Two Sides Of A Coin

CHAPTER 4

Sally’s POV

[Two days later]

“7:52,” I read from my father’s old wristwatch on my wrist.

I swung open my car door and slumped into the driver’s seat.

The morning was freezing cold. I was almost running late for my first day as an intern at Peteburg’s biggest tech company.

I needed to be there before 8:00 am and I had less than 10 minutes to spare.

I ignited the engine and the car sprang to life, then immediately went dead.

“What the f**k! No, no, no, not today, not again.” I pleaded, starting the car again and this time the engine didn’t even pretend to come to life.

I got out of the car and opened the car bonnet. I couldn’t risk getting my clothes messy.

I had on a well-tailored black skirt with a tight fitted blue satin long sleeve that complimented my skirt.

After minutes of flipping and flickering everything my little knowledge of car servicing could tell me, I hurried back into the driver’s seat and started the car one more time.

Voom vooom vroom!

“Yes!”

My engine roared to life as I cheered.

“Nooo!” It suddenly went dead again.

“8:04” I read, looking at my watch.

I tried my luck one more time by starting the car, and it did not budge.

“f**k it! Could this day get any worse?”

I got out and began walking until I got onto the main road. Immediately, I found a cab going in my direction and I got in.

“How much to InterTech co?”

“3 dollars and 20 cents.”

“Alright.” I said as I scavenged into my bag to keep my wallet on standby.

“Wait!” I shouted, when the driver barely made it past two blocks.

“Huh?” the confused young man asked.

“I forgot my wallet in my damn car. f**k me.” I spat as I got out and ran back to my car.

This day was definitely getting worse.

I came back to the main road and the cab had already driven away.

This time, I stood for over 5 minutes before I could find a cab going my direction.

“InterTech co.” I shouted to the cab about to drive pass me.

“Get in,” he said, and I hurried into the car.

“Please go as fast as you can.” I begged, before slamming the passenger door shut.

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest. The drive from home to InterTech, give and take, should be a neat 15-minute drive.

I was such a nervous wreck. If I hadn’t stayed up so late to finish up that stupid ass Ginny and Georgia series, I would have woken up earlier, and I wouldn’t have been in this mess.

Or maybe if my goddamn car hadn’t broken down, or if I didn’t forget my wallet. I heaved a sigh of distress. Today was such a s**t day.

It was my first day as an intern at a mega firm like InterTech Co, where students would sell an arm and leg to be an intern at, and here I was making light of such an opportunity.

“Could this day get any worse?” I sighed as I leaned my head on the window to watch the road.

I was so late, and it seemed the cab driver was beginning to drive even slower than my late grandma.

“8:32?” I exclaimed as I looked at my wristwatch.

“Goddamn it! Can you go any faster?” I asked the cab driver, not able to contain myself anymore.

“Well I would if I could, I’m out of gas,” he shot back, winding over into a roadside gas station.

“I’m sorry for yelling”, I apologized meekly.

Being bitchy wasn’t my forte. More times than not, I was the victim of peoples’ bitchiness.

I reached out for my phone to text Mia, wondering why she had not called or said a word all day.

Or was she equally running late to work too? I wondered.

“Oh!”

I noticed my phone was on DND and I took it off the setting. Immediately, streams of messages and a call from Mia came in, and I hurriedly picked up the call.

“Hey, Sally, what gives? I’ve called your line over 12 times this morning.”

“Oh my goddess. So sorry, my phone has been on DND since last night.”

I cussed under my breath as I remembered that it was still because of the Ginny and Georgia show that had made me put my phone in that setting, and I had forgotten it there.

“Why?”

“I was watching a movie,” I confessed.

“Sally!” Mia called, in disappointment.

“I know, I know, you can scold me as much as you want later, but right now, I need to get down there as soon as possible.”

“Where are you right now?”

“Gas station, the cab I took ran out of fuel.”

“What happened to your car?”

“It broke down.”

“s**t!” Mia exclaimed.

“You knew how important today was, Sally. These people are strict as hell, they could easily drop you for this.” She reminded me.

“Thank God.”

“Huh?”

“No, no, my bad. The driver is done with getting gas, we are back on the road. Hopefully, I don’t get penalized for this. How is it over there?”

“Here? The place is majestic. I feel so chic boss lady walking around this place. We had a roll call for interns, and you were marked absent.”

“s**t! Do you know if I might get into trouble for that?”

“Well, I don’t know. I heard the owner was around today, and he is a pretty tough guy…”

“Oh God,” I interrupted.

“Well, on the bright side, he looks really good though. Just like a fucken mini god, I almost creamed my pants staring at him.”

“Mia, please be real,” I rolled my eyes, trying to stifle my laughs.

“And, he called us to have a short pep talk. Then took another attendance which you are also absent in. Smh! I’m low on call credit, catch you when I see you”.

“Oh dang it. Could this damn day get any worse? Or maybe I should stop saying that.”

“We are here,” the driver announced. I paid and hurriedly dashed into the building.

Mia had not done justice to the description of the building because it was beyond majestic.

I texted to let her know that I was in, and she directed me to where the intern work cubicle was.

“Took you long enough.” Mia taunted as she came over to my cubicle.

“I can’t believe I walked into this building an hour and eight minutes late on my first day.”

“I know right. Punctual, goody two-shoes Sally, already becoming a rebel. Who would have thought?”

“Quit it, Mia” I said, bursting into laughter.

“SALLY ALLEN JACKSON, KINDLY REPORT TO THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, IMMEDIATELY.”

The voice which blasted from the intercom of the intern section requested.

My breath hitched. I’m so fucken dead.

I finally made it to the door of the office after several “excuse me please” and three wrong turns.

I took a deep breath and leveled my breathing before knocking on the large oversize door.

A tiny instinctive voice within me whispered to me that I was not ready for whatever ‘behind the door’ had for me.

The door opened automatically, and I walked into the widest and most sophisticated office I’d ever seen in my life.

“Sally Jackson, why are you late on your first day as an intern at my institute?” The voice of the man behind the large mahogany table echoed.

I walked closer to the table as I struggled to see who sat behind the desk. That voice sounds a little familiar.

Could it be? No it couldn’t. That would be too much of a coincidence. I looked more closely, and I knew I could not continue to delude myself. I recognized him.

My heart jumped into my mouth as I staggered backwards.

It was him.