauteed it for thirty seconds before pouring a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. Using a wooden spoon, he scraped up the bacon bits that were stuck in it. Adding the chicken back into the pan, along with the sliced carrots and about a half bottle of wine that reached up to just the tops of the chicken pieces, he placed a lid over the food and allowed it to cook at medium heat for thirty-five minutes. “Lest I forget. Who do you think this Leon is?“ Mason asked his brothers. "I have no idea," Calvin replied. ‘I only remember Drew calling his name and hi
"Amanda!“ “Amanda!"I just didn't want to bother. I mean, couldn't I sleep for a little while? That was all I needed at that moment, but the voices calling my name wouldn't give up. “Panda!" “Calvin, how many times do I have to correct you? Her name is Amanda, not Panda!“ Yeah, please, who the hell names their child Panda? "I think she is about to wake up. She's murmuring something,“ A voice shouted. I didn't want to open my eyes, but I knew that I didn't have a choice in the matter. As much as I just wanted to stay where I was and just sleep I knew that I couldn't. The whispers above me were also not helping. Who the hell talks over a sleeping person? No one, except that annoying greedy ghost in my apartment. Speaking of ghosts... My eyes opened. I slowly rose from my laying position and noticed I was sleeping on my couch. That's surprising, shouldn't I be passed out on the cold floor of my kitchen? I wondered as I recalled the incident of the previous night. Before realizat
Now, as funny and cute as it was to watch them, I had to make myself face the reality that they were ghosts. "That's enough,“ Stormy Eyes declared, making his brothers keep quiet. All the while I had been exchanging words with brown hair, stormy eyes hadn't said a word. He just stood there, folding his hands and watching the whole scenario play out. It made me wonder what he was thinking and if he was usually this quiet. “Pardon our manners. These two idiots are my brothers," he explained. “This stubborn one here is the youngest of us three, Calvin," he said, as he pointed toward the blonde. "Ignore him. I'm the sweetest person on this planet," Calvin said with a toothed grin. Brown Hair rolled his eyes, "Dude, you're a ghost. Most people don't even know you exist.“ “And this one who talks like a walking encyclopedia is Mason, my immediate brother," stormy eye introduced. Calvin laughed. Haha… that suits you very well, Mason.“ “No, it doesn't," Mason pouted.They looked reall