Pressure From All Sides
510 Words
Ijeoma woke up earlier than usual that morning.
Her body felt tired, but her mind was heavier.
She had barely slept.
Her thoughts kept going back to one thing — her siblings.
As she prepared for work, her phone suddenly rang.
She quickly picked up.
“Ijeoma…” a small voice said on the other end.
It was her younger sister.
Her heart tightened immediately.
“What is it? Is everything okay?” she asked quickly.
There was a pause.
Then the voice came again, shaky.
“We… we don’t have food again.”
Silence.
Ijeoma closed her eyes tightly.
She had just started working, and her first salary had not even come yet.
“I understand…” she said softly, forcing strength into her voice.
“I just started work… please be patient with me. I will send something as soon as I get paid.”
“Okay…” the voice replied weakly before the call ended.
Ijeoma lowered her phone slowly.
And sat down for a moment.
Then she stood up again.
“I cannot fail them,” she whispered.
At ALABAMA Business Enterprise, the day was already busy.
Ijeoma continued her cleaning work quietly, but her mind was not fully present.
She didn’t notice Akachukwu approaching until he stopped near her.
“You are distracted,” he said calmly.
Ijeoma flinched slightly.
“I’m sorry sir.”
He studied her for a moment.
She looked tired… not physically, but emotionally.
But he didn’t ask.
“Focus on your work,” he said instead.
“Yes sir.”
And he walked away.
But this time, his steps slowed slightly before he left.
Upstairs, Chelsea sat across from a business associate, but her mind was elsewhere.
She was thinking about the cleaner.
About the way Akachukwu had looked at her.
Not love.
Not affection.
But attention.
And that bothered her.
Ijeoma was assigned to clean the CEO’s private office.
Her heart sank slightly when she heard it.
But she had no choice.
“Yes ma,” she said quietly.
The office was large, quiet, and intimidating.
She cleaned carefully, trying not to touch anything important.
But as she reached the desk, she noticed a framed photo.
She paused.
Akachukwu.
And Chelsea.
A perfect couple.
Ijeoma looked at it for a second longer than she should have… then quickly turned away.
“I should not be looking at this,” she whispered.
The door suddenly opened.
She turned quickly.
Akachukwu stood there.
Watching her.
His eyes immediately went to the photo on the desk.
“I didn’t tell you to touch anything on my table.”
His voice was calm.
But firm.
Ijeoma froze.
“I’m sorry sir… I was just cleaning.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
He stepped closer.
Too close again.
“This office is not just for cleaning.”
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“It holds things people are not supposed to see.”
Ijeoma’s heart beat faster.
For the first time…
She felt like she had stepped into something much bigger than she understood.
- Writer
