My forever Mate

Chapter 6

The next morning……….

“You listen to me boy and listen well” , Mildred said to Derrick. “I have selected my replacement…..sh….sh…I’m not finished speaking yet, am I?, then zip it and keep listening…..you can start showering your list of questions, once I’m done.

So……I have arranged for a virtual assistant to take over from me. She will work from 8:00am – 1:00pm and again from 2:00pm – 5:00pm. If there is any other extra work - after hours or something - urgently required, then pass it on to me or send it to her for completion and she’ll get it done as soon as she can. She will only come to the office, if it’s absolutely necessary, even then you will check with me first if I can take her place. You will not speak to her rudely and under no circumstances will there be any shouting……..

She is a very pleasant and hard working individual with great work ethics……if you scare her away, then you are on your own……any questions?”

Fuming, almost breathing fire, Derrick scorned, “questions?, how can I have questions?....... after all you’ve chosen a paragon of virtues as your replacement. Does she have a halo too?....... Should I also build a statue of hers in the office?”

“Don’t you get smart with me boy, you are lucky I was able to get such an efficient individual at such a short notice…….You think it was fun, for me, asking my niece for help?.......coming clean about all the lies I’ve told her about my oh so wonderful boss…….It is because of you and your legendary temper that I had no option but to hire an out of towner……no one……and I mean, absolutely no one is willing to work that close to you…….despite your most eligible bachelor status. So take my advice and hire her, before someone tells her what a grizzly you are…….Now, if we are done here, then I’m going over to her place to start her training” said Mildred.

Derrick went back to his office, shutting the door loudly behind him. What does Millie think?......I am a successful businessman, running one of the biggest global corporations and she thinks that I can’t even hire myself a personal assistant?......I will show her……I will hire an assistant right now and then take great pleasure in firing that paragon of hers…….

For the next hour, he called every single recruitment agency in town……no one was brave enough to say it to him directly but he could hear the no behind their hesitation and long pauses……Frustrated, he threw his phone with such force that it shattered in small pieces……making him more angry at the hassle of switching contacts and data to a new device…….Finally, he decided to bite the bullet and try this new person Millie hired, after all it is not her fault that he is furious about Millie leaving him in a lurch……the more he thinks about it, the more sense it makes……by the time it’s lunch hour he almost had himself convinced that this was all his idea…….He is such a cool, calm and rational boss, after all.

On the other side of the town………

Cassie decided to keep Leah home today so she could meet with Millie too. Jackie said that her aunt lives nearby and would love their company, in fact she insisted we try to see her as frequently as possible, so that Cassie could keep an eye on her health……discretely of course. Leah and Cassie had just finished their breakfast and Leah was “helping” Cassie clean up when the bell rang…… “I’ll get it Cassie”, Leah shouted, running towards the door before Cassie could stop her……she had just opened the door as Cassie reached there….. she crouch down and looked Leah in the eye, “what did I tell you about opening the door baby?......you never open the door alone and we always look at the peephole to find who is outside before opening the door” said Cassie

“I’m sorry Cassie”, Leah said, in her sweet voice….. “I will not do it again.” Cassie couldn’t resist her sorry, puppy dog look and lifted her downcast face up….. She looked Leah in the eye and said, “it’s okay sweetness….just remember it for next time”…….just like that her angelic face lit up with a bright smile and she gave Cassie a hug and a kiss to express her gratitude……..

Cassie had almost forgotten about the open door, when someone said “awww, what a beautiful pair you both make.”

Cassie looked up, startled to find a friendly….somewhat older face, smiling down at them. “She looks like nanny McFee”, Leah said in a loud whisper that all of them could hear clearly.

Mortified for ignoring their guest for so long, Cassie apologised and invited the guest in…….”you must be Mrs Alfred?”

“Oh dear, please don’t apologise, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss your sweet conversation … Jackie was right, you’re both absolute angels” Millie said.

Leah’s ears perked up at hearing a familiar name, she came back running towards them and asked, Mrs Alfred, breathlessly …. “you know my aunt Jackie?”

“oh yes, baby girl, I’ve known your aunt Jackie since the day she was born … in fact I’m her aunt, her mother’s elder sister”

“oh”, said Leah at the influx of information…..confused, she asked….”so if you are aunt Jackie’s aunt then what do I call you?”

“Good question”, Mildred said, smiling at the little girl…..”you are so smart, my dear……how about you call me granny M.”

“Grammy M?”, asked Leah. Cassie was about to correct her, saying granny not Grammy but Mildred interrupted her, “her version is better, my dear……you can correct her N’s and M’s but let her continue to call me Grammy” Cassie smiled at the kind lady and patiently explained the difference to Leah and asked her to keep using Grammy though, as aunt Mildred likes it.

“Where are my manners, Mrs Alfred, I’m so sorry…..I haven’t even offered you water.”

“Oh, don’t be formal with me dear and please call me Mildred or aunt M……Mrs Alfred sounds way too formal”

“Sure aunt M as you wish…... Would you like to have some tea or coffee before we get started?”

“Sure, tea, if you have some”

“of course, would you like sugar and milk with your tea? I have this great spiced tea from India, it goes very well with milk”

“why not? I’ll try it, sure and while you put the kettle on, I’d like to get to know this cute little princess that has my dear niece head over heals. Come here little princess, come to Grammy M and tell me about yourself…….your likes and dislikes…everything.”

Leah came barreling over to sit in aunt M’s lap as if she owned them and had been sitting there all her life. Charmed, Mildred started asking Leah about herself. By the time Cassie brought the tea over with some cookies and some juice for Leah, Leah had finished telling aunt M about her new princess bed. But on second thoughts she added, “ it’s so big” Leah gestured holding both her hands……stretched to the max, “you can sleep with me there sometimes so you won’t be lonely”

“What was that dear?”, asked Aunt M. Cassie flushed … embarrassed and tried to change the topic but Leah jumped in again saying, “I heard aunt Jackie saying to Cassie that we should spend time with you and take care of you as you get so lonely, living all by yourself”

Shocked and furious, Mildred mumbled, too low for anyone to understand though,……why that lying old witch……Jackie, I won’t leave you…….you sneaky little….

“Did you say something Grammy? Leah asked, sweetly … bringing Mildred’s mumbling tirade to an immediate stop.

“No no baby, nothing at all … I was just thinking how much my sweet, dear Jackie thinks about me.”

“Come on Leah let Grammy finish her tea in peace and you should also have some juice…..then be a good girl and colour some in your drawing book, while Grammy teaches me about my new job” said Cassie. Leah wanted to protest as she wanted to spend more time making friends with Grammy but one look at Cassie’s face and she knew, it was a battle……lost already….so like the good little sister, she promised Cassie she will be, Leah finished her juice quickly and went to her play room to start colouring………