CHAPTER FOUR: WITH A CHILD

George “Take a break; the meeting will continue in twenty minutes.” I announced this to the board members before excusing myself. I have not slept well in weeks. As a result, my head was aching terribly, and I needed rest. The meeting was necessary, but after staying there for ten minutes and my head beginning to pound profusely, I knew I had to excuse myself to rest a little. “Sir, you have a meeting with the Grace Foundation next, and that will be in an hour.” Lydia, my secretary, announced the moment I stepped out of the meeting hall. I didn’t think I could go; I’ll have to go see a doctor if the pain persists. “I won’t be going to the meeting; cancel it.” I decided, and I aired it. She didn’t look pleased, but I was the least worried. "Sir, the meeting is very important, and you have given them your word already.” She reminded me effortlessly, and I stopped walking. I rubbed my temple gently, thinking of a way out. “Take Miles with you; go to the meeting as my representative." Is that okay?” She still didn’t look pleased, but she nodded. “It is fine, sir, although your presence would be much appreciated.” “Do I have any other engagements?” I asked before she disappeared. She scanned through her tab and shook her head negatively. "None, sir, but I'll let you know if there are any emergencies.” “Don’t; just handle everything.’ I finalized it before heading to my office. When I pushed the door, I realized it was not properly closed. I ignored it, heading for the sofa. I collapsed into it, holding my head in pain. The pain subsided, and I raised my head slowly. My eyes caught the restroom door open. Grace had informed me that a new cleaner was hired to take care of my restroom, but leaving the door like that was unprofessional. I walked straight up to close the door, then I thought of inspecting the job. The restroom didn’t look clean to me; as a matter of fact, it looked worse than it did the day before. I pushed the curtain that separated the bathtub from the rest of the room, and I could not believe my eyes. I looked intensely at the lady in the bathtub to be sure I wasn’t mistaken, and I was sure it was her. Memories of the night we spent together came back to me fresh, making my heart soften and my hands desire to touch her again. She stirred, then her eyes flew open, and she froze. She seemed shocked to see me and maybe embarrassed because she looked pale. Without warning, she flew out of the tub and rushed to the sink, where she threw up. I watched her, perplexed. Did she throw up out of embarrassment, or was she sick? “I’m very sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to sit in your tub; I felt a little dizzy, so I sat in it.” She pleaded, her eyes teary and her body weak. "Please, sir, don’t fire me.” “Did you clean the restroom?” I asked about changing the topic; she didn’t seem to recognize me, and I was willing to save her the trouble. “Yes, sir,” She owned up; I looked around carefully; she had not even touched the sponge. She was a terrible liar. “You missed a lot of spots,” She didn’t move. I gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, making her stand before me. “Look, you missed this spot,” I showed her a stain on the mirror. “And here,” “There’s a stain over here as well.” “This stain has been here since yesterday morning.” I realized there were lots of stains, but I showed her to let her know I was very aware of my surroundings. “Are you sure you washed the restroom?” For an answer, she threw up again, “Come with me.” I announced, taking her hand and pulling her along. "Sir, please forgive me; I won’t throw up in your sink again.” She burst into tears. I wanted to explain to her that I wasn’t going to fire her, but I wanted to take her to the company clinic for a checkup. She kept crying and pleading all the way to the elevator; people were beginning to stare. I punched in the number of the floor I was headed to, holding her wrist. “I’ll clean your restroom with diligence and make it sparkle, I promise.” She swore, her face covered in sweat and tears. I was fed up with her wails, and my head was beginning to ache again. I turned to her, pinning her to the wall. She was frightened, and she instantly stopped crying. “Sorry!” She escaped from her mouth before her brain had any chance to think. I wanted to chuckle and laugh, but I restrained myself. I liked how intimidating I was to her. At the clinic, her blood was taken and tested. When the results came out, I went with her to the doctor’s office since she was still very weak. “Hi, boss,” Dr. Shenny greeted us when we entered his office. “How are you holding up?” “Everything is fine.” “Good, what did the result say?” I asked straight to the point; he looked at me, then diverted his eyes to her. "Doctor, is it bad? Am I going to die?” She asked when his eyes lingered on hers, and silence stepped in. “This news can be perceived as either good or bad, depending on how you see it.” “Okay?” She was curious, and so was I. The way Dr. Shenny took the time to announce the result only showed how complicated it was. “Mae,” He started, and we both kept quiet as we paid sheer attention. “You are three weeks pregnant.” “What?” She asked, and my heart skipped a beat. We locked eyes, and her eyes held fear and panic. “Are you okay?” I asked immediately. “No…” “I am not okay; how could I have been so careless? How is it even possible?” She lamented, cupping her face in her palm, and I felt a sting in my chest. It was my child, I was sure. What have I done? "Doctor, are you sure?” She asked, “It was only a night; is it possible?” “I am absolutely sure. Here, look at the report.” She took it and went through it, but I could see in her eyes that it didn’t make her feel any better. After a while, she took a deep breath. “I’ll go for an abortion.” She announced it, and my heart thundered with fear inside me. “You will do no such thing.” I objected firmly, and she looked at me pitifully, her expression genuine and coated with helplessness. “I don’t even know the father,” She confessed in a whisper, and I took her hand and led her out of the doctor’s office.