BROKEN BUT NOT BROKEN

Phyllis and Dennis worked for the same organisation but were stationed in different branches. She was the Director of her branch and Dennis, the Accountant of his too.

The first time they met was in a Cluster meeting organised by their Organisation. The very first time Phyllis set eyes on Dennis, she fell in love with him. She saw a man who was tall, a little between thick and thin, chocolate in complexion, well dressed with a nice fragrance and a beautiful wide smile as their eyes locked in a glance.

Wow! she felt butterflies in her belly with fast pacing heart beats and a face full of beautiful smiles. She quickly rushed to Anarisa, her best friend and says, "damn! the tall guy over there is hot. I like him already. Do you know who he is and where he works?" Anarisa, responded with a "yes! That's our new Accountant but I won't advise you date him. Though he is a gentleman, he is a player and has little respect for the women he dates. So he's not a good choice for you". That killed Phyllis' feelings.

In the course of the meeting, Anarisa introduced Dennis to Phyllis and they got locked up in a conversation. He tells her how much he admires and has so much respect for her because she is outspoken and speaks with so much wisdom and display of knowledge. She was surprised because that was the first time she had actually seen him but it seemed he knew her before this meeting but she kept her cool. They exchanged numbers and went their separate ways after the meeting.

Phyllis goes to Dennis' office regularly to work with his boss and in no time she and Dennis had become friends but without phone calls. Dennis was continually telling Phyllis he liked her and wanted to take her out on a date but she took it to be a joke until one evening Dennis called her to ask her out for a date. She told him she will call back since she was on her way for a walk but she never called back.

On one of her usual visits to their office, she realized Anarisa wasn't giving a proper account of funds released to her for work purposes. She called Dennis to tell him to be a little hard on Anarisa to provoke her to account for monies giving her since his checks on her will develop her to be accountable and reasonable in spending money. He appreciated her and told her again of how much he admires her because she is smart.

On one beautiful Sunday evening, exactly five days after their second phone call, Dennis called Phyllis and asked her out on a date. He begged for her to not refuse him since he really needed someone to talk to because he was having some problems at work. She met him at the agreed place of meeting and he hired a car to take them to one of the popular restaurants in town since Phyllis didn't have a place in mind. On their way to the restaurant, he narrated what had transpired between him and his CEO and wanted to be advised. Phyllis gave him an advice he so much appreciated.

When they got to the restaurant, Dennis chose the table he thought will be comfortable for them and drew the chair for her to sit comfortably before he sat down. He then went on to say " I have brought you out here this evening for you to comfortably enjoy. Feel free to order for anything you want". Phyllis looked at him and smiled. The waitress brought the menu and Phyllis ordered for Fried Rice with beef sauce and he ordered Salad with fried fish. She later learned that he was sick and was not supposed to eat heavy food late in the evenings.

As they waited for their food, he asked her what she would drink and she told him "I have never taken alcohol in my life. I normally take Alvaro when I eat out". He then chipped in saying " they have a blend of natural juices here and the cocktail tastes good. I'm gonna order that for us. Please feel free to ask for anything you want". She giggled with a thank you. Dennis asked if she was in a relationship and she responded in the negative. He wanted to know why she wasn't and she simply said, "i don't do well in relationships like I do on the job". They both laughed over it and locked eyes again. It was a beautiful moment for her as she saw the brightness of his eyes as he laughs. The waitress brings the drinks and goes back to bring the food. Dennis serves Phyllis the cocktail and asked her to take a sip and tell him how it tastes. "It tastes good", she says as she took the sip. The waitress serves the food and Phyllis shows appreciation to her and she leaves.

As they began to eat, Dennis asks Phyllis to tell him about her weaknesses in relationships. She said, " I always take money and my ATM card with me anytime I go on dates because anything can happen. It's possible my man could loose his wallet or leave it home or even leave before we finish with whatever our date is about because he had an emergency or got angry and left me behind". He laughed hysterically and says you have good points here. She continued to say " I am very emotional, the strong woman you see is emotionally weak and cries a lot as well. Lest I forget, I hate for my intelligence to be insulted especially by my man and I am quick tempered as well by easy to forgive too". She sighed with a smile as Dennis quietly looks at her with a smile too.

And with my strengths, she smiled and continued, I put my heart and everything in my relationships. I go extra length to support my man in any ways he might need it and I will push him to do better for himself. Most importantly too, I am self dependent. I hardly ask my boyfriend for help especially financially but I appreciate surprises and gifts". As he paid attention to this he kept smiling and said " damn I have never met a woman that's honest about her personality as you are." How do you know I'm being honest with you, she asked and he said, from the passion with which you speak plus your eyes lit as you spoke".

Phyllis requested to use the washroom and he excused her. She came back and requested they leave since they were done eating and it was getting late. They decided to walk to the bus stop instead of hiring a cab to enable them spend more time together. They held hands as they walked and they shared their experiences in relationships and made fun of each other's embarrassing moments as well.

When they got to the bus station, there was a bus loading to Phyllis' suburb so they said their good byes and both of them showed appreciation with a hug and a thank you. As Phyllis sat in the bus, Dennis shouted "you took my something along with you ". Phyllis was confused as she had nothing of his with her. The bus took off before she could even talk. She called Dennis to say thank you when she got home and they exchanged pleasantries and ended the call.

She was overwhelmed with their date and reminisced about it for sometime before she decided to sleep since the weekend was over. As she closed her eyes, she heard the tone of her phone's message notifications and decided to read the message before she slept. To her amazement, it was Dennis telling her how he enjoyed her company. She replied "I did too. It was a great evening". He then sent another message professing his love for her. When she read it, she was overjoyed but responded by texting " I love you but I can't be in a relationship with you because I know you're already in a relationship". He texted back saying " I know as smart as you're, you would definitely do a background check on me before you go on a date with me but that lady and I are over and I swear on my mother." Phyllis believed him and agreed to be his girlfriend. They texted each other back and forth till it was 12:00 am and Phyllis requested they end the texting before they did.

Phyllis woke up tired but with an excitement and prepared for work. As she was getting ready, Dennis called to check up on her and to remind her of him being his boyfriend now. Dennis requested Phyllis to keep their relationship a secret for a while and she agreed. Phyllis in an excitement told Dennis " remember I am the boss when it's working hours and you are my boyfriend when we are alone".

They exchanged pleasantries and hanged up. Dennis called Phyllis to check up on her in the afternoon since they work in different branches and she felt awesome about that. They also spoke in the evening and agreed to meet in Dennis' house on Tuesday afternoon since he had been suspended by the CEO due to their misunderstanding.