THE ENCOUNTER

Evania took a deep breath as the morning air swept over her face, manifesting a fresh start.

She walked right through the main entrance and headed to the lift. 

As the doors opened, her eyes met with a group of men dressed in black suits, Jonathan stood in the middle wearing a red tie. 

“Are you coming in or are you waiting for the next shift?”  Jonathan inquired as the two other men stared at her.

“I-I’m heading for the s-stairs,” Evania stammered, turning away.

“Get in, these two gentlemen have daughters too, they cannot harm you, right Geoffrey?”Jonathan said, his eyes fixed on Geoffrey.

Evania walked in and stood beside Jonathan as the lift cruised upstairs. 

On the seventh floor where she worked, the morning rush had caught up with everyone, phone calls and the chiming sound of machinery filled  the entire space. 

Evania walked to her cubicle, opposite Becky's. 

“Keep coming late and soon we shall all be back in Camden selling fruits,” Becky whispered, her eyes wide open

“Becky please!Anyway can you imagine, I met him in the lift.” Evania replied, picking up the desk phone and placing the handset to her ear.

“This is Elizabeth from management, when do you hope to submit your requisition.”

“Is that Elizabeth on the phone?”Becky asked.

“Yeah, always nagging and dragging,” Evania mumbled.

“If you can't stand Elizabeth, then you can't work here,” Becky teased

“The only person I can't stand is a drunk, messy workmate ruining dinner parties,” Evania countered, pulling out a photo album and placing it on top of her table.

“Stop blaming me, Evania, you left me alone for that cold hearted idiot,”  Becky replied, her voice becoming louder.

The desk phone rang again and this time it was a calm, composed voice calling.

“Evania Taylor, please proceed to the top floor.”

Evania immediately left for the boss's office with a big brown envelope. She walked in with one hand pushing the door and the other holding the weighty envelope.

“Here, it's all in here, sir.” Evania mumbled.

“You can have a seat.” He suggested.

Evania gracefully settled on one of the sofas leaning her back on the cold black cushion. 

Jonathan glanced at her while he turned the album page per page keenly observing the photos, each turn he made signaled approval or disappointment.

He nodded as he stared at the last pages,a small smile playing on his lips, he then closed the book and turned to Evania.

“Not too bad, I need all these finished before dusk.” 

“It is too soon, the launch is two weeks ahead.” Evania reluctantly replied.

“Which is a few days from now, believe me, two weeks is enough for someone who almost lost her job.” 

Jonathan replied, his deep voice piercing through her ears.

Evania was surprised by his words. It shot through her heart like a speeding arrow, startled as she was, she carried on.

“It will all be ready by evening,”

She stood up and pulled down her yellow striped dress as she made a quick scuttle to the door.

“Wait!”His voice barked through the air like a roar.

“I am not done yet.”He commanded.

“Anything else sir.”She asked him while still facing the door.

“Did I say anything triggering?” Jonathan inquired, staring at her back.

Evania slowly reached for the doorknob, twisting it with caution till it opened. She made her first step with extra caution but Jonathan's voice echoed through her mind prompting her to freeze.

“I read the file by the way,”

Evania turned back as he walked closer, her right hand still holding the knob. Jonathan squinting his eyes approached her with unclear intentions.

“I presume you have achieved your leverage against me.” Evania whispered, struggling to contain her brewing emotions.

“You have trouble keeping up, is it because of your mother,” Jonathan asked.

“Please don't go there?” She asked him, her voice barely a whisper.

“Can we not do this? It seems like I could use the rest of my time sparingly.” Evania insisted, tears forming in her eyes.

“You can't survive here if there's a war going on inside you,” Jonathan said in a low, soothing voice.

“Please! Stop,” She warned, her voice cracking as she sobbed.

“You will find it tough here if you continue to cover it up,” Jonathan said, his tone unapologetic.

His words struck her with such a cold shiver that her feet almost lost balance. Her hand dropped from the doorknob, and her eyes immediately became watery. 

Even Becky, funny as she was, never dared to mention a word about Evania's late mother. 

Jonathan however noticed how pale her complexion turned, sensing imminent danger, he went mute.Evania composed herself and bluntly said

“You have no idea what I've been through,”

“It's my duty to ensure all our staff are mentally agile, not clogged with mental blocks.”

Jonathan defended his detachment.

“I will never let my personal life interfere with work,” Evania mumbled, her teary eyes squinted, she quietly walked out, shutting the door behind her.

She stood for a moment wiping away her tears with a white handkerchief, she could feel the presence of the tall dark figure at the door.

A wave of reminiscence surrounded her, forcing the old buried memory to resurface.

It was a strange day indeed, the rains had flooded the entire neighborhood and the scary sound of thunder kept roaring through the dark rainy clouds. 

Marcus and Evania were inside the house watching T.V when suddenly their mother fell in the kitchen.

By the time they got to the kitchen, she was already breathing heavily, her heart pounded more than they had ever seen, usually she went through these episodes.

Evania always laid her mother on her lap for over an hour while she sang Joan Osborne's One of us, her mother's favorite.

However that day she kept singing and Marcus looked on as he trembled and sobbed softly.

Evania felt the emptiness cover the entire kitchen, her mother's body felt cold and heavy. 

The sombre and woeful experience altered her entire being from that day, the pain still kept inside her mind, waiting to be unleashed.

Jonathan opened the door and peeped outside, he could only smell the faint scent of her hair, Evania had left, he tried to check in the hallway but all in vain.

“Do you think she will be all right Geoffrey?”

Jonathan asked Geoffrey, who stood next to the door.

“I can't say, boss, clearly she looks broken,” Geoffrey answered while Jonathan dashed back inside.

Mrs. Garvey pushed the door open and quickly walked up to her boss. She placed the huge bundle of unfiltered manuscripts of old articles on his desk.

“Sir, this is all I obtained from the archives.”

Mrs. Garvey said, taking in a deep breath of the already tense air.

Jonathan affirmed with a slight nodding. He laid back in his seat but his phone ran immediately.

His mother's voice echoed through the speakers with a prolonged drawl.

“Hello there son, are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes mother, all is well, what troubles you at this hour of the day,”

“Nothing really, it's your uncle Moses, you know he is inviting us to the country home this weekend, I called to remind you about the arrangement,”

“Wait, I told you I can't do it, it's not possible,”

Jonathan interrupted.

“Listen Jon!, we're not doing this, no more excuses unless you're lying to me,” she said.

“Mom!!” 

Jonathan protested.

“I've had enough of you Jonathan, it is time, you accept the consequences of the crown you carry,”

His mother, Mrs. Walter affirmed.

“Can't we schedule another time for this, maybe after am done with the launch,”

“Saturday, 9 o'clock, countryhouse, bring your girl with you,”

The phone went off as her voice lingered through his mind, her words sounded as though it were a court sentence.

“Holy Crap!” Jonathan hissed through his clenched teeth.

“Get Jack on the phone, we're heading to Essex.”  He instructed.