Amanda and Nelly both froze for a bit, perhaps, up to a minute. They stood still and the shivers they felt ran down their spines.
“I thought we were alone in this studio,” Amanda said. “You told me when I got out of the restroom that everyone had gone home, that Madam Sandra was the last one to leave.”
Nelly did say that, but it looked like she was wrong. Or maybe someone might have stepped into the studio without them realizing? That would be disastrous. It’ll be terrible if someone, an intruder, gained access into the studio under their watch, while they were carrying out their services.
Nelly knew that if ever something was stolen, she might be blamed for orchestrating the whole thing. No! Nelly thought again, Sandra would never accuse her of stealing or robbing but that did not mean that Nelly was meant to sit with her arms folded without doing anything about the intruder in the studio.
“What do you think we should do, Nelly?” Amanda asked. “Should we involve the police?”
Not yet! Nelly stopped Amanda from dialing the emergency line. She wanted to be sure that there was an unauthorized person in the studio before informing the police. Nelly knew that the two security guards were outside so she decided to inform them.
“I think there’s an intruder in the studio,” Nelly struggled to say in German. She was getting adapted to the country’s way of life including their language.
The studio’s security rushed in to confirm Nelly and Amanda’s report. They asked both ladies to remain outside while they went in to ascertain the authenticity of their report.
“Don’t you think we should go home?” Amanda said to Nelly.
“Go home? The guards asked us to wait for them here, didn’t you hear?”
“What if it gets really dangerous, are we still going to be here and wait for the danger?” Amanda asked again.
Nelly could see that she was scared. Later, she was going to use it to tease her like she normally would always do after any embarrassing situation.
“We just have to stay put like the guards said. We shouldn’t panic.”
Nelly was right, there was nothing to cause panic or to be frightened about. The guards came out with Neuer, a stunning looking young man with a bit of red hair and green eyes.
“Wow! He’s so…”
Nelly tapped Amanda to bring her under control. Amanda was so much impressed by the physical appearance of this young man who appeared to be just in his mid twenties. Maybe, even less than that.
“Were you the ones who reported that there was a robber in the studio?” He asked both ladies, although he was facing Nelly more accurately.
“We – we thought that…”
“Thought that what?!” He spoke a bit rudely and harshly. “Assumptions are useless! You have to be sure before making any conclusion!”
“Sir, they didn’t directly say a robber. They just said they thought someone was in the studio so we…”
“Keep quiet!” Neuer shunned one of the guards who tried to stand up for Nelly and Amanda. His name was Adin, and he was biracial.
“If they were conscious enough they’d have known there was still someone in the studio, they didn’t need to be told that!”
Nelly and Amanda had never seen him before but it looked like the guards knew him. He was Sandra’s brother, the owner of the studio.
“Ma’am Sandra told us that there was no one in the studio, so we…”
Before Nelly could finish speaking, he interrupted her. “You should always confirm because you work here! There is no room for taking the opinion or thought of anyone. If this repeats itself next time, I’ll have you both fired!”
What? He was filled with so much bile. Nelly wondered if he had a shit day and he was just pouring out his frustration on them. She was surprised by the rude manner in which he spoke to them.
Nelly also wondered who he was to get them fired. For a moment, she felt like talking back to him. She saw him as an ordinary employee because she was unaware of the fact that he was Mrs. Sandra’s brother. Nelly was also confident that Sandra would never terminate her job just because he asked her to.
Neuer had Adin carry his bag to his car while Nelly and Amanda stood there, totally shocked and humiliated by his words.
When Nelly got home that day, she couldn’t stop feeling bad. She was a Stratford and even though her family didn’t wield much power again, the dude from the office wouldn’t dare speak to her like that if he knew who she was. She might even be able to make him apologize if she was living the Stratford kind of life.
“Nelly! Nelly!” She couldn’t hear Amon calling her. Nelly was going for a run, to jog, so she had her headphones on. She had a lot on her mind so she just wanted to forget all about that day, especially the last two hours.
“What on earth is wrong with this lady?” Amon asked himself. “Why are her ears totally blocked while running and she’s almost four months pregnant?”
It was a risky thing to do, what Nelly was doing. She would not even know when there is a car behind her.
Nelly kept jogging, it was fine effortlessly. She was in good shape already because of her constant exercising. She came to a halt in an alley. She was standing in front of the dark alley which was void of any light during the night.
Nelly squatted there and began to cry. She felt so bad and had been holding in the tears right from the office. She had to be strong for herself and for Amanda, including her unborn child.
As Nelly cried, she heard someone whistle. The person was in the alley, that’s where the whistle came from. The night was about to get a bit rough for her.