Chapter Five
On the Tuesday after court when she went to work, Delta was there. She called her into the boardroom. The manager of the hardware, Mr. Minott, was there too. So also was Dania Bernard, the accounting manager. Dania had been there a year now.
“Sonya, I’m firing you this instant! Here’s your letter of dismissal! I don’t want to see you back on these premises again.”
Sonya was in shock. She had heard that Mickie would soon be
deported back to Jamaica.
“What have I done now, Delta? Why this now?”
“You should know what you’ve done.”
“I haven’t done anything. But you’ll hear from my lawyer.”
“And you’ll soon hear from the police. You’ll soon be in jail again.”
Sonya took up the envelope, hissed her teeth and walked out of the boardroom. She went to her office, took up her bag and left the premises in her car. She didn’t tell anybody as to why she was leaving.
By Thursday of that week she was arrested for fraud. She was astounded at the amount of money Delta was accusing her of stealing from Chester’s hardware. She hired another lawyer, Camille Oxford, a middle aged woman. It was Lenny, who recommended that she hire her as he was busy on some high profile cases. She was bailed by Marsha the next Monday.
Her two sisters, Zania and Kandy, called her wanting to know what was going on. She told them that Delta was telling lies on her. First the woman accused her of having an affair with her late husband and robbing the company of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They both told her that any help she wanted, she could call on them.
The court date was set for a month later.
Two weeks later Chester’s set up and funeral were held. Sonya was at neither event, despite some of her former colleagues urging her to attend one or both events. She felt that with Delta’s hostility towards her, she wouldn’t be welcomed at either event. She later learned that the funeral service was held at the First Baptist Church in Meadowbrook. The burial took place at Chester’s village of Salisbury Plains in West Rural Saint Andrew.
***
Despite her aunt, Lyn, appealing to Delta for leniency she refused, saying that Sonya was a wicked girl who deserved a sentence. She even accused her of having a hand in Chester’s murder. Lyn had once worked at Delta’s day care center.
In court Sonya pleaded not guilty and the trial date was put off for another two months.
She heard that Mickie had received a six month sentence in Cayman after which he would be deported back to Jamaica.
Marsha told her to try and reach a compromise with Delta. Sonya told her that she was accusing her of being a thief.
Sonya tried to get another job, but failed. She suspected that the notice Delta had put in the papers that she was no longer authorized to transact any business on behalf of the hardware may have contributed to her failure to land a job.
She decided to use some of the money she had saved to buy and sell clothes, shoes, colognes among other things. She only sold on a cash basis. She made sure not to store any goods overnight in her car.
A month before the case was called up, Delta called her.
“Sonya, the only reason I’m calling you is because I know some of your relatives. I’m giving you a chance to get off these charges. But you have to agree to pay back all the money you stole.”
“I’ll have to talk to my lawyer.”
There was a pause. Sonya didn’t know what the woman was thinking. She wondered where she was calling her from.
“Don’t wait for it to go back to court. I really don’t have that kind of patience.”
“Okay, I understand, but I don’t want to do anything before talking to my lawyer.”
“Well, you do that. I’ll be waiting.”
They both ended the call.
She called Marsha and told her about Delta’s proposal.
“I would take her up on her offer if I were you, Sonya.”
“I told her that I wanted to talk to Camille first before making any decisions.”
“Okay, you do that and call me back tomorrow.”
It took about three weeks of negotiations before Delta agreed to a compromise. Sonya had to give up the house in Old Harbor. She had two and a half year’s mortgage left on it. She also had to give up two of her taxis.
Her aunts, Lyn and Lois, warned her about how close she came in going to prison. Her other aunt, Elaine, said that she could tell her a thing or two about prison life. Delta has warned her that if she finds out that she was involved in Chester’s murder she will tear up the compromise agreement.
Sonya is also worried as Mickie has been deported back to Jamaica. He was arrested by the police upon his return home. She doesn’t understand how he got bail again. He has threatened to go to Delta to tell her that she was defrauding the company. She has told him to go right ahead. He has also threatened to go to the police about Judy. Sonya has dared him to do it.
The latest she has heard is that he is back in Montego Bay, scamming. She is fearful that he will somehow implicate her in Chester’s murder. She knows that he’s a walking time bomb!
In the meantime, she has decided to sell the taxi she now operates, to the driver. She wants to use the money to finance her business.
Sonya is still worried as the police haven't up to now found out who killed Chester although they have identified the gun found on him as the murder weapon. One thing she’s thankful for is the fact that her gun wasn’t used in his murder. The police are still investigating why her gun was fired. The End
Epilogue-Sonya is now along with a guy from Portmore. His name is Lamar Whilby and he is in his mid-thirties. He operates a fifty acre farm in St. Ann. He is a divorced father of a little boy. She confessed everything to him. Some days she goes to the farm with him. They feel drawn to each other, but are just taking the relationship one day at a time.
Both Lenny and Camille have assured her that if she was not involved in Chester’s murder, then she has nothing to worry about.
Jamaican expressions-meaning
broke pocket-bankrupt, ruined, without any money
That’s why he fast into their business so much.- enquire into their business, life or affairs
Other notes: At the time of this story it would take more than one hundred and twenty six Jamaican dollars to buy one United States dollar.