CHAPTER 2

SUBSTITUTE



NARRATED



" You are ten minutes late but thank God the boss is not in too.!"

The receptionist rushed to Qinile the second she walked in.

She dragged her to the elevator and went to the sixth floor where she will be working as the new SK enterprises CEO's personal assistant.

This is another day in heels and she feels like screaming. God is not complaining at all.

" The boss might be here soon, please. Introduce yourself kindly and from there I'll be assigned to show you around."

" Around the whole building.?"

She nods.

" This is where you will be seated through out your days.."

This is literally inside Skhosana's office and he never had a female assistant before.

You can't cage a lion with a rabbit in one cell probably one will stress the other.

Qinile sit on the chair on the left that is an open view to Mr Skhosana's desk and view.

There is no privacy in this company, they could have included that on the job posters that they handed out to advertise this job position.

She kicks off her heels and exhale a big one as she closed her eyes.

The receptionist snap her fingers at her face .

" Don't mess this up Shem please, you are the seventh personal assistant in just three months."

" Haibo. "

This guy surely took ' never trust anyone ' seriously even for work purposes. Not even a mere human should be infront of him for a month now.?

Sindi walked out leaving Qinile with few papers to see through before she starts her work for the day when Mr Skhosana pleases to come to work.



Obviously she has a mind for a reason and that's why she keeps on shaking her head from time to time trying to solve the issue behold on the papers infront of her.





SKHOSANA



Arguing in the morning is not good for the brain. But that doesn't explain why he is standing outside his office door looking inside as the young lad sat in peace enjoying whatever she is doing there.

He walked in, put his laptop bag on the desk and stood.

" Who the hell are you.?"

Qinile stands, of course the voice caught her off guard and scared the little demons in her flesh.

" Good morning....–sir."

His eyes narrowed down on the heels under the desk and her exposed feet.

Now this is something on its own.

" What are you doing in my office.?"

A leading gasp from her.

" Oh, Uhm.. am your new personal assistant sir."

A smile follows.

He dramatically sat against the desk scanning Qinile for a joke on her face but girl is smiling like hell.

Sindi has to explain this to him. He asked her to interview candidates that are willing to work for him not ..

Whatever Qinile is to work for him.

He pressed the office call to Sindi quick without another word.

" To my office, now.!"

Qinile was already annoyed and knew what he meant by that.

He doesn't want her here. So basically on other ways she is fired before he can even have an hour working.



Sindi matched in finding the two standing without a verbal communication between them.

" Sir, you called."

" What's this.? "

Sindi eyed Qinile and back to Skhosana. Damn her throat is itchy.

" Sir, this is the new personal assistant."

She should know that's impossible from him, to him. How.?

A girl.?

" No Sindi, we don't work like that. I don't work like that.

A male personal assistant is what I told you to find not.."

He snaps his looks to Qinile with quite a lot to say with eyes and then he breathed out.

" There were no candidates sir. She was the only one that pitched that day. "

A painful song to his ears.

" Meaning.?"

" Sir, miss Nyambose is the only person that came for the interview and apparently there is a leak saying you treat your assistants unfairly including neglecting their working rights."

Sindi says not looking at his face.

He finds this amusing of why he doesn't know anything about it.



" Is there anything else sir."

There is a lot going on in his life that he can't just breathe out like oxygen. He looked up to Qinile for one last look before he can make the final decision.

" Yes, get her a new place to stay far from my office if that's the last thing you can do right in your life."

Qinile blinked in disbelief. So does that mean...

" I got the job."

He is too judgemental for being a human.

At this age.!

" Unfortunately there is no more extra space in the building for an office. They are all occupied. And this is where your assistants used to be sir."

" Did I complain.?"

He snapped.

" Get her a damn office out of my sight.!"

Harsh puppy.!

" That will take few dance. I'll work on that."

Poor old man is fumimg in hot lava.

Sindi walked out on them quickly and the first thing she will do is to start letter looking for a place for Qinile to sit on the rest of her working days in this company or else Skhosana is burning the two of them to Ashes.



Why is he so harsh and naive around females.?













NELISIWE.



One thing her dead mother might be doing in her grave at the moment is laying curse after curse on her. She dialled her best friend's number with a smile and a bottle of Kingsley soda on the table and a full glass on her hand as she put the phone on her ear.

She has the beautiful smile ever today and it's all because Qinile got a good job.

" Hello Noku."

She says and giggles.

" I hope we are safe Nelisiwe, ngifounelwa nguwe namhlanje."

She giggles again and takes a sip as if it's a hot tea that she is drinking .

" Of course you are safe darling. Ngithi ngibuze ukuthe that stockvel of yours is still available.?"



Nukubonga felt a cold touch to her soul. Whatever is happening to Nelisiwe at the moment is dangerous on their eyes now.

The last time she checked, Nelisiwe said she had no money to pay any stockvel or can't afford to join anything that will consume money out of her pockets.

" Hello, Noku darling, Are you still there.?"

God can work overtime and that much appreciated for most of us but this was way over the time . Not even Judas is fit to claim this art on Nelisiwe.

" Of course the stockvel is on. And next month we are going to the Gaza's for a party."

Nelisiwe smiles.

" Yhoo yhoo. Count me in. Where there is a party is where Nelisiwe is."

" You are not part of our members. You never paid a joining fee."

Oh, that.!

Nelisiwe laughed it off.

" How much is the joining fee.?"

" It's three hundred rands including the member shirt."

Music to her ears nje.

" Ok, expect me to pay you on month end Ntombi. "



" Where will you get the money from Nelisiwe, I can't even remember the last time you called me. "

Should they always know everything. A little two cent brag here and there and they are already breathing through pipes.

" Let's just say god is good Noku darling."

Again it's the new nice name calling for Nokubonga.

" Tell me , ain't we friends anymore.?"

The one that failed to borrow her a little five hundred rand for bread and sugar.?

" Talk later darling, bye."



Nelisiwe hangs up the phone and giggled to herself.

Now she just wait and watch. . soon the news that Nelisiwe is joining the popular stockvel will be everywhere in the neighbourhood and that she can't wait of.

They laughed at her for so long now. Saying all sorts of bad things about her and her daughters.

This game is still far from heaven. Soon they will breathe her steps and have her steps for dinner.



She doesn't even regret demotivating Qinile to stop looking for a high paying job because without her discouragement Qinile wouldn't be here as she is now.

This is good.





QINILE



He hasn't looked my way for the whole four hours as if the two of us can't see each other. This man can barely talk and at the moment I don't thing he is breathing or feeling the oxygen just to stay alive.

Not a sound from him ever since he sat there. Why am I even a person assistant if I can't even talk to the person who is the boss of this whole building.

He moves with the world I say..



I hardly stay quiet in a day and God knows that. My mother gave me a mouth to voice out whatever that's in my head but here..

I still can't believe I made it out of four hours to five without opening my mouth.

No wonder no one wants to work under him as personal assistant.

Imagen Sindi said am the seventh person to work under this job position in three months.

Lord no.. this is not my life, it can never be.

He might be old but am not. I can't survive the silence as if am no human. What's the point of not being deaf and dumb.?



My hello kitty ringtone ruined his peace and cracked the silence in this room into two.

I picked up my phone putting it on my ear and wear my heels up quickly leaving the office.



" You don't have timing "

" Sawbona Sisi. Yaz I've been meaning to call you since morning but I was busy with Something."

Liar.

This one can never deceive the good devil in me with her lies.

" And I hope that busy thing doesn't involve another murder case and expelling you from varsity."

" I can't make the same mistake twice."

Asbonge.

" Like, do you have any money to spare. I was told to buy some books and I managed to get only two. One is left, I didn't want to call you up and stress you a week ago but now am in hell need of it."



" A week ago sthembisile.? Like really now. I told you to tell me whenever it's something that has to do with your studies."

I could feel her breath crossing the phone speaker.

" I thought I had it under control. "

" Ok, can you wait till month end.?"

I need to breathe before anything else now. This girl will kill me . Education is very important, she can't make excuses over that. No matter what I don't have in life but I can never fail to make ends meet for her education and her health. Am the big sister and her responsibilities at the moment are on me.

" I'll try on my side too I promise, I didn't mean to be a burden."

" What burden.? "

" It's ok. Talk later."

She hanged up on me.

Sthembisile disconnected the call on me just like that.

She is high on something I swear because I'll break her two left legs for this.



I find myself on the Wayback to the office and my heart nearly gave up on me.

I breathed out and walked back the office with the last confidence in me that I had to find in the deepest pit of my nerves.

Yeah Neh.

My salutations to the almighty God.



" It's lunch time."

He caught me off guard before I could sit.

I didn't bring lunch, nor do I have enough money for lunch. The only money left in me is that to carry me back home at the end of the day.

" I'll be out for the day. When you come back to the office you can deal with this papers and handle the rest of the emails."

He dust off his *** off the chair grabbing his suit jacket and laptop bag before he walked out of the door.



Finally.!

A time to myself after so long.

I sat down. I have no plans for lunch neither are there any plans so I grab the files and open my new laptop the company.

By tomorrow I'll be done with this work and ready for another day.

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Nomsamnguni

This sounds interesting

Posted on November 17, 2024, 11:53 am

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