Pearls of Love (Episode VII)


By Charles Oluyori 

Back to the present. We wake as early as 4:30am everyday to get the kids prepared for school, at the most by 6:30 am I was usually out of the house for the day's work.

Even on days I don't go to the office I still wake at the same time.

The driver had already been instructed to pick them up by 6:30. Ordinarily I preferred doing that chore by myself, I mean I find it a difficult task trusting anyone with the safety of the kids, not even Ann.


But this morning, was one of my my very busy mornings, I think Ann would not be having the time too, so I had made a quick arrangement with the family driver to drop them at school that day.

That morning, while I was bathing for Peter, I remember we talked about his new class teacher, I think, he said she is Aunty Bola, she complained about his rough hair. I use to have a stubborn hair while in secondary school, I remember having very serious issues with one of the school teachers then, she used to think I deliberately left my hair rough, until she became my friend and discovered otherwise.

She taught me how to carry a comb in my pocket while in school and comb at intervals. 

Peter is becoming a big boy now, even though it was just like yesterday when he was born
Ann was the one driving this morning, she would be taking the car to her place of work.

We were both putting on black suit, hers was a trouser suit, it looked so fitting on her, it was our first wedding anniversary suit, we used it during the church thanksgiving service. We discussed about our different schedules for the day. I was getting tired of my clothes and needed to get new clothes. For clothes and some other not-so-important things, we used a joint family account for such purchases, so I needed her consent to withdraw some money.

Just then, a car zoomed by as we approached the last road leading to my company building. The driver was over-speeding and dangerously too; I didn't understand where he was running to on a road with warning signs allover, showing that the road was being maintained.  There are too many careless and reckless drivers.
It is a long entrance into the company, and you see different security personnel, and traffic officers representing the company, at the road to warn drivers to drive safely and to ensure safety and security into the company.

Some of the workers recognized us as we drove in and they waved us in. The company is built on very large acres of land. It was a computer hardware and system manufacturing company, with the largest company site and highest number of workers in the whole city. Even oil company workers envied the salaries paid to our staffs.

She drives straight to my department building, it was the third building after the major entrance into the company.

Just before she parked the car, she asked "How is it with my proposal?"

I had almost forgotten which proposal it was...

"Oh, yea, I will follow up on it" I had almost forgotten about it. I know many of our senior colleagues also has personal interest, my plan was to discuss personally with the Chairman. In most cases I like to go through the application department, but this has to do with Ann, and must be taken more seriously.

The Chairman hadn't been in the country for a while, probably I should just discuss with the MD, but who knows, the MD may also have some personal interests.

The proposal was supposed to go through HR, even though we had submitted the proposal to the department, it could take forever if we don't take it from above.

Ann was proposing for the position of a medical consultant for the company. The company was starting a medical service for its full staff and consultants were outsourced. But the HR people always have a way of putting their own people into every available position. I wasn't close to anyone in the HR department, but I could talk to the MD. Apart from him being like my godfather in the company since I was recommended by the Chairman, I was also well known and kind of powerful in the company because of the nature of my work as the Head of Audit Investigation.

I opened the car door, we kissed and I stepped out carrying my laptop bag. A security guard quickly steps by and took the bag from me and escorted me to the elevator were I took the lift to my office at the fifth floor of the building. I walked through the PA's office to my large and well furnished office. I pulled the blind before walking to my desk. The PA wasn't on seat when I walked in but before I finished arranging my desk, she walked in.

"Good morning sir"

"Good morning"
"You have some mails sir"

"Alright" I will check them at once, I answered as she left three mails on my desk.

"Thank you" I said. "I will call on you once I'm through"

The first mail was an internal memo from the MD's office inviting all the senior staffs of the company for a meeting the following week, the second mail was from publishing company abroad requesting to use my "Stolen manuscript" novel for a movie, while the third mail was from my car insurance company, my insurance would be expiring in three months.

After reading the mails I got to work immediately. There was still a pending issue of fifty million missing amount from one of the departments of the company, which was part of the issues I had been asked to address during the EXCO meeting by the following week. And we are yet to conclude on the case not to talk of writing the report.

Some people were already thinking of how to take over my job, as some feel I wasn't even qualified for the position, because they feel I was too young and hadn't been in the company long enough.

I went through the summary of my worksheet. I searched through over ten million items drawn on excel sheet, checking for various fifty million, and there were several fifty million. Excel is one of the best packages of Microsoft, helps you to keep your work tidy and also ensures that you are up to date with it particularly when it is an account summary of so many data.But not many people know how to use Excel.

As much as I had many junior colleagues reporting to me, there are some jobs I don't necessarily leave to my colleagues, I take them up by myself because I would be the one to present or answer to them and EXCO meetings not those colleagues. This is one of the reasons some bosses don't succeed at their works, they leave everything to their colleagues.

There would be no other day to sort out this matter. It has to be today. I can imagine the look in Steve's eye should I come to the EXCO meeting without a well tight position, that guy I know has an eye for my position, he just couldn't say it out. He is the Manager of the Compliance & Due Process, and all he does at every EXCO meeting is to pick out errors from what everyone was saying. I really see no reason why he should be there, except for the fact that he heads a department or unit



I had earlier ensured that no one interrupted me that morning, no visitors, no calls and no distractions from the TV as I searched through various columns for entries of monies going into different companies account within the past one year; the total amount was over a billion. I hated figures, they get me confused, I still don't know I ended up being an accountant. Figures makes me dizzy a times.

By 12 I would be making a presentation at the Corporate Affairs department and so I couldn't conclude on the work. There was a new product being introduced into market by the company and our input on the Control aspect was sort and as the head of Audit and Investigation department I had to reason out along my colleagues the best control for the product which I was to present to the Corporate Affairs department who would now champion it to the entire company and the public.

One silly thing they did was informing us after the product was already out, we were supposed to work along with the products department to give them advice on the control part while they were still on it. But that doesn't deter us from our work. I agreed to give them a feedback even though I felt it was wrong to notify audit after a product was already being introduced instead of from the beginning when it was being manufactured.

My friend Ken, is one of the engineers of the company, I hadn't set my eyes on him in  a long time, but ran into him after the meeting at the Corporate Affairs department. Since he was a product engineer, he had more tasks even more than me the auditor.

His wife had just delivered a baby but I hadn't been able to check on them. They must think I am a bad guy. But I guess Ken really understands. He was my best man during my wedding and he was about the only friend I still keep.

We shook hand and embraced slightly, he was a great buddy.

"See I'm truly sorry, I haven't checked you guys"

"I understand Dan; everyone is so tied up these days"

"Work", I added

"Yea work" he said "How is Ann?"

"Ann is doing great, thanks" How is your baby and mom?" I asked feeling very guilty.

"They are both doing great"

His wife gave birth about two months back even as close as we were, my family hadn't been able to pay them a visit because of work schedules. The little time I have, I had rather spend with my family than pay social visits.

"Ken, I sincerely apologize, please we will find time to check you guys up soon"

 
"I understand",he replied.

"So how is the baby?" I asked.

"Great" He answered.

We couldn't talk for long; we were standing at the entrance to the elevator. As soon as the elevator door opened we went in. He was going down to the first floor while I was going to the fifth floor.

As we approached the fifth floor, I assured him again that we will be visiting his family soonest.

"I will see what I can fix for this weekend. I guess we have to squeeze out some time to come over, please tell Kate to take good care of her".

"I will", we shook hands as I alighted from the elevator.

Ken and I had been friends since I joined the company some years ago that was three years before I married Ann. We were one of the youngest staffs in the company then when we were employed as fresh graduates. The good thing with the company is that hard work is compensated, and it didn't matter how long you have stayed in the company. Once you are hardworking and meeting your targets, creative and talented, your promotion is certain. You can get promoted twice a year depending on how smart you are, and you can be without promotion for five years too if you are lazy and unproductive. Higher responsibilities means promotion, promotion means more money, recognition, and more promotions.

I was very fortunate to receive several promotions and awards within my eight years that I had served the company, and so being in the managerial position which I occupy today didn't come easy. Within a space of eight years I rose from a graduate trainee to a Manager and Head of a department.

I have always known that many companies do not reward hard work. Some will rather reward a longer stay even if you are unproductive. I wouldn't work for such a company regardless what they offer.

So many of my colleagues and subordinates envied my rise in the company, I was heading some people who were my bosses when I joined the company. I knew without being told that so many of them were jealous of my success and I was very careful to note this. Some people even carried rumor that I was being promoted because I was related to the Chairman of the company. But none of these was true. HR and Performance department were strictly in charge of promotion. But I got most of my promotion through external recommendations, some from the office of the MD and through external examiners.

I met Ken then during an audit of his department a year precisely after I joined the company. I was the head of a team to audit his department. As at the time I was selected to head the team to audit the department, a lot of other new staff would have hardly learned the basics of the job, but I was already a team leader.

During my wedding, the Chairman of the company personally attended my wedding and presented a cheque of one million; that was the money we used in securing our first apartment. I have had a good relationship with him ever since and even with the past MD and the present one.

I think one of the things that helped my ascension in the company was because of the various professional exams I wrote from time to time particularly ICAN and ACCA, apart from the fact that I obtained a first class in Economics. I was also a chartered accountant with diploma in some management courses.

Immediately I stepped into the office, the telephone rang. It was Ann.

"Hello sweetheart"

"Hello Ann, how is my love doing this morning"(contd)


Categories: Short Stories & Articles

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