Healings chapter vi

Jermaine walked into the fast food joint just thirty minutes away from the clinic. He put his hands in his pockets as he scanned the area. His eyes then fell on the woman he was looking for. He saw her seated in all her glory.

Mrs. Monica Johnson. With her very fair skin and reddened lips, one would mistake her for a white woman. It also didn't help that being a British citizen by birth, she also had the accent to boot. Monica was fifty two, but she didn't look a day over thirty.

She now controlled his father's company. The man died two years ago of a fatal stroke. She was doing pretty well, concerning the profits the company was making. But that was all there was to her. Beauty and brains. She also had a very powerful compelling spirit but try as she might. She could never get to Jermaine. That was what made this interesting .

"Oh" Monica intoned. Her eyes had caught him staring at her. "Jermaine my boy, come sit." She urged.

He still moved slowly towards her, in a bid to annoy her. He could see that it was working for she had a frown on her face. She detested slow movements. He knew that.

"My son, it's so good to have you here." Mr Mohmoh said to him with a smile as he took his seat.

"Good evening sir." His gaze fell on his mother, "And you too Madam."

"Honey." She said with a nervous smile, "You can call me mum now." She was obviously embarrassed, but he didn't understand why.

"I don't understand. Isn't that what you always wanted me to refer to you as?" He relaxed in his chair. He liked the uneasiness that was on her face. That was the truth, growing up under her. A woman who thought herself so young to be called a mum.

She wasn't ready for Jermaine, so when he came, he became a stumbling block to her "youthfulness". She ordered him to call her by her name. He'd adopted the habit of calling her "Madam" when she took over the company. Jermaine was the only child. He knew Monica would have done everything possible to prevent another pregnancy.

"Well...its not why we are here." Monica said, replacing her nervous smile with a confident one.

"Really? Then why are we here?" Jermaine asked with feigned ignorance.

"Well, It is to remind you that you don't need to slave away in that clinic of yours." Monica said "Clinic" with disgust. As if his achievements meant nothing and that angered Jermaine. "Here, sign these documents and you can secure your spot as the next CEO right after me."

"Oh." Jermaine said. He took the documents from her and scanned it. He understood what it meant soon after, "This is to approve the sacking of over fifty employees of Dad's construction company."

"Yes son. And I need your vote to pull this through. I need you on my side. If you do this, the company will definitely be yours to command right after me." She said it all with an easy smile. As if it was right; what she was doing.

"Why do you want to sack them if I may ask?" Jermaine inquired, stroking his beard.

"They are of no use to the company. Just men who have only muscle and no brains." Monica scoffed haughtily.

"But some of them have been there from the beginning. "Jermaine said, his anger rising. "Dad never had a problem with them. Why have they suddenly turned so incompetent?"

"Your dad ran that company like it was a charity organization." She scoffed haughtily. "Employing every Tom, Dick and harry." She rolled her eyes.

"Dad was the most compassionate man ever. He gave those men hope when they had none." Jermaine was surprised he could still defend this man. He was a compassionate man, Jermaine Johnson senior. Maybe that was the problem. He was too much so.

"I'm all about taking the company to the next level." Monica said. "So you better sign this, or you can say goodbye to your shares. And forget about taking over my position as CEO."

Jermaine shook his head and stood, "I don't care whatever the hell happens to that company." He pointed at the documents. "But you see this piece of shit? I'm not signing it. I refuse to be responsible for handicapping fifty families for no just reasons."

She stood and banged her palms on the table. She took on her business frown. The frown that she was very popular for, the one that had brought many a man on their knees. "You will sign it Jermaine. I am ordering you as your mother." She said with clenched teeth.

The frown never worked on Jermaine. He didn't even flinch. "Mother? Look I don't even have time for this. I have to leave."  He turned and was about to take his first step out when she said;

"Or is this about Grace? You still hate me even after twelve years?"

He didnt answer. He didnt know what to say. He only got angrier. His resolve firmer. He didnt turn to look at her. He walked right out of the restaurant.

She plopped back down on the chair. She was mad with anger. Her own son was very intrepid. Not even intimidated by her.

"Should I call Chief Anderson?" Mr Mohmoh asked after a while.

"Yes. Wire the money to his account immediately." She suddenly felt a smirk coming on. Anderson was one of the highest share holders in the company. With his vote, it would be a sealed deal. She may also sell Jermaine's shares to him. The boy obviously didn’t care. He hadn't even grown up.

Jermaine's head was in turmoil. Two times he had disobeyed the traffic lights, speeding away when the red light was on. If this was a country with functioning laws, he would have been pulled over by the police. He didnt know what he was running from. Why the mention of her name still had such an effect on him.

Grace. Her beautiful smile. The crinkles that appeared at the corners of her eyes when she smiled. Then her scream. Her soul piercing scream.

Jermaine fought the memory with all his strength. Its been twelve years. Why was the cut still so deep? He didn't know why he could never let go.

He drove in circles. Till he came right back to the hospital. He parked his car in the lot and walked right in. He wasn't in the mood to go home. He wanted to work his pain away.

"JJ. What's up? Why are you here?" Promise asked. He was surprised to see him.

"Nothing. I'll be in my office." He strode into the office.

He sunk in his chair and laid his head on the table. There were patients to attend to. He had to move. But he couldn't. He had come here to work. Why was he still seated? His body felt so heavy. So did his heart. Monica's face appeared in his mind. That woman. The very cause of his misery. That was the effect seeing her had on him. The past always haunted him whenever she was near.

He felt a presence around him. His head shot up, his eyes met with large blue ones.

"Are you okay uncle?" Ocean asked. She was leaning on the door.

Another reminder of the past. "Why are you still here?" He asked in a coarse voice.

"Aunty Nonye had to go home. She had an emergency."

She spoke with so much intelligence and precision. It amazed Jermaine. "How old are you?"

"I'm eight."

"I'm okay. Thank you for asking."

She moved closer. "You don't look okay." She sat on one of the chairs opposite him. She took one of his hands and rubbed it with her small one. She had very little but strong hands. As she massaged him, he felt relaxed. "Is that better?" She asked.

He couldn't respond. He was too dumbfounded by the extraordinary child before him.

"You know, focusing on bad things all the Time is not good." She said, taking his other hand and rubbing it just as she'd done the other. "The sisters used to do this whenever the Reverend father travelled to come and see us. They always said it was good to relax. Sometimes, away from the troubles of the world."

Jermaine was undoubtedly wowed by the enchantment of the child. She smiled, it was beautiful. Just like Grace. With crinkles at the corners of her eyes.

Written by Ineh Precious.

Ineh Precious is a student, writer and has love for all things that have to do with arts. She has no published book out there but controls a certain amount of followership on her Instagram page. She is a writer to watch out for. You can follow her @the,witty,writer.