Prince Felix's Obsession

Chapter 2

Felix leans across, on my desk trying to catch my attention but I seem more focused as I begin to work on the tasks before me, I got to start something even though I may not be able to finish it on time. I keep on focusing on my desktop, no longer interested in a conversation with him. He's not my class and would probably dumb me after using me. I don't want to be taken for granted, everyone knows how great a flirt he is.

As I type into my system, I take my eyes to and fro the button corner to check time, with each passing second, I'm running out of time. Desperation starts to set in, I'm feeling like I'm losing right now, time is working faster than me as I race to finish up before 3 PM, sounds like an impossible task. I become so engrossed in my work that I no longer realize if Felix is still standing over my desk or not.

When I finally looked up as the time is up, he's no longer there, instead of him, I see my boss walking angrily towards me, from the elevator. I shiver, my heart begins to pound so heavily. He doesn't seems like a carrier of good news right now but bad, not being pessimistic but judging based on his appearance. He looks so pissed.

"Mary, what the hell is wrong with you?" He begins the scolding a few inches from my position. "Why didn't you finish the tasks I assigned to you? Do you know the effects that single act of non-diligence has caused to this company?" He barks.

I shiver, not knowing what to say as response. My heart flashes back to Felix, he's the main reason I couldn't complete my task, the minutes we spent in our conversation would have been used in doing some meaningful things as this, we had a worthwhile conversation but I think, here is a more vital thing I should have paid more attention to because it has to do with my means of livelihood.

I feel so annoyed with him right now, I wished he was here to witness what he has caused.

I continue gazing at my boss with fear. "I..I...I didn't.." I stammer, clearly nervous and shocked. Panic runs through my veins, a sense of tragedy hovers around.

"Mary, you have no excuse, you're sacked!"

"What!" I scream. No no no, this seems like a dream. I don't believe what I just heard. "Please sir, I don't deserve this. I was with the.."

"I need no explanations, just know that you're sacked." Those words dropped heavily on my ears, I kept my eyes and mouth wide. Before I could react further, he walked off. I stare in shock as he walks off the ground floor to the elevator and ascends, my eyes steadies on him till he's out of sight. When he's no longer in sight, I look at my desktop, no need to work on anything again. I've been sacked.

Tears begin to stream down from my eyes to my cheeks, I bend over my desk and cry. It dawns on me that a late customer or anyone might walk up and see me in this mood, so I quickly run to the restroom which is not so faraway. I'd never been heartbroken this way before, I can't remember the last time I even cried.

I think the last time I cried was seven years ago when I lived with my mistress. I'd experienced the most horrible time ever, her ill treatments made me strong anyway. I cried a lot those days, I never thought that I'll have to shed tears for anything again. I learnt to be a strong and be an independent woman who does not let negative energies around affect her.

Growing up, I never had the comforts and joys of every ordinary kid, I never lived with my parents but with a wicked stepmom. My mom died when I was five, dad died a year after leaving me with my stepmom and her three kids. They gave me the most horrible and inhumane treatment, there were times I forgot I was a human, rather I had these feeling most of the times that I was a beast, slave or some lower creature in my own childish mentality back then. I knew nothing like a loving care from a parent, but torture and hatred.

I can remember once she used a hot iron on my foot, because I failed to wash her clothes and iron before she came back from work. The misery was so much that I found myself escaping in the middle of the night, I sneaked out of the house. Then I was eight years old.

After running away from home, I had nowhere to go and no one to stay with. I ended up living in the streets with other kids who had no one or who had ran away from home like me, some were sent away. I would go out in the day doing cleaning jobs for people at homes, weeding their gardens for a little pay or food to satisfy my hunger.

That's how I survived till the government drove us out of the street into orphanages. Being that I never wanted to live in the orphanage and be adopted by any stranger, I escaped. I wanted to stay on my own. This' how I ran away to the Lisiac beach, a lonely beach with an abandoned beach house on the coast of Prymoth.

I would cover myself with a blanket every night, and in the day I'd continue with my manual jobs. The pay wasn't really much but it aided me in my survival battle. I got secondhand worn-out clothes for myself with the little money I made.

One evening, a certain woman visited the beach with her kids. We found each other, at first she thought I came for an alone time and medication like her but afterwards, through our conversation she realized I was homeless. She offered me a job as a domestic maid in her house, she promised that the pay would be eighty pounds per week, I'd get free food and accommodation. I immediately jumped at the idea, I was the luckiest girl on earth.

My first two months working with her was as promised, very smooth and I felt so glad. Things began to take a different turn from the third. Every little mistake on my part would cause her to deduct my wages, starve me and some nights I'd have to stay outside all night, exposed to the freezing cold and all dangers of the night. I bore it all for years before I finally got determined to pack and leave her apartment and my work. I'd served her for over eight years. Then I got employed here as a sales girl. It happened that I was walking on the street a certain day when I saw the vacancy notice. I applied, luckily I was accepted. The manager at that time, that's three years ago, was so kind and compassionate, when he realized my condition, he employed me without need for an interview.

I promised myself that when I get a job and stand out as an independent, woman, I'd be focused and dedicated. I made this determination because of the sufferings I passed through in my childhood and teenage years. I had kept to this promise until now when my wall starts crumbling down, I weep uncontrollably as I have no other job now. My mind flashes back to Prince Felix. I wish I saw him now. I would pressure him to salvage the situation ask since he's the one that distracted me with his conversation, preventing me from remembering that I even had such tasks and hence finishing them on time.