When Jason had wanted a reliable secretary, and had advertised for it and alot of people had applied.

Yound and old alike but he had felt that Sandra would be just well. So he had chosen her and anyway, she had not disappointed him during the interview and all through the years, he had had no cause to regret his decision.

She had really served him. When her husband had died about five years ago, he had taken it upon himself to foot the bills for his burial. Jason had considered it the least that he could do for such a loyal and dedicated member of his staff.

Their relationship had become even closer since then. That was where he had come to know about her daughter and who had come with her husband and two sons.

Mrs. Amos had buried herself in her work, not wanting to dwell over much on the death of her husband. She had loved her husband so much that if not for the demands of her job, his loss would have taken a great toll on her.

Her job had become her solace and Jason's friendship and support had gone a long way to helping her recover or so Jason had thought be ause how could Mrs. Amos have a medical condition and not tell him about it, when he thought they were almost family and had assumed that she had taken him as her so ?

She was a strong woman and could not have died suddenly like that. Anyways, the post mortem results would soon be out and he would know for sure.

He found Suzanna's number for that was her daughter's name and called.

'Hello, mum?' she answered on the other end of the line.

Jason was never one to back down from a task but the death of Sandra his secretary had affected him in more ways than one and he could just imagine how it must affect her daughter when she came to know that her mother was no more.

'Hello? Mum are you alright? Why aren't you speaking? I am grateful, you eventually called because I tried to speak to you last night but you wouldn't pick your phone. I thought it was unusual but then I considered the fact that you must be tired and had gone off to bed exhausted. You do not take care of yourself at all. You over exert yourself. But thank goodness you have eventually called. I was so worried'.

'Suzanna, your mother is no more'. Jason said, trying to sound matter of fact.

'Mr. Campbell, is that you? How is mother?' Then what Jason had said sank and she said in a deceptively cool emotionless voice, 'Sorry, what did you say?'

Jason knew that she had heard him perfectly and kept quiet but said after a while.

'I'm sorry, Suzanne'.

'You mean, mum is no more, as in dead?'

'I'm afraid so. I didn't see her yesterday. We tried contacting her but couldn't reach her. I was busy yesterday, else I could have visited . So when I got yo the office this morning and she still didn't report for work, I knew I had to visit to find out what the problem was. I broke into the apartment and found her dead as though she had been struggling for breath. Did she have a health problem I do not know of?' he asked still perplexed.

'I do not know. She does not like us being too bothered about her. So most times she keeps her problems to herself but I cannot believe she is gone.She had looked so strong the last time we saw. I should have paid more attention to her,maybe then, I would have discerned that she was not really fine', Suzanne sobbed on the phone heartbroken.

Jason understood her feelings. He had been wondering why he had not gone yesterday to find out why Sandra had not come to work. Just maybe he would seen her in her condition and rushed her off to the hospital and hence saved her life.He had been too preoccupied with his own problems. Damn!

'Suzanne, you do not have to blame yourself you know. You could not have known and you did all you could to be a good daughter to your mother. We are all witnesses to that. Get a hold on yourself and get over here so that you can know what to do about her corpse'.

'Where is it at the moment?'

'It will be transferred to the morgue as soon as the post mortem has been conducted'.

Suzanne nodded but realising that he could not possibly see her, said simply, 'Okay. I will be down there soon'. And rang off before he could say any other thing. She was overcomed with grief and needed sometime to herself to

express her grief. The tears flowed uninhibited.

As Jason put the phone down, he was list in thought. He wondered if he had done the right thing to tell her the news on the phone. Maybe he could just have asked her to come over because her mother was ill and then tell her in person. He hoped she was not going to do anything stupid. Suzanne was a sensible girl and she knew that her husband and two sons needed her, so she was not going to harm herself in any way. Jason felt that both for her husband and sons, she was alone in the world. She was now an orphan and felt a pang of regret again because he felt that he would possibly have been able to save Sandra had he got to her earlier.

This led him to remember Nancy and his promise to give her a job. He was going to ignore that because of the guilt he was already having in his heart concerning Sandra Amos but he felt that since he could do something about Nancy, he had better fo it and not regret that later as well. He was sorry Sandra was no more but he could do nothing to bring her back bit to help see that she gets an honourable burial.

Jason asked the men who had come with him to go back to the office but that he would soon join them there. He paid for the cab that drove them back to the office.And went to where he had left Nancy, the previous day.

Nancy had been impatiently waiting for the man. She had allowed herself to hope that she could get lucky when it seemed like her luck had turned against her. Nobody to help, her so-called love had deceived her and made her pregnant and she was stranded with no job in a hell hole not suitable for any human let alone a pregnant woman.

The walls were soaking wet and she had no bed just some think cartons, she had torn and spread on the floor and placed some of her wrappers on it as a makeshift bed, believing it would serve till she got a job and better her housing conditions.

But she had been impatiently waiting for the man. Maybe she could have shown him where she was residing, that would have made him realise just how urgent she needed the job.

No! That may have put him off or insisted on charity and she would not have that.

She was Wella le to cater for herself and not live on charity. She had her pride and dignity to protect.

If the man was not going to fulfill his promise, then she would just have to look for a place to be their housekeeper or cook or any such menial jobs since getting an office job was proving difficult but one thing she would not try again was to take her own life. She owed it to her baby to keep alive and stive to survive because she was a survivor.

She had already got herself ready since morning hoping that the man, what was his name again? Campbell! Yes, Campbell something or the other would come but maybe she had just got her hope up for nothing or maybe it was still too early.

'He has to speak to the friend of his and wait for his feedback. It could definitely not be as fast as all that and he had his own business to take care of too'. How did she expect him to forego his own commitments for her? He would definitely help her but after he was done with his engagements and it might take a week at the earliest and she didn't have that time. She could do something else in the meantime.

She put on the only good foot ware she had that was sensible given her delicate condition and stepped out of the house.She walked purposefully, she had glanced at some papers but found no one advertising for a house keeper but she was going to go to the big houses, she found and make enquires. She was sure that before she asked ten of them, one would definitely require her services.

The first apartment just banged the door on her face rudely asking her to look elsewhere.

The second and the third apartments she tried did not bring her better luck than the first except that they spoke a bit politely asking for her cell phone number so they could contact her when there was any need for her services.

Her cell phone was a thing that was long gone. She had had to sell it to feed herself when things got difficult.

What was the use of a cell phone when she could not recharge it and nobody called her anyway except her parents who she was trying her utmost to avoid until she sorted herself out. So, the phone had been sold for less than it was worth. It was one of the gifts Robert had given her and she didn't want to keep it in any case since it reminded her of his betrayal. It was still very fresh in her mind and extremely painful.

It was stupid of her to think that selling the cell phone would help. her get back at Robert and forget him when the perpetual remembrance of the most costly mistake she had ever made was implanted in her womb.

She was not going to blame an innocent child who never begged to be conceived for her stupidity and gullibility.

She had no contact number to give them and promised to check back in about a week.

Indeed how was she going to get employed now, if she did not have anyone to refer her nor a contact number to give and no postal address as well. It was hopeless. She was losing hope. She didn't know what to do. If any one of them offered her employment and it came with accommodation, the better for her.

Her only hope now was for the man to contact her. She hoped he would be successful in convincing and persuading his friend to give her a job. Any job. If she had rembered, she would have also asked him if he knew any family who needed a housekeeper

That might have been easier.

Then a thought occured to her. 'What if he had gone to the house to look for me? Or where he assumed that I am living? That would be a disaster'. She decided she would have to get a little phone. It did not have to be a sophisticated one. She wondered why the thought had not occured to her before then. With the phone, she would be contacted by prospective employer s and the Campbell man would contact her easily of he had any job information for her but how to get hold of him and give him her number when she bought the phone was another problem which she didn't know how to solve.

At the fourth house, they were really very friendly.

'Oh, what a pity dear, we just employed a housekeeper because the former one relocated. If you had been here yesterday, you would have started with us today but just give us your contact number and we shall get back to you if there are any developments or vacancies'.

The same issue again. Nancy decided she had had enough. She went to shops where used phones were sold. She felt she would get one auctioned at an affordable rate so that she would still have some money to care for herself.

She actually got one. It was small and had limited apps in it but that was not her problem. Provided it would help her call and answer calls, she was okay with it. She got a sim and fixed it. She stayed at the shop and charged the phone to it's full capacity.

Then she went back to the houses that had asked for her contact number and gave them especially the fourth apartment.

By then, it was getting quite late and she was hungry and getting really dizzy.

She bought some canned foods and took home, happy that she had accomplished something that day.

Jason drove to the part of the town where Nancy had alighted from his car.

He searched for her asking questions about her and describing her but no one seem to know her or have seen her.

He was getting frustrated. He realised that Nancy had lied to him about the place she lived and wondered why. Did she think that he would come and harass her if she told him exactly where she lived?

He could not believe how impossible the damn girl was being.

How was he doing to locate her now? She refused giving him her contact number and didn't also give him her real resident address. How was he going to locate her?

'Well, that is her business. I have other pressing matters and cannot afford to waste time trying to help someone who is not ready to be helped'.

He was going to get into his car and drive off when he decided to look around again, he went into the slumy part of the neighbourhood. He knew that if those who knew him were to see him, they would wonder if he was still in his senses but he had never cared about that and was not about to start.

He asked a few of the people he saw there. The place was indeed repulsive and he wondered how people could lice in such a place. The health of such inhabitants was definitely not assured.

He felt that for someone who didn't have a job and any source of sustenance, this might be the place she would live. A place where she would pay less. But it was abhorrent given her condition. Yet she was so stubborn that she didn't want any help from him that might be tagged charity.

'Foolish girl'.

one person he asked remembered seeing such a girl.

'I do not know much about her. She always keeps to herself. I believe I saw her going out this morning. But I haven't seen her since then'.

'Thanks alot'. Jason said offering the lady some money which she grabbed immediately.

Jason decided to wait for a little while longer for Nancy to assure himself that he had done all he could.

He could not believe the girl. How could she live in such a place as this? And she had refused his help too.

After about an hour waiting, he got tired. He would have to come back tomorrow to check back on her if he had the time.

He had so many other things to take care of. He just wanted to handle this himself else he would have sent some employee of his to do this for him.

He was not comfortable leaving his number with the woman who had agreed that she had seen Nancy that morning but he left her with the message that Nancy should wait for him the following day because he had news for her.

After promising to relay the message, Jason walked to where his car was parked and got in.

He had just got into his car when Nancy came back through the opposite route.

The woman was just about to go in, when she heard some noise and looking back, found that it was the girl, the gentleman had come looking for.

'Did you see him, girl?' she asked.

Nancy at first did not know that the woman had been referring to her. She was just too exhausted from the day's exertion and very hungry and she just wanted to get into her hole of a room and prepare something for herself to eat before she started feeling nauseous and faint.

'Girl, did you not hear my question?' the woman asked again.

'Sorry, were you referring to me?'

'Is there anyone else within hearing distance?' The want countered.

'Oh, I'm sorry what was your question again?'

'The gentleman who came here looking for you, did you see him as you came in?'

'What gentlem....' Nancy was already asking before she remembered Campbell. Could he be the one this woman was referring to?

She had assumed that he would not get in contact with her this quick bit maybe she was wrong.

'Please could you describe him?'

'You mean, you have more than one gentleman? Girls. Anyway he was tall and dark haired. He looked very wealthy. You had better hold him tight. Though I must confess that I do not know what you are doing living here if you have such a friend as he and from your question, you seem to have more than one of them What do you do with the money they give you?'

'Forget about that. Has it been long since he left?'

'No. He just left now'.

Nancy wondered how she could have missed him, except of course, he went in the opposite direction.

'What direction did he take?'

The woman pointed and Nancy ran as her strength would allow her but as she got to a bend and heard a car start and drive off. She shouted, waving, trying to stop the car but it zoomed off.

She knew it must have been him. If she had come home a bit earlier, she would definitely have met him. How was she to see him now? Given what she encountered today, she didn't think she was up to it again just yet.

She walked back to her rathole discouraged. Her luck seemed not to be favouring her

Why was she this unlucky?

When she got back, she found the woman still there.

'Did you see him?' She asked hopefully, thinking that she might just get another financial reward for sending the girl to the gentleman which was why she had waited patiently thinking that the gentleman would come back to the place with the girl and reward her for a job well done.

'No, he drove off just as I got to where he had parked his car', Nancy said sorrowfully.

The woman was disappointed but something the girl had said caught her attention. 'Car'. That would explain it

She had felt that such a man should have come in a car but obviously, he had parked his car some other place and trekked to this slum.

'Did he say anything else before he left?' Nancy asked hopefully.

'Yes. Before he left, he said to tell you not to go anywhere tomorrow as he would be here again because he had news for you'.

Nancy could feel the creases in her face let up. There was hope. She was not planning on going on such a venture as she embarked on today, anytime soon, So, yes,she would stay home and wait for him. And since he said he had news for her, she knew that it must be good news else, he would not have come all the way to tell her that.

'Thank you. Thank you so much'. Nancy said profusely to the woman and went in to take care of her basic needs.