Chapter 127

The next morning was highly tensed more than the previous day, the expectations of the parties involved in the election was heightened especially the two key contenders. The Harts seemed more relax based on some calculation that had shown the odds were high on their side. That morning, Olivia wasn't in a haste to go out, she felt she was better home than the crowded campaign office. The cheering and shouting from the crowd was building up a lot of anxiety. She took her bath, dressed casual and lay on the chair in the sitting room listening to some other program on the television. When Mira saw the way she was relaxed, she wondered of she was feeling okay, cos they were meant to be at the campaign office. Meanwhile she had dressed up, having got a message from Chase and Alicia on their readiness. She walked up to Olivia, felt her body temperature with the back of her palm to be sure she was okay. She then asked why she wasn't dressed. Olivia knew how stubborn her sister could be, she didn't want her to feel she was anxious and that it was having a negative impact on her. She got up, walked into the room and dressed up. They came out and met Chase , Alicia with the driver waiting. It was already over two hours late, calculating the time they were meant to be at the venue. Meanwhile, everyone knew that the remaining results were to be released that morning and the winner declared few hours after. 

They had just left the house when Olivia received a call from their Dad, he asked where she was, being that her attention was needed in the office. She wanted to find out from her Dad the reason for that, but he refused telling her. He decided so because they wanted to give her a surprise. It was at the verge of entering the office upon arrival that Olivia began to suspect that something unusual might have happened. There was a lot of jubilation, the music was loud and the people were all singing along in high voices. She got into the office, surprisingly, her Dad was there already. He took her and Mira to one of the empty offices, where he congratulated her but cautioned her not to let anyone know she had been briefed. All she was to do, was to write a speech she would present to both his team and his opponents. 

Mira couldn't hold her joy, she jumped on her sister, congratulated her. They left the room back to their usual office. Kelly was seated watching Olivia and Mira, he could feel the mood in them, and his instinct told him that it was possible Olivia had already won. All he wanted as things stood was to end his story and pass the message he had in mind. It was as if Olivia read his mind, she immediately asked Kelly if it was possible he continue that story from the last point. Already, Mira had taken the responsibility of writing the speech for her, so all she needed was something to keep her mind off the awaiting result, having known the outcome already.

Kelly continued the story; when he left the office, with the envelope in his hand, Pauline was behind him. They thanked the secretary and walked out of the door. In the lift, none of them said a word, Kelly was only listening to the echoing voice of Pauline's Dad as he was speaking in the office. He was mostly making effort to understand the stressed part of the statement which sounded more like a tip to what was expected of him this time having gone through a kind of probation. " ...you are expected to prioritize the interest of the company and the owners..." He tried to quote him using other words. All he wanted was a better analysis of the statement. He was already at the verge of making up his mind, Chamberlain was always on him, making sure he understood that he had to avoid the doomsday. As soon as they got into Pauline's car, Kelly opened the envelope, he saw a letter that was addressed to him, he had been officially reinstated to his former position as the deputy director marketing, but this time, he was to share same office with Pauline. All the benefit attributable to the positions stii stood, but the arrears of the period he wasn't available was to be paid. His official residence was reassigned to him, while his car was upgraded to an SUV. 

Pauline watched him from where he seated, she hadn't moved even though she had turned the engine on. She wanted to make sure Kelly was happy and possibly appreciate her effort. That she got, as soon as Kelly had finished reading the letter, he turned to her and hugged her, he also planted a kiss on her lips. Pauline was happy things were turning out the way she expected it, finally he was going to have Kelly for herself. She pushed the gear lever to D and stepped on the acceleration, the Buggati made a turbo sound and eased itself up, rolling out of the parking lot at the admiration of many onlookers. 

This calls for celebration you know, she said as she turned to Kelly.

I guess so, Kelly responded. 

She asked where he felt would be the best place to have a little happy moment, Kelly was about to give his response, when he got an alert and a preceding message. He took his phone and checked, it was as if he just woke up from the dream. He couldn't help but allowed the smile add more beauty to his already fine face. The alert was a credit of his salary arrears as stated in the letter, the balance shocked him, it was the balance he was having previously before he went bankrupt. He opened the second message, it was from the bank. They apologized to him for every inconveniences the freezing of his account might have caused him, while advising him that it has been unfreezed and a message to that effect would be sent shortly. 

The message served as a moral booster to him, there and then, he told Pauline that any place of her choice was well acceptable by him. He knew that at this point his platinum card would be able to make withdrawal or pay for whatever he bought. Pauline smiled, she accelerated the car the more and took the next exit by her left which saw them headed towards the ' DELUXE CLUB.'

Mira stepped in an interrupted the story, she had written the letter and wanted her sister to preview it so she would go ahead with the typing and printing. Olivia had to plead with Kelly for few minutes of the time to attend to her sister. This Kelly didn't consider as bad, hence his acceptance. Olivia didn't take much time, she was always a fast reader, she also knew her sister's capability, so she gave her the go ahead order to print. When Mira left, the story continued.

Immediately they entered the club, Kelly noticed that it was a place for the bourgeois. It was filled with children of the rich. He started feeding his eyes from the different kinds of cars he saw outside. They had only spent five minutes when some group of ladies approached Pauline, he noticed from the way they laughed and talked, that they were possibly friends or school mates. Pauline excused herself from him to have a little private chat with them, that was after an introduction, that he was yet to recover from. 

That short space, was useful him though, it gave him ample opportunity to think through the dynamics of life. In few weeks back, he was so rich, all of a sudden he fell from grace to grass, now again, he had become rich. He was able to appreciate and feel the pain of most men who had passed through his kind of predicament but weren't able to recover from it. Most times, according to him, people do not know their story. He had tested the other side of life, there was no better way to tell his story than pray that even his enemy wouldn't smell poverty. 

At this point, Kelly stood up, Olivia was watching him, she wondered why he did. He was about kneeling down when the door opened, Pat, Lucy, Mira were all rushing into the office. The shout that followed afterwards was loud enough to cause deafness. The crowed outside were shouting while the numerous staff inside sang songs of joy. It was all happening at once, kelly knew that Olivia had emerged the winner, but he wasn't happy that the opportunity for him to do what all that story was all about was denied him. He had to wait and find another wonderful moment to do this. The only alternative that presented itself to him at the moment was to join in the celebration of the new and first lady senator in that constituency.