Play dirty
Maya
There are certain things in life that happen and leave you in a situation where you don’t know what to think or do. That was how I felt on that day and I began to wonder if God really existed and if he did, why would he let something happen when he knew it’d suck out all happiness from my system. I didn’t consider myself a very good person, though a lot of people thought I was. I tried not to do bad things. Maybe I deserved what was happening but I didn’t feel like I did. Why did happiness evade us so much when we chased after it? Why was it that when you lost one thing, you lost everything?
I had lost my job due to unclear circumstances. Mr. Harlow had called me to his office and told me that I had to resign or he’d fire me. I wrote the letter and gave it to him. He said I had to go because apparently I’d been disrespecting company values because of the way I had treated Kim. I had a feeling that it was not about him wanting the company to be a safe place for everyone. Something was going on behind the scenes. Kim had been very arrogant lately. It was like she knew she was going to replace me and was sure of it.
I considered going to court but I didn’t think I had the emotional strength to fight a court case at the moment. Considering that Milner Insurance was a famous company, the press would have a field day and I didn’t want them hounding me with questions. Suing the company I had grown attached to didn’t feel right to me so I was not going to do anything about the issue other than calling the man who had promised to protect me. Unfortunately, his phone numbers were unreachable. So much for protection.
I heard soft footsteps on the grass and turned my head towards the sound. Anna was walking towards me.
“Oh my friend, I’m very sorry about what happened.” She sat by my side and wrapped her right hand around my shoulder. “That man is a bastard.”
She was referring to Harlow.
“I know.”
For a few minutes, we didn’t say anything to each other. We were used to sharing comfortable silences when going through tough times. She didn’t have to say anything for me to realize I had her full support. She had always been there for me. We had been through many things together and we always gave each other strength.
Later, we played soccer with random people that came to hang around the field. They were mostly young high school day scholars that had just come from school. They were all male and quite impressed with our skills. It was nice to get back to my favorite hobby and release everything.
“I have never met girls who can play like the two of you,” One commented at the end of the game. It wasn’t our first time hearing something like that. After doing simple exercises to cool off, we grabbed our ball and left.
Ever since I got fired the previous, I had been waiting for Zane to call or send me a message but that hadn’t happened. Instead it was Harry who called me after hearing the news.
“I can get you something in another company. I have a friend who works at Landmark insurance.” He told me after I had narrated everything to him. “Would you like that or do you prefer to work somewhere else?”
“I don’t want to think about that right now,” I said, getting up from the couch. “To be honest, I don’t want to think about anything at this point. I want to drink until I can’t think anymore. Everything sucks.”
“You know that won’t solve anything,” he told me.
“I do but what else can I do?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you what you can do. I want you to compile everything you know about Kim and send it to me.”
“I don’t follow.”
“My friend Birthmark is a private investigator,” he said and I wondered who would give their child a name like that. “I’ll send everything you have and he’ll try to find something we can use against her. She sounds like someone who has a dirty past.”
“Why is he called that?” I asked, unable to ignore it.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.
He chuckled. “Sorry, it’s nickname we gave him back in high school. He has a distinct birthmark near his left eye.”
“Oh okay. Are you sure you can trust him?”
“Yep, are you in?”
“Of course,” I smiled. I had nothing to do and I was unemployed. “Thanks, Harry.”
“I owe it to you,” he said. “I’ve contributed in making the rift between you and Zane so I’m trying to fix things.”
“Don’t worry about it, Zane Carrington is an insensitive jerk. I want nothing to do with him.”
The truth was he was. He had not called to console me when I got the sack yet we’d been together just the night before and he had promised to protect me even though I had not asked. He had promised to always be there for me? What kind of person makes a promise like that and just leaves? If there was anything I had learnt about Zane Carrington, it was that he was very unreliable. I had been stupid, to believe that a man like that could care about me.
Harry was such a wonderful soul. Even after rejecting him, he was trying to help me. Now that was a man who knew what being there for someone was. I didn’t think I’d ever forgive Zane for abandoning me when I needed him most. How dare he act like he loved me during good times but disappeared when life got rough? I had been stupid, thinking he actually loved me.
I tried to forget about him, telling myself to never think of the man again. I was going to get Kim out of Milner from the outside, and that was if Harry’s friend managed to find something against her. Even though I would probably not be accepted again, I’d be content knowing that the person who ruined my life was outside the company I had worked so hard for.
I was dealing with dirt, and therefore had to play dirty.