Mercy broke down as she stared at the packaged gift, with a handwritten card.
Go by the good ways, walk the good paths, and one day we will meet again
In her eyesight, behold, was a new black Mercedes Benz, its keys hanging on the ignition lock cylinder.
“George! I am overwhelmed, sir,” she stated, as she sought to unwrap the special gift.
Here’s her story. Some years back, I met Mercy, a trained bodyguard and criminologist. She was brought into my office along Koinange Street before I relocated to Upper Hill.
Rather than ask for a job first, she stared at a painting in my office and spoke of the art in detail.
“Every painting tells the story of the artist. They bring forth the deepest parts of their souls into reality,” she stated while admiring the view from my fifth-floor office.
I smiled and looked at her, further describing the photo, hinting at global warming. A picture of a son holding his father’s hand, urging him against cutting trees.
“What do you do, ma’am? Are you a painter?” I wondered.
“I can keep you safe,” her answer was brief and precise.
In 2018, my wife and I agreed to scale up our security owing to a few issues here and there and were on a hiring spree. Most of those referred to us were either retired cops or private investigators.
But my wife rejected them all. She wanted someone who paid attention to detail. From the onset, Mercy didn’t strike me like she was the skilled professional my wife sought.
“I don’t think she can handle such work. With conferences and lots of travelling. Can she even organise the aides back at home, at our firm? I don’t trust women which such a role.
“We should get an experienced man,” she lamented.
I mulled over hiring Mercy, nearly concurring with my wife, but I thought twice. For years, at my firm and at home, I had strived to employ my staff based on their skills rather than gender.
From my head chef to the manager at my security startup firm and even some drivers.
But there was something unique about Mercy, from her organisation to her attention to detail.
She wasn’t afraid of stepping on toes on her first day at work. She asked to visit the startup security firm, where he spoke with the heads of various departments and raised concerns about gaps and loopholes.
“Boss, we cannot operate without weekly reports, filled on how many agents we send to the field, with performance backed by data,” she confided, asking to take the lead in field operations of the guards we post to various firms.
“Every day, she keeps proving me wrong,” my wife confided. The same sentiments were shared by various firms which had hired our guards.
Meanwhile, she also took up the role of my personal guard and personal assistant.
One day, as we sat by the fireplace while I was drinking my favourite Whisky, Black and White, on the rocks, she approached with her glass and sat on the chair next. The relationship between us was cordial.
She stared at my drink and smiled. “George. I remember the first delivery I received here at home on my first day of work.”
I couldn’t jog my mind, so she reminded me. “Black and White. That night you took it with a chaser as you read notes on a speech you were to present at a climate conference then.”
“Haa. I couldn’t even remember. But some things are constant in life,” I said as I stirred my glass and sipped.
“Why did you take up a security role, mercy,” I interrogated.
“Can I get a drink,” she requested, as I passed on the bottle of Whisky. She took her with a chaser, smiled and responded calmly…
“We are born to adapt and change, taking on new responsibilities and tasks. When I was on campus, I realised that women are always afraid to step in and take roles which many argue are not meant for us.
“I sought to change that, and it is visible from even how we have empowered women within our startup firm. Women helping women is an important part of the equation for balancing the industries. And we continue to collaborate with men too.
She reminded me of Brandon Winn Sanderson, an American author of high fantasy and science fiction, who stated that most of her peers ignore the greater assumption--that a 'place' for women must be defined and set forth, to begin with.
“I say that there is no role for women--there is, instead, a role for each woman, and she must make it for herself,” Sanderson stated.
I looked back at how Mercy had impacted our lives. Our children respected her as their eldest sibling. She convinced my younger daughter, Molly (22), to be a climate activist.
“Your dad and I used to draw notes all night, and at times, I’d even accompany him to some events abroad - That’s how I fell in love with climate activism.
For our children, we always wanted them to follow their path. And with Mercy, they saw in her an example, a testament that they could create their careers.
After being ranked among the youngest climate activists, Molly is set for an award. She advocates against global warming, planting trees, and protecting the environment and water catchment areas.
We also rewarded her in return, aiding her in building her parents’ home, schooled her siblings as part of our education sponsorship for our employees, and catered for her further studies.
Thus, five years later, it was quite hard when she requested to leave and start her security firm.
As they say, goodbyes are never easy. Some shatter a soul. She rejected a banquet and wanted something easy instead.
“Family time. I just want us to spend time as a family, and celebrate our milestones,” she insisted.
Besides a brand new car, my wife and I offered to fully fund her venture for a year until she was on her feet, aiding her with marketing. Some people touch your lives, no matter how long you interact with them.
“Thank you, sir. I know what’s inside the package, though,” she teased, recalling the package I offered and the brand-new car.
“Take a guess,” I teased back.
“Black and White,” she responded. “I’ll come back for a drink soon,” she added.
I shook her hand as we laughed. Her fiance, waiting for her in the driveway. As she left, I saw in her the young woman I met in 2013. Her shadow fading.
She was like a painting upon a canvas, a story of loyalty and grace.