"What's wrong with people today?" Liz asked Jacquie when she saw people acting weirdly around her. Jacquie was her colleague in the Finance Department. She was also on probation like her.
"You're in trouble, Liz," Jacquie said.
"What do you mean?"
"You missed a zero in one of the contracts you were working on," she said. "The company could have lost a lot of money if the Big Boss didn't go through it and correct the mistake before giving it to the client."
Liz cupped her hand over her mouth, with her eyes almost falling off. "What?"
Jacquie left her and went back to her work station.
"Miss Lukorito, in my office right now!" Robert said and went back to his office.
Liz was afraid of the outcome of her meeting with her supervisor. She already knew her mistake but what would her punishment be? Would she be fired?
She quietly got to her feet and walked into Robert's office as the others looked on.
"How could you make such a big mistake?" Robert asked. "How could you enter the wrong price? You missed a zero. Do you know how much money the company could have lost?"
"I'm sorry, Sir," she said. "I will be more careful next time."
"What makes you think that there will be a 'next time'?" he asked, waving a paper in the air. "Although the company did not lose money because the boss found out in time and corrected your mistake, do you think he will let it pass?"
"I'm sorry, Sir. I will accept whatever punishment."
"I'm glad you said that because I won't take the fall for an incompetent employee."
Liz hung her head on hearing him describe her as incompetent. It was humiliating, but she didn't take it against him because it was her fault. How could she make such a mistake?
"Get out of my office!"
"Yes Sir," she said and rushed out.
As she walked back to her workstation, she couldn't help but feel useless. The looks her workmates gave her made her feel even worse.
That day after work, Liz went to town to pick her family. They were waiting for her at the Health Plaza in town. Health Plaza was a tall green building where those who didn't know their way around Nairobi and were waiting for their relatives and friends to come and pick them waited.
Liz parked Ethan's SUV in front of the Health Plaza and walked towards the building's wide veranda. Just as she was about to step on the veranda, she saw hawkers running away with the County Government's Police Officers in their hot pursuit.
She quickly walked into a Supermarket close by. She had heard of people who were mistaken to be hawkers, arrested and detained in police cells just because they didn't react in time when they saw the County police officers chasing hawkers. They would arrest you even if you didn't have anything that looked like the goods you were supposedly selling on the streets in your hands.
While walking around the supermarket, she talked to her dad over the phone. He told her that they were in the restaurant opposite the Health Plaza. She bought some of the things they would need back home and got out of the supermarket. She took the luggage to the car before going to the restaurant.
"Harry..." Liz said when she got to the table occupied by her family. "What's Harry doing here?"
Her mother smiled and hugged her daughter. "Harry is the one who drove us here." Liz also hugged her brother and shook hands with her father and Harry.
"Thank you so much, Harry for bringing my family here," Liz said. "But you didn't have to drive them all the way to Nairobi. I'm really sorry for the trouble."
Harry smiled like a fish. "Ah, it was nothing," he said. "Your family is my family. I would do it again if I have to."
Liz's mother and father smiled after hearing what Harry had said.
Liz put her hand on Aidan's shoulder and said, "It's good that you arrived safely."
"Glory be to God," her parents said in unison.
"Amen," she said. "Why don't we go home now so that you can rest? The journey was very long. You must be tired."
"Of course," her father said. "And how are you doing? How's your job taking you?"
Liz remembered what happened at the office in the morning.
"Child, is something wrong with your job?"
She fluttered her hands before her. "No, Mom. Everything is fine."
"Okay," her father said. "Let's get going."
"I will drive you to Liz's house," Harry said.
Liz smiled. "Thanks for the offer, Harry," she said. "I will drive them home. You must be tired. Go and get some rest so that you don't end up sick from fatigue."
"Okay, fine," Harry said. "Then drive safely."
"You too. Take care," Liz said.
"I will."
Her mother poked her on her shoulder when Harry left. "Mom," Liz said looking at her mother.
"Why did you have to lie that you have a car?" her mother asked. "Why do you have to lie to your future husband? I don't think he cares if you have a car or not. You two grew up together. His family status is the same as ours. So, you don't have to worry about such things with him."
Liz frowned. "Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Liz, did you buy a car and you didn't tell us about it?" her father asked.
"Sis, which one is it?" Aidan asked.
"This one," she said, unlocking the doors. "It's my friend's car." She helped her brother put their luggage in the boot.
"Which friend of yours owns this beautiful car? Is it Tamara?"
"No mom, it's not Tamara's. It belongs to another friend of mine."
Liz occupied the driver's seat. Aidan sat in the front beside her while her parents took the back seats.
"That friend of yours must be rich," her father said.
Liz pursed her lips then ignited the car and drove off.
***