“Why are you doing this, Bruce? You want to leave Sandfeld? Seriously?”

Seated before the CEO’s table, Bruce stared strangely at the man before him. He hadn’t exactly expected Lorenzo to throw a party and break into cartwheels over discovering that he wanted to leave, but this hysterical reaction had not been expected, either. The man was acting as if he had announced he was going to burn down the building. From the moment Lorenzo called him that morning, he knew it was going to be about the resignation letter.

But this… this was unexpected.

Lorenzo leaned back in his leather chair, his face contorted with a mix of frustration and disbelief. “You just want to walk away from Sandfeld like that? You don’t realize how essential you are to this company?”

Bruce simply stared at him, beyond puzzled. “Umm… Mr. Lorenzo, I appreciate those words and all, but I simply believe it’s time for a change. I’ve done my time here, and it’s enough. Time to move on to another phase of life.”

Lorenzo’s nostrils flared as his displeased disposition grew more intense. “A change? Seriously? What do you need a change for? Huh?”

Bruce sat up. “Well, for one, I don’t feel like my contributions are valued here. And the constant pressure… it’s become overwhelming.”

Lorenzo shook his head. “Oh, so that’s what it is, no? It’s because of the way I treat you or something? Look, all I’ve been doing is simply pushing you to be the best you can be. It’s just tough love, just like in that movie Whiplash. You’ve seen it, right? The work you do is not quite my tempo, so I’m trying to get you on that tempo.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow. He had, and despite what people said about it, he despised the music teacher. The day he and Nana Asor watched it, he told her he’d have flipped the middle finger at the teacher and walked out the moment he threw that chair at his head.

“Whiplash? Seriously, Mr. Lorenzo? That’s your reference point?” he asked incredulously.

Lorenzo looked stunned by his astounded expression. “Of course! It’s a masterpiece! The pursuit of perfection, the relentless pursuit of greatness… that’s what I expect from all my employees.”

Bruce had to resist the urge to shake his head in disgust. Yeah, this man had mental issues for sure. Because there was no way he was using this movie reference to justify his antics.

“With all due respect, Mr. Lorenzo, I think you’ve misunderstood the message of that movie entirely. It’s about abuse, manipulation, and the toxic nature of pushing someone beyond their limits. Which is not acceptable. And even if you do think you have the mindset of Terrence Fletcher, I am not Andrew Neiman. I’m not sticking around to try and impress you.”

Lorenzo chuckled darkly, sounding amused by Bruce’s defiance. “You think the business world is a cakewalk, Bruce? I demand excellence, and all I’ve been doing is grooming you for success. You’re throwing it all away if you choose to leave.”

Bruce sighed, already tired of this meeting. “Grooming me? Mr. Lorenzo, it’s been nothing but constant belittlement. I’m sorry, but I can’t thrive in an environment where my efforts are never recognized, and I’m always the scapegoat.”

Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. “Okay, okay, alright, forget all that. Listen, Bruce, I can make it worth your while to stay. How about I triple your salary? Would that make you reconsider? You won’t find a better offer elsewhere, trust me.”

Bruce was taken aback by the sudden offer. For a split second, he couldn’t help but consider it.

The thought of tripling his salary was tempting, and Lorenzo wasn’t lying; he’d indeed be hard-pressed to get such an offer anywhere else.

It took less than a second to know how stupid he would be to accept that, though. The abusive behaviour would triple along with the salary, and as much as he needed money, he needed peace of mind too.

He shook his head, remaining resolute. “Mr. Lorenzo, it’s not about the money. It’s about respect and a healthy work environment. Sorry, but I’ve made my decision.”

Lorenzo’s face contorted with anger. “You’re making a huge mistake, Bruce! I’m telling you this! No one else will put up with you the way I have!”

Bruce shrugged, his resolve unwavering. “Mr. Lorenzo Martinique, I’ve accepted a position where my skills and contributions will be valued. I wish you and Sandfeld Ghana the best, but my decision is final.”

Lorenzo then stood up abruptly, his tone and gaze cold and piercing. “Fine. If you’re determined to leave, then leave. But let me tell you now, don’t come crawling back here when you’re broke, unemployed and desperate for food to eat! You’ll realize you’ve made a grave error and I swear, you’ll never be able to get back in here!”

I’d rather bath myself in the Korle Lagoon than come crawling back to you.

Those were the words in Bruce’s head. But he settled for a cute smile and a simple, “Oh, I won’t. Thank you very much.” Then he stood up and made his way out of the office.

As he closed the door, he immediately made a throwing sign at the door in reference to those evil curses, and hissed, “Back to sender in Jesus’ name!”

***

“… and you naa, you know how savage Madam Bernice can be. As soon as she asked him where his girlfriend is, the boy just mellowed and tried to back down. She too, she said naa, she won’t understand, na how can a guy his age still be jumping from girlfriend to girlfriend. Chale, he regretted paaa!”

All seated on Becky’s couch, Becky, Nana Asor, Delasi and Olivia were having a girls’ night out, with Nana Asor bringing up the idea to lift Becky’s spirits. Obviously, they all knew about what transpired, and knowing how much of a downward spiral this could send their friend into, they decided to get together with her and engage in what they liked.

No questions about how she felt. No questions about the man. None of that. Just a way of escape for her, with the people she loved.

So there they were, having watched ‘Déjà Vu’ a while ago, and were now talking about different matters. The issue of nosy relatives popped up, and Nana Asor took the chance to tell them of her cousin Kweku and his insensitive actions in asking why she and Bruce hadn’t had kids yet.

The ladies loved the story, to say the least.

“That’s all!” Becky declared. “As for Auntie Bernice, she doesn’t take nonsense, and she shouldn’t kraaa! As he’s asking like that, will he pay for anything?”

“Ask again ooo!” Olivia agreed. “The people who do that behave as if they’ve got some money ready to share with you when you give birth. Meanwhile they have nothing! Gift for the baby mpo, they won’t give you!”

“It’s so annoying!” Delasi added. “Auntie Bernice did well paaa. He should think of himself. You’re not able to keep a girlfriend, but you’re disturbing someone else about children. The impudence!”

Murmurs of agreement arose from the ladies. Then Nana Asor sighed.

“Yeah. But I can’t lie, it’s not easy, though. Sometimes I see pictures of couples that got married after us, with their babies, and I can’t help but feel… I dunno, left out. Like, I really get into a bit of a low moment whenever I see those things. I try and remind myself all is well…”

“Awwwwww, it’s okay, Asor, it’s okay,” Becky encouraged, giving her friend a hug as she heard the crack in Nana Asor’s voice. Delasi and Olivia followed suit. It was a very sensitive issue they rarely spoke about, but the ladies all knew this was a matter that bugged her a lot.

“It’s okay, Asor. I can only imagine how hard it must feel, but, what I can say is, don’t feel pressured,” Delasi spoke up. “God knows what He’s doing with you and Bruce, and sometimes it’ll feel like you’re being left behind and all, but His timing is always the best. And the best part of it is that when it comes, you’ll understand it all.”

“Agreed,” Olivia chimed in. “You never know, maybe God is leading you and Bruce to a point where you guys can handle having a baby. We all know babies are more than just cute little human beings, they are a lot of work, and the last thing you’d want is to be totally unprepared for it. I mean, you’ll never be fully prepared, but you have to be prepared to some degree.”

Nana Asor nodded slowly in agreement. Her ears were no strangers to these words, but it felt soothing to hear them from these ladies.

“That’s all true. And think about this: imagine being pregnant while Bruce was working under that idiot of a boss. Imagine the absolute nightmare that would be.”

Nana Asor and Delasi gasped as Becky’s comment sunk in. “Herh, that’s so true, eh!” Delasi agreed.

“Yeah… oh wow, how did I never actually think about this?” Nana Asor wondered. “Becky, you’ve said something ooo!”

“Why, is Bruce’s boss a bad boss?” Olivia asked.

Becky turned to her. “My dear, ‘bad boss’ is too kind a word. That man is a bonafide bastard! As far as he’s concerned, everything in the world that goes wrong is Bruce’s fault.”

Olivia looked stunned. “Ah ah, seriously?”

“It’s no joke oo, Olivia,” Nana Asor confirmed. “The number of times Bruce has come home, exhausted and frustrated because the man has lambasted him for one thing or the other. It’s only a matter of time until the man tells the world it was Bruce who was the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve.”

“Ei! That serious?”

“That serious ooo! So just imagine if Bruce had to deal with this demon from hell with you being pregnant, Asor. Before you know it, the man is preventing Bruce from coming to the hospital when labour is due, just to punish him,” Becky mentioned.

“Mmmm. That’s all true, mohm,” Nana Asor mused out loud. “Well, at least he’s leaving now, so thank God for that.”

“Yeah, that’s all. Because I can’t imagine Bruce being the same if he’s prevented from seeing his first child. Already, the guy is going to cry when he sees him or her, so chale, let him cry in the hospital preko,” Becky stated, a smirk on her face.

Nana Asor shot her best friend a dirty look. “Metallica, leave my man alone ooo, leave him!”

“Oh, let me think! As if we all don’t know this. Anaa Delasi, am I lying?”

Delasi couldn’t help but crack a grin. “Sorry, Asor, but we know Bruce too well. I can’t imagine him not crying when you give birth.”

“Oh wow! So that’s how it is, eh? Olivia, you see how they have conspired against my husband?”

Olivia had a half-amused, half-confused look on her face as she shrugged. “But… but isn’t it sweet if he does? Or am I missing something here?”

“Olivia, don’t mind her. She’s a sankwas geh, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. With that her gap like N1 Motorway.”

“N1 Motorway kee you there!”

The girls laughed at Nana Asor’s retort to Becky. Becky making fun of her best friend’s diastema was as common as brushing one’s teeth.

“Anyways, please, one more movie before I let you all go,” Becky declared. “I’m in the mood for ‘Training Day’. What do y’all think?”

Olivia sighed. “We already watched one Denzel movie. Do we have to do another?”

“Ehhh??!!”

Becky and Nana Asor burst into laughter as Delasi, after letting out that sound of disbelief, shot Olivia a questioning look. “Ei, Olivia, you don’t know your sister-in-law, eh?” Nana Asor guffawed. “Please, don’t say that again in her presence ooo.”

“At all!” Becky agreed. “This girl can watch Denzel Washington all day and never get tired.”

Delasi shrugged, a confident smirk on her face as she raised her can of Malta Guinness. “Trust me. There’s no such thing as too much Denzel Washington. No such thing.”

Olivia raised her hands in surrender. “Sorry ooo. Okay then. Training Day it is.”

***

“Herh, you make serious?”

“Chale, I still shock as I dey sit here. I know sey the man be f**king guy, but after what I hear, eh…”

“Chale, he be foolish man waaa! Ah! If you dey want mentor somebody, ibi so we dey do am? Ei, this guy paaa! He figure them born you last night anaa?”

Bruce laughed at Clarence’s retort. Once again, he and the boys were on a conference call that evening, and they were discussing what had happened in Lorenzo’s office. “I dey shock sef. He finish aaa, he dey come tell me sey he go triple my pay. Apuuu!”

“Massa, if he like sef, make he give you ein salary all, we still dey lef!” Deladem declared. “Ah, seriously, this man no get sense.”

“Zero sense, chale,” Clarence agreed. “You dey take inspiration from an abusive movie villain? He really fool. Thank God sey you dey lef there. Stupid wizard.”

“Make you no mind am. Yawa guy! The thing pain am pass. One of the guys come tell me sey he go HR office go biz sey ibi legal to reject resignation letter. The woman say no, wey he bore gidigidi. Kwasia! E pain am roff!”

“Of course! He dey lose ein punching bag,” Deladem stated. “But whatever he go do biaa, you dey lef. End of story. Rejecting whatever whatever, e no go work.”

“That be all. Na if he try sef, what Labour Commission go take do am, eh! Idiot! So chale, that be how my day go.”

“Sweet, sweet. By now, he dey ein house dey lose ein brain, like, who am I going to bully in this office now?” Clarence mocked.

The three laughed.

“Anyways, so I go speak to your new boss soon about another opening. Hopefully, door go open give Clarence sooner than later.”

“Amen to that, amen to that,” Clarence murmured. Now his shot at unemployment could become the center of attention, and like Bruce, he’d soon find himself out of his hellhole.

“Yeah, now we can focus on Clay’s own. Soon, we all go make settled in Jesus name!” Bruce triumphantly declared.

“Amen!”

Yep, Bruce is leaving for real! And good for him too; Lorenzo is clearly one unhinged man, with such a silly excuse for his attitude…