WALKING AWAY 1

Risk is a basic tool in marketing. One isn’t sure if the next statement is going to cause the company a failure in the forthcoming adventure or a success is certain.

I have lived within this risk so well that I now became a risk myself. 

I have been with PARESS renewable energy for the last nine years. I grew through the ranks to become the senior marketing executives. Six out of the eight awards my company has won in the last eight years was accrued to my efforts. I loved working with PARESS because it gave me room to expand in my thought of being a better person in my career. But something was missing. I had no future in settling down as a wife. My life was all about work. The only time I had fun was companies’ end of the year functions or other formal invites from other companies. The fun was always professional in nature. Sincerely I was loosing my social life.

Tracy isn’t a better option as a friend. We both graduated the same year and met while we were youth corp members. She had nothing to add to me; same with me though but we understood ourselves. We got a two bedroom apartment and we stay together. We had no reason to quarrel in these last three years because we hardly see ourselves. She has a good side, she thinks on the spot.

I had resumed early as always and I was waiting for my boss to step in so I could give him a report on the updates with some prospective clients and some difficult ones. The frown on his face while he walked in was surprising. He answered every other person’s greeting apart from mine. He made it obvious there was something wrong and I hope it wasn’t me he was angry with. I gave a little time before I walked into his office to find out what was happening, but before the time was set for me he already called for me. He was with my executive director and his secretary and he asked me in front of them why I didn’t reply his mail he sent since Friday. 

I told him I was a lot busy with family stuffs and he went further by asking “what were you doing on Friday by 10 pm when I called you”……….. I looked at him in all confidence and took the risk of my life by telling him “I was having sex”.

They all looked at me with a view of surprise but I was still calm. In bits of seconds he handed over to me a letter which ended up being a query.

 In four hours explain to this company why your appointment shouldn’t be terminated. It was discovered that you are having an affair with a prospective client which is against the company’s guide. 

 As I received the letter; I walked solemnly into my cubicle to think of a reply before my bosses on why I fell in love with Frank. The first attraction I had in six years around an opposite gender is about to put me into a lot of trouble or liberate me from prospective feelings of loneliness.

My thoughts kept on roaming; what should I do and what I shouldn’t. Should I just give in to their complains and accept my wrong? The thoughts were unprofessional. Frank’s thought came back into my mind and I followed suit with a call to him. I didn’t tell him I have been offered a supposed quit notice in my office but sounded like I was checking up on him.

I got a notification of a mail and as I opened it, I saw it was from frank’s company. They just cancelled having any business to do with my company. I had ruined all I have been building in my career. I ended the call with him and I called Tracy. I narrated the whole issue to Tracy and she told me there was a way out. A way I didn’t see as good enough.

The time tuck faster this time as the four hours ultimatum dragged closer. I concentrated on Tracy’s advice and tried to pull it out as the most wonderful thing but I saw a lot of lapses in her defense. The thoughts of if it wasn’t going to work roamed my intents but that was the only way out for me.

It’s been six months I started the build up to the affair. Frank was a guy I met as a seminar organized by an international organization. He was good looking and his diction sold most of him to me. I noticed he wasn’t wearing a ring thus flowing with him wasn’t a problem. I didn’t intend to move further but ……

After the three days affair as colleagues in a seminar I dropped back into my professional calling as a marketing staff and demanded he build his inverters and batteries from our company. He has a 540million Naira project that just started off. I immediately introduced him to my boss and the follow up began. He was interested at first but we spent the next four months building terms and conditions. I didn’t know who was greedy as I have sent him to the business development unit. It was when it got a little dirty that I was called upon again. I started the whole conviction process again. This time we were getting closer. He was behaving to me like I had an affair with him and sincerely I loved it. It was our first outing when he invited me to a dinner. After we were done eating he stole a kiss. I stopped to think of me crossing the line but after a while I gave him a better one. From that moment on I was more attracted to him than the contract. I tried to caution myself many a times but the truth lied in the fact that my emotions were stronger than me. The closeness was noticed by Tracy and she complained like she was a genie. The whole affair was perfect without a hitch until this perfect day after work. He was waiting for me in front of my office and everyone in the office was starting as I packed my bags and walked majestically into the front seat of his car. I had made up my mind and I was ready for whatever was coming. That Friday night my boss sent a mail …….