Chapter Ten

He was boiling and this loquacious woman wouldn't do anything to help than her ranting.

     He was right after all. She suddenly kept quiet,dumbstruck. When she finally found her voice,she exclaimed, "What!"

      He laid on the sofa with his head up. He looked at the dummy looking before him. "I will if you don't stop talking. I'm queasy and all you can do is talking again and again," James complained with all seriousness even though he felt like laughing his heart out.

     Joyce said nothing other than,"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I talk too much."

     "I know,so quiet. I'm sure the staff are all gone. I need silence, okay? And find something to reduce this boiling body of mine cause I don't want to go to the hospital," he said and Joyce scampered out of the room, leaving him speechless. He couldn't shout so he let her be. It took her a while to be back and James was already asleep.

      She moved closer and knelt beside him,she could feel the heat. She suddenly became for two reasons. One,anything bad could happen to her. Two,they were alone,anything bad could happen to her.

      Nevertheless, she gathered her remaining courage and soaked the hand towel she had brought from the restroom into the bowl of water with her. She squeezed it and placed it on his forehead for a while,then re - soaked the towel. She repeated that several times before she started sobbing quietly in fear.

      After few hours,the temperature had gone down. She heaved a sigh and smile. She looked at the sleeping James and said,"Sir,wake up,this is past nine," but he didn't yield.

     The company usually closes at seven pm and it was late. She needed to get home on time but she would not be able to if her boss refused to get up.

      "James! Oh,my God! Will you get up? Don't scare me,please," she pleaded but yet,no response. She  became really scared but was a bit relieved when she noticed the rising and falling of his chest. "Don't tell me he's sleeping," Joyce uttered to herself.  "How can someone be sleeping like — Oh,no! Joyce shut up unless you want to receive what you have never had in your life," she cautioned herself and kept quiet. But she had to go home.

     Idea! She still had the bowl of water with her. Should I pour it on him? She thought.

     If you're ready to lose your job,a voice told her.

    She got scared and screamed for the voice was very audible. She stood and laid on the sofa her boss was. How could he be so sound asleep? She started  hearing strange voices laughing which got her more scared.

     She got on top of him,hugging him tight while crying and shouting to wake him up. "James,ghosts!" She shouted repeatedly until he moved and forced his eyes open to see someone on him,resting their face into his chest. He could not see clearly, the light was off. "Oh,God! For how many hours have I slept?" James asked. "Hey! Get off me,will you?"

    "I'm scared. Ghosts are here, James," she cried,refusing to look up at him.

     "Ghosts? Rubbish! Get – off – me. You're on top of me,you know ?" He reminded and she sluggishly and unwillingly get off him and sat on the floor beside the sofa,hugging her knees to herself tightly. "What ghosts are you talking about?" He inquired,wanting to know where she had seen ghosts.

        She couldn't say anything. Suddenly, she felt as if someone touched her from behind,or maybe she was just imagining it. She screamed and sprouted from her seat and hugged her boss,who was too tired to protest any longer. So,he let her be and brought out his phone and dialed a number,"Can you get the light on? Now!"he ordered.

    

       After some minutes, the lights flicked on,then Joyce rose to her feet. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was scared of —"

       "Ghosts? Where do you see one? Look around you, it's all brightened now,and tell me where the ghost is," he uttered,barely able to contain his laughter. "It's just your wild imagination, okay?" He said in withal.

       "I'm so sorry,sir," she apologized again,looking round the place. Could it be her imagination?

     But still,how could someone be asleep like that and despite her shouts,he couldn't even stir? That's weird.

        "It's okay for a woman to be afraid but yours is a bit — well — too much. Don't you have boldness at all? Forget it,let me take you home. I'm responsible for this," James concluded and went to his desk to carry his briefcase.

   Joyce rolled her eyes angrily. "It's okay for a man to sleep but yours is a bit — well — dead-like," she murmured her response so he wouldn't hear her. He was lucky she hasn't found another job or else,she would have said that out aloud that even his eardrums would hail her.

       He held her hand and head for the elevator. They got to his car and he drove out of the compound after warning his security guards to guide the place well.

     Their journey was silent but James broke it. "If you had been this silent earlier,I would have recovered real quick but you were just —"

     "I'm sorry," Joyce cut him in. Her boss was really an ingrate. Couldn't thank her,instead,he was nagging.

      Finally,he got to her house and parked into the compound. He had been to the house once before, when he found it necessary to know where his P. A lived.

      The lights were still on. Definitely,her parents were still up,waiting for her. Even if he got home,no one would be waiting for his return, he lived alone. Neither wife nor children. He had stopped living with his parents when they pester him too much on marital issues.

       "Hmm," he sighed. "I'll see you inside," he added and got out of the car. Joyce did the same while he locked the car and head into the house.