Focus Belinda…Focus!
Belinda works in YumYum Creamy Delight and they are known for making delicious pastries and cakes. They are always busy and are usually booked back-to-back. Belinda is at the reception area, receiving calls, delivering packed cakes to clients who come to pick their cakes and despite often being under pressure, there had never been a mix up in her 4 years of working there until the 19th of September 2017.
Dele Williams had called in to order for a chocolate cake with chocolate cream for his birthday. He intended to share with his staff. There were only 5 in number and the business was barely a year old so he wasn’t expecting anything from his staff. His order was taken but to his surprise, when the cake was delivered, it was a red velvet cake decorated in pink. “The lady I spoke to on phone…uhmm Belinda…yeah, that’s her name…I remember. She sounded bright and brilliant. I was so sure she got the details I requested for, but to see a cake decorated in pink? Now that is sooo off the line” Dele thought to himself.
He had to find a way to get over it so his day would not be ruined. “Patricia!” he called out to his secretary and when she came in he said “It’s my birthday today, please cut this cake and share with the others. Make sure it gets to my driver and the gateman too.” He said “Ok sir, will do just that” she responded.
Four days later, he drove by YumYum Creamy Delight and decided to buy a few pastries. As he walked in, he saw a lady peeved and shouting at Belinda “Belinda or whatever you say your name is, if you are tired of this job please take a break, when I called, I requested for carrot cake. The only reason I decided to come pick it by myself is because I knew I was going to drive along this route. So if I had sent my driver, he would have brought this to me? Then receiving it back would have been an issue for you. Please, I need my money now! I do not want the cake anymore; this is not what I requested”. The lady expressed angrily.
Belinda was in between trying to calm her down and looking around to ensure her superiors were not listening and were not in any way close. Her eyes were teary and she was jittery. She kept apologising to the woman but it felt like the more she apologised, the more the situation escalated.
Seeing all that happened, Dele knew if something wasn’t done fast, someone was going to be in trouble…someone who certainly messed up his own order too. He walked to where both of them were, looked at Belinda and asked, “How much is her money?” Belinda was shocked; she wasn’t sure what was happening. A quick thought came to her mind “could this be a relative of any of my superiors? My God! I am finished” she thought to herself but knew she also had only a few minutes to respond fast to the situation. So she thought to herself again “Whether he is a relative of my superiors or not, I better respond fast, this woman isn’t leaving here without her money and I do not need more scenes” she thought briefly so she responded, “It’s N25, 000 sir”. Dele brought out his phone and asked the woman for her account details. She gave him and he responded “Good! It’s a Diamond Bank Account, I have an account with them too, you will get the transfer real quick”. As he was punching the figures in, one of Belinda’s superiors came by and asked if everything was ok and Belinda responded quickly “Yes ma, everything is fine”. Immediately her superior left, all she could say was “Whew! That was close”.
The woman confirmed she received the alert in her Diamond Bank account and thanked Dele. She walked out of the place and without saying a word to Belinda, Dele moved to the other room where the pastries were sold. Belinda became more confused. “What just happened? Okay…he just paid off someone who almost cut my head, he left without saying a word, is he a human being? Is he an angel?” she thought to herself. As she attempted to run after him, another client came and she had to attend to the client. She made up her mind that no matter what happened, when leaving the building after buying his pastries, she was going to run after him to say thank you.
Dele was done with buying his pastries, he walked out of the building briskly but Belinda wasn’t going to let him go without reaching out to say thank you. As he was about to open the door, Belinda had met up with him “I am so so grateful sir, I do not even know you and you decided to help me. God bless you, provide for you, enlarge your coast, meet your needs, supply all your…” “AMEN! Pastor Belinda, AMEN!!!” Dele interjected without allowing her to continue and added “can we take the ‘offering’ now? Or isn’t that what normally happens after sermons and a lengthy prayer like yours?” He teased. “You surely have a good sense of humour sir…plus a generous heart I must add” Belinda said.
“You are welcome Belinda. Truth is, you did same for me, you sent me a wrong cake too on my birthday but had to find a way around it. I came here to lay a complain about it and also to buy some pastries and I found someone else complaining about the same thing with the same person. Please try your best to concentrate and if stressed, ensure your superiors know so you can take a break and rest okay?” Dele said and Belinda took all he said and promised to do as he advised.
She has been very cautious at work since then. She wasn’t going to let it happen ever again “Not everyone is going to be like Mr. Dele. I have been ‘beaten’ twice, there will certainly be no third” she thought to herself. So far, Belinda hasn’t had another occurrence. She is learning to be efficient at work but cautious in deeds.
Kemi Ajumobi