Chapter 2 Cracked Screen

Troy looked bewildered as he put his hand in his right pocket, pulled out his phone, and saw that he had 3 new text messages. Opening his message inbox, he saw the messages were from his wife. 'Damn,' he thought, 'he had meant to read them.'

"Just reading them now," Troy answered sheepishly. He glanced at his PA as he scrolled through the messages.

She frowned at him and shook her head while suggesting he reply while he held his phone. As he replied to his wife's texts the phone on Jennifer's desk rang.

Lifting the receiver of the phone on his desk and punching in a code she answered, "Mr. Tinovenga's office, how may I help you?"

She scribbled a few notes in her notebook in shorthand and ended the call. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she turned back to her boss to continue relaying the message from his wife.

"So, she says please do not be late in picking the boys up from school today. They were disappointed that they only got to see her for a few minutes. Jeffrey has a play date with Thoko Mabhena and her brother, so your timing has to be on point.

"That," Jennifer pointed to the handset on his desk, "was the CEO on the line. He's sure you'll want to go to the hospital so he's bumping your meeting up to 9:30 this morning. I've already sent up the report, so he's prepared for it, unlike last time."

Jennifer smiled wryly as she intimated the near debacle that had occurred at the previous meeting where the CEO didn't get his notes on time.

"Noted, on all accounts. Are you done typing-" Troy began to re-plan his day according to the news he'd received.

"Sorry Mr. T, but how is she doing? She insisted that she was fine but one thing you two have in common is misguided stoicism."

Troy bit his lip as a frown appeared on his brow. "She is in a lot of pain. The doctor thinks she'll be fine.

"Are you done typing the mid-annual report? She'll kill me if I spend the weekend here instead of at home with the boys."

Jennifer pointed behind him to his laptop which was opened and requesting his password. That meant that her daily report was waiting for him, and it was time to get to work.

By 11:30 he'd had two meetings and completed 80% of the day's work. Rubbing his eyes, he took a sip of his coffee as he read through the last part of a proposal written by one of the new interns.

Snorting with disgust, he buzzed his PA and asked her to call in the intern. It was going to be a long internship if he didn't sort out this chap quickly.

At 14:30 a reminder popped up on Troy's calendar to pick up the boys. Seconds later Jennifer called him to ask why he hadn't left to pick up the boys. As he stood up to pick up his jacket and car keys his cell phone rang.

"Hi babe, you alright?" Troy asked as he put on his jacket, shut down his machine, and headed for the door.

Evelyn rolled her brown eyes as her heart skipped a beat. He certainly had a sexy voice. Quickly she reminded her husband to pick up her boys.

Relieved to hear he was on his way out she was surprised when he asked how she was doing. So stunned was she that she paused trying to figure out what to say that wouldn't be a lie. "Sure, I-"

"Babe, I've got to go." Troy hurriedly cut her off as the CEO walked into his PA's office. Swearing at himself for delaying his departure he placed his phone in his pocket and glanced at the clock above Jennifer's desk.

***

Evelyn looked at her phone and screamed as she threw it across the room. A nurse came running into her room to find her sobbing in the private room.

'Why had she thought things would change between them? This was all her fault, she'd thought that with prayer, hope, love, and faith he would see that-' she snorted at her futile thoughts, after all, a grown woman of her age should know better.

"Ko, chi-i futi (what is it now)?" The nurse asked. She'd heard that this woman acted as if she were white and now, she completely believed it. Looking at the phone and its battery separated on the floor several metres away, she sighed and picked up the phone.

'Apa ha-a tauri Shona nemunhu (To make it worse she [the patient] doesn't speak Shona with anyone) so how was one to know what was going on with this crazy woman? Asi (but), it wasn't the woman's fault, with her blood pressure as high as it had been anyone would be crazy.

'Pamwe akawona vana vake ne murume wake zvingangoita nani (Maybe if she saw her children and husband she would feel/be a bit better).' The nurse placed the phone and its battery on the cupboard next to the hospital bed.

"I'm sorry. I lost my temper. It won't happen again." Evelyn's voice was barely above a whisper as she knotted her fingers together.

"It's your phone. Not mine. Shall I call your husband and let him know that-"

"No, that won't be necessary. Thanks," she demurred. Maybe that's all she needed, time alone, away from everyone.

Evelyn looked at her phone, the screen was cracked but the phone was otherwise functional. So much for being unreachable she thought dryly. The nurse huffed out of the private hospital room.

The nurse watched the strange woman through the window in the centre of the door. When she was certain that everything was in order, she continued her round. Out of curiosity, she looked at the room allocation chart.

'Tinovenga, Mrs.' Something about that name rang a bell. 'Could these be the same strange couple that lived next door to her sister in Warren Park? This was a private ward. How did they make so much money so fast?'