Solitude – Episode 2

#SOLITUDE

 

_2_

 

Chanda sat quietly behind her desk as she tried to process what had just happened, she just couldn’t understand the decision that her mother had made. Not once had she missed work or even confided in her but now she was wondering whether someone was forcing her to do that or maybe there was more.

 

The knock on her door brought her back, she could see through the glass door that it was her cousin. She rolled her eyes and leaned back as she signaled him to come in.

 

‘Little sister.’ He said his hands shoved in his pockets

 

‘What do you want?’ she asked trying to make herself busy for the fact that she just didn’t want to talk to him

 

‘I know you are not busy, just spare a few minutes.’

 

With a heavy sigh, she closed the lap top and looked up.

 

‘What do you want?’

 

‘The best you can do is first offer me a seat, we are siblings for crying out loud!’ he said after settling into the chair opposite her

 

‘We are not siblings, your mother dumped you and my mother took you in!’ she glared

 

‘I see you still have a crush on me.’ He said with a raised eyebrow ‘Pervert!’

 

He stood up from where he sat and stood just directly to the view outside. ‘Do you know how much money this building is standing on?’ he asked

 

‘I am one of the people who do the books so why would you ask me that question?’

 

He kept quiet still facing the same direction.

 

‘Mum is resigning.’

 

‘She is not your mother, she is your aunty.’ He turned to look at her with a serious face.

 

‘Whatever you say won’t change the fact that I am the person that is taking over the firm.’ He said directly looking at her.

 

She laughed but stopped halfway

 

‘You are not joking are you?’

 

 

‘Chanda we might not be blood but I am more of her son than her nephew and as such I know she is going to put the firm in my name. I am hard working and if the board members are asked to vote, I know I will be the individual they will vote for.’

 

‘So this is why you came here? To waste my time?’ she asked now on her feet

 

‘You can’t deny what is meant to be.’

 

‘Out!’

 

‘Chanda you can’t run away from this.’

 

‘I said out god damn it!’ she yelled

 

She watched him walk out wishing that her office was more private, now she had to pretend as if everything was okay because everyone was seeing her through the glass.

 

She grabbed her phone and called the company lawyer, not once had she thought of her cousin being a threat so she needed to know where she stood.

 

‘Mr. Mbewe.’ She said

 

‘Yes Ms. Chanda.’ He responded on the other end of the line

 

‘I need you to do something for me.’ She told him

 

‘What is that?’

 

‘My mother is retiring and I need access to her will.’

 

‘Ma’am I can’t do that.’

 

‘I will double what she pays you.’

 

‘I will triple it.’ She said when he was silence

 

 

‘Let me see if I can get a hold of it.’

 

Mr. Mbewe sighed as he dropped the phone, Mrs. Chanda looked at him with a weak smile.

 

‘Ma’am she wants me to show her the will.’

 

‘Chanda is my total opposite you know.’ Chileshe said starring deep within the lakes

 

She felt a plunge of pain run through her, her daughter was ruthless business wise and she would make an amazing CEO but her character would be the very reason she brought it down. She needed someone with a heart to run the firm and it was definitely not her or her nephew.

 

After getting to Goma lakes, Chileshe had requested that Nella calls Mr. Mbewe her lawyer; she had to talk to him before her daughter did. Her company was standing on money and she knew that the person who had to take over, had to be really intelligent.

 

‘Show her the will.’ She said

 

‘But ma’am it is blank.’

 

‘Exactly, I am not dead so why is she concerned about my will? She is my daughter and isn’t it obvious that she will be the one to take over?’ she asked looking at him

 

‘Well I better get going, you know how persistent she is.’ He said getting up

 

‘And please buy me a drink with the money that she pays you.’ She said warmly causing Mr. Mbewe to laugh

 

She watched him get up and head for his car, he had been a faithful worker and not once had she questioned his services.

 

‘Should we go home now?’ Nella asked seeing how emotional she was getting

 

‘Not yet, can we have lunch at hungry lion please?’

 

‘What?’

 

‘Yes Nella, I am trying to make up for all the times I missed out on the fun.’

 

‘Fun? Hungry lion is not fun and besides you won’t be able to breath in such a congested place.’

 

‘Nella.’ She said with pleading eyes

 

‘Yes ma’am.’ She said getting up

 

She drove them to east park mall since it was the nearest place with hungry lion, just as Nella had thought the place was congested but Chileshe didn’t seem to mind. She asked Nella to find them a seat whilst she made an order for their food, after waiting for about twenty minutes she finally went back to their table with two packs of food.

 

‘You really want to eat junk?’ Nella asked

 

‘Yes.’ Chileshe responded

 

She had spent all her years living right, she had held everything down, never once dragging tables. She had cut out her social life entirely just so she could build an empire for her daughter abd nephew, gone sober, adjusted in so many ways and yet everything had just come crumbling down with a doctor’s report.

More Stories @ generalloaded.com

‘Are you okay?’ Nella asks when she notices the silence

 

‘I am.’ Chileshe lies but Nella knows her too well to believe it