Chapter Eleven
September 30, 2002 was the date that Maya left for the United States. She boarded a South African Airways plane at the Durban International Airport and flew to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. From there she took a connecting flight from New York to Louisville.
When she arrived, she was taken on a tour around the city and the state of Louisiana by the institute’s representative, who received her at the airport. Maya got admitted into the Louisville Institute of Secretarial Studies. It was a dream come true for Maya, who looked forward to get excellent grades in the respective subjects she was to take.
Maya emerged the student with the best grades after her first year of study. She had no rival; her grade point was 4.50. This motivated Maya to do even better, come next session. Living off-campus, Maya had the world to herself. Her air-conditioned apartment was spacious and relaxing. The research materials she had, coupled with the mini-library of books, gave her the assurance that all would be well when it came time to take her finals. Maya’s personal computer was always a good source of information to her, and she was fully prepared.
Meanwhile, her excelling academic prowess caught the attention of lecturers and her colleagues. She was known in all of the institutes of secretarial studies across Louisiana and beyond.
In South Africa, the news of her academic excellence got to the desk of Van Brussels. He sensed that if he didn’t act fast, some bigwigs in the city would snatch her away from him with more tempting offers. He called his General Manager, Daniel Young, and instructed him to meet Maya, and to write up a contract between her and Louisville Shipping Company as Trainee Secretary. Daniel did as he was told.
Three weeks before her final examinations, Maya heard three knocks on her door. On her doorstep, she saw a dashing young man who said to her, smiling, “I’m Daniel Young, General Manager of the Louisville Shipping Company. My boss, Van Brussels, instructed me to talk to you about signing the agreement contract I have with me. He told me about you, and wants you to sign it before I leave. In fact, Van Brussels instructed that the agreement should be signed three weeks before your final examination.”
Feeling excited, Maya grinned and said, “Come in, Daniel.” As Daniel came through the door, she said, “Please, make yourself comfortable!” and gestured to the sofa.
“Thanks,” Daniel said, sitting down.
“Can I get you something?” she asked, admiring his stunning looks. “I have quite a lot of fruit juices in the house, natural fruits, frozen chicken, Swiss cheese, hamburgers, Dr. Pepper, and a lot of other things. Just order and I will deliver!”
“No, thank you, Maya.” Daniel replied. “I’m not hungry. All I want is for you to sign the agreement document.” He handed it over to her.
As she read through the agreement, Maya could tell that it was genuine, especially when she saw Van’s codified signature on the back. She looked up at Daniel and nodded. “Let me get my pen. It’s in my bag.”
She started working over to it, but Daniel stopped her.
“That won’t be necessary. I have one with me already,” he said, giving her the pen to use.
Maya signed the document, wishing that Daniel could stay a bit longer. She tried to think of a way to persuade him to stay and eat. Maya desperately wanted him to have a reason to remain with her a while longer.
“Anything else? Sure you won’t have something before you go?” Maya asked as she opened the fridge.
Daniel shook his head and smiled. “Okay,” he sighed good- naturedly, “before I go, let me have a Dr. Pepper. For your sake, I’ll have two.”
Maya grinned. Daniel had replied the way she’d hoped.
He thanked her, then said, “My attention is needed at the office. I will see you some other time. And I wish you all the best in your examinations, Maya. It’s nice to have met you.” With that, Daniel turned to leave Maya’s apartment with the two Dr. Pepper drinks.
“I’m looking forward to knowing you better,” Maya responded, as she saw Daniel to her door. As she watched him leave, Maya knew she was beginning to develop a soft spot for Daniel. However, she knew what was important, and she decided to concentrate instead on her forthcoming examinations.
On April 4, 2004, at its 50th annual convocation ceremony, it was announced that the top graduate was Maya.
The moment the awards and certificate were presented to Maya, Daniel Young and two other representatives went to congratulate her. They also let her know that Van Brussels was in town and wished to see her. Indeed, the way she was celebrated at her convocation day astounded the other celebrants. Even the school management was very impressed.
After she took pictures with the other graduates, Maya went with Daniel to see her benefactor.
Without much fanfare, Maya was introduced to the company as Trainee Secretary a week after graduation. Dedication, endurance, simplicity in approach to sensitive business matters, and a sense of regard for others were the qualities that made her excel in her position. Everyone in the company admired her working competence. Two years in a row, Maya won the Employee of the Year award.
After some time, Van Brussels felt that it was about time she got promoted to another level of secretarial responsibility--the position of an assistant to the company’s General Secretary, Henry Racks.
After much deliberation by the Board of Directors, Van’s proposal was accepted. It was decided that they would present the news of Maya’s promotion to her on her birthday.
As she went to her office on her birthday, June 16, 2004, , she saw an envelope on her desk, with her name written on the envelope .She opened it and couldn’t believe what she read.
Dear Maya,
We, the staff members of Louisville Shipping Company hereby congratulate you on your birthday! Happy Birthday, Maya!
You have been an indefatigable instrument for the growth of this company. Your commitment, transparency, accountability, relational abilities, and honesty have singled you out among your colleagues. Louisville Shipping Company is proud to have you in its workforce. You are an indispensable asset.
To this effect, we have agreed to raise your level of responsibility from Trainee Secretary to Assistant Secretary. Within the next forty-eight hours (48Hrs), you will become assistant to the General Secretary, Henry Racks.
We would like to hear what you have to say about your promotion. Your presence is requested at the Board of Directors meeting, and is a direct order from Van Brussels, who will be here to witness your decision.
We hope that this promotion will motivate you to even greater productivity, in order to continue the progress of this company. Please take this letter to the office of the General Manager, affirming that you have accepted. He will issue documents that you will need to sign.
Once again, congratulations on your birthday and promotion.
Signed: …HR Signed: …ΩVB…… Signed: …D. Young…… General Secretary. Chairman General Manager
Maya was stunned. She couldn’t decide what to do next: shed tears, shout, run around the office building like a mad woman, or start thanking everyone. She was really the happiest woman on earth!
Maya pulled herself together and went to the office of the General Manager, Daniel Young. As expected, she filled out the necessary forms and signed them. She had to keep from kissing Daniel in her excitement, and nearly danced out the door.
Daniel smiled as he watched her leave. A feeling of love for this young lady was beginning to stir in his heart. Little did he know that Maya felt the same way.
Maya was sure that she was finally on her way to the top. But one question kept coming to her heart: “Is my father still alive?” But then she would think about it and decide, “Since he didn’t bother to look for me, I won’t go looking for him. I will go
ahead with my life, because I have found the life I ought to be living!”
At the Board of Directors meeting, Maya was called upon to give a brief talk to the twelve-member Executive Board. Van Brussels, Daniel Young, Henry Racks and other key players of the company were present to hear Maya speak on her promotion.
Maya put on her wireless microphone and addressed the assembly:
First of all, I would like to thank you all for this wonderful opportunity to speak to such distinguished ladies and gentlemen. I would like to express my heartfelt gladness for your kindness in promoting me to the position of Assistant to the General Secretary of this company.
It is a great honor to be given this privilege to expand my level of responsibility. Under the watchful eyes of my mentors, Van Brussels, Daniel Young, and Henry Racks, I was able to excel in my previous position as Trainee Secretary. With the existing working relationship among us all, I am sure of making this company proud wherever I go. If not for your cooperation as a team, I do not think I would have climbed to this height. You made me what I am today, not me. I want to use this opportunity to say a big ‘thank you’ for making this a possibility.
With this newly-attained position, I promise to give my best to make this company one of the top-notch outfits in the world. Together, we can make this pursuit attainable.
Once again, I want to thank you for taking time off from your busy schedules to come listen to me. Your presence here gives me the motivation to give the best of quality services to our esteemed clients.
I leave you with one of my favorite quotes: “In the pursuit of peace, liberty and life we stand, and in God we trust.”
Thank you for listening!
Applause was heard all over the room. Everyone congratulated her. Henry Racks and others shook her hand and Van Brussels hugged her, but it was only Daniel who gave her a peck on both of her cheeks.
Right then, from that act and the look that he gave her, she knew he had feelings for her. She was certain that Daniel was the man she had been looking for through the years.
Work went on as usual. Maya, now Assistant Secretary, was more committed than ever. Even Henry Racks confirmed it. He told her, “I’ve never seen such a dedicated employee in all my years working for this company.”
Daniel kept wanting to take her out, but Maya was always busy with a pile of activities or wasn’t ready. He kept insisting, however, and finally she decided that something had to change. The next time she would not resist Daniel’s incessant attempts to take her on a date. After all, Maya figured, she had developed a strong crush on Daniel, and since she had been waiting for such a long time for Daniel to make the first move, she should take advantage of it.
Daniel took Maya out to a popular hang-out, a place called The Louisville Bar. When both were comfortably seated and facing each other, Daniel ordered his favorite, Dr. Pepper. He also ordered a sweet non-alcoholic wine for Maya. Both sipping their drinks, Daniel stared directly at Maya’s face. Maya felt suddenly shy; she couldn’t look Daniel in the face. She looked down at the table.
Daniel knew it was time to let her know exactly how he felt about her. He took his lips away from his soda straw and cleared his throat. “Maya, I’d like to get to know you on a more personal level. Ever since I met you, to be candid, I’ve been feeling something I’d never felt in my entire life. What do you say?”
Maya looked down on the table, her lips gripping the straw. After a moment of consideration; she stopped sipping to answer him. Her eyes still downcast, she replied, “What else do you want to know about me? I’m Maya Isaac, the assistant secretary of Louisville Shipping Company, a graduate of the institute of secretarial studies. I think that’s all you need to know about me.”
That really wasn’t what Daniel was after. He took a sip of his Dr. Pepper and said, “That’s really not enough. I would like to know your background; family, life, relationships, ambitions in life, and so on.”
Maya knew she needed to tell him the honest truth if she was going to have a chance to have a future with him. She knew that he was a nice man, perhaps too nice for her. But unveiling to him her rough past, she thought, would jeopardize his feelings for her. However, she decided to tell him the truth.
After some seconds, she let out a sigh, and pushed away her drink. She looked him in the eyes and said, “I have learned from experience that if your past doesn’t help your present, then dump it and move on with your life to enjoy a better future. However, I have also come to embrace the harsh reality that there are some certain past events that will forever stay with us, no matter how hard we try to ‘dump’ them. In fact, they are part of what makes us who we are. All we need do is to endeavor to manage them or better yet, learn to live with them. As you’ve already known, I go by the name Maya Isaac. I was raised by a single father, by the name of Samuel Isaac. According to what he told me, he divorced my mother the grounds of infidelity before I reached the age of three. South African by nationality and Durban by origin, I attended the St. John’s Baptist Primary School and Steven Beak College, all in Durban. Before completing my secondary school education, I felt my dad wasn’t telling me the whole story, the real reason that actually led to his divorcing his wife. So, in the pursuit of what I called ‘my destiny’, I ran into a
certain guy named Craig who introduced me to the Alternative Lifestyle Club, an organization based in Durban, South Africa whose supposed aim was to give juveniles, especially the ones from broken homes, a life that they didn’t have to live with their single parents.
“One thing led to the other and my life was changed forever, negatively I might add, until I met Van Brussels.” She laughed a little nervously. “If I go on telling the whole story, we won’t leave this place. For more information about me, you can visit my blog. Would you like the link?”
“Absolutely,” Daniel answered, intrigued.
She told it to him slowly enough so that he could write it into his phone:
While he did so, Maya propped her chin up with her hand and gazed at Daniel. “At this point,” she said, almost flirtatiously, “it is my turn to know who is this ‘Prince Charming’ who is talking to me.”
Daniel put away his phone, and then realized with a start that Maya was smiling and staring at him. This pleased him a lot, and he sat back to tell his story. “I was born to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Stacy Young in Philadelphia.
“Unfortunately, when I was five, my parents died in a plane crash. My parents were good friends with Van Brussels when they were at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. In fact, he told me he would have wanted to marry my mom, but Frank was her choice of man. After their death, Van Brussels adopted me as his son.
“I lived partly in South Africa. Since he had no children with his wife, who died because of ALS, he took me as his only child. By then, he had founded the Louisville Institute of Secretarial Studies
and Louisville Shipping Company, and owned great shares in the South African gold mining fields. When I was eighteen, I was sent to University of Texas to study business management, and then to Harvard Business school for my Master’s degree. I intend to enroll in a Doctorate program in Strategic Business Planning at Oxford University in London soon. As for relationships, I have not been into any serious ones. But now, however, I want to settle down. And that’s for real! To prove a point, I have been searching through the internet, to find articles that give people advice on how to find the right woman to marry. I’m hoping to find a match on one of those dating websites.
“There’s only one thing that has kept me from seriously following this path, and it’s Van Brussels’ disability.” Daniel frowned. “Did you ever hear how he ended up in a wheelchair?” Before Maya could answer, he went on, “Can you believe that he was shot and left to die? Of course, he didn’t die, but the shooting left him lame for the rest of his life. I can’t get over the anger, and I don’t understand why he doesn’t say who shot him. I asked him once in a while, but he won’t disclose who that person was!”
As she listened to him, Maya’s heart plunged. She felt the stream of tears roll uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Daniel couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Shocked, he sat forward and put his hand on hers. “What’s wrong, Maya?”
“Can we leave this place, Daniel?”
“Have I offended you, Maya? Tell me, should I change to another topic? What can I do to show that I LOVE…?”
Maya’s eyes widened; she couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “You’re joking, right?” She didn’t mean for her words to sound so harsh, but in light of what they had just been discussing, she couldn’t help it. “Did I hear you almost say, ‘what can I do to show that I love you’? Do you mean what you are saying?”
“Y…yes…” answered Daniel, puzzled.
Maya took advantage of his reaction. She said, “If you claim you love me, take me home to my apartment while you go your way! But please, visit that website. I won’t be available tomorrow, so please don’t try to contact me. And please, don’t ask me what I’ll be doing!”
Poor Daniel was confused as to this sudden turn of events. “I’ll do as you’ve said, Maya. But don’t expect me to just leave things like this.”
Daniel drove Maya to her apartment, some houses away from her place of work, and then left to return to his own home, a few miles away from Louisville Shipping Company.
Alone with her thoughts, Maya was restless. Pacing back and forth, she wrung her hands nervously. She thought that, once Daniel had read her blog, he would stop associating with her, and would tell his friends and colleagues at the office.
When Daniel got home, the first thing he did was to power up his computer and search for Maya’s blog. He hoped that whatever he found there would help to explain what had happened at the bar. Maya’s sudden change of attitude left him reeling.
His eyes grew wide in shock and disbelief when he read about Maya’s past. No wonder she said it was best to forget it, he mused. What she had written completely unveiled why Maya had behaved the way she had.
Then, after reading about the story of the shooting on the site, Daniel was horror-stricken. All these years he’d wondered who had shot his father—and it turned out to be the woman he has falling in love with.
It took him three hours to get over the shock. At first, Daniel wanted to call Maya and vent his rage over the phone, but he waited until he was able to control his emotions. When Daniel felt
he was in the right state of mind, he picked up his phone. The tranquility of the night had finally helped to quiet his mind.
Maya had been caught up in deep sleep, thanks to the cool sea breeze that blew gently through her room. But the moment she saw it was Daniel, the veil of sleep disappeared in an instant, and she was wide awake.
At first, she didn’t want to answer the phone. Maya thought that the life she had dreamt of with Daniel would be over before it had even started. In fear, Maya clicked on his call.
“D…Daniel?” she asked, with a tremor in her voice. She winced as she waited for the tirade, she felt sure was coming.
Sensing the fear in her voice, Daniel said soothingly, “Maya, I know you’re afraid of what would happen when I read your story. But please, don’t worry. What has happened has happened! It was a shock at first, I must admit. But I understand.
“Admittedly, I was irate with you while I read through the whole story. But when I gave it a re-think, I realized that it wasn’t deliberate. Because of your naiveté, you did something that you really didn’t want to do. I am sorry for what has happened to you through the years.”
He paused, and then continued in a tender voice, “You probably thought I’d never have you as part of my life again. On the contrary, I would like to see you not only as my friend, and lover if you permit me, but my confidante! What you’ve gone through is more than enough reason to make me love you the more!!”
Maya, speaking in tears, replied, “Do you know that I am celibate? But from this day onward, Daniel, I am forever yours! You still want to be with me, despite my rough past! I’m forever grateful…God bless the day I met you!”
“One step at a time, my dear!” Daniel laughed. “I’m happy things are about working out between us…It’s all that matters!”
“Okay. Yes I agree,” Maya replied.
“From the look of things, I’m seeing…that…I have…hmmm…found my wife from among so many women,” Daniel said, with the intention of disclosing his actual intention to her.
“Who could that be?” Maya asked, hoping against hope that it would be her. Not that she expected it, but…
“It’s the woman speaking with me!” Daniel answered. “Maya, you became the other half of my heart the first day I set eyes on you…I realized you’d be the woman I’d wanted…a woman of truth, love, and humility. Right from the first time I saw you, it was crystal-clear that you were the only one. Only if you could say ‘yes,’ I’ll never forget this moment.”
Maya couldn’t believe it! What she thought would be a typical romantic relationship at best was turning out to be much more. It was becoming her future! Lost for words, Maya had to wait for about two minutes before she could answer him.
On the other end of the line, Daniel understood what was going on. He smiled as he waited for her answer. His proposal had been unusual, so it was no surprise that she was having a hard time taking it in.
Knowing that Daniel would be waiting for her response, Maya finally blurted out, “Yes! I’ll be your wife. Oh, Daniel, I feel the same way! Since the first time I set my eyes on you, when you came to my apartment during my final year in school, I knew you’d be my husband. This is the happiest day of my life. God bless the day I met you!”
Daniel laughed, and Maya shared his joy.
But then his voice grew serious. “Now that you’re ‘unofficially’ my wife, I would like to see what I can do to take away the burden of your past. Is there anything I can do?”
“I don’t know,” Maya said, a little taken aback. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Perhaps you could start by telling me what your greatest worry is. As we discussed earlier, we all have the bags and baggage of our past coming along with us on the journey of marriage we are starting…”
It didn’t take Maya long to come up with an answer to this question. “To me, my greatest worry is where my father is. It’s been about ten years since I last saw him. I’ve been in search of him in my own way, but it has been interrupted a lot. Coupled with my very busy work schedule, I rarely have been able to devote time for this fully.”
Then she added, “I’ll have to intensify my search for him by creating time. Or what do you think, my dear?” she asked
“I said I’d help you and I will, my dear. I’ve signed up for this challenge! Together, we’ll find him, I’m sure. We’ll make the time for this.”
It was getting late, and Daniel was starting to get weary.
Maya could sense it over the phone.
“Honey, you are getting tired. It’s about 3:30a.m, and we’ve been on the phone for over an hour. To be frank, I’m very tired as well. Sweetheart, I would like some sleep, but I’ll stay on and talk if you want.”
“Who am I to disturb you from sleeping? I’m also tired and need to get to bed.” Daniel yawned, and then said, “This is as well the happiest moment of my life! Go get some sleep, sweetheart! Wishing you a happy Sunday! I look forward to seeing you at work!”
“I wish you the same, Daniel. Multiple kisses from me to you! I love you!” Maya said in an intimate tone. She kissed at the phone, imagining Daniel with her, holding her passionately in love.
“I love you too!” Daniel responded.
Once they disconnected the call, they both went to bed, looking forward to Monday and the subsequent weekdays ahead.
Maya got to work at about 8:30a.m. At the door of her office was an envelope that read: “For your eyes only, Maya. From Daniel”. At first, she thought it was an article he’d promised to send her. But to her greatest surprise, she saw a note with only a few sentences:
It’s good that life has united the sun and moon together in an atmosphere of love, sealed the stars with the haziness of affection, heightened the green shoots of peace, surrounding it with the waters of endurance.
What I mean to say, my precious pearl, is that I thank you for giving me the key to unlocking the softest spot in your heart—the place that no man has ever had access to. I promise to love you as long as I live. I love you too much to ever let harm come to you.
I was so carried away by your aura of greatness, the very grace you carry. I am happy to be a partaker of this great virtue. Please, my true love, from the bottom of my heart to the depth of my soul, do not be offended by my short words the other night. It was just that I couldn’t help thinking about you all the time, and so my attention was distracted from the conversation.
Frankly, you’re an epitome of joy, Maya. God bless the very day I met you!
From Daniel, You’re Sweetheart.
Maya was moved by the words and held the note to her heart.
Monday was indeed a great day for her, because she does better than any of her co-workers’. After the close of work, she went straight to Daniel’s office, and he drove her to his place.
Slowly but steadily, Maya was beginning to move her things into his spacious apartment. It became obvious to everyone who saw them that Maya and Daniel had something going on.
With time, Daniel proposed marriage to Maya. After that, there was no longer a question about their relationship. The engagement rings worn on the index fingers of their left hands answered any lingering questions. All the members of staff of the company, including Van Brussels, looked forward to their ‘holy matrimony.’