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 …….
