Echoes Of The Heart

Episode 2

Sibusiswe didn’t find the joke that amusing. The look in her eye was enough of a warning to Sibeso.

“Just style my hair Sibe and stop talking.”
Sibusiswe loved the feel and every inch of the new office building. She finally felt like a real professional in her four inch stiletto heels and her black bodycon midi dress. If there was something she was sure of, it was that nothing about her body spelled teenager; every inch and curve on her was a vision of a woman to every naked eye that looked upon her.

The plump looking but incredibly pretty temporary receptionist directed Sibusiswe to the Human Resources offices on the second floor of the three story luxurious building. Sibusiswe couldn’t help stealing glances at the woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties. Her very light complexion and flawless skin had a glow that made any woman glare at her with envy.
Of course it didn’t help that the top part of her chest was literally screaming for attention. If the pretty receptionist dared accelerate her soft deliberate steps in those six inch heels by just a few more inches, Sibusiswe suspected her boobs might come flying off of her tiny tight blouse which was exposing three quarters of her cleavage.

According to the research Sibusiswe had done, M & M was one of the largest law firms in the country and was specialized in all forms of law. Controlled by one of the richest families in the country, the law firm boasted of having the crème de la crème of lawyers trained both locally and around the world.
After a few hours of training and induction, Sibusiswe had joined the pretty receptionist she had come to know as Peggy from Admin who had temporarily been assigned to the front desk. Sibu was instructed to observe Peggy as she went about the job but only for a day as she would have to take over the very next day.

Although she had initially started out nervous, as the day progressed whilst observing Peggy, Sibu gained more confidence upon realising that she could handle her new responsibilities. Unlike the reception at the Dental clinic, the new reception proved busier proved more demanding.

After having lunch at the company cafeteria, Peggy took Sibu outside for a tour of the premises and a more dig into the internal politics and gossip.

“So you should be very careful of the
Alpha around here,” Peggy continued their conversation from inside as they headed towards the back of the building where the parking lot was situated.
“Could you ladies by any chance be talking about me?” Came a voice from right behind them, causing them to almost jump in surprise.

It was Martin, attacking them with his mighty beautiful smile. “I already know what people around here call me,” he taunted them, watching and busking in their nervous guilty reactions. They had just been busted.
“Either you are too self-absorbed and think everything is all about you or you are just poking your nose where it doesn’t belong, Sir.” Sibu added the last part for caution’s sake. She was very well aware of her tongue’s ability to land her in trouble.
“You should really become a lawyer Sibusiswe,” Martin said, taking in every inch of her from head to toe while Peggy watched from the side in disbelief. “You are really quick on the tongue and you seem to have an answer to everything.”

How could a man so shameless make his intentions toward a woman known just by the way he looked at her? He really had no limits, Sibu thought.

If he wasn’t the son of M&M, a string of women would have by now sued him for sexual harassment . It seemed the same thought had crossed Peggy’s mind.

Martin Mwewa had a way of completely undressing a woman with just a look in his eyes.

“Don’t assume you know me just because you looked at a couple of pages about my life and asked me a few questions during the interview.” Sibu curtly replied.
“I sense some hostility,” Martin went on unashamedly. “I guess people have already filled you in about some garbage rumours about me.” He was looking at Peggy accusingly.
“I am not one to be easily influenced by the masses or heresy,” Sibu quipped. “So far, you have not given me any reason to be hostile to you, Sir…and it would certainly be considered poor judgement on my part to antagonize you without reason when I am yet to secure my position in your firm.” She deliberately placed emphasis on the pronoun.
Martin was shaking his head in astonishment. “When you graduate from UNZA, you should come work for me Sibusiswe. I think I am in-love with how your brain works. You girls continue your gossip, sorry for the rude interruption.” And with a smirk on his face, off he went in the direction where his car was parked; An E-class red Mercedes-Benz.
“I think it’s safe to say that you have been marked Sibu,” Peggy said once they were alone, watching as Martin arrogantly sped off past them.

“And I can safely say that he will regret setting me as the target of his lustful endeavours. Who the hell does he think he is?” Sibu curled her lips in anger as she watched the red car disappear into the distance.

When time to knock off came, Sibu couldn’t help breathe a sigh of relief. The torturous day had finally ended and she couldn’t wait to go and throw herself on her bed till the next day. Her mind could not be at peace knowing she had somehow found herself a target for one man’s ego. She had been forced to constantly keep looking towards the entrance of the building for the rest of that day expecting Martin to arrogantly waltz in. He never did.

“Do you need a ride?” A voice came through the slightly opened window of the car that stopped in front of Sibu as she made her way to the nearest bus stop. It wasn’t a red Mercedes this time, but a grey 3-series BMW. Could he have actually gone to change cars? It was definitely something she couldn’t put past his ego.

Sibusiswe continued walking like she had neither heard nor seen anything. Noticing he was about to be totally ignored, the driver completely let down the window to reveal himself.

It was Ted.

Sibu liked Ted. Despite exuding a rich son’s persona, there was something humble and inviting about the good looking intern.
“Mr Zulu,” Sibu came to a sudden stop. “I am sorry, I thought you were someone else,” the words came out before she could stop them.
“Who did you think it was?” Ted asked, looking curious and amused.
“Just someone,” Sibu answered.
“Which direction are you going?”
“Northmead,”
“Get in, I live in Kalundi. You are right along the way.” He offered, moving to open the front passenger door before even hearing her response.

Sibu hesitated. They were still close to the office. The last thing she needed was people gossiping about her just after a day at work.
As if he had read her mind, Ted said, “whether you get it or not, I am sure by now there are quite a number of people who have seen my car right next to you. You have two choices; let them talk about you for no reason or give them an actual reason to talk about you…either way, you will still be the topic of gossip around the firm in the coming days.”
“You still stopped your car despite knowing all that?” She looked at him accusingly.
“I only had one intention for stopping, to offer you a ride. I am not responsible for what people think about and I certainly don’t give a dame especially when I know my intentions are honourable. I do not owe them an explanation. They can think whatever they want. I would hope you too would feel like that.”

“You have the luxury of taking such a stance meanwhile…I am just some teenage receptionist whose image is likely to be tarnished by rumours that could have easily been avoided. But since the damage has already been done, what the heck….” She shrugged her shoulders and went around the vehicle to seat in the front passenger seat.
“Good decision,” Ted said, waiting for her to finish strapping her seat belt before taking off.

“Who do you live with in Northmead?” Ted asked once they were on the road.
“I have a housemate,” she answered. “We are renting a one bedroomed flat…it’s cheaper to share the cost, not that you would know.”
“Why wouldn’t I know?” Ted asked.
“Is that a rhetoric question or you actually expect me to answer?” Sibusiswe asked.
“I am actually asking,” Ted laughed.
“I refuse to answer that question,” Sibu replied. “I will not contribute to inflating your ego this evening.”
Ted laughed, “you caught me,” he admitted. “I know exactly what you mean. I was just pulling your leg.”
“I heard you guys…you and your friend are studying law. When are you graduating?” She deliberately changed the topic.
Ted looked over at her surreptitiously as he mulled over her statement. “We have about a little over a year till we are done. Why do I get the feeling that you don’t like Martin very much?”

Sibusiswe held her hand to her mouth. Had she been busted again? “No, it’s not like I hate him,” she said. “I barely even know him.”

“You can be honest with me you know. You don’t need to watch your words just because I am Martin’s friend. I have heard worse things about him before. And you know what they say; there is a thin line between love and hate.” This time, he really looked at her to catch her reaction.

“I love this song!” Sibu changed the subject once again, moving her body forward to turn the volume up.

For what felt like forever, the two of them drove in silence with only the sound of the DJ and the music from the radio station filling the car. Sensing that he might never have another opportunity to ask, Ted braced himself to ask the question that had been bothering him since that first meeting.

Slowly turning down the volume, he place both hands on the steering wheel, cleared his throat and asked, “You had mentioned something about your mother during the interview…you said you couldn’t talk about it then, is it something you can talk about with me now?” He deliberately avoided looking at her, keeping his eyes on the road ahead despite the car barely moving from the heavy evening traffic.

With a deeply puzzled expression on her face, Sibusiswe turned to look at him. “Why do you want to know about my personal life when we are not even that close?”
“I am trying to get close to you right now,” he said, still not looking at her. “I think that’s why I am trying to get to know you a