Chapter 10

• The unceasing ringing of the bell has Willow hurrying to the door, wiping her hands on a kitchen rag.
• She opened the door. The man on her doorstep told her it was a delivery.
• "I didn't order for anything." Willow says, a sense of dejavu slowly blanketing her.
• "Well it's here anyway." The man states with a little annoyance. He passed the package to her and she received it from him. "Sign here." He huffs giving her papers on a clipboard.
• "This might be a mistake."
• "You're Willow Henderson?"
• "Yes."
• "Then it's not a mistake."
• Willow signed the papers, collected the wrapped item and thanked him as he left, grumbling. What's his problem? She wondered.
• Once again she placed the little package on the table just like she had placed the heels two days ago. What could it be this time? Who keeps sending them?
• Willow opened the box and saw her face staring back at her. She touched it to make sure, but the gleaming device really was, a phone. A smartphone and by the looks of it, a really expensive one.
• Surprise morphed to confusion as she looked at the device. Who would send her such an expensive gift? Her former boss Simon Scott immediately popped to her mind. She remembered the look on his face when she told him she didn't own a phone. Willow concluded he must have been the one to send it.
• She powered on the phone and was surprised yet again that it was all set up and ready for use. Her use. She was suddenly giddy with joy, then making the decision to call Mr Scott, she fished out the business card he had given to her. She dialed the number but her fingers stalled on the call button. Mr Scott was a busy man. What if he was in a meeting and became angry she called? It was bad enough she has ruined a lot of his plans already. Shook her head and dropped the phone on the table. But she picked it up again, smiled and started checking all the wonderful features it boasted. After about an hour, she started to feel sleepy but she didn't give in. She was determined to be awake for when the phone rings. If the phone rings. Mr Scott would call her, wouldn't he? Because, who gifts someone such an expensive phone without the intention of calling them? All these thoughts wondered around in Willow's head until she succumbed to sleep, abandoning the dishes she washed halfway in the kitchen.
• The phone finally did ring. But days after. When Willow was starting to forget the whole thing.
• "Hello?" She said into the receiver. There wasn't any response. "Hello?" She said again. She still didn't get a response and was about to disconnect when a voice came through.
• "Miss Henderson." A sharp tingle coursed, slowly from the base of Willow's spine to her fingertips, until they felt numb. She knew this voice. She heard it about a week ago.
• "Mr Scott?"
• "I'm impressed. How did you know it to be me?"
• "You sent the phone, so I know it could only be you calling me."
• "Is that so? Didn't you think it might have been someone else that sent it? Your boyfriend perhaps?"
• Willow found a clever way to go round his question by asking one of her own. ''How did you guess my shoe size, Sir?"
• "Your shoe size?"
• "Oh, I know you sent them, Sir. So don't deny it."
• "I was not going to deny it. But let me know again, how did you know I sent them? Let me guess, intuition?" He asked, a little breathlessly and Willow laughed.
• "Well, one reason is I know only about a handful of persons who'd spend that much on shoes." She says.
• "And the other reason?''
• "I recently met a nice billionaire." Willow smiled.
• Simon Scott laughed, "And so you just pinned it on me? I mean what are the chances that it wasn't a colleague or a friend, better yet a boyfriend that had sent them?"
• He'd asked the question again. Willow didn't know what to answer. A sharp sound had her looking at her door. Someone was rapping loudly on it.
• "Willow, open the door!" Willow almost groaned out aloud. She dropped the phone quickly and went to open the door. The man who had been knocking pushed his way inside almost immediately.
• "Where's my money?" He roared loud enough to the hearing of the entire neighborhood.
• "I'll give it to you at the end of the week." Willow says. "Unfailingly," she added.
• "I want my money now!" Said the enraged Caregiver. Willow sighed. This was the only sour part about her apartment. The Caregiver, a perpetual drunk, always went around badgering neighbours who were due on rent payment, whenever he needed more cash to stash more liquor. She had never been on the receiving end of his rant because she always paid the rent on time. Now, she was only late in payment because she lost her job and had tried explaining this to him.
• "Please Sir, I will pay you at the end of the week."
• "You better do or else!" The man said thumping the door with a finality that made Willow yelp.
• Willow closed the door after him and sank down on a nearby chair. She closed her eyes and kneaded her scalp, with her fingertips, warding off an impending headache. Willow. Someone called her name. It was from the phone.
• "Willow? Come on, answer me."
• "Yeah, I'm here," she hadn't known the call was still going on. "I didn't know you were still on the line."
• "I heard everything. Are you okay?"
• "I'm fine." She was a little embarrassed but touched, by his concern.
• "Did he hit you?"
• Willow's forehead creased at the question. "What? No."
• "I'm sending someone to get you now, Willow." He said.
• "Uh? No, that.." the call disconnected and Willow could only stare at it in disbelief. It was after a while she realized he called her by name, first name.
• - - - -
• The murmur in the building had her outside before the woman dressed impeccably in an expensive work suit, ever knocked.
• "Are you Miss Willow Henderson?"
• "Yes, Is there a problem?"
• "No. We're here to fetch you, if you're ready."
• "Fetch me?" Willow inquired of the beautiful woman.
• "Didn't he tell you?" The woman asked and dawning realization came on Willow.
• "Mr Simon Scott sent you?"
• "Yes."
• "To get me?"
• "Yes." The woman said again, looking like she was tired of answering Willow's questions.
• Willow kept staring at the lady for more information but there was none forthcoming.
• "Can we go? Now?" The woman asked but Willow understood it wasn't really a question.
• "Alright." Willow acquiesced. She started to lock the door and the woman asked, "Where are your things?"
• "My things?"
• "Yes. Your bags."
• "Why would I need to take my bags along?" Willow asked again and watched the woman raise a perfectly carved eyebrow. She watched also as the woman looked at the plain wool skirt she was wearing with a brown shirt, threw a disdainful look around her apartment before saying:
• "You know what? Forget the bags. Let's go."
• Willow followed the woman and wondered what was so glorious about their proceeding that had her neighbours gawking at them. She got to the parking lot and saw why. There was a limousine parked out front with a man, dressed just as good as the lady was, standing beside the open door, waiting. For her?
• "Good afternoon madam!'' Madam? Willow thought as the man greeted and helped her into the limo.
• Once they were seated inside, the woman opened a bottle of scotch and offered some to Willow but she politely refused. She wanted to meet Mr Scott with a clear head and ask what all this was about.
• The drive was a long, but very comfortable one. The lady, took out an ipad from the designer bag at her feet and typed speedily on it. She did not initiate conversation. Willow looked out the dusty panes of the tinted glass windows and watched the houses, places and people speed by, thinking how fast her life seemed to have turned around in the past days.
• The sun had darkened a little when they arrived finally to a house Willow had prior been sure, existed only in movies. The drive from the entrance to the porchhhh took for itself almost a whole minute. Painted all white, the mansion stood magnificently tall, the sun glinted on the floor to ceiling glass windows, greeneries in the orchard swayed in the breeze, a pond bubbled with life, and a gigantic water fall shaped like a ship gurgled.
• As soon as they alighted, people came rushing from within the house. Willow had thought earlier that the big house would only greet them with a stiff and still haunted air, but that wasn't the case. The whole environment thrummed with energy and smelled sweet like flowers. Two young men came forward, ready to get the luggage but the lady that met Willow told them of the absence of any luggage. Willow could see the men were surprised at this. Two other young women were asked to usher Willow in. A Chef asked if she needed anything and to which she replied 'no.' The gardener presented her with a cactus as a welcome courtesy. Willow was thrown at all the attention. Was this how every visitor was treated? Or was she…what, special? She scoffed at the thought.
• "This way," said one of the women walking her to a room.
• "Right through here," the other lady with them said. Willow followed them, swiftly walking around corners, sculptures, games, living rooms and was sure, on her own, she could get lost. She followed closely behind the two women who could have been twins. They had similar heights, facials, hair colour and of course, they were both wearing the same uniform.
• They passed many doors before finally stopping at one. The door opened to reveal a grand room. They told her it was hers.
• "Mine?"
• "Yes." One of the women said.
• "Thank you," Willow told the women, "but this is all not necessary, really. I just need to see Mr Scott, that's all. Where is he please?"
• "He is not in at the moment," one of them said.
• "So get comfortable while you wait." The other said and then they both left her, standing by the open door.
• "Wait!" Willow said but she was talking to the wind.