GOOD_ISN’T_GOOD_ENOUGH: Episode 2

GOOD_ISN’T_GOOD_ENOUGH: episode 2

Azure kicked the stilettos off her feet, she was really nervous and running out of time but with the

way she was feeling; heels weren’t going to do her much justice.

She unpacked her suitcase for the tenth time as if expecting to find a new pair of shoes but there

was nothing.

‘Lord what was I thinking?’ she asked herself as she hurried to the bathroom to sprinkle more

water on her face.

The sound of her ringing phone had her rushing back to the room.

‘Hello.’ She said in a jittery tone

‘Where the hell are you?’ Smith asked in an upset tone

Azure prayed inwardly that he wouldn’t start preaching to her, she was good at her job but maybe

having an affair with him; her supervisor wasn’t the best decision she had made whilst working

under Mark Anthony printers, the best leading printing company and media house in the country.

‘I am just leaving my room right now.’ She lied now getting serious with her shoes

He dropped the line immediately and she guessed that he was probably cursing on the other end.

She picked up the same stilettos she had not wanted to wear and put them on her feet, her black

skirt matched the blazer and her royal blue shirt the bag. This was big and she knew that if she

wrote the right story money would be flowing into the company, huge sums of money.

The driver was already waiting when she got outside, the drive to where the President was

supposed to be didn’t take long, thanks to the government that was constant when it came to

making roads.

‘I am happy to see this place, I am happy that education continues to be the sole priority in our

lives as we all know that children are the future leaders of tomorrow.’ The president said

Azure got out her writing pad and started to take down notes, other reporters were already

recording and some had pages full of what had been talked about.

The tour continued and when he was done, he thanked the administration board for taking care of

the school like it were their home and also made a fat donation which had the head master

thanking him continuously.

‘Phew.’ Azure sighed

She was glad it was done being a hot morning. She took off her jacket and tied it around her waist

as she grabbed a bottle of water from one of the cooler boxes. The trip was done and now she

had to find herself home, she missed the comfort of her apartment and since her leave was to start

the following day; she was more than excited.

‘What was that about?’ she heard an angry Mark ask

She turned to face him, he was a loving man when he chose to be and also very dangerous if

someone crossed his path.

‘Can we talk about this at the hotel?’ she tried to reason with him

‘Ms. Mwila not everything is about sex!’ he spat shocking everyone that was around them

Azure felt a pain in her heart, she had never been this humiliated in her life and all she wanted

was for the sand to swallow her.

‘You get paid to do your job and not take it for granted, I will not accept this kind of incompetence

and let me warn you that this is the last warning I am giving you.’ He said angrily walking away but

stopped just in time

‘Forget about that leave you had applied for, I will see you in the office first thing tomorrow

morning.’ He said then walked away

She blinked back the tears before heading to the vehicle, she was aware some of her colleagues

had heard and seen everything and it would be the talk of the company for the next few months.

She knew people hated her, she was aware that they thought she wasn’t good at her job and the only reason she attained her position was because she was sleeping with Smith; which of course

she thought was a relationship meanwhile he was just using her for his physical needs.

Immediately she got to her hotel room, she started packing her things. This time she allowed the

tears to fall, the mascara staining her face with two dark lines on her cheeks.

‘He is just using you.’ Her best friend’s words echoed in her head

‘Please Tasheni he is a good man and obviously he just doesn’t want to mix pleasure with work.’

She had defended

‘Azure when a man loves you he will respect you no matter the occasion.’

She had snapped at her friend and they never had the conversation ever again, she had not

intended to fall for him but she had and now she had to pretend to the world that she was happy

when in fact she was just dying to be set free from the toxic relationship.

She got to Lusaka just after 4pm in the afternoon, she was drained and all she wanted was a hot

bath. Her phone had been off the whole time and she wasn’t even ready to talk to anyone. She put

lavender shower gel in her hot bath and just sat there and reminisced on how her relationship with

Smith had started.

She had just joined the company and was straight from University, she was young, intelligent and

beautiful. She could make heads turn with her beauty, when she spoke it was like a sweet melody

and when she wrote or bled on the keyboard; she brought her words to life.

She wasn’t looking for a relationship but Smith had shown interest in her, complimenting not only

how she looked but her work too. He was a gentle man and had gone out of his way to give her

the best stories to work on.

So when he proposed that she becomes his girlfriend, she didn’t even hesitate. The first one year

was amazing, everyone in the company loathed her and the fact that he treated her right. In the

second year, she started noticing changes. Her closest friend, best friend especially tried to talk

her out of it but she was in too deep and couldn’t get out. What she couldn’t tell people was that

she was choking but she was scared of being alone and being with him seemed like a better

option.