The Wendy Lopez Interviews- Vol IV

As Wendy put the phone back into its cradle, a million things rushed through her mind. The phone call with Josephine was probably the worst thing that could happen to her this month she thought.
She cleared her throat and tried to relax, in her dressing room- she had twenty minutes before the programme started. She was trying to figure out if it was rage that filled her head or a panic attack headed in her direction.
Her guest had cancelled and her producer just made her aware of it...and the person she'd be interviewing. She was supposed to interview Pipi Johnson, the only footballer with a PhD. She'd been looking forward to meeting him. She looked at her script again and her heart sank even deeper- today was in perfect motion and heading in the right track for disaster.
'I don't even know why they bother giving me a script if its gonna be a few hours of the show'
She shook her head and sighed.
'Brace yourself, you look good and you are the best in the business'
She went through her script again and shook her head again. As she got up to exit the door, the second button down on her shirt fell off revealing some cleavage, she looked in the mirror- it was not too obvious, she adjusted it better to look as casual as possible.
She left the dressing room with her script.
............................................................FOUR MINUTES TO THE SHOW.........................................................
She walked straight to her seat and took a deep breath before saying hello to her guest.
She looked up and saw him smiling patiently and intently at her.
"Hello Emery"
He chuckled.
"Ms Lopez, we meet again, how have you been?" His face more serious with the question.
She looked at him and then his skin and then his lips....'The man has a beautiful face, God help me today'
"I'm good, Emery" she forced a smile
The sound operator came and fixed her mic on her and told her to speak into it, he turned to await a signal that it was good.
"Thank you, Dex"
She turned to face Emery Grass who seemed to be smiling at something on her
"What's funny?" She asked
"Nothing..I'm just honoured that you'd treat me to a lil cleavage today, I really appreciate it" he said grinning.
"LOOK the show is about to start so get your head together" she said with a straight face he'd never seen before.
Sunday began to count...."4...3...2....."
She smiled quickly
"Good day all and welcome to another episode of iSay....today we have with us Emery Grass, CEO of the Grass Corporation and has recently bought Virgin and everything within it"
She didn't get why that last part was on the auto cue but she was determined to stay calm and finish the show with her mind intact.
"Thank you, Wendy, its awesome to be back here again" he smiled at the camera
"Today, we have a very sensitive topic to talk about" she was praying in her mind "according to Samaritans the company who did our research, about 500000 people a year commit suicide including mothers and teenagers- what are your thoughts?"
She tried to read his face expression...he looked like he hadn't even been listening
"Mr. Grass?" She called
He smiled "well what do you want me to say? I think they're stupid"
The filming crew gasped.
Derrick,one of the exec producers who had been sipping on his coffee spat some out and started choking,
Josephine had gone pale with horror.
Wendy looked at the floor and willed it to swallow her and spit out her crumbs before she forced a smile.
"Perhaps you didn't understand my question- what do you have to say on the figures of suicides in a year?" She said as slowly as she could
"Well perhaps you didn't understand my statement- I think people who commit suicide aren't normal up there" he said and shrugged
"Emery Grass, do you understand what you're saying?" She spat. She looked at his face for regret and repentance but he just looked at her and rolled his eyes.
"What?"
He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it, he paused and looked deep in thought and then sighed
"Okay, apart from the teenagers and people who had no one to speak to them I guess"
He paused again
"Anyone who is still alive and well and decides to take his/her own life gets no compassion from me"
He looked at the camera and looked down at his feet
"Growing up wasn't easy for me or my mother...I don't think there's any mother who's been through half the bull my mum has been through..abuse, from men who just refused to see the jewel that she is...poverty....a troubled son who always got in trouble....she spent most of my life crying- for me and for herself, she worked three jobs and still our ends didn't meet"

"But different people have different reasons why they do it" Wendy cut in "you can't just say they're stupid"
"Have you ever tried to commit suicide?"
"No, Mr Grass"
"Would you commit suicide, Wendy?" Emery asked
"No"
"Why not?" He pushed
"Because I'm quite happy with my life"
"Why is that?"
She looked at him and wondered where the hell he was going with this, she looked at Derrick who gestured for her to play along
"Because I'm happy, I have a great job and I have an awesome family and ...." She trailed off, she had an idea where he was going.
"Do you know why every year, the figure you mentioned increases?" He spoke so calmly
"Why's that?"
"We've become so ungrateful....and its not fair" his lips quivered "we have everything- we have shelter, clothes, shoes, food and clean water. These days, starving is when you don't have the extras that you have in between your three meals a day. How did we let ourselves get there? I've had the priviledge to travel and I've met awesome people who have no homes, no family, they can't guarantee food everyday and the clothes on their backs have been their for atleast a year- they say you'll complain the shoes you don't have until you meet someone with no legs"

He paused
"Put yourself in the shoes of a mother who has to watch the most precious thing she has starve for three weeks straight and then he turns sixteen and he says he wants to kill himself because he wants to make life easier for her....to watch your child starve is the worst thing ever...especially when you a strong believer in God, and at church they say "God will make sure you don't starve" and you have to keep believing cos you have faith that can move a mountain..."
He paused and looked at Wendy Lopez
"Ms Lopez, my mother had a reason to kill herself but I was reason enough for her not to. I wanted to kill myself too cos in my opinion, there wasn't any reason for me to breathe anymore, i made my mother cry everyday because she felt she was not good enough to be my mother just cause she couldn't provide. My mother is the best anyone could ever have y'all, can you imagine the queen of your heart telling you, she's sorry she's not the best mother?"
He smiled
"I have no compassion for anyone outside the "third world" countries and has family who love them and they commit suicide because even those in the third world and people who have nothing have managed to be content in themselves"
He paused
"Give me one good reason for suicide and I'll take back every thing I've just said" he looked in the camera "I didn't mean to sound harsh earlier but I guess I meant more people need to use their heads more often, I'm a strong believer in the fact that you still have hope as long as you're still breathing"
He cupped his face with his hands and then spoke again
"No matter how bad it is for you, someone out there has it worse so be grateful- I decided not to kill myself because my mum said "we don't have a lot but I'm grateful for everyday I get to wake up to see you alive- I guess everybody is allowed a weak moment but not to the point of suicide. My thought on the figure you mentioned? Let's reduce it"
He smiled and looked around.
Wendy was determined to not let him see how amazed at his words she was...she cleared her throat and prayed her voice would not fail her.
"Wow that was pretty inspiring" she tried
"Thank you, Ms Lopez" he hadn't stopped smiling
"Thank you for sharing a bit of your life with us too, I'm sure someone has been encouraged and touched" she smiled
He grinned "if only you'd give me a chance to touch you" he paused "um take that statement as you will, I meant it both ways" he winked at the camera
Her smile left quite quickly and she remembered why she wished she had her pepperspray every time she saw him. She looked around and some of the crew were holding in their laughter
"Very funny, Mr grass" she looked at the camera and smiled "thank you so much for watching and enjoy the rest of your evening, goodbye"
"....and cut" Ray signalled
She followed him as he got up and started walking.
She pulled at his arm "Emery you can't be pulling stunts like that on live television"
"You asked for my opinion" he reported
"Yes but please try to think before you talk" she retorted
He smiled and looked into her eyes
"Girl you know you want me, don't throw what we have into suicide mode, you know where to find me when you ready to let your guard down" he pecked her on the lips
He walked away...
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NB: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ISSUES RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT AREA, DONT HESITATE TO SEND ME AN EMAIL SHAYO.GRASS@GMAIL.COM