comes,” Sofia said.
“Thanks. I will keep this in mind. You have an optimistic outlook on life. I would like to know a little more about this optimistic woman,” said Mr. Anderson with great interest.
“Sure, ask away.” Sofia was curious to know what Mr. Anderson would ask.
“You are a young, elegant, and attractive woman. Don’t you have that someone special in your life?”
“Um! I had that someone special in my life once. He was the love of my life, and I lost him in a car accident. A negligent drunk driver destroyed my entire world. He was everything to me; he was my world. The way he left… We didn’t even have time to say goodbye. Since then, I have stayed alone.” Sofia had tears in her eyes.
“Sofia,” said Mr. Anderson. “We attach ourselves to someone, and then they leave us. They become a memory. A beautiful memory. But you know what the worst part is? That they only exist in our memory.”
Teardrops ran down Sofia’s face.
“I didn’t mean to make you sad. I’m very sorry that I made you recall everything.” Mr. Anderson felt bad upon making Sofia revisit her past.
“No, Mr. Anderson, he was one of the best things that happened to me. Though I miss him, but missing him is still beautiful and worthy …”
“You are a different lady. Why don’t you give yourself another chance? You deserve to lead a happy life. Why haven’t you thought of forming a home and having children?”
Mr. Anderson could see the tension on Sofia’s face. It seemed like the blood had drained from her face.
“Mr. Anderson, can we continue this conversation on another occasion? I need to go.”
Mr. Anderson knew it wasn’t time to stop her. Sofia was uncomfortable answering the questions. He nodded.
Sofia had her reasons. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that someone would ask this question one day, and she wouldn’t be ready to answer it.
Sofia got up from the sofa, and she wanted to bid him goodbye as soon as she could. Mr. Anderson was embarrassed for making her uncomfortable. The atmosphere had an air of unease.
“Sofia, excuse me …”
“Yes, Mr. Anderson?”
“I did not intend to hurt you or make you uncomfortable, but I still did it. More than once. I am very sorry.”
“Do not worry, Mr. Anderson. You just had a few questions. That’s it. Everything is fine. It was a pleasure for me to spend some time with you and your children. Will you please call Anthony and Leslie so I can give them a goodbye kiss?”
“Sure. Wait, I will call them,” replied Mr. Anderson.
Rather than calling them or sending someone to bring the kids, Mr. Anderson went himself. He found that fitting.
Sofia was waiting in the living room when Anthony and Leslie came running.
Mr. Anderson followed, walking at his normal pace.
“Sofia, please don’t go. We want to play with you.” Leslie held her hands and pleaded with innocence.
Sofia kissed her cheek and said, “My darling, I have to go. But I will come back Monday.”
“Promise?” said Anthony.
“Yes, promise.”
“Okay, then you may go.” Leslie made a sad face.
“We love you, Sofia,” said Anthony.
“Sofia loves you guys more,” said Sofia as she got on her knees and hugged both the kids.
After giving love to the kids, she headed to the car.
Mr. Anderson and the kids followed. As she sat in her car, she waved goodbye to all of them. The three of them waved back.
While Oliver waved her back, he kept thinking about the questions he had asked her in the living room.
*
In a dimly lit room, sunlight shone through the glass walls. It was a beautiful office.
While two walls were made of concrete and had beautiful gray bricks on them, the other two walls were made of glass and allowed the sparkling sunlight in.
Everything was arranged on the table in perfect spacing. The table had everything in a square shape and only in black and white.
From the mug to the notepad, to the laptop and the furniture—even the interiors were a combination of the two. There was a cozy black chair with the table. A man came walking toward the chair and sat down. He was wearing colors. A blue business suit this time. He sat on the chair and began to read from his laptop screen with great interest. Keeping his eyes on the screen, he moved his fingers across the files that had been arranged on his table neatly. All the files were black; and the printed pages inside it were white, just in sync.
Ring, ring.
Before he could pick a file, the telephone extension in his office rang. Rather than picking up a file, he picked the phone.
“Jeffrey Scott speaking.”
“Hello Jeffrey, this is your manager calling.”
“Good morning, sir. How may I help you?” replied Jeffrey.
“I need you to come to my office as soon as possible. I have a few assignments for you to be completed in the next few days.”
“Sure. I’m coming to your office right away,” replied Jeffrey.
Jeffrey hung up the phone, got up from his chair, and walked out of his office, toward his manager.
Knock.
The manager saw Jeffrey through the glass door and signaled him to come inside. As Jeffrey turned the doorknob and opened the door, his manager invited him to sit.
“Come, Jeffrey; have a seat!”
“Sure, thanks.” With this, Jeffrey sits on one seat facing his manager.
“How have you been, Jeffrey?”
“I’m fine. What about you?”
“I’m fine too.”
“No news as yet; everything is marching in order, huh?” said the manager.
“I am glad that everything is going as per your wishes,” replied Jeffrey.
“First, I would like to congratulate you for the excellent job that you are doing!” said the manager, on which Jeffrey smiled.
Jeffrey had a successful career as an English journalist. He had worked for twenty years for the Freedom Newspaper of London, England.
Now
