Arrivel
1002 Words
Sila perched at her desk, gazing blankly at her computer, her fingers tapping nervously on the keyboard. The ambiance of the office around her faded into the background as she pondered her thoughts.
Her colleague Sarah noticed her distant expression. "Everything alright, Sila?" she whispered.
Sila forced a tight-lipped smile.
"Yes.
""Come on, remember I'm always ready to assist," Sarah tried to lure her into sharing what's on her mind.
Sila shook her head, her eyes welling up with frustration. "I can't endure this anymore, Sarah.
I'm weary of being treated like this.
"Sarah nodded sympathetically. "I comprehend. We don't deserve this kind of treatment. I contemplated resigning a long time ago, but I have too many dependents that exacerbates the situation whenever that frustrating thought arises.
"Sila sensed Sarah's frustration from her words. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say next.
"I think I'm going to tender my resignation.
"Sarah's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? No, you are not going to do that.
"Sila shrugged. "I'd rather take my chances than continue to be despondent here. Life's too short to spend it toiling for someone who doesn't appreciate me.
"Sarah reached out and squeezed Sila's hand softly. "You know I always support your initiatives. Your intellect and audacity are unparalleled. But, my dear, I'm not endorsing you on this one. Life comes with ups and downs; that's very normal. God didn't promise us a problem-free life. You're a young woman; you should learn how to be tolerant because you don't even know what your next job holds for you.
"Sila glanced her gaze at Sarah and sighed at the advice. "Well, I conversed with my parents about it, and they advised me the same thing. But honestly, I'm contemplating.
""Hmm... daddy and mummy's girl," Sarah smirked in jealousy.
"Please don't start now," Sila smiled.
"Hmm, I'm delighted to see that beautiful grin of yours again.
"Ring... Ring... Ring... The telephone on Sila's desk started chiming, truncating their conversation.
"It's Mrs. Chidinma. I wonder what she wants now," Sila said, rising from her seat.
"Don't lose it this time!" Sarah shouted as Sila walked towards the door.
Chidinma stood up from her seat as soon as Sila was in sight.
"I'm going to the airport. Follow me," she instructed.
Sila promptly picked up her bag and hurried to follow her.
"I'm not her personal assistant; why is she always requesting me to accompany her wherever she is going?" Sila wondered, infantilizing.
Even though Chidinma never showed Sila any kind of acknowledgment, she appreciated the time and effort Sila invested in her work. As a result, she would always prefer to utilize Sila to accomplish everything she desired, even if it was not in her scope of work, without compensating her but rather reprimanding any minor mistake she made. It's not like she detested Sila, but that's just her nature, which is what perturbed Sila the most.
Chidinma paced back and forth near the arrival gate, her excitement escalating with each passing minute. She checked her watch impatiently, counting down the moments.
As the plane taxied to a halt at the gate, Chidinma felt a surge of excitement coursing through her.
The cabin crew announced that passengers could now disembark.
Daniel stepped out of his first-class flight, feeling a mix of exhaustion and excitement after his long journey abroad.
He traversed through the crowded terminal, with myriad thoughts circulating in his mind.
"I hope mom has changed a little because I won't be tolerating her excessive influence anymore. Well, I'm now a fully grown man; I don't even have the time to let her bother me anymore.
" A smile spread across Daniel's face as he set his thoughts aside, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of his mother among the throngs of people, and then he saw his mother tossing her neck, scanning her surroundings.
A radiant smile spread across Chidinma's face as she spotted Daniel. With tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, she rushed forward, arms outstretched, as Daniel dropped his bags and rushed to meet her. They collided in a tight embrace, laughing and being very emotional.
"Wow, who could he be?" Sila said in amusement to herself as she had never seen Chidinma with such a smile before. "She's always stringent.
"Daniel caught a quick glimpse and noticed a cute lady peeking at them with admiration. He could tell she's his mom's worker because she was holding her bag with their company logo on the ID card she wore.
Sila inadvertently glanced at him as they locked eyes for some seconds, and Sila averted her gaze slowly with a forced smile.
Daniel and Chidinma unwrapped themselves from each other's embrace, beaming at each other.
Chidinma attempted to gauge her height with her son. "You've even grown taller than your late father was, Dan.
"Daniel chuckled. "Ah... mom, were you expecting me to be shorter than you?
""Oh, that's Mrs. Chidinma's son," Sila hugged herself, recollecting her own parents because of the warm hugs and smiles they have been sharing for a while. "That's the only person that has ever put a smile on Mrs. Chidinma's face," she said in her thoughts.
Chidinma glanced at Dan sadly. "I'm really sorry I couldn't make it to your graduation ceremony, even after I promised I was going to come. Work has really been weighing me down lately.
"Dan gave her a mean gesture. "It's okay, mom. I know you are always busy," he chuckled. "It's fine; let's talk more about it when we get home,"
Chidinma walked to Sila to retrieve her handbag
from her.
"Hi, I'm Daniel," he extended his arm and offered his palm, giving Sila a warm smile.
"Hmm, I hope he's not as flawed as his mother," Sila said in her thoughts as she immediately extended her hand and forced a tight-lipped smile. "I'm Sila.
"The driver hastily retrieved Dan's luggage trolley, and they all proceeded to the car.
- Writer
