Mind's Eye

“Everybody to your duty posts. Please, go and do your work.”

“Ma'am, let’s relax a bit. You know yesterday was hectic,” one of them said.

“Yes, ma'am let’s unwind for a few moment. Have some fun,” another said.

“That’s true,” one also said.

“You know boss won’t be happy if he meets you idle. You know he hates it when you are idling away at a time like this. Moreover, I have given you enough time to relax. Yesterday is gone. Today is a brand new day.”

“Ma’am can we be let alone for some few minutes. Say 30 – 45 minutes?”

“No Jared. That’s too much a time,” she replied abruptly.

“Why?” Kevin asked. “Today is Thursday and the boss won’t come any time soon.”

“Today is different. He is coming shortly than you think.”

“How do you know? Did he call you?” Seth asked.

“He hasn’t called me but I have a strong feeling he’s on his way. It’s like I can see him coming. I saw him arrived. So to avoid trouble let’s do what’s needful.”

They didn’t heed to her warning. They took it with a pinch of salt. It wasn’t too long, he drove in. He was deeply infuriated. He suspended everyone of them he found idle. They ran to Rebecca to plead on their behalf. She pleaded but he didn’t reverse his decision. He only reduced the number of days.

What’s happening to me? I wasn’t like this before. It’s like now I can sense when something is about to happen. It’s like I can feel it. It’s like I can see it. A times it clouds my mind. It’s crazy. These were the thoughts running through her mind before she picked up her phone.

“Hello! Mum.”

“Hey! Hi! Rebecca. How are you?”

“Mum, am fine? Where are you? The place is noisy.”

“Am at a friend's party.”

“Is dad there with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Hope he is Ok?”

“Yeah. Of course. He’s talking with some friends. Hope you are Ok?”

“Mum, I can’t say I am.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Probably, I’ll come and see you when you and dad are back from your trip.”

“No. Not at all. You can tell me what you want to say. I'm all ears.”

“Mum, do you remember that time I told you something about dad, when I told you of something about happening to him?”

“Yes I can remember. You told me but I didn’t regard it. I took it lightly and we almost lost him. Thank God he’s still alive. That was a lesson for me not to ignore whatever you tell me. I can also remember your sister telling me of something you told her about.”

“Yes mum. I told her not to go with her friends to a party. I told her I had a bad feeling about it’s outcome. She insisted she was still going and that I was just a party pooper. It was until I told her that they were arrested by the cops for running into a vehicle she declined.”

“But, how did you make her believe you? I know Tracy to be stubborn and adamant.”

“I had to plead and tell her to believe me just for this one and if it doesn’t happen she shouldn’t ever believe what I said.”

“Hmmm. She told me that it happened just as you had told her. She was taken aback.”

“Yes, she was indeed. But, mum I’m kind of tired of everything.”

“Why should you? It’s a gift for humanity. To help and save those around you.”

“Mum, something happened at my place of work. I had the same feeling. I warned them. They didn’t listen. My boss came and met them idling away. He flew off the handle and suspended them. I overheard some of them saying I conjured everything and that I was a witch. An enchantress.”

“Don’t let that bother you. They should be grateful you warned them and that you didn’t keep it to yourself. At least some will heed.”

“Don't think so. Mum...”

“See Rebecca. Premonition is a gift. It’s not a common gift. It doesn’t come on every Tom, Dick and Harry. It chooses those it will come to. I call them the special ones. My mum had the gift.”

“Wow! So grandma had the gift?”

“Yes. She actually did but she didn’t make it public.”

“Why?”

“She said, ‘It’s easier to jump out of shallow waters than deeper ones'.”

“Meaning.”

“She meant its safer and easier to handle when few people know your inner person.”

“Oh! Ok. That’s kind of true.”

“So don’t be any bothered. It’s a gift and it has chosen you.”

“Ok mum. I'll call you later. Send my love to dad. Love you. Bye.”

“Love you too. Make sure you call me if there’s any problem. Bye!”

“Ok. I will. Bye!”

For some days she has been having an ill feeling about Jason. They have been going through some issues lately. Though they’re still together but at the brink of separating. 

“Hello! Jason.”

“Hi! Rebecca. How are you?”

“I’m fine. And you?”

“I'm Ok.”

“You haven’t been in touch for a while. Any problem?”

“No. No problem at all. I've been very busy.”

“Trying to occupy your mind. Keep it busy.”

“If you say so.”

“Jason, please can we see? Am running late.”

“Ok. Where? What time?”

“Let's meet at Brown's Cafè by 6pm.”

“Ok. I'll schedule myself for that.”

By 6pm, Jason was already there waiting for her. She came in five minutes later.

“Hey! Hi! Sorry, I'm late. I had to run away from some friends I met on the way.”

“It’s Ok.”

“Wow! It’s been a while I came to this place.”

“Yes. This used to be our favourite spot.”

“Until you became busy. Not even busy but very busy. Too busy to call. Too busy to text.”

“I thought you said you were tired. I thought you said you couldn’t cope with my life style anymore.”

“I said that to make you change your ways. I only said that so that you can make a U-turn. But I can see you were unwilling to fight. Fight back for my love.”

“I thought you were seeing someone else.”

“That’s where you’re getting it wrong. Why didn’t you ask me?”

“I felt I shouldn’t meddle. Meddling will make me more heart broken.”

“Travis is only a childhood friend. We grew up in the same neighbourhood. We attended the same high school and the same college. So you can see why the closeness. But no strings attached.”

“Oh! I never knew.”

“That’s why you should have asked. Aside that I have something important to tell you.”

“What’s it?”

“Are you about accepting any job offer?”

“Yes! How did you know?

“I can’t say how I knew about it. I'm just having a bad feeling about the offer. Can I call it a premonition? The firm whose offer you’re about to accept is highly indebted. It’s hidden but will soon be unravelled. If you accept their offer, you’ll go down with them no matter how short the time you’ve been with them. Please, I beg you don’t accept their offer. Not all that glitter is gold. They’re debris beneath this gold.”

“How do I believe you? That’s how you told me you were having a bad feeling about my colleague. You told me of all sorts that would happen if I don’t keep at bay from her. You made me miss a huge contract I would have got from her. This eventually went to one of my other colleagues. Oh! Keith was so fortunate. She didn’t infect him with her misfortunes.”

“I'm so sorry. I'm indeed sorry. I was simply jealous. I was just insecure seeing both of you together. But this time it’s for real.”

“Ok. I'll think about it,” he said with an ambivalent tone.

“Please Jason. This is for real.”

Jason accepted the offer. It wasn’t too long that all Rebecca said came to pass. It was a bitter and sad one for him. Rebecca was deeply hurt. Oh! If I had known, I wouldn’t have allowed my jealousy to override my emotions. How long will I be a witch? These she thought.