I sat on the leather chair feeling very tired; I only hoped it wasn’t malaria. Malaria is one illness I have too often that terrifies me, the way it comes is scary. Have you ever had malaria? If you have had it you will understand how what I am trying to explain here.


I can’t remember the number of times I have asked God for a last chance to live when I have malaria. Each time the illness resurfaces I often think it was worse than the last time.


My family photograph on the wall was taken at the beach during the last Christmas. I was looking at the picture when a call came in, it was Ann.



“What are you doing now?’ She asked after I picked the call.


“Just finished a meeting”


“I want to come down” She said.


Even though she sounded urgent, it wasn’t a surprise that she was coming to my office, sometimes she comes to the office to spend with me, sometimes when she was in the neighbor and some other times, she just come like that.


We understood each other so well that our work didn’t come in-between us except on few occasions like the one we just came out of. Sometime like that we close together from my office.


It reminds me of our school days when sometimes she would spend time with me during my lecture, and sometimes I do reciprocate even though I had never felt free being in her class. Those days, spending one hour apart was like a year apart.

“Promise you will let me do my work, there’s so much on my desk right now” I said meaning it.


“I promise Dan. I just feel like seeing you now”
“Okay then”, I said, checking the time on the wall


“Should I buy some doughnuts?” She asked.


“Sure, I can do with some” I replied.


“What about the kids?” she asked. “I mean how they will come back from school?”


“The driver will go to pick them home.”


“Thanks dear, I really want to be with you now, thanks for allowing me to come”


Something is probably wrong, or else why would she want to see me that badly.


“What happened?’ I asked curiously.


As much as I was engrossed in my work I hate to hear that she was unhappy.


“I lost a patient, a close person” she answered, I noticed she sound sad. Guess that is why she wants to leave the office and come to me.


“Oh, sorry about that” I said meaning it sincerely.


“She was a very nice woman; she had been my patient for years. I thought she would make it” she paused, “You know she had cancer” she explained.


“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that Ann”

As soon the call ended, I moved over to my desk and started work immediately. It was obvious I wasn’t going to have a full day work with Ann’s presence. At least I should be able to sort out some things before she arrives.


I dialed the intercom and called Gladys to come over. She came in almost immediately. Why I like to work with Gladys is because of her loyalty to her work and she’s also smart at her work.


“Please, quickly write down these details for me”


“Yes sir, I will just quickly get a notepad and pen” she went quickly outside and came back almost immediately. Her office is the outer part of my office. Gladys attends to my visitors, incoming mails, arranges meetings for me and also do some other office duties when I am not around.

I turned off the phones; I normally don’t permit interruptions when I am giving a briefing like that. She took down internal memos to be sent out to departmental heads of the General Service, Public Relations, Executive Office, and Reimbursement departments.



I was getting somewhere with my investigation and there was queries for these departmental heads before I finally write my report to the Chief Executive of the company.


My reports are written directly to the company’s Chief Executive once it is fraud related involving a staff of the company but any case related to misappropriation of funds by the company CEO is directly reported to the Law Enforcement Agency in charge of fraud to investigate such cases but it comes rarely. In my career, I never wrote that kind of report at any time, it’s not an easy report to write anyway because apart from costing your job if it goes wrong, you may also be staking your neck out if such a CEO is not just a thief but a murderer. That’s one of the risks involved in my job, in spite of the respect the job earns.

I noticed an e-mail from Ackerman, my publisher, just as I was trying to open it, Ann walked in, she had made her hair. She looked so radiantly beautiful than I had ever seen her. She was holding a disposable bag containing doughnuts and drinks.


“You look stressed up” She said as we hugged. “Please take it easy I don’t want you falling sick”.


“Thanks” I answered. I knew I was truly stressed up, “I think I already have malaria. I just needed to figure out something about fifty million case, though I am making headway.”


“Sorry dear, maybe you need to run some tests?”


I waved it off, “I will get over it”


“As usual” She mocked.


“You made your hair?” I asked.


“Yes” she answered. “I decided to re-touch before coming here to whirl away time”


“Yea, I was beginning to wonder if you were still coming”


“Why didn’t you call?”


“Taking my time”


After about thirty minutes, I decided to close for the day. We went to the bank to withdrawal money from our joint savings account then we went home.


On our way home we bought some clothes from Above and Beyond and arrived home at around five, the kids were with their nanny. They were watching CNN News with nanny as we went in, they seemed absorbed in the news, it was news on Iraq and America war, it had been on news for over twenty-four hours. She quickly looked away from the screen as she noticed our arrival.

“Oh, it’s you, welcome sir and ma’am”. She stood up as a sign of respect. “How is your work today?”


“Fine, thanks and yours too?” I asked sitting on one chair as Pat rushed to my side.
“It’s okay sir”


I pulled off my suit and gave to Peter, “Take this to my room”, he took it and hurriedly took it upstairs.


I watched Ann as she played with Pat, I admired her, she was looking so beautiful like I was just meeting her for the first time. I kept on looking at her. We have done many things together in the past. We have quarreled, fought, laughed, played but we have always been together since we met each other.


Sometimes, I do wonder what could ever separate us, maybe not even death. Sometimes looking at her alone solves all the problems I have on earth including money problem.

Right there, I felt like carrying her in my arms the way I used to carry her back then in school. Now she was talking with Becky but I was not listening to what they were saying, I know it has to do with Peter or Pat, Perhaps both of them. I wasn’t listening, I was thinking of something else, not even my work, not the fifty million fraud case I was battling with. I was remembering some years back, so many years actually.

Source: http://www.ackcity.net/pearls-of-love-vi

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