Chapter 5: Chapter 5
SENSELESS PRIDE
One extremely long second after Jemimah went out of sight, Jason became exceptionally unsettled. He felt lightning bolts in his chest and a bottomless pit filled to the brim with emptiness was in his belly! 'What harm could there possibly be in trying to keep someone with such an effect on me?' he asked himself. Jason wasn't willing to let go of the opportunity. Actually, her lack of interest spurred him. "A little bit of caution is all that's needed.'
Dour Looking Dicke soon walked in. This time, his assistant was nowhere to be found! 'He probably hid her somewhere in the pocket of a big lab coat,' the player said in his mind.
Half an hour later, the seemingly eternal medical test finally came to an end. Jason heaved a sigh of relief. It was so loud that it caught the attention of the doctor. So the player capitalized on it and asked him if he could meet Jemimah Carpenter yet another time. Dicke was evidently alarmed. "Is there a problem, Mr. Sam?"
"Not at all! It's just that I have been unable to concentrate on anything else since setting eyes on her!" Jason expressed his emotions stealthily to the older man who scratched his bald head with a wry smile on his face. "Oh, to be young!"
The doctor took his time to narrate old and personal tales of love. In the process, he passed some vital information with respect to how Jemimah went to and fro. "Need I remind you that I'm only a phone call away from the police if anything goes wrong!" Dicke said with a stern look on his dour face.
"I assure you, nothing will go wrong." Jason promised. 'Maybe his initials actually stood for "Dearly Loved Dicke"'. This was because the player suddenly developed some kind of brotherly affection for the doctor.
Meanwhile, Lordham FC was very pleased with the successful medical test. Within the space of an hour, the outfit insisted on signing a contract immediately. But Jason's agent dithered the process. He opined that they should head home and also monitor the outcome. That way, it would be easier to choose the most favorable option.
This was one of the main reasons the player wanted to initiate a relationship with Jemmy. There was a fifty-fifty chance that he wouldn't return to the club again. So this might just be a once in a lifetime opportunity. "But seriously, why am I bent on forcing some kind of friendship with her? She's only a girl!" he said in a soliloquy.
"What did you say?" his agent asked him. Both of them sat on one of the club's stands.
"Nothing!" Jason lied while staring at the beautifully groomed green pitch. The player agreed to everything his agent said except leaving the city that day. He had developed an unwavering determination to find the young lady and right his wrongs. It was as if he had become knitted to her.
Soon arrangements were made and a hotel room was booked for him. But his crew went back to where they came from just past midday.
Jemimah saw the helicopter take off a little over two hours ago. And to her amazement, she was quite disappointed! There was no denying the young man's interest from how his eyes caressed every inch of her body. But she assumed that he was merely looking for a conquest in his raunchy adventure! 'Else why did he act like an impulsive brute?' She caught herself wondering. As tempting as his money was, it was utterly disgusting to think that he tried to lure her with it. 'Well, the buffoon has caused enough trouble for one day!'
After taking off her coat, freshening up and saying goodbye to all the co-workers present, she headed home. There was a narrow and hidden exit from the stadium solely for members of staff. She walked towards the direction. On reaching it, a man was sitting on a plastic chair. He saw her from a distance and stood up quickly.
Jason could not believe his eyes! She looked so fragile but beamed with confidence. He observed the poise with which Jemimah walked, the panache with which she carried herself.
For some reason though, the lady began to move backwards. Perhaps, it was in reaction to his standing up so abruptly. The footballer had little or no option but to say something to calm her down. But for some weird reason, he shook from fear and his heart raced as a result of deep interest. Something told him that she had a strong connection to his dream and he wanted to know why.
"Hey, Jemimah Carpenter, it's me from earlier."
She refused to say a word. So he made an attempt to move close to her.
"Stop, don't you dare!" She pointed a finger at him.
"I mean no harm! We started on a really bad note and I must have given you a very terrible impression of myself."
"Five thousand dollars for you to get out of my sight, Mr. Player!"
"When I said that, it was intended to be funny." Jason didn't know what to say. But he found the words at last. "I'm sorry it turned out to be a horrible joke."
"Very well then! Just let me be all the same, alright?"
Her words angered Jason. Women normally adored his every action. Therefore, his arrogance got the better of him.
"This isn't me begging you to garner some kind of pity, okay? I won't have you talk to me in such a manner!"
"Yeah, that's totally understood. If money doesn't work, then you are more than willing to resort to senseless pride!" Jemmy turned back and hurried the same way she came.