Shonee’s POV
After a quick ten-minute bus ride, I arrived at the bank.
I’d been working as a nanny for a little over three months now and I had been meaning to use part of my salary to settle my outstanding student loans. My hope was to cover the debt little by little till I reached the end.
Thanking the security man who opened the door for me, I strolled into the banking hall in confidence. The air was filled with the faint scent of fresh paper and the low hum of transaction machines completing their tasks. As I approached the counter, I mentally rehearsed what I needed to do.
"Good morning, miss, how may I assist you today?" the teller greeted me with a warm smile.
"Good morning," I replied, returning the smile. "I'd like to make a payment towards my student loans, please."
"Certainly, do you have your account details with you?" the teller asked as she began to type on her keyboard.
"Yes, right here," I said, handing her my documents.
As she processed the information, I couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. The loans were a constant burden, a weight on my shoulders that I couldn't seem to shake off for years. But today, I was determined to make a dent in them, no matter how small.
After a few moments, the teller looked up at me with a surprised expression. "Umm, Miss, your name is Shonee Coleman, right?”
“Yeah.” I watched her face carefully. “Is something wrong?”
“Um. No, but it seems that your outstanding balance has been completely paid off," she announced.
I blinked, struggling to believe what I had just heard. "Paid off?" I repeated my voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, it appears that the entire amount has been settled," she confirmed, sliding a piece of paper across the counter towards me.
My heart pounded in my chest as I scanned the document, searching for any indication of who could have made such a generous payment. And then, I saw it, at the bottom left corner of the page.
Right under the account number was the name… Vincent Beckham.
My mouth just dropped open.
Holy shit! Vincent paid off my student loans! When? How di-
“Umm, Miss Coleman?”
My eyes flickered up to meet the teller’s.
“You’re holding up the line.”
When I turned around, four other people were standing in a queue right behind me. “Oh uh, sorry. I just…I need to make a phone call.”
“Sure, you can do that right outside the banking hall,” the teller informed me.
“Ok, um, thanks. C-can I keep this?” I asked, holding up the paper with the loan details.
“Of course.” She nodded.
“Right. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
Pivoting on my heel, a million things were running through my head. Finding out that Vincent had paid off all my student loans had completely thrown me off my game. Honestly, it was something I was never expecting to happen. How the heck did he even know I had loans to settle? And when did he pay them off?
I stepped out of the banking hall, fumbling through my handbag for my phone. I didn’t even know what I was going to say to him. All I knew was I had to call him because this was so…unreal. Trust me, if the teller hadn’t handed me the details on paper, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Finally yanking out the device, I quickly pulled up his number and hit call. It didn’t even ring, just went straight to voicemail. But it didn’t stop me. I called again, three more times, all of them earning the same result.
“Argh!” Frustration set in and I stomped a foot hard on the ground, inadvertently scaring some passers-by. Now, what was I going to do?
“Shonee?”
At the sound of my name, my head whipped to the side.
“I thought that was you.” Fred, from the art gallery, approached me in a suit that had him looking like a younger version of James Bond.
“Fred, hi. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Yeah, I don’t think we’ve seen each other since the Opening Event. How’s Mirasol?”
“Oh she’s great,” I replied. “Never been better. She’s currently having a picnic with her friends at the park.”
“Alright, cool.” Fred nodded.
“You look dapper,” I smiled, gesturing towards his outfit. “What’s the occasion? Got a hot date somewhere?”
“Ah no,” He laughed, trying to suppress a wide grin. “Prof. Amalas Clinton scheduled a meeting with some investors and she asked me to come. I was just dressing to look the part, hope it’s not too much.” His nerves had him adjusting the jacket covering his frame and I couldn’t help but giggle.
“It’s fine Fred, you look awesome.”
The compliment put him at ease. “Ah thank you.”
“You’re welcome, but you work in the art gallery. Why does Prof. Clinton want you at an investor’s meeting for the university?”
“Oh, it’s not for the university, it’s for the gallery, particularly the Techno Symphony Zone. Prof. Clinton is getting in touch with capable investors to talk about expanding the digital installation section.”
Then, like lightning, it hit me. This was it. This was what Vincent needed to invest in to regain his company’s financial stability.
My phone soon buzzed in my hand and I held it up.
Speak of the devil…
Vincent’s name flashed on the screen.
“Umm, Fred. Sorry to cut our conversation short, but I really need to take this.”
“Nah, don’t worry.” He glanced at his watch. “I should also be on my way too; my meeting is starting in the next thirty minutes. It was nice seeing you again.”
“Likewise, Fred.” I waved as he took his leave. “Have a wonderful day.”
“You too.” He waved back.
The moment he left, my attention veered back to the buzzing phone and I hit ‘answer.’