I AM JOBLESS [PAGE 4]

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3...

I entered the office but she wasn't there. I looked around, curious at the photos on the wall. "Please make yourself comfortable, you may sit ...will join you in a moment". That's her voice from another room, I'm guessing; the ladies or balcony maybe. Her voice has a ring to it, not sure how to explain it, though. One gets a sense of laughter to her cadence; like she would smile after speaking. I could still hear that tone even without seeing her face. I thought I observed it the last time I visited her church; almost like her voice is saying something more than what was said. "Oh no, you don't think I'm trying to imply she wants anything from me? Oh dear, how could you be this shallow. I wasn't thinking that. I was just saying her voice is different." And these photos and trophies all over the wall. What is this woman?

"I see you're busy" I spun around to her voice in the room. 'Blank', I believe is what they call it, when you know you have to say something but nothing comes out and you try to smile but your face isn't responding either. "Are you ok?" She asked, "Uhhmm yes, I am very fine" Wow! This woman is fine. I know you don't get the half of what I just said until you see her. Who wears sleeveless in the office? I think I'm just going to ask her out now. It's got to be now or never; we're all by ourselves in this office, it doesn't get any better than this. "Please, sit down. So, what brought you here?" I wish I could tell this preacher lady everything in my head right now. But my mouth said, "In church, the other day, I heard you say that nothing is impossible with Jesus"

A light tap on the door, the Secretary enters with a glass of water. "Do you care for water", the preacher asked. "No, thanks", I said. "Would that be all, Pastor?", asked the secretary. "Yes that'd be all for the day. "Are all the CCTV's working properly?" The secretary looked up in surprise, "What CC..." The preacher quickly interrupted her, "...Ok, that's fine, that'd be all for the day. The CCTV's are working, ok. Goodnight Gladys". The secretary was as confused as can be. She walk out of the office wondering what her boss was talking about; without saying a word further, I could see that her face was asking the question, "what CCTV, boss?"

Let me quickly tell you something about me before I continue; I may be JOBLESS, I may have a strange name called RUSH, and I may have jumped into the swimming pool to save a drowning girl, not being a good swimmer myself all because I need a job; but one thing I am not; is, a fool. I can tell from the last exchange between this preacher and her secretary that there's no CCTV anywhere close by. She said that because of me; I can tell. She wants me to believe someone is watching. She doesn't even feel safe. O.M.G, she thinks I could be a criminal or a crazy person. Can you believe that?

"You were saying...", she prompted. But Inside, I'm trying to make up my mind between getting out of this damn place and staying to just talk regardless of the outcome. "You said, you were in church the other day..." She continued. "Yes, yes...uhmm, I was in your church...", I said. "You seem a little distracted, are you ok?" She asked. I tried to talk but what came out was the weirdest thing ever, "It's late, let me go now. Hopefully, we'll do this another day." I didn't even mean to say that. But her reply caught me off guard. "It's ok. Start by telling me you name and what you do".

I exhaled. I thought she isn't feeling safe. And maybe she isn't but she was going to let me sit in her office and talk to her. Anyway, I looked her in the eye as I am the man in the room, and said, "my name is RUSH, and for what I do, I am JOBLESS". "'RUSH', I like your name... wow, I really do like your name, Rush". She commented. 

Again, I can hear that thing in her voice that sounds like there's more to what she's saying. What's going on?

TO BE CONTINUED...