The Elevator was not responding, and from the indicator above the door he could tell that the machine was still on the 9th floor. he hit the buttons several more times, but got no response still. His dad was waiting for him at the topmost floor and it would not be wise to keep him waiting for too long. From the way the old man had sounded on phone, he could tell that he was not in the best of moods. Pago decided to take the stairs. He wondered what the matter was this time as he rushed up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. It was two days after Christmas and the traffic in the building was still pretty light. It would be like that for the next few days, then it would go back to its usual busy state. It took him 15 minutes to reach the landing of the last step on the topmost floor. He tried steadying his breath as he walked through the deserted Secretary's office adjoining his father's office. At the door he almost stumbled on Segun Richard who was coming out. The look on the lawyer's face answered his questions but raised more.
"How did he know?" He asked quietly as they brushed passed each other.
"I don't know, he just called me to his office this morning to chew me out. I am lucky to still have my job."
"Oh! God." Pago groaned.
"Good luck." Segun threw at him as he walked towards the Secretary's door.
Pago closed the door silently behind him and entered into the office he hoped to one day occupy. His dad was seated behind the huge table, and he lowered the newspaper he was reading as Pago approached.
"Good morning dad." Pago greeted, sitting down.
"Good morning." the chief answered as he put the paper aside and regarded his son quietly for a while.
Pago began to get uneasy with the silence and the way his dad was looking at him.
"You asked me to come, that you want to see me." He said
"Of course, I did. Did you see Segun on your way in?"
"Yes."
"Then you must have an idea now, what this is all about."
"Yes, I do."
"Why did you ask him not to tell me about the divorce?" Victor's voice was calm, it did not in anyway betray his emotions. Pago didn't quite know how to handle a calm Victor. He preferred an angry and screaming Victor to an angry and calm one. Over the years, he had learnt that a calm Victor was full of surprises. His dad was only calm when he is angry; if he had reached a decision, if he was ready to give his judgment, which almost never favoured Pago.
"Cat got your tongue? I asked you a question."
Pago, resolving not to be intimidated, busted out "Daddy it's my marriage, my divorce. I have a right to decide who knows what about it, and when."
"Really?" Victor asked with a smile that never went passed his lips
"Yes, and I didn't tell him not to tell you about it at all, I only asked him to hold on, to give me time before letting you know about it. Which I believe I have a right to."
"Okay, I agree with you, it's your right and you've exercised it perfectly well."
Pago knew better than to rejoice, and he was right, because Victor was not done. "Since we are talking about rights here, I have also exercised a few rights of my own. From the first day of next year, the Project Acquisition and Implementation division will be having a new Executive Head, so you had better start clearing your desk, and while you are at it, start parking your things out of the company's building. As you know, it comes with the office, and since you won't be holding the office anymore, it's only fair you move out."
Pago could not believe his ears, it was as if he had been hit with a sledgehammer, the old man was cutting him off.
"You're not only sacking me, you're kicking me out of my house."
"The company's house. Besides, I am doing you a favour. Since you'll no longer be married, that house would be too big for you. You are welcome to move back in with me, I'm sure your room misses you. And I am not sacking you. You are still my son and you have a stake in the firm, so we still need your services. You'll be going back to the field, you'll head our field operations, I am sure you'll be better utilised there."
Pago was filled with rage as he stood up hitting the huge table and surprising his dad.
"Let me tell you what I think, you can take your goddamn job and accommodation and stuff them wherever you want. I have always sucked up to you since I was a kid. News flash dad, I'm done . I should have known long ago that it's impossible to please you. I'll be just fine on my own."
Victor's mouth was still wide open in surprise moments after Pago banged his office door on his way out.
★★★
Pago entered his office with the same anger and went straight to his table. He planned to clear his desk that day. He had stayed too long under his father's shadow, he didn't want to stay any longer. As he approached his table, his eye caught a portrait of his dad hanging on the wall. He went straight for it, pulled it down and smashed it on the edge of the table. The wooden work of art split into two, he flung both halves towards the office door then reached for the flower vase on his table and smashed it on the floor, breaking the ceramic into smithereens.
Then he started attacking the papers on his table, tearing them and sending them flying. He picked a brown office envelop and tore it open, making it's contents to drop on the table. As he made to sweep them to the floor, his hand hit a picture that was facing down and it turned and what he saw made him stop to look again. In the picture was a laughing Rose in the arms of a man. Pago sat down, took the picture and looked at it again, this time more critically. The man looked so familiar, the picture was taken at an angle so he could only see one side of the man's face.
"Jesus!" He breathed as he recognized him "Siji!" Though the picture did not capture his face well because it was taken secretly and at a distance, Pago could still swear it was Siji. He had changed slightly but he was sure it was him. On the table were other pictures, he picked them one after the other and looked with a racing heart. Siji carrying Rose on his Shoulder, Siji placing Rose on a merry-go-round, Siji smiling at Ese, Siji holding Ese. As he looked at each picture, again and again, the fury that began to build in him was a far cry from the one he had experienced earlier. He picked the envelope again and examined it, it was addressed to him. He knew immediately that it was from the private investigator he had contracted. He dipped his hand inside the envelope and brought out a smaller envelope, he tore it open, took the typed note inside and started reading.
About the Author
Soji Adeola Ayanleke was born about 3 decades ago in Kano.
He studied Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, he speaks Yoruba and Hausa fluently and he is trying to learn Igbo and Spanish. His hobbies are reading, writing and playing some indoor games.
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