Pearls of Love (Episode VII)
By Charles Oluyori
Back to the present. We wake as early as 4:30am everyday to get the kids prepared for school, at the most by 6:30 am I was usually out of the house for the day's work.
Even on days I don't go to the office I still wake at the same time.
The driver had already been instructed to pick them up by 6:30. Ordinarily I preferred doing that chore by myself, I mean I find it a difficult task trusting anyone with the safety of the kids, not even Ann.
But this morning, was one of my my very busy mornings, I think Ann would not be having the time too, so I had made a quick arrangement with the family driver to drop them at school that day.
That morning, while I was bathing for Peter, I remember we talked about his new class teacher, I think, he said she is Aunty Bola, she complained about his rough hair. I use to have a stubborn hair while in secondary school, I remember having very serious issues with one of the school teachers then, she used to think I deliberately left my hair rough, until she became my friend and discovered otherwise.
She taught me how to carry a comb in my pocket while in school and comb at intervals.
Peter is becoming a big boy now, even though it was just like
yesterday when he was born
Ann was the one driving this morning, she would be taking the car to her place of work.
We were both putting on black suit, hers was a trouser suit, it looked so fitting on her, it was our first wedding anniversary suit, we used it during the church thanksgiving service. We discussed about our different schedules for the day. I was getting tired of my clothes and needed to
get new clothes. For clothes and some other not-so-important things, we used a joint family account for such purchases, so I needed her consent to withdraw some money.
It is a long entrance into the company, and you see different security personnel, and traffic officers representing the company, at the road to warn drivers to drive safely and to ensure safety and security into the company.
Some of the workers recognized us as we drove in and they waved us in. The company is built on very large acres of land. It was a computer hardware and system manufacturing company, with the largest company site and highest number of workers in the whole city. Even oil company workers envied the salaries paid to our staffs.
She drives straight to my department building, it was the third building after the major entrance into the company.
Just before she parked the car, she asked "How is it with my proposal?"
I had almost forgotten which proposal it was...
"Oh, yea, I will follow up on it" I had almost forgotten about it. I know many of our senior colleagues also has personal interest, my plan was to discuss personally with the Chairman. In most cases I like to go through the application department, but this has to do with Ann, and must be taken more seriously.
The Chairman hadn't been in the country for a while, probably I should just discuss with the MD, but who knows, the MD may also have some personal interests.
The proposal was supposed to go through HR, even though we had submitted the proposal to the department, it could take forever if we don't take it from above.
Ann was proposing for the position of a medical
consultant for the company. The company was starting a medical service
for its full staff and consultants were outsourced. But the HR people
always have a way of putting their own people into every available
position. I wasn't close to anyone in the HR department, but I could
talk to the MD. Apart from him being like my godfather
in the company since I was recommended by the Chairman, I was also well known
and kind of powerful in the company because of the nature of my work as the Head of Audit
Investigation.
I opened the car door, we kissed and I stepped out carrying my laptop
bag. A security guard quickly steps by and took the bag from me and escorted
me to the elevator were I took the lift to my office at the fifth floor
of the building. I walked through the PA's office to my large and well
furnished office. I pulled the blind before walking to my desk. The PA
wasn't on seat when I walked in but before I finished arranging my desk,
she walked in.
"Good morning sir"
"Good morning"
"You have some mails sir"
"Alright" I will check them at once, I answered as she left three mails on my desk.
"Thank you" I said. "I will call on you once I'm through"
The first mail was an internal memo from the MD's office inviting all
the senior staffs of the company for a meeting the following week, the
second mail was from publishing company abroad requesting to use my "Stolen
manuscript" novel for a movie, while the third mail was from my car insurance
company, my insurance would be expiring in three months.
After reading the mails I got to work immediately. There was still a pending issue of fifty
million missing amount from one of the departments of the company, which was part of the issues I had been asked to address during the EXCO meeting by the following week. And we are yet to conclude on the case not to talk of writing the report.
Some people were already thinking of how to take over my job, as some feel I wasn't even qualified for the position, because they feel I was too young and hadn't been in the company long enough.
I went through the summary of my worksheet. I searched
through over ten million items drawn on excel sheet, checking for various fifty million, and there were several fifty million. Excel is one of the
best packages of Microsoft, helps you to keep your work tidy and also
ensures that you are up to date with it particularly when it is an
account summary of so many data.But not many people know how to use Excel.
As much as I had many junior colleagues reporting to me, there are some jobs I don't necessarily leave to my colleagues, I take them up by myself because I would be the one to present or answer to them and EXCO meetings not those colleagues. This is one of the reasons some bosses don't succeed at their works, they leave everything to their colleagues.
There would be no other day to sort out this matter. It has to be today. I can imagine the look in Steve's eye should I come to the EXCO meeting without a well tight position, that guy I know has an eye for my position, he just couldn't say it out. He is the Manager of the Compliance & Due Process, and all he does at every EXCO meeting is to pick out errors from what everyone was saying. I really see no reason why he should be there, except for the fact that he heads a department or unit
I had earlier ensured that no one interrupted me that morning, no visitors, no calls and no distractions from the TV as I searched through various columns
for entries of monies going into different companies account within the
past one year; the total amount was over a billion. I hated figures,
they get me confused, I still don't know I ended up being an accountant.
Figures makes me dizzy a times.
By 12 I would be making a presentation at the Corporate Affairs department and so I couldn't conclude on the work. There was a new product being introduced into market by the company and our input on the Control aspect was sort and as the head of Audit and Investigation department I had to reason out along my colleagues the best control for the product which I was to present to the Corporate Affairs department who would now champion it to the entire company and the public.
One silly thing they did was informing us after the product was already out, we were supposed to work along with the products department to give them advice on the control part while they were still on it. But that doesn't deter us from our work. I agreed to give
them a feedback even though I felt it was wrong to notify audit after a
product was already being introduced instead of from the beginning when
it was being manufactured.
My friend Ken, is one of the engineers of the company, I hadn't set my eyes on him in a long time, but ran into him after the
meeting at the Corporate Affairs department. Since he was a product engineer, he had more tasks even more than me the auditor.
His
wife had just delivered a baby but I hadn't been able to check on them.
They must think I am a bad guy. But I guess Ken really understands. He
was my best man during my wedding and he was about the only friend I
still keep.
We shook hand and embraced slightly, he was a great buddy.
"See I'm truly sorry, I haven't checked you guys"
"I understand Dan; everyone is so tied up these days"
"Work", I added
"Yea work" he said "How is Ann?"
"Ann is doing great, thanks" How is your baby and mom?" I asked feeling very guilty.
"They are both doing great"
His wife gave birth about two months back even as close as we were, my
family hadn't been able to pay them a visit because of work schedules.
The little time I have, I had rather spend with my family than pay
social visits.
"Ken, I sincerely apologize, please we will find time to check you guys up soon"
"I understand",he replied.
"So how is the baby?" I asked.
"Great" He answered.
We couldn't talk for long; we were standing at the entrance to the
elevator. As soon as the elevator door opened we went in. He was going
down to the first floor while I was going to the fifth floor.
As we approached the fifth floor, I assured him again that we will be visiting his family soonest.
"I will see what I can fix for this weekend. I guess we have to squeeze
out some time to come over, please tell Kate to take good care of her".
"I will", we shook hands as I alighted from the elevator.
Ken and I had been friends since I joined the company some years ago
that was three years before I married Ann. We were one of the youngest
staffs in the company then when we were employed as fresh graduates. The good thing with the company is that hard work is
compensated, and it didn't matter how long you have stayed in the
company. Once you are hardworking and meeting your targets, creative and talented, your promotion is certain. You can get promoted twice a year
depending on how smart you are, and you can be without promotion for
five years too if you are lazy and unproductive. Higher responsibilities
means promotion, promotion means more money, recognition, and more
promotions.
I was very fortunate to receive several promotions and awards within my
eight years that I had served the company, and so being in the
managerial position which I occupy today didn't come easy. Within a
space of eight years I rose from a graduate trainee to a Manager and
Head of a department.
I have always known that many companies do not reward hard work. Some
will rather reward a longer stay even if you are unproductive. I
wouldn't work for such a company regardless what they offer.
So many of my colleagues and subordinates envied my rise in the
company, I was heading some people who were my bosses when I joined the
company. I knew without being told that so many of them were jealous of
my success and I was very careful to note this. Some people even carried
rumor that I was being promoted because I was related to the Chairman of the company. But none of these was true. HR and Performance
department were strictly in charge of promotion. But I got most of my
promotion through external recommendations, some from the office of the
MD and through external examiners.
I met Ken then during an audit of his department a year precisely after I
joined the company. I was the head of a team to audit his department. As
at the time I was selected to head the team to audit the department, a
lot of other new staff would have hardly learned the basics of the job, but I was already a team leader.
During my wedding, the Chairman of the company personally attended my
wedding and presented a cheque of one million; that was the money we
used in securing our first apartment. I have had a good relationship
with him ever since and even with the past MD and the present one.
I think one of the things that helped my ascension in the company was
because of the various professional exams I wrote from time to time
particularly ICAN and ACCA, apart from the fact that I obtained a first
class in Economics. I was also a chartered accountant with diploma in some
management courses.
Immediately I stepped into the office, the telephone rang. It was Ann.
"Hello sweetheart"
Categories: Short Stories & Articles
You May Also Like:
Related Posts via Categories:
Like Our Facebook Page
Follow Us on Twitter
BB: 7ABCA2A7
Channel Pin: C00352CD2
WhatsApp: 08105649346
Phone: (234) 08121807240
E-mail: ackcity@gmail.com
Follow Us on Twitter
BB: 7ABCA2A7
Channel Pin: C00352CD2
WhatsApp: 08105649346
Phone: (234) 08121807240
E-mail: ackcity@gmail.com
No comments