Episode 4 -The Irregularities
1186 Words
Sleep abandoned Janet. All through the night, she tossed and turned in her small bed.
"What kind of irregularities have they discovered? But I thought I covered the tracts well. Could this be the end of my mission? Was Otunba himself behind this scrutiny? "Janet's thought echoed like a microphone connected to a loudspeaker.
"Where did I miss it?" she asked as she pulled out the master plan to review her strategy.
At dawn, she dashed straight to the bathroom and spread the red close-up toothpaste on her hard red toothbrush. As she lifted it to her mouth, she paused: her hand hung in the air as she pondered over the SMS.
"Could this be the end of the road? What is the worst that can happen? Well, I'll have to switch to plan B. By all means, I will complete my mission."
With that, she snapped back to reality, looked at her mirror, and with a firm voice said "I've got this. It's either I succeed, or I succeed”.
She hurriedly brushed her teeth and dashed straight to her tiny kitchen where her bath water was boiling in a kettle on the stove.
Immediately, she turned the stove off and took the kettle to the bathroom. As she began to pour the hot water into the bucket, a thought passed through her head, "I wish I could just bathe that evil man with this hot water with no cold water in sight. It would be a delight to watch him burn?"
"Easy Janet, Easy! One step at a time." A voice in her head cautioned.
Immediately, she placed the kettle outside the bathroom, poured cold water into the bucket to mix with the hot water, took her bath and dressed for work. She put on a blue Jean, a white T-shirt and white sneakers.
Once dressed, she returned the kettle to the kitchen, poured cereal into a small bowl, mixed it with water, sugar and milk, ate it quickly, carried her bag, locked her door, and dashed to the office.
At Williams Holdings
The reception area was already a beehive of activities. “Good morning, Janet. Mr. Ade is waiting for you at the HR office,” the receptionist greeted.
Janet's heart skipped as she made her way to see Mr. Ade. The door to the HR office was ajar. Janet pushed it open. Straight away, her eyes locked on a folder labelled “Janet James”, on the table.
"Come in Janet." Lucy beckoned. "Good morning" Janet greeted. Her voice was firm but polite. "Good morning, Janet. Please, have a seat. " Mr Ade points to a seat by the window.
Lucy leaned forward; her eyes set on Janet. "We discovered some irregularities in your records. Something seems off. We contacted your organization JTK Solutions, and they gave us contrary information... do you mind explaining?"
"Oh my God, I knew this day would come. but this is too soon. how do I get out of this?" Janet's thought went like the speed of light, her palms sweaty, but she fought to maintain a steady voice. she braced herself to speak, "I don't understand what you are talking about" Janet said playing dumb.”
Mr Ade turned to Janet. "Janet, you need to come clean with us... Perhaps, we can help you."
" Mr. Ade, I’m not particularly sure what you are talking about. Could you help me understand?" Janet asked, acting confused.
" Lying will not help you at this point. We are talking about your duration at JTK Solutions. We called your organization, and they said you have been there only 3 months. They sent you here because you fit into the profile of the staff we needed. But your record with us says you have been there for three years."
Janet's heart beat faster. She knew she had to find her way out of this one ... Her palms grew colder. She knew she was trapped, boxed by her lies. But she couldn’t give up now. “There must be a way out.” She thought.
3 years? Oh no. That must have been a typographical error. Perhaps I didn't check properly after the guy at the business centre finished typing my CV. I am so sorry. It's an oversight.
" Well, you've come highly recommended by your organization. We will give you a trial." Mr Ade's expression softened.
" You see, at William Holdings, we are thorough. We leave no room for mistakes. You need to be very careful. " Lucy cautioned.
"Noted Ma. I will be more careful next time. I know my job like I know the road to my village. You won't regret hiring me. I go the extra mile to deliver on my task. William Holdings is a place to learn and grow. Please give me this opportunity."
Just then, the head Janitor walked in. “Good morning Mr. Ade. Good morning, Miss Lucy "
" Good morning Mrs. Mary. How are you doing this morning" "I am doing great. Ready to fight germs and dirt." Mrs. Mary responded
"Great! This is Janet, she is our new Janitor from JTK Solutions. Please, help her settle in and show her the ropes.” Lucy instructed.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Janet. You are welcome to Williams Holdings" Mrs. Mary welcomed Janet with a Smile.
“Mr. Ade will ensure your ID card and uniform is ready by Friday.”
“Thank You, Ma!” Janet said with a soft smile. Her heartbeat gradually slowing down. “Welcome onboard Janet!” Mr. Ade greets Janet.
Over the next few months
Janet continued to work under the close supervision of Mrs. Mary, who had grown fond of her. "My dear Janet, you work so hard. You know, each time I look at you, I see my daughter- smart, beautiful, and determined. Just keep your head down and continue to do your job diligently. You will not regret working here. "She said, placing her left arm on Janet's shoulder.
Janet seized every opportunity to ask Mrs. Mary subtle questions about the organization, staff, environment and the Boss Himself. Mrs Mary provided as much answers as she could. Janet never disclosed her true intentions for those questions.
One morning, while going through the daily shifts, Mrs. Mary spoke up. "Today, we will be focusing on the reception area, staff toilet, ground floor and car park. Our mission is to fight dirt and germs. Once you’ve mastered these areas, I'll start introducing you to the executive floors. Just keep up with the good job you are doing. nature rewards diligence." Mrs. Mary told Janet.
“Thank you very much Ma. I’m glad to follow your lead.” Janet responded
A Small Victory
One afternoon, while cleaning the reception area, Janet noticed a document left on the front desk. Her heart raced as she quickly memorized the details before returning the document to its place.
What was the content of this document?
- Writer
