4-1. And Then There Was Light

Part 3. Chapter 1. In Progress. Rani sighed as she studied the company web page. Well, that was a name out of the past. Ratman? She though to herself. The name was so familiar. Her mind drifted back 20 years, to her University Library days... . That was it! A woman had approached her at her desk in the staff only area of the library one day. She hadn't recognized her, but assumed that she was a co-worker. The staff was over 100 and people came and went all of the time. "What do you think of Mandy International?", she asked bluntly. "Who?" "Mandy International." "Never heard of them." Rani replied politely, wishing she'd go away because Rani was busy trying to get the month end reports done. She didn't know her and couldn't figure out what motivated her to stop and talk to her all of a sudden. "They're an organization that partners with third world women, helping them start up small businesses." "Sounds fine to me, why?" "Well, there's a woman in that organization who really, really hates you." she said with the emphasis on the second "really". "You're kidding!" Rani stopped working momentarily and looked up curiously. The woman was very average looking, the unrecognizable type. You see them everywhere and amongst all nationalities. They have the type of looks that just seem to blend into the woodwork. "Why?" Rani asked. "I have no idea." "What's her name?" "Dotty Ratman" "Never heard of her." Rani had watched her stroll off towards the other end of the building and pondered what she said. Weird. Why did this woman bring this to my attention? Why would someone I don't even know hate me? How does she even know me? I've never been involved in her organization and don't know anyone else who is. What is her connection to me? Returning to the moment, Rani decided to Google the name. The company owners' name was Ratman, Joshua Ratman. Could Dotty be related? Very interesting, she was his mother. Ranis' boss, Doogie Salamander was the owners' cousin, which made him Dotty's nephew. Dotty was Carl's wife and Alvin Salamanders' sister. She had seen the owners' father, Carl, a couple of times and was surprised by his resemblance to the Weasel but really hadn't put the two together. Carl appeared taller, his coloring was lighter, and to the best of her recollection he had either blue or grey eyes. The fact that he kept stumbling and appeared to be off balance had been strange. The Weasel had a dark undertone to his skin, was very short, and had very black eyes. The similarities were in the facial structure and body build. Perhaps a brother? Or, perhaps a disguise? Her boss had also looked familiar but she wasn't sure why, so she googled him and found his father, Alvin Salamander. Oh my god! He'd gained weight but the face was that of the man in North York who had set her up years ago, and fabricated the pornographic picture that had been distributed everywhere! She was reasonably sure of it. No wonder Doogie looked familiar, he looked a lot like his father. Doogie was as crazy as the Weasel, despite his degree in Psychology. He had once said, "If a mistake happens once, it's a mistake. If it happens twice, it's a problem. If it happens three times, the person is an enemy." Bizarre and extreme logic at best. If it's a mistake, it's a mistake, people make them, sometimes repeatedly and usually honestly. Doogie would be wise to learn to get over these things, learn to deal with them with culture, maturity, and wisdom, rather than following the same sick path of vindictiveness, spitefulness and maliciousness as his relative, the Weasel. This sickness appeared to be a family trait. She'd heard stories and seen first hand the terrible things this family had done to other people as well as herself. They were morally and ethically bankrupt human beings. There was even some suspicion that they had murdered an Executive who had been in their inner circle, but had quit the company because of a disagreement. Perhaps he knew too much about their dark side? This was the company that she was working for! This couldn't be a coincidence! Had they actually gone so far as to hire her just so that they could persecute her? Babs, the receptionist, words echoed in her head. "A really good Caribbean lawyer friend of mine, hates South Africans. He rented offices in his building to a company with owners from South Africa, on purpose, so that he could make their lives hell! He's been having a great time ever since." Babs had smirked. Rani's response to that had been a simple. "Doesn't he have anything better to do with his life?" The pieces of this puzzle were certainly starting to fall into place. It looked like the Weasel had set her up yet again. It was becoming clear to Rani that this campaign against her was a Family affair. Rev. 2007.09.04