Chapter 11

Things turned awkward for the Mercy family. No family chats or late night conversations anymore. The girls or ladies don't chat or gist anymore and the parents seem to be having serious trouble between themselves. They are either seen throwing bad looks at one another or arguing about unnecessary things which always ends on whether Dorris stays or leaves.

Mr. Mercy really wants his daughter too continue living with them but Mrs. Mercy thought it otherwise. She felt it is safe and better if Dorris leaves the house for them. She saw Dorris as threat and danger to Mary.

Mary on her own part is not so happy that Dorris is leaving but she is happy that her number one competitor will be leaving for good. She doesn't care if she finds a new place to call home or people to call family. She doesn't care if she sleeps in the open streets or gutters or under the bridge. Her main concern was to get rid of her and it worked.

And Dorris?

How is she taking all these?

How is she coping with all these problems knowing that it started all because of her.

Well, Dorris have turned to a shadow of herself. She has lost her cheerful self and lively spirit.

She had a good beautiful aura which have now turned to slow sobs and quietness. She is crawling back in to her shell without realizing it.

"Miss Mercy, Miss Mercy, Miss Mercy!"

She jumped out of her thoughts to answer the call. Surprisingly, it was her own boss standing before her with a flat office file in his left hands and of course his right hand tucked in his trousers pocket.

She stood up to answer her boss, she wiped her face with the back of her hands and dusted it at her skirt.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't see you there. What can I do for you sir?" she rushed through her questions as she dust her clothes.

Her boss took a good look at her and shook his head.

'This is not the woman I once know'.

This is not the woman I met in Dubai and this is not the woman I got entangled with weeks pass'. He thought.

"What can I do for you sir?" she asked in her most polite voice that one would think that everything is okay with her.

But, one who knows her too well will see that she is trying so hard to take charge of the situation.

Her boss looked at her again before dropping the files on her desk.

"Go through them. I do not need to teach you your job but I need the file ready by tomorrow" he instructed her. She bowed in respect and quietly took the file from him.

He turned around to leave but stopped. He turned around to face her and smiled at her. She looked up at him and smiled in a professional manner. Though the smile didn't turn out well or charming as an office lady but she held it there plastered on her face.

He kept his unique smiles while starring at her Angelic face while the cute little angel tried her best to keep her smile on her face for too long.

She knows that she will break down any moment from then but she is not willing to risk her job for any reason. All she needs to do is keep smiling at him even though it seems so hard.

At a time she finds the smile hurting her life and being.

She was not used to smiling for a long time like she is doing now. The smiles on her face were all fake but she had to keep up with the boss.

She thought about the last time she ever smiled at someone genuinely as now, she thought about the last time she ever looked at someone and smiled. She couldn't remember when.

She kept looking at her boss but at time she felt tears drop from her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying, she believed it's because she haven't smiled at anyone for more than five months.

A simple correction cost her her family and her happiness. Her family were her happiness and life. Now that she have lost them, how will she cope.

What was the point of smiling at someone when I know that once I go back home I will surely as hell go back to my idle lonely self.

When she couldn't keep pretending to her everything was fine, she let go of the tears.

She let go of her tears and it flows off freely from her eyes, down to her cheeks and staining her clothes. Some fell on to the table top.

She sobs so hard as her boss watches. She was hurting inside and he knows. All he wants to do is to console her and be her pillar. He wanted to hold her and make her believe that everything was okay. That was exactly what he did.

He helped her stand and hugged her. She still couldn't stop crying.

"How long have you been suffering my dear? Why didn't you tell me about your problems, I promise I would have helped you sooner" he told her but, she wasn't even paying attention to any of that.

Her major concern was the fact that he was there to console her and make her weight less painful.

"Come on let's get you comfortable" her boss said and guided her to his inner room. Only the two of them and his parents knows about the secret room.

When they got to the room, he helped her lie down then covered her with the duvet.

He waited till she slept off before he left the room. He needs to get back to work.

Whatever it is that is bothering her, they will talk about it when she feels better.

Dorris slept for hours and when she woke up, it was already dark. She stirred up from the bed and stood up. The first thing she noticed was her boss working on the desk, his eyes were fixed on the desk.

"Good evening sir" she greeted her boss. It was the only way she could get his attention.

He turned his head towards her and smiled. He quickly closed the files and turned the desk top off.

He walked towards her, kissed her forehead and held her hands.

"Are you okay now?" he asked her.

"I think so, I feel better now. Thank you" he nodded

"Dress up, we're leaving now"

She went towards her heels, wore them and grabbed her bag. When she came to the door, her boss was standing there with his case in his left hand and his right hand tucked in his trousers pocket

"Let's go dear" he lead the way as she followed closely.

When they got to the main entrance, she saw it was dark already and shivered. Thoughts of what her mom would say to her filled her mind. Her mother might have called Cordis and asked about her.

She took out her phone to call Cordis, her boss interfered.

"Don't worry about Cordis, I already spoke with her. She will cover up for my little daddy's girl". He told her and she kept her cellphone back in her purse.

They walked towards the car, immediately the driver saw him, he rushed to the car and held the door open for them. They climbed in at the back and the driver closed the door behind them.

The ride was a bored one. Mr. Chris have his mind occupied with work and Dorris's case while Dorris on the other hand was thinking about what her mother will do once she see her boss drop her at home.

She kept her thoughts within her and tried not to look at her boss. She was sure he will be looking at her right now.

"You can drop me here sir, I can trek home sir" Dorris said. For the hundredth time her boss looked at her and sighed.

"you want to drop off here?" he asked

"Yes sir. Our house is already close" she said

"Do you have any other plans?"

"No sir, I just didn't want to stress you. You really need to rest" she defended

"Is your boyfriend waiting for you?"

She looked at him and sighed.

"We broke up the day I met you"

"Okay" he said and relaxed.

Seeing that he was not ready to let go, she dropped the topic and sat back.

Her thoughts were of what will happen when she gets home with a man. It's not like Andrew didn't visit her at home. He did, but that was on a different case. They were still in good communication then. Her family were still close and united.

Now that her actions and attitudes causes problems, she felt that her mom will make the situation go far.

They pulled over at her gate and got down.

Her boss carried her bag for her as they walk into the compound.

Dorris was unusually quiet, her boss noticed but decides to keep it within himself.

They walked into the gates and met Mrs. Mercy sitting on a chair outside. She was sitting close to the entrance door.

Dorris and her boss walked up to her, her boss was still carrying her bag.

"Good evening mom" Dorris greeted

"Good evening Mrs Mercy"Mr. Chris greeted

Her mother jumped up from her seat and landed a heavy slap on Dorris's cheek.

"What is good about the evening? Huh? Tell me. What is good about the evening that you left for work since morning and you are just coming now? You even brought a man in to my house" she fired at Dorris with her voice rising high over the horizon.

Dorris bent her head in shame, this was something she never wanted her boss to see.

This was the reason why she asked her boss to drop her off earlier. She didn't want him to see her as a weakling or a girl from a broken home.

She wanted to be recognized as the hardworking lady she is.

"Mummy, this is my boss. He brought me home because we worked late in to the night" Dorris defended herself. That earned her another heavy slap.

"What nonsense. You have the nerves to challenge me right?"

"No, mother I will never do that. I am sorry, please forgive me" she pleaded.

"You claim that this man over here is your boss? What kind of relationship do you have with your boss that he brought you back himself"

Dorris was quiet. She do not know where the question was heading to. Or why her mother was asking her such questions.

"Did you lure him to bed?" left her mother's lips.

"Answer me Dorris, did you sleep with him?" her mother asked.

"Mother why are you doing this, you are embarrassing me. Please stop this"

"So, it is true" Mrs Mercy said coming close up to Dorris who took few steps back.

Mary told me all I needed to know about you and it turns out to be true. You jumped on his bed to get promoted, you skipped work to let him handle you the way he wants. You stayed back after work to make the good bye sex before leaving. As if all that wasn't enough, you brought him home to disgrace me".

Dorris went mute and dump. She knew Mary to be jealous but not to this extend.

How did she find out about everything?

"Mother, can I go in please?" Dorris begged after stealing a look at her boss.

She didn't want her boss to witness them fight.

"You know your way into the house" .

Dorris took her bag from her boss. She expected him to leave but he refused. He wanted to see her walk into the house before leaving.

"Good night sir...." she greeted and walked in.

Immediately she walked in to the house, her mother followed suite locking the doors behind her.

When Chris was sure that Dorris might have gone to bed he turned around to leave.

His thoughts were filed with the drama he watched live at the Mercy's apartment. He do not know what to call it.

He was almost outside the gate when he heard someone screamed.

It was the voice of the woman he admires.

The voice of the one he badly wanted to call his own.

The woman he wishes to call my woman.

He could feel that he like her.

She was screaming in pains and shouting on top of her voice.

Whatever it is that makes her scream is way too much.

He turned around and ran back to the building and collided with a creature running out of the building.

They fell on the floor and rolled down the steps. He held the person in his arms, guiding whoever it is in his hands to make sure that the creature was safe.

"Boss" someone called.

The voice that released the name sounded familiar to him. It was the voice of the woman he wants to call mine.

"Are you hurt?" Dorris repeated.

He held her and stood up.

"I'm okay. Why are you crying?" he was still asking when the door flew open and he saw piles of luggage packed at the front door. Mrs. Mercy walked out the door and dragged the box one after another to the gate. She was fuming in anger and almost destroyed the bags.

She threw the bags at the foot of the gate and went back inside the house. she locked the door and went up to her room. Minutes later, she turned off the lights.

Dorris stood at the front door looking speechless and hurt. She knew her mom threatened to throw her out if she doesn't leave by the end of the month. Apparently, she gave her four months quit notice as her mom called it, now is the fifth month. She had waved the issue aside and concentrated on her work thinking that her mom will still come around and wipe away the issue of throwing her daughter out of the house.

She should have listened to her mom and rented an apartment.

She should have left home when her mom gave her time.

She should have left when she still have the opportunity and save herself from the embarrassment.

She looked back at her boss and his gaze was still on the front door her mother had locked few minutes ago. He shook his head and led her to the bench just outside the porch.

"do you have any place in mind?" he asked her.

But the poor little creature shook her head and weep. She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Her parents have abandoned her at her darkest days.

When she felt better, she walked away from her boss comfort and phoned Clara.