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CHAPTER 6

"Good Morning Abdul." He greeted the security man as he drove in through the huge gate.

"Good Morning Dave." Abdul Bosco replied smiling. "You're up early."

"Yeah. It's my first day, I might as well be the first person." David responded.

"Have a nice day."

David drove in and went around the tall building to the back where the parking lot was. There was no car there which meant he was the first to arrive. He smiled to himself and killed the car engine after he had found a space. He got out of the car, picked up his briefcase and buttoned his new Armani suit jacket. He felt too good with himself and walked with the swagger of a rich executive towards the large glass-door at the main entrance into the building. He brought out his identity card which also serves as his keycard which grants him access into anywhere in the building which he ought to have access to. He had clearance level 3. Only the CEO had access to every part of the building and that was Clearance level 5. Andrew and other senior executives had level 4 clearance. The door swung open after he had inserted his card and he walked into the spacious reception hall. He decided to use the stairs which took him to the second floor where his office is located. The IT department faced the row of offices of the personnel managers. He walked into his secretary's office which was separated by a wall of glass from his. He walked through into his office, a well decorated office with the best of furnitures. The room smelled of fresh paint and wood polish. He sat down in his huge swivel chair behind the huge mahogany table and switched on the desktop computer on his table where he had to log into his account with his staff details. He found out everything was easy enough and he needed no orientation for him to know he had the major control to the information system of the whole building including staff details, financials and general information on every sub-division of COLE Consolidated. He was awed. He got up and opened the adjoining door leading to where he assumed would be another office. He opened the door and found himself climbing onto a small podium which had a protective pulpit-like glass from which he could address a number of people. The room was long and wide with lots of cubicles which had a desktop computer in each of them. Clearly he was the boss here.

He went back into his office and sat down in his chair and rotated it. He smiled to himself. Someone walked into his office. He hadn't closed the door while he was busy inspecting everywhere. David looked at him with questioningly. A bald-headed man with grey hair on the little part of his head that had hair. He had eyes so menacingly cold and mouth that looked set like he had never smiled with it.

"I see you're resuming early." The man said.

"Yeah. I want to get started pretty quick."

"Typical. I'm Professor (Dr) Charles Cole." The man said. "Professor of psychology and philosophy." He added proudly.

"What a weird combination." David thought. "David Osho. The new IT Manager." David said, deliberately leaving out the 'Chief'.

"I know. I've heard pretty much about you. Not important stuff though." Charles said with a scoff.

David remained silent.

"I'm used to being the early riser here. It's good you want to make an impression early enough. I'll just give you a run down of what's expected of you."

"Okay?" David said and motioned for him to sit down.

"I'm usually more comfortable in my own office." Charles said and leaned against the door.

David pursed his lips and said nothing.

"Asides your normal duty which you know already. You're going to write a professional exam in the next couple of months; The National Institute of Technology (NIT) and you can't afford to fail it. You'll be tested on your field and aptitudinally. You're going to have to study really hard for it. We usually throw the test in the way of new employees to test their knowledge and mental state. No one has failed before, you shouldn't be the first.

"And if I don't fail?" David asked.

"You'll get a 10 percent raise."

"If I fail?"

"You'll be thrown to the cubicle in there." Charles said pointing to the adjoining door between David's office and the large room.

David nodded. "But I wasn't told before."

"Are you scared already?" Charles asked with a smug smile sitting comfortably on his face. "There are many things you're going to find out in the coming days which you weren't told before."

David said nothing and sat back in his chair. He loosened his tie. "Fine."

"I'll be your personal tutor on psychology. It's part of the test." Charles said and dropped a stack of books on psychology on David's desk. All written by him.

David just kept staring at the books. Charles turned and walked out of the office like a robot low on battery. David watched him say something to his secretary who had arrived.

"Good Morning Sir. I've had your schedule for the week prepared." His secretary, a young lady who looked like she's in her late teens but in reality in her late twenties walked in. She looked pretty and wore no wedding or engagement band. She had a pair of glasses on and her gown emphasized the slight curves she had in her hips. Her legs were straight like a model's and her nose like a kettle's. Light make-up, attractive face, kept simple.

"You haven't even told me your name." David observed.

"I'm used to people calling me different names; Pouty Mouthed, Rosy eyes. Are you going to give me a new one sir?" She asked with a seductive yet professional smile.

David chuckled, "No. I'll prefer your name."

"Are you gonna be much fun at all? Call me Beth."

"Beth as in Macbeth?" David asked.

"Holy _shit! You're boring. That's dry. Elizabeth. Lizzy, Beth. I'll answer either."

"I like Lizzy more. You walk like a lizard you know." David said.

She laughed a bit too hard than David expected. "My new boss here is a very funny man."

"So my schedule looks like what?"

"Like you're not gonna be able to have lunch for the whole week." Lizzy said handing him a sheet of paper.

"Did you prepare this off your own discretion?"

"No. From different sources throughout the whole of this building. Here is the source of every information so I pulled out everything that has to do with you for the week."

"I see." David said slowly, reading the paper in his hand.

"I'm brilliant, I know." Lizzy said smiling satisfactorily with herself.

"Would you just cancel every meeting that will take place in this office today?" David asked. "I think I'm going to be too busy to see anybody today. Tell anybody I'm not in.

"I know I'm not gonna make heaven if I keep this job. I lie every day." Lizzy said.

"Would you rather quit?"

"Not even for heaven's sake." She said and did the money counting sign with her left palm and right fingers and walked gingerly out of David's office.

"What a girl." David said in his head. He got up and pulled the dark curtains over the glass wall and rolled up his shirt sleeves. He had work to do.

By 9am the whole building was filled with activities. The large room was fillied up in no time and his phone rang incessantly. It's either one of the IT guys was calling to request for his permission to access some files or someone from the finance department was logging in some exhorbitant amount of money which had be wired out or recieved. His staff account was queued up with messages waiting for action. He had a lot to cover within the shortest possible time. A time which would be more than his 8-hour work schedule. He plunged deeply into his work and took no notice of time passing. Susan called twenty-one time. He was oblivious of the fact that his phone was ringing. Lizzy brought him lunch of chicken and chips and she had a good laugh when he pointed to the food and pointed to his mouth. She practically fed him with the whole food. In fact he drank the ketchup.

By 9pm, David was still in his office working. Andrew peered in through the door. "How was your first day?"

"Fine Fine Fine." David said exhaling heavily."

"It's hard work here. Andrew said.

"Seeing is believing. I'll survive."

"Charles was here today no?"

"Yes he was."

"Pretty odd character isn't he? The worst uncle I have. Do not mind his acts."

"I've gotten over it already. He mentioned a test."

"Yes. He was right. We were going to tell you but events over the week didn't let us. We're sorry. It's nothing really but it is important."

"I know how important it is. It could cost me this chair. I'll prepare for it." David said straight-facedly.

"You're going to have to do some studying. You're mainly going to be tested on your course of study. The psychology aspect is going to be tutored by Charles. He volunteered. Its not my doing." Andrew said absolving himself from anything that had to do with marrying David and Charles because he could tell the obvious dislike David had for Charles.

"Fine. Okay."

"Here are some books you might need." David Andrew said and dropped the bag he was holding on David's table.

"I didn't have this much in my undergraduate days."

"I trust you won't disappoint." Andrew said.

"Don't worry about me."
***

He was in the car backing out of the parking lot when he noticed the LED light on his phone blinking and then he found thirty-two missed calls from Susan. He almost lost control as the car sped dangerously into reverse. The number of calls was outrageous and he had never had that much number of missed calls in his entire life. Since he had met Susan, they had barely spent ten hours apart. David's first day at work would be the first time. He left home before 6am and he was going home some minutes to midnight. He drove out of the gates and got on the road leading to his new home. Susan would still be awake he thought. Was she going to be angry? She'll understand it was his job. But he should have called her. But he hadn't seen her missed calls. He made the ten minutes drive home in seven minutes. He held his jacket and briefcase and unlocked the frontdoor. The lights and the television were still on. Susan sat quietly on a couch in a transparent nightgown staring at the television. "Babe I'm sorry." He said as he walked into the living room and joined her on the couch.

"Is this how it's going to be everyday? You should have at least called."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you called."

"And you didn't bother to call to check on me all day."

"I'm sorry baby. It won't happen again." He said and kissed her neck. "Did you just have your bath?"

Susan nodded.

"_Naked?" He asked.

"If only you were home in time." Susan said getting up. "And don't even think about it. You can get your food from the kitchen." She pulled her night robe around her and climbed the stairs leading to their bedroom.

David said nothing but relaxed in the couch and shut his eyes and mind off the worries of the day and the days to come.