At Seven Oaks.
Louis got to the company complex on Monday morning like every other day. He walked to his office after he got out of his car with the comportment of a boss. There was nothing to expose his inner injury as he worked cordially with his staff members and he gave himself a high target to accomplish for the day. Bailey International Conglomerate had been suspending the proposals for partnership from Real Estate firms. He decided to give the proposals some attention. His staff members were on their toes too. They never expected that there would be various Zoom meetings that day and when it was time for lunch, he excused them.
“You can take a break. We will resume after lunch.”
“It’s all right, Boss,’ the cheerful staff members accepted and left.
He continued with his work and took his usual lunch of tea and crackers.
Shortly, Dr. Quain called to check on him.
“Good day, Dr. Quain,” he picked up the call and greeted him.
“Good day, Mr. Bailey. Good to hear from you. Are you at work?”
“Yes, Doctor. I’m at work.”
“That is good to know. Any news?”
“Nothing yet but I will be fine. Thank you for your concern.”
“I like that. You will be fine. I called to check on you.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate you for that.”
“It is all right. Have a lovely day.”
“Thank you. Have a pleasant day, too.”
The sequel of the various Zoom meetings was a call from one of his partners in Egypt, Africa.
“Hello, Mr. Salem. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Mr. Bailey. I called to inform you that the International Property Exhibition that we discussed during the Zoom meeting will be coming up in two weeks, and the venue is Cairo, Egypt.”
“Wow! That is good enough. How long is the exhibition going to last?”
“It is going to last for thirty days.”
“It is perfect. I will be there dependably.”
Mr. Salem, who felt that he did not get what he said, inquired to be certain, “Did you say you will be coming or your staff members?”
“I will lead the team. Kindly get all the details of all I need to know about the program across to me.”
He swallowed hard and answered, “Consider it done, Mr. Bailey.”
Thank you so much, Mr. Salem.”
“It is all right. See you later.”
Louis got out of the office at the close of business and headed for his house. He was relieved when he got the news that the exhibition would take place in Egypt and not South Africa, as earlier speculated. It will allow him to search for Olivia’s parents and meet his missing girlfriend.
‘I will not allow her to suffer the embarrassment alone. Her parents must have reprimanded her without measure,’ he thought as he settled down to watch the television.
Then, a call came in, and he looked at his phone. He furrowed his brow when he noticed that Denise was on the line. Instantly, he tried as much as possible to cover up anything that would expose his plight before he picked up the call.
At Dover – Denise’s House.
After Denise left the Bailey Native Home, he returned home. That day was a hectic one for him but it was worthwhile. He got to his bedroom to meet an empty bed and had a bad case of butterflies in his stomach. The real meaning of being in love became comprehensible to him.
“Gosh!” He exclaimed and walked to the bathroom for a wash.
The warm bath gave him some relief and afterward, he got to the parlor for his dinner. While waiting for Caleb to serve the meal, he called Louis who he was older than by a few months.
“Hello, Big Brother. It is good to hear from you.”
“Wow! Louis, I’m delighted to hear from you. No call from you throughout the weekend. What’s up?”
“I was so occupied with online meetings. Anyway, that should not be an excuse. I apologize.”
“It is all right.”
“How is everyone?”
“Everyone is fine. I have a piece of good news for you,” he declared joyously.
Louis was lying on the sofa. He got up at once and sat down before he announced, “Yes? I am eager to hear that.”
“I’m getting married very soon,” he said delightedly.
The exhilarated Louis exclaimed, “What! That is three-in-one good news. First, you have found a lady.”
“Yes?”
“Secondly, you have made up your mind to marry her.”
“Yes, go on. Thirdly.”
“Thirdly, you have begun the planning.”
Denise smiled and complimented him, “Louis, you have thought it out. I was not looking at it from this perspective.”
“That is the truth. I’m happy for you and I promise you my support.”
“I know you will always be there for me.”
“Yes! I will always be there for you, Big Brother.”
“Remember, you will be the best man.”
“Of course, who else, if not me? Remember, we had a deal concerning that. That is, if any of us marries first, the next person will be the best man.”
“I could remember that.”
“It is my pleasure to be your best man.”
“I like that.”
“What is the exact date, please?”
“Thirty days from today.”
“That is good. I will visit before then.”
“It is all right.”
“I will be traveling to Egypt but I will see you before I do that.”
” Egypt? What for?”
“I am attending an exhibition.”
“That’s all right. See you when you come.”
“It is okay. Please mention me to your fiancee. Tell her that I can’t wait to see her.”
“I will. Bye for now.”
“Bye.”
Indeed, Louis could not wait to see his cherished Olivia who had slipped out of his hands like a vapor.
After the call, the reality of his folly laid bare in front of him.
“Denise, who never had a girlfriend all his life, is getting married before me, who had been in a steady relationship for three years. Just one wrong step, and I’m here. How can I ever hurt Olivia? Can I see Olivia’s tears and be insensitive?”
Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and concluded, “I must find you, Olivia. Egypt, here I come.”
At the Bailey Native Home
Freya, who loves her brother Denise so much, had extended the same love to his wife-to-be. Without delay, she got wedding accessories for her and she was trying them on. Olivia put on a shoe and pulled it out immediately, indicating it was not what she wanted.
Freya was surprised at her action and she asked, “What happened? Don’t you like them?”
“I do but they are too big for me.”
“In that case, I will have to inform Julie to get a smaller size when she will be coming for the wedding. Is that okay?”
“Auntie, Freya,” she called out instead of answering her question.
Freya searched her face and answered, “Yes?”
“I wish to suggest that we buy some of these accessories locally instead of spending so much buying them abroad. There may be a good wedding accessories shop in Dover.”
Freya smiled and pointed out, “Allow us to worry about that, Angel. These things are nothing to Julie. She had been abroad with her husband for some time has a good job. So, sending wedding accessories to her cousin’s wife won’t be too much on her.”
Olivia was speechless and began to arrange the wedding gown and accessories.
“If you say so, Auntie Freya,” she muttered.