Office Politics: It's complicated ...by Fabulo-la

“Cucku-roo-koo!” 6 am, and the cock had barely finished crowing as Iphey walked into the bank premises. ‘Click-click-click’ as her heels hit the concrete.

Truth is, Iphey was nervous about meeting with her boss Funmi again, which is why she was at the office early to take a closer look at her work. She had no idea what she could have done. Funmi had called her ‘unprofessional’. Why? She couldn’t think of a reason. Since she started at this bank, she has consciously been professional about everything.

She hurried to her desk in the common office and began shuffling through files and to-do lists making sure she had left no stones unturned. As she began to work, she turned on some music to keep her company. She had another hour or so to herself before the first set of bankers began to arrive. The crooning voice of Michael Buble will work wonders to calm her nerves.

“..Somehow I know that it’ll all turn out, You'll make me work so we can work to work it out, And promise you kid, I'll give so much more than I get, mmmm....I just haven't met you yet..” she sang to herself, bobbing her head to the music.

“Well I have certainly met you.” A voice said behind her. Startled she dropped the file she was holding.

“Oh I didn’t mean to startle you” It was the bank manager. Her bosses’ boss, Ayo.

“Oh its not problem sir. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here. I’ll just turn the music off”. She replied. She was a little uncomfortable being in the same room with him.

“Ah, but I didn’t ask you to turn it off.”

“No, its ok. I will turn it off. I have to run to the basement anyways."

“Why are you avoiding me eh Iphey?”

"Ah no its nothing sir." She got up to put the files away. As she walked by him, he grabbed her by the waist and held her close to him.

"I don’t bite." he whispered in her ear.

"Ahem!" A voice said behind them. It was Tunde, her colleague. She hurriedly released herself from Ayo's grip.

"I will see you later ok Iphey?" He smiled at them both. "Good morning Tunde."

"Good morning sir," Tunde eyed their boss as he strolled out.

"There is nothing going on, before you start to accuse me abeg!" Iphey began defending herself.

"Have I said anything?" Tunde laughed in her face. He ran a finger down Iphey’s arm and caught her palm in a lingering handshake.

"Now if only you will agree my own…." He let the words hang and then turned away. "See you at lunch?"

He smiled on his way to his office on the other side of the hall. He was in marketing where as she was in clearing operations. Oh lawd. Why did she attract all these men? Chinedu, Ayo and now Tunde. The latter was her friend but he would get her in trouble soon if he didn't stop.

Tunde had just gotten engaged but would not stop his flirting with all the girls in the bank especially her. Other staff began to arrive including those who shared her office and they all settled down to the day's grind.

Knock knock! She spun on her seat. It was Funmi. "Meet me in my office in 10”.

Great the day just got worse, Iphey muttered under her breath. She tidied her desk, as she got ready to head over to Funmi’s office. What could I have done? She wondered to herself trying to figure out what it was. As she approached Funmi’s office, she heard voices, so she stood outside waiting.

“Why did you call this meeting Funmi?”

“This girl is not doing her work Ayo! Her work is sub standard, not up to par. She needs to be taught a lesson.”

“But you know this is not the company policy. You need to tell her privately first before bringing me into this.” Pause. “ Are you doing this because we are not sleeping together anymore Funmi?" He queried her.

"What we had was more than sleeping together Ayo and you know it!" Funmi yelled.

"You're married now Funmi. YOU went and got married but decided NOT to tell me..."

"Did you tell me when you got married three years ago? And did that stop us?"

There as silence in the room and the sound of Funmi's heavy breathing.

"Funmi, I believe you're being harsh on your staff because you're frustrated more than anything else. So leave the girl, she has done nothing wrong. You know, the transfer offer to be with your husband is still open. I think you should consider it. Me and you are finished."

The door swung open and Ayo nearly ran over Iphey in the doorway. Iphey avoided meeting his eyes. He smiled at her.

“I’m guessing you heard all that then?” he asked her. She looked everywhere but at him.

“It was bound to come out sooner or later,” he muttered, almost to himself. "But you should keep it to yourself." Ayo gave her a look-over, with a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he walked away.

Iphey rubbed the back of her neck feeling very uncomfortable. Just then, a visibly shaken Funmi opened the door.

“What are you standing there for?” she snapped.

“Err..you asked me to come and see you?’ Iphey answered.

“Forget it. Let me just warn you that I will not take kindly to any silly mistakes from you again. You hear me?”

“Yess ma,” Iphey answered sheepishly.

“Now get back to work, before I change my mind”. She spat at her.

Iphey spun on her heels and raced back to her desk. Its wasn’t yet 10am and the day was already off to a rocky start. She still had to call her mother when she got home that evening. Thoughts of Chinedu had chased it from her mind last night...


>>>>>>>Vote on the right side bar for More on; Conversation with Mother, Phone call from Chinedu, Talk with Aisha.>>>>>>


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Who is Fabulo-la, our latest contributor? She had this to say on her BLOG. Click on the link and go show her some love.

"Its amazing.
Barely 4 months ago all Brokeass wanted to do was bare her thoughts
and just release all the mental tension suffocating her.
But she got more than that. With all the encouragement she got,
Fabulo-la was born. And I can honestly say it has been pleasant
I am not going away"

Giveaways + Poem

Fabulola: So I have just confirmed from Fabulola. She is giving us the next chapter of the story by Thursday morning. The votes say most people want to know what happens between Iphey and her Boss Funmi.

Giveaway: And since the e-version of my book is almost ready, the first bloggers to comment on the next three chapters will get free copies of the ebook. So keep your eyes peeled. And if you've not updated your blog list, do so now. Goodluck.

While we wait, enjoy the short poem.

WHAT IS LOVE

Is it a feeling or an action?
Is it to love or to be in love?
Can one do without love?
A cool love or a fast love?
Which is the better love?
Why do we even love?
When does love start?
Where does love end?
Have you ever loved?
How will you describe love?

Do you live in Nigeria?

And more specifically in Abuja and environs? The above is a flyer for a home makeover show created through a company run by my sister and friends. The company is Klasik Nigeria Ltd and it is billed as Dress My Home They also sell and deliver high quality fabric sofas in most parts of the country.

For enquiries, please call any of the following lines from Nigeria or add the codes as necessary. 07025032642, 07028380777, 07027851480.

Tell them Myne Whitman sent you. They'll be distributing my book when it lands in naija too.

The Date ....by Atala Wala Wala

She had just returned from seeing one of her clients about an overdraft facility he wanted on his account, and was walking back to her office when her manager beckoned her into her office.

Funmi gestured to a seat. "Good morning, Iphey. Please shut the door - this won't take long."

Iphey sat down, wondering what was up; she got on reasonably well with her, so she couldn't figure out why she sounded unusually curt. Her apprehension mounted as Funmi went on to talk about the unprofessionalism she said she had observed in Iphey's work, and how she preferred to let her know about it first rather than writing a query. Iphey was quite shocked; she tried to ask her to be more specific, but Funmi cut her off, saying that she had said everything she wanted to say.

Iphey responded by emphatically stating that Funmi was being unfair in not giving her a fair hearing, and things went rapidly downhill from there. The encounter left her really rattled, she was certain that there was more it that met the eye. "Best not to think too much about it", she muttered to herself. After all, there was this date to look forward to.

Her friend, Aisha had been pestering her forever to go out with this friend of her brother's. She wasn't exactly filled with confidence; the last person that Aisha had recommended had not turned out so well. She’d almost refused, but Aisha pleaded that this guy was really good. The truth was she doubted that Aisha even knew the kind of person she wanted.

Iphey sighed as she put finishing touches to her makeup and prepared to step out of her flat. Aisha had managed to persuade her this time, but only after she swore never, ever to trouble her with her randomly picked blind dates if this didn't work out.

She had also agreed because of the impression she had got when her date called to set up the time and venue. He had appeared charming, intelligent and well-spoken - definitely no red flags. He seemed a bit reticent to give more information about himself, though. All she knew was that his name was Chinedu, and he "ran an engineering business”. Well, at the very worst, it sounded like she might have a more interesting time going out than staying in, even if nothing happened.

******************

The skies were already darkening when she stepped out of the cab in front of the restaurant that they'd agreed to meet at. She looked around, wondering if he might be waiting outside, but she didn't see anyone who looked like they might be him. Maybe I'll have more luck inside, she thought as she walked in. Again, she scanned the dark interior.

"Is he late?" she wondered aloud. She hoped not; one of her pet peeves was people who disrespected others by not keeping to time.

"No, he's not. In fact, he's been watching you since you entered, and he's quite impressed by what he's seen," she heard a voice say in the same deep baritone she had heard on the phone.

She turned round, startled, and saw someone who looked to be in his early thirties, of average height, a bit slim and medium complexioned.

He smiled at her and continued, "Sorry for the unusual introduction... I shouldn’t have chosen a table out of sight, but I usually find the view outside the window provides interesting things to talk about. I don't think that will apply this evening, my eyes will be taken up with a much more beautiful spectacle."

She smiled back. "Thank you, Chinedu - that's a very nice compliment."

He led her to her table, and they ordered their entrees straightaway. The evening passed pleasantly; she told him all about herself, her schooling, how she got a job at Diamond Bank, what she would really like to do if she had the money, places she would like to travel to, her views on the different places she had been to, and so on. Chinedu seemed genuinely interested and impressed by her ideas and her views; the more she talked, the more he wanted to know. She was definitely enjoying herself.

Iphey leaned back and smiled at him. "You sound like a very interesting person. I'd like to hear more of your views on the world; you've not talked a lot about yourself."

Chinedu smiled. "What business does the moon have in the sky when the sun is out shining? My life these days is not that interesting; you'll agree that we've both enjoyed ourselves listening to you talk."

"But what if we could enjoy ourselves even more by listening to YOU talk? Oya... spill the beans!"

He made an expansive gesture. "OK, what do you want to know?"

She grinned back mischievously. "Tell me your deepest, darkest secret."

Chinedu appeared to think for a while. Then he leaned closer to her and whispered, "I used to be an armed robber."

Iphey stared at him. Then she laughed. "Be serious now."

"I am being serious."

Iphey shook her head. He must be joking - who would come out openly and say such a thing? Even armed robbers wouldn't do so. "So assuming you're telling the truth - why did you go into armed robbery?”

"For the same reason that most other people do - lack of opportunity elsewhere, and a friend drew me into it with the promise of making a lot of money from it. The honest truth is that back then, I felt that I had to do what I had to do. I saw people as objects rather than as human beings with feelings, so I didn't feel bad about doing what I did. But that was then."

"I don't understand how you can be so open about your past."

Chinedu smiled, and made the same expansive gesture as before. "Well, you wanted to know my deepest, darkest secret... there's a saying, 'beware of what you ask for, because you may get it'."

They continued chatting, but the earlier pleasant mood of evening for her had definitely soured. After a few more minutes, she stood up and announced that she had to go.

"What a pity. I feel that we were really enjoying ourselves. I came with my car; I can drive you home if you like."

“No, but thanks anyway.”

He insisted, but she was firm. She did assent for him to wait with her while she hailed a taxi, but responded to his chat in monosyllables. Eventually, a cab turned up, and as she got in, he gave her his number and said that he would like them to meet again sometime.

"Let’s see how it goes," she murmured.

As the taxi sped off towards her flat, she reminded herself to call her sister and update her mother. Aisha would have to answer about Chinedu later.

Vote on the left side bar for the story to continue in any of the following directions;
- The event at work with Bisi;
- Iphey's sister/nephew or;
- Conversation with her mother.

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Before I depart, I should introduce myself. You probably know that I'm Myne's Signficant Other. Here are a few other random facts about me:

- This is my the third continent I'll be living on, after Europe and Africa. But I don't think I'm cut out for the 'Ajala' life, so I have no plans to move to Asia or Australia (but then again, two years ago I didn't know I'd be moving to Seattle, so who knows?).

- I love listening to the sound of a well played piano. Whether the notes are being played in spartan isolation, or whether I'm listening to a concordance of chords, I get caught up in the performance, especially if there's feeling and melody to go with it.

- I don't get Facebook. I've tried, but honestly, poking and messaging on walls is just not my thing - I'd rather correspond via mail or phone. I guess I'm old fashioned that way.

The results are in + Poem

This is to say a big thanks to all who voted. The votes have been counted and the results are in. Isn't that what they say in all those reality TV shows?

More on --- Her date

Her name ---- Iphey

The place --- Lagos Nigeria.

The next contributor is Atala Wala Wala, and he will have two days to come up with the next chapter of the story. Fabulola, get ready to go next...LOL

Some have asked for each chapter to be self contained; this may not be possible but I'll request contributors to do their best. The most important thing is to keep reading and keep voting. Thanks again.

Enjoy this poem in the meantime...

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

It was love at first sight
And try as I might
I just couldn’t find
A way to get you off my mind
You’ve stolen my heart
Given me a brand new start
I just want you to know
That as our love grows
Treat my heart with care
And please be fair
Don’t break my heart
By wanting to be apart
Because I’m in love with you
And I feel everything you do
Any harsh word you speak
Can make my eyes leak
You know you hold my heart
So please save it from hurt

Let's tell a story...

Hey people, so the time to tell a story together has come. This would be an interactive story, the plot of which is to be decided by both the writers and the readers. Romance or mystery, thriller or action, it can all be here!

The guidelines are as follows… I may change, add or remove as things progress, and as needed:

-Contributors can introduce new characters whose stories can fit into the plot.
-Keep chapters consistent with previous entries along the chosen story line.
-No abrupt changes unless the chapter explains the reason for it.
-This blog is not restricted so while love scenes are allowed, no graphic descriptions please.
-For each chapter ending, there is a minimum of two and maximum of five lead offs.
-Chapter submissions should be between 750 and 1000 words.
-I will try to keep changes to submitted chapters to a minimum, but reserve the right to edit as necessary.
-There will be two chapters a week; two days for voting and same for a contributor to get a story ready.
-Contributors will be acknowledged on their chapter and linked to their blog.
-Send in expressions of interest to contribute in the comments or to my email from my profile page. I already have Fabulola and Omotee! Thanks girls.
-Please vote and let’s have fun, cheers.

Thank you all.

Myne Whitman.

**********************************

The Story Begins...

She got back from work that day sweating heavily and knew she was going to be very late for her date. It had been a hot and humid day and she had been caught in the rush hour traffic returning home from the office. She now rushed about her apartment like a headless chicken putting her stuff together for the date when her phone rang.

"Hello?" She panted struggling into a deep purple skirt.

"Hello, my daughter is that you?" It was her mum's voice.

"Yes mum, it's me." she replied with a bitten off, "who else could be answering my phone?" under her breath.

"I just heard from your sister. Her son is in crisis again and they are at the hospital."

Her heart sank and the wind was knocked out of her sails. She had thought this was one of those her mum's infrequent marriage badgering calls. The sister her mum mentioned was her elder sister who had a 6 years old asthmatic son. He had often got this sort of crises during this period but it had seemed to subside in the past year. However, this was the second within the same month this year.

"Mum, I have to go out this evening and I’m already running late. I'll call her when I get back and give you feedback later OK?”

"That's fine, talk to you later dear. Take care of yourself and be careful"

Yes mum," she replied as she pressed the end button.

She wanted to continue getting ready but the “be careful” from her mum got her thinking of the stormy events at the office today.


**********************

To start with, we have three separate polls so readers can choose the name of our heroine, the setting and the next storyline. Vote and get involved.

Romance or mystery, thriller or action, you determine what goes on!

A little piece of me (2)

1) Is the weather really always that nice or are those just good days:
Most of the pictures were taken on bright and sunny days some as recent as last week. The weather in Seattle can be very fickle and temperamental. Summer was fantastic, over a month with no rain. Sunny skies but not run-out-screaming hot, except on two or so occasions. Now we’re in fall, it’s dry one minute and wet the next. It rains even when the sun is out. LOL, and it rains almost every other day.

2) As a writer, does all the art in the city inspire you or you don’t actively think about it:
I don’t actively think about it. I love going to museums and art events but more to relax. What inspires my writing about the city is the sense of serenity. There are trees all over the place and beaches when the weather is nicer. These are the things that get my muse in the right mood.

3) Who is your favourite author?
I love various authors and cannot narrow it down. The names that stick are; M&B, Cartland, Rivers, Sheldon, Ludlum, Uris, Grisham, and Critchton. And in Africa; Pacestters, AWS, Nwapa, Emecheta, Ekwensi, and Achebe. Recently I read more by how I like the preview or reviews of a book than who wrote it. However, I always try to buy a Nigerian author each time I shop.

4) How did you decide to self-publish your book?
I sent out the manuscript to about three publishers, but I always knew I might go the self publishing route. I’m not the literary author type that is more acceptable to mainstream publishers and the genre publishers may not be comfortable with the Nigerian setting. However, I wanted people to read my story and hope it leads to bigger things. I also own the rights and if a good offer comes in later, I will accept.

5) How long have you lived in Seattle? I have lived here for going on a year now.

6) What are the pros and cons of living there?
One big pro of course was being able to join SO, LOL. OK, Seattle is a slow paced city which I prefer and the weather is manageable. It’s close to the Canada border and to California so easier to visit these places (I like travelling). The cons are that the weather can get depressing at times. It is three hours behind the rest of the country time-wise and 8hrs behind naija and UK, making it harder to call friends and family. It is also far from the South, Midwest and East coast, and very far from naija with more expensive flights.

7) What did you study in college?
I studied Applied Biology for my first and Public Health Research for Masters. So what am I doing writing? Search me…LOL, the research comes in useful sha.

8) Are you a writer for real?
Who is a real writer? LOL...well I’ve been writing since I was little. I did sciences all through and still kept on writing. Now it is my 9 – 5 and hopefully more people are reading me now and will be reading in future. I’ll be very fulfilled when the first book is out in print I can tell you.

9) Other than writing, what else do you enjoying doing?
I watch a lot of TV and movies, listen to music, and chat with friends. I enjoy the outdoors with good weather and a long hike somewhere; beach, wood park, walking and hill climbing. I also love travelling, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. Of course reading is the easiest and cheapest way of doing this and some of my best days are curled up with a book while it’s rain-drenched outside.

10) I always wonder how you manage to sit and write an entire story without throwing your laptop out the window. I have a big issue with over-editing my stuff.
It’s both a fault and a blessing. I cannot tell a short story unless I’m forced to. So it’s something I enjoy, writing long stories about people in my imagination. Now that I’ve made it my 9-5, you don see my life finish. LOL. I edit a lot while writing so that at the end it’s minimal. Still I appreciate fresh eyes to help me proof and then I force myself to move to the next project. “A heart to Mend” took me about 6months.


>>>>>That’s it my friends, some questions were answered in the previous comments. The details for those that want to contribute will be ready tomorrow with the first installment and poll. Thanks again…

A little piece of me (1)

So the theme of this blog will be changing in the next few weeks, at least till the end of the year. As most of you know, I have submitted the manuscript for Edward and Gladys' story to the publishers and the process has started. Now I have started research for the next book, it has to do with twins and of course romance in Nigeria. Some of you on twitter already know where it is set. LOL. It's gonna be partly in Benin-City.

Anyway I digress. The blog is gonna change a little to give me time to get my flow on the new one and till "A mended heart" premieres. So while we wait for the washing, SO has agreed to take some of the load off. He is a blogger though he rested his spot some time ago. Some of you may recognize him. Yes leggy, that is the person responsible for all the mushy poems so blame him when he comes oo.

As I was saying, we want to start an interactive story with the commenters. It will have a poll driven storyline and interested bloggers can contribute as well. Before the end of this week, I will have the details ready.

For now I was tagged by Scomiss to talk about the hype in my city. This ties in with my idea to celebrate my over 100 followers. I realised my blog doesn't share a lot of myself, though I leave a few pieces here and there on other blog's comments. So to share more of me, I have made a video of the city I live in with one or two pictures of me thrown in.

Look at the pictures, ask any questions you want in the comments section and I will answer as much as I can. My next blog post will be dedicated to answering those questions so look out for it too.

Thanks for following and thanks for the comments. I really appreciate it. I even think that without you guys, it would have been more difficult to finish the book so quickly. You're all the best. If you're not following, join now and keep commenting/ voting. Giveaways are coming again soon...

ps...I will take down the video once I have 10 questions I want to answer.

Sweet things you do to me. (Poem)

Sweet things you do to me
You make me feel so fine
In the press of a mobbing crowd
The way you look into my face
And hold on to my hand

Sweet things you do to me
You treat me like I’m a queen
The most important thing to you
You do all in your power
To see that I’m always happy

Sweet things you do to me
You point out those things
That you know I love to see
You cause me to smile at you
And make me laugh out loud

Sweet things you do to me
You show a real sense of depth
In times of pain and sorrow
Which I cherish as much as
Your arms of comfort around me

Sweet things you do to me
You can spin the silliest jokes
Just to tease and thrill me
Your warm and tender smile
Is a lighthouse in the storm

Oh! Sweet things you do to me
For in this ever–changing world
Long as you're always near
Most sweet is your love for me
It always sees me through

Precious (Poem)

Your eyes flash with a fire
That shames that of sapphire
Your skin is from the mould
That poured the purest gold

Your hair is of a glory
Darker than the finest ebony
Your charm will never fade
Like that of an Indian jade

I need no tear in a pond
To compare to a diamond
Because your lips are ruddy
Redder yet than any ruby

Your smile glows so silvery
It cannot be rivaled by ivory
You’ve been made more perfect
Than the best crafted garnet

So like the jewels of the bold
Much too valuable to be sold
You have been made to be
Very very precious to me