Siri

Siri walked down the flight of stairs leading out of her apartment. She was running late but did not have the strength to be bothered with how much trouble she was in at the moment. The hospital had just called to remind her to pick her grandmother up on the weekend.

As she put on her jacket while going down the stairs, she tripped on the 4th-to-last stair and had to jump to land at the foot of the stairs or risk spraining her ankles. She landed awkwardly and held the railing for balance. She felt something smooth and mushy clinging to her palms, and she unceremoniously swiped her hand on the frame of the door leading outside.

She breathed in the stale air as she walked out of her apartment building. It was sickening. The sky looked dull and grumpy, refusing to let out the sun. She looked at her surroundings. She had lived on these streets for as long as she could remember. The air was very chilly, and she took out her muffler from her bag, tying it around her neck.

She had always been fashionable and chic even though she was introverted. Her Dior boots were cheap yet beautiful, and they complimented her high-waisted denim jeans and flowery shirt. The jacket was the same leathery material as the boots, and the only thing disrupting her outfit was her large mono-strap bag.

It contained a lot, from USBs to prescription medicine, big files, her laptop, and much more. Her shoulder ached a bit, but she did not mind.

She smoothed her edges, pressing her index and middle fingers down, and the front of her hair. The styling gel had still not dried. She decided to buy another on her way home from work. She ruffled the bun she had up in an updo. Her curly hair swished about in the cold wind.

A car honked as it pulled out of a driveway, driver shouting at her to get off the road. She moved back and let him speed away. She looked into the distance. The other surrounding buildings were more eye-catching and stood more magnificently.

Most of the shops were closed and some were just opening for the day. As she walked past, she greeted some of the neighbours she was acquainted with, walking briskly down the well-tarred hilly road. The burger truck was out thankfully, and the burger man was selling.

She took her money out of her pocket and quickly bought one. That could well be the only thing that would stay in her stomach for the day. The air was clogged and the stench of the back alleys made her gag. The rain that fell heavily in the night brought out the worst kinds of smells in the morning. She covered her burger as she ate as if to ward the odours off.

She finished her last bite of the burger and made to bring out her bottle from her bag to take a sip of water. She was near the junction that would lead to the main road where she would have to take a bus.

"Hey! Wanna try your luck today?" the newspaperman beckoned her.

She ran over to him and picked up a copy of the paper. She checked in her bag for money, and her purse wasn't in it. She wanted to scream. She would miss the bus if she went back home.

The paper man looked at her worried face and handed her the paper she had dropped while she searched for her purse.

"You can have the paper. It's on me."

"Thank you. Very much."

"Anytime, milady."

She smiled and held her skirt, bending her knees slightly in a low courtesy. He laughed gleefully and shooed her away.

She took the paper and walked away, increasing the pace of her footsteps. She brought out a water flask, and while she drank, she looked at the front page. It read:

Mark Lucas Buys Techtranet for 500 Million.

She looked past the headline and turned the magazine over. She looked at the bottom for the code for the lottery and typed it in her phone. She soon got a message that was much like the others she had been getting for the past two months.

She looked at the time in the top corner of her phone and made a gasping noise. She started to walk briskly.

She got to the bend that led to the main road, then she walked past the bus stop and on for 35 minutes before, some kilometres away, she saw the building with "Eagle News" written boldly on its face.

She climbed up from the boulevard to the stairs leading into the tall building. The security manager smirked at her as she walked in, and she immediately knew "Medusa" was around. She swiped her card to allow her to walk past the security enclosure and ran ahead to catch the elevator. She got to the doors just in time and was able to squeeze in. As the elevator went up, so did her blood pressure; her indifference had been replaced with anxiety. She stepped out on the third floor and went through the door that read “Marketing Department."

As she passed into the room, which had seemed silent from the outside, it was as if she had stepped into another world. She knew she should be used to this ruckus, but she wasn't.

The office was abuzz with many different sounds. Telephones were ringing here and there. One of the workers was shredding paper and tapping his feet furiously. Several people were talking loudly over the telephone. She bent her head and walked straight to her little desk right next to a spacious, well-furnished, empty office. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that her boss was not in at the moment. She wondered what the chaos was about, and she settled in to check and organize the very high pile of mail on her desk, which she would have to deliver to every department member as soon as she could.

The buzz began to die down as the familiar sound of stilettos hitting the ground echoed gracefully and somewhat melodiously. The hair at the back of her neck stood, and her upper lip began to sweat. She instinctively began to shuffle through the mail harder until she heard the clacking sound stop a few feet from her desk. She quickly stood upright and greeted the scowling yet breathtakingly beautiful woman.

"I see you took your time coming to work today."

The statement left Siri gaping like a blowfish.

"Morning, Ma'am, I'm sorry for—"

"I will be needing my coffee in, say, the next twenty minutes, so do what you have to do quick and then get me my usual."

"Yes ma'am."

"Atta girl."

The silence was deafening, and Siri found herself bowing low to her boss. She wanted to smack herself silly. The gorgeous woman assessed her from head to toe and then walked into her office, which was only a few metres away, and sat on her office chair, removing her blazer and hanging it on the back of her chair.

She popped her knuckles and began to clack furiously on her laptop, which was on the table.

The noise resumed again; this time, it was less rowdy and more coordinated. Siri could feel the migraine hitting her hard, and she quickly distributed all the mail on her desk to the rest of her co-workers. She looked briefly at the office, and its occupant raised her eyebrows and tapped her watch.

Siri immediately ran to her desk and fished out a credit card from her drawer. She saved the document she was typing up, and then she ran out the door and closed it. She made to run to the elevator without fully turning around, so she did not see the person in front of the door. She bumped into said person and fell back against the door.

"I'm sorry, I..." she started but trailed off as she met the elegant look of the person in front of her. He was tall, very tall, and blond, with a model's facial features. The only thing that was off about his appearance was the large coffee stain that bedecked his white shirt. The leather jacket on his arm and the watch on his wrist looked expensive. Thankfully they had not been splashed on. She grew faint and soon began to apologize even more furiously.

The young man let out a low chuckle, taking out a hanky and patting his clothes.

"Why don't I take it to the bathroom and remove the stains?" Siri asked.

"Are you suggesting I remove my shirt?" he asked with a mock surprised look, which sent Siri stuttering.

"N-no, I'm sorry. I-I am just very sorry."

She broke down a little, a tear falling down her cheek. She swatted it away seriously without making a sound. The man did not know what to do except tell her it was okay. If she had looked up, maybe she would have seen he was genuinely being polite, but her head was bent and her shoulders sagged, so he just decided to reach out and lay his hands on her shoulders.

"It's fine. Seriously, it is. I know you were rushing off somewhere, so I don't want to stop you or hassle you. Just go. It's fine."

Siri stood still and then spoke, her voice shaky and her head still bowed.

"Thank you very much, and I really am sorry."

He let his hands fall from her shoulders, and she moved away from the door. He artfully put on his jacket and zipped it up before opening the door and walking in.

Siri sniffled and ran down the stairs. She knew she would hear an earful when she returned with the coffee. The walk to the cafe was short and uneventful, and she hoped whoever the model had come to see would dismiss him quickly. She couldn't believe she had just broken down in front of a stranger.

"Miss, miss?"

She looked up and the barista was trying to get her order. She quickly paid for and retrieved her drinks. As she got back to the office, she cautiously looked around. She didn't see the person she had assaulted, so she sighed heavily and then walked briskly towards the manager's office. But first she stopped by her desk to pick up a file that she saw was addressed to the manager. The blinds were down, and she wondered briefly what was happening inside. She quickly knocked on the door and heard brief shuffles before a "come in."

But by then she had already opened the door and walked in, as was the usual procedure: two knocks followed by the entrance a few seconds after. She was greeted with an angry stare from her manager and an appraising look from another pair of eyes.

She glanced at the visitor, whom she assumed she didn't know, and just as she was about to look away, she abruptly turned her head towards him and stared deeply and deliberately. He was the same guy she had bumped into earlier. He gave her a knowing smile, and she immediately wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Why did you just barge into this office?"

The beautiful older lady was fuming. From where she sat, she looked regal in her designer outfit, and the young man next to her complimented her well.

"I just wanted to drop off the coffee you asked for. I..."

"Oh, shut up, Missy, you saw the blinds were down. Does that happen often? Shouldn't that tell you I wanted privacy?"

"Yes, but..."

Words failed her. She did not know why the manager was so angry, but then she absent-mindedly looked at the visitor more closely and noticed a lipstick smear on his cheek. His hair was ruffled too. He gave her a blank look and then put his hand around the woman's neck, speaking into her ear. Siri shifted uncomfortably. The manager smiled sheepishly only for a second before resuming her steely stare.

"I'm sorry!"

"You better be! Go away, please. I want to be left alone. Cancel all my engagements for the next two hours. And see yourself out the door."

"Yes, ma'am."

Siri quickly dropped the coffee on the table and went back out to her desk. Her work chair was a bit lopsided, and her back had been aching for the past two weeks. She sat down and started making calls to cancel the manager's plans.

She worked for a couple of hours and looked up to see it was an hour before closing. Some of the staff had begun to leave, but the visitor was still there. She wondered if she should be worrying about what was not her business.

She stood up and stretched, then she picked up a file from her desk. It was addressed to the HR department, and she was to go drop off the file. As she picked up her phone and made to leave, the door to her manager's office opened and the young man walked out. He straightened his jacket and took long strides past her. Soon he was out the door, leaving behind stares of admiration, contempt, and neutrality from the other workers.

Siri walked past one nosy redhead, who wore glasses and was famous for always having the juiciest gossip. She was busty and round faced, her broad shoulders and chest contrasting greatly with her narrow hips and flat bottom.

"Hey, assistant, who is he?"

Her face, clearly expecting a controversial answer, was greeted with a shrug. She took off her glasses and beckoned Siri closer.

"Yes, Miss T?"

Siri walked closer and stopped at the front of her cubicle, trying not to get too near.

"When you walked in, were they startled? Did you see anything? Do tell. What were they doing?"

Siri kept her face straight and shrugged again. She was not going to chat with this loudmouth.

"I have to get this document to HR now."

There was an awkward silence before Miss T dismissed her with a wave of her hand. Siri immediately walked away, but people kept whispering to her, asking about the guy, while she shrugged her replies.

As she opened the door and stepped out of the office, she saw the same guy who had left a few minutes ago. He was perched by the door leading to the stairwell. She took long strides and walked past him. As she was about to pass him, he grabbed her by the hand, opened the door, and dragged her down a flight of stairs.

He was still holding on to her hand when he finally stopped at the bottom and looked about to ensure they were alone. He looked into her eyes deeply and moved closer to her. He was a bit surprised at her composure; most people would be hyperventilating if they were in her shoes. She took a step back as he advanced and then another step until her back was to the wall. He tucked the one strand of her hair that stood out, loose from the well-pressed edges and high updo, and then raised her chin to meet his gaze.

"Did you just ignore me?"

The look on his face was no longer gentle but carried an urgency she could not explain. She was genuinely confused, and she had to get the file to HR.

"I did not, but if you feel that way, I apologize?"

She freed the hand that was being held hostage and rubbed her wrist, looking him squarely in the face.

"This meeting is anything but appropriate, and I feel very uncomfortable. Plus, I have to give this to HR in the next few minutes or I will be in a lot of trouble. You're holding me hostage."

She was not in the mood to thank him for that morning and did not appreciate being dragged away like a rag doll.

"Yes, I am holding you hostage, and if you want to be released, you should comply. Remember, you owe me," he drawled the last word, and she gave him a quizzical impatient look, which he ignored.

She made to move, but he stepped in front of her, and this time, he moved in closer to her face. A few seconds passed and then she breathed heavily in his face, pointed to her watch, and moved to the side before breaking into a run. The young man stared at her running figure. Bewitched.

Siri woke up abruptly at 5:59 am and stared around for a bit, the pile of a week's clothes, bags, documents, changed beddings, pieces of paper, mail etc made the already small room feel even smaller. The bed was the only big, anomalous object in sight as every other thing was smaller in comparison, she missed having her grandmother sleep by her side. After losing her parents when she was just a child in an accident, she only had her grandmother to care for her. She was excited to bring her grandmother from the elderly home to stay for the weekend and she was looking forward to it.

She stretched and yawned, half asleep. The alarm rang in the next few seconds and she mechanically stopped it. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom which was a few metres away, the apartment was not spacious so everything she needed was an arm's length away.

She went to the reading table and cleared away the clutter, cleaning, washing, clearing, cutting, spreading, folding and in two hours she had finished arranging the house. She looked around satisfied at how clean the house was and then decide to have a light meal. She opened the cupboard and took the Oatmeal box out and then she slapped her head with the other hand when she noticed it was empty and she had comfortably forgotten to buy a new one.

Luckily, the cereal box was still half full so she settled for that. As she ate, she remembered the strange occurrence the day before and shuddered. She could still see the self-important look on that guys face.

Who knew gigolos operated so openly? And I am talking to myself.

A second of silence greeted her voice and she smirked to herself, she did not like the fact that he was interested in her and she hoped he wouldn't visit during office hours.

The phone rang and she went to pick it up. It was the Care Centre.

"Hi Siri"

"A lovely, lively voice greeted pleasantly"

"Hi Judith, it is always a pleasure to hear your voice. It just makes my day every time."

"You need more friends Siri"

Judith replied jokingly, while Siri laughed at the comment and inquired about her grandmother.

"Uhm, yeah. I'm calling about that, she had a slight fever, abdominal pains and a cough and so we transferred her to the hospital on doctor's orders. It could be something mild but then again it could be something critical so we sent her to get checked."

Thank you for telling me, can I get the name and address so that I can visit her?"

"Yeah sure, I'll email it to you now."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The phone went silent and she immediately ran to her computer and checked her email, perusing through the content and soon found the said email. She read carefully through and was grateful it was a nearby hospital her grandmother was admitted to and thankfully it did not look like a very big one. She could not afford to have to pay for the heavy test. The insurance would cover the costs.

She called the hospital and asked about her grandmother and she was assured that her grandmother was fine and would be released as soon as she got there.

She slowly had her bath and put on a jacket and walked out of her room. As she locked her door, she heard a heavy thud from the room opposite hers. She knew her neighbour was a single lady and was tempted to knock even though they never spoke to each other.

She had seen her with a couple of bruises ever so often and she had been trying to mind her business. She hated interfering in things that weren't directly her concern, but her conscience kept pricking her. She ignored the voice in her head and put the key securely in her bag and walked a few steps before hearing a louder thud and a whimper. She immediately ran to the door and hit it with all her might. There was silence and then a rough male voice spoke out.

"Who is it?"

She banged hard on the door again and heard rumbling sounds from the inside.

"Don't you have a mouth?"

The door opened up and a rough yet clean, good looking man appeared in the doorway keeping the room hidden from sight. The man looked at her menacingly while Siri stared back coolly.

"I have called the police. You both are not the only ones living here and you don't have the right to disrupt the peace."

"Why the hell would you call the police?"

"Because this is not the first or second or third time. I didn't come here to argue with you, I came to inform you."

And with that, she opened up her house with her key and went back inside her house leaving the man livid. On entering her house. She leaned back on the door and slid down. She looked at her hands which were shaking furiously and exhaled loudly. She heard a loud bang which almost sent her reeling forward in fear and then more thuds and screaming. She hears receding footsteps and stood up calmly and then walked out of her house again.

This time her neighbour's house was opened and she walked in as if she was enchanted. The apartment was dirty and smelly, she could smell drugs and sweat and some other foreign smell much like the stench that covered the area when rain fell.

Someone was curled up in a ball by the bathroom door, she moved closer and inquired.

"Are you alright? Hey? Can you hear me?"

The lady looked up and her face was covered with bruises, she was thin and frail-looking. Her sagging skin reminded Siri of her grandmother's and she looked away. The shorts the lady was wearing was a size too big and the singlet was a for male so her chest was only partially covered.

"Hey?"

"Why did you call the police?"

"Silence."

"I said why did you call the police?"

"The woman screamed. For someone who looked sick, her voice was very loud."

"I didn't."

Siri replied matter-of-factly.

"I just said that so he would go away, I don't know the full story but I think calling the police on you would not be the best idea. Exhibit A?"

Siri carried up a bag of weed and some pills and looked at her quizzically.

"You know these aren't good for you, right?"

"You don't know anything. And this is not your business."

She stood up, adjusted her cloth, and then she looked at Siri in the eyes.

"Get out."

"Do you need help with anything, your lips are cut and your brow is bloody."

"Get out!"

She screamed. Siri gave her one last look and then went out of the house.

She slammed the door hard and Siri winced. As Siri descended the stairs she wondered if the scary-looking man was waiting for her and she became frightened. She got to the last step and looked outside cautiously before she quickly went outside and started walking down the block.

The ride to the hospital was uneventful and because of the insurance package she got, she didn't have to spend any money. She went to the room where her grandmother was and ran in happy to see her looking healthy.

"Hi Siri!"

"Mama!"

She ran to hug her grandmother happy for the warmth and wrinkled hands. Her grandmother smiled happily and tapped her on the bottom which made Siri giggle more.

"Mama! I'm no longer a kid!"

"Let me look at you."

Her grandmother twirled her this way and that and looked at her bottom and chest and pinched her playfully.

"These parts are shooting out."

"Mama!"

Siri grumbled happily and looked around grateful for the empty room.

"We saw each other last month. If someone was to hear you they would think we had not seen in years."

"My dear when you grow as old as I am, each day is like a lifetime and I have missed you my child."

"I missed you back! So, tell me, did you meet any cute gramps over at the centre?"

Siri teased, her grandmother laughed aloud and a bout of cough followed suit.

"Who is putting all these ideas in your head?"

"I know things now"

Siri raised and lowered her brows playfully making the woman laugh more rambunctiously.

"Let's hope you know the right things. So how has your work been?"

"It's fine. I'll tell you all about it when we get home. Cool?"

"Cool Youngblood!"

"Nope. Don't do that please."

Siri looked at her grandmother, bewildered at the corniness and her failed attempt at trying to be "hip"

"Too much?"

"Yes please. Youngblood momma? What the? Seriously?"

They both laughed and continued talking about everything they both missed as they walked out of the room heading to the hospital's exit. Siri looked at the nurses at the reception and waved. The nurses waved back and stared at them in a way that Siri could not recognize. She hailed a taxi which dropped them off right in front of their apartment building and they both walked in and stopped at the end of the stairs.

"Here we are, my greatest nemesis."

Grandma looked at the stairs like how one would look at a bitter medicine they had to swallow.

"You know I can always give you a piggyback ride?"

"I know. Thank you for the offer. Instead, just help me up."

They both climbed up the stairs with Siri behind almost carrying her and holding the shaky railing for support. As they got to the front of their door Siri heard her neighbour's door slam.

"Is that crazy girl still living across from you?"

"Mama, you should be nicer, she's just going through a hard time."

Siri replied.

"We all are one way or the other my dear."

Siri could see a look she did not recognize in her eyes and she quickly brushed it off. She opened the door and ushered her mother in and as she made to enter, she heard the door open and her neighbour peeked at her. She entered the house and as she was about to slam the door, she heard the words.

"Thank you"

And the door slammed again heavily in her face "I told you, some people are crazy"

Her grandmother said from somewhere inside the room. Siri smiled and went into the house.