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I took one look at him, packed my shit and walked out without a word. His face said it all. I was smart enough to know that no amount of groveling and begging was going to save me. I marched passed him gave a nod, he shot me a sly smirk and I trudged to my desk, packed my pictures of friends, my mother and stepfather, my spider man and bat man dolls, and loaded them into a box.
Ryley was still in a meeting when I passed her office. I caught a glimpse of that tall dark and mysterious looking man as I passed his office. On the office door it says Kingsley Anderson. I had passed it on my way to lunch, and I never saw anyone in there. I never even thought about him but now I’m thinking of him. I stand a few seconds with my small box in my hand. I see him swivel around in his expensive brown leather chair. Our eyes lock and all I do is give him the finger and continue walking.
I know what I did is stupid but I felt better as a result of it. Good thing I’m going back to school in the fall and I will try to put this behind me but now I have to look for a job and who knows what kind I will have to take. I guess I can’t depend on a reference from his company.
When I give him the finger and mouth “fuck you,” he stands and I see that he’s six two if not taller. Now he has a smirk on his face as his eyes travel the length of his office. He has windows every inch of the way down the hall and I can’t get out of the line of his view fast enough.
Before I reach the end of the hall, the blinds start to close. He must have hit a button somewhere and he’s sending me a message that he doesn’t want to see me again.
I get the message because I don’t want to see him again either. I amble through the lobby and walk to the right of the security desk, and two men stop me and ask for my badge and credit card. I had forgotten about the perks of the job and in one moment I’ve lost it all. I had so many plans, I’m thinking, as I enter the garage.
Turning around in circles, no car. “What the fuck is this?” I mumble. Then I look to make sure I’m on the right floor and looking at the right space. I stand there for another ten minutes before I see a security guard driving around in a white cart.
“Is something wrong?” He asks me. There is fear on my face because someone stole my Volkswagen. I need a car. But after careful thought, who would go out of their way to steal a ten year old beat up yellow and black VW? “Miss your car was towed because it was in Mr. Anderson’s space.”
Tears pool and I break down and cry. How am I going to get it out of storage? I just bought the thing and the Russian who sold it to me said I needed to make payments right away, otherwise, they would have to deal with me. I assured him that I would pay, but he didn’t know who he was dealing with when he mess with a broke black women. “Don’t try to strong arm me,” I said to the Russian.
It was just a bluff because I needed transportation, just like I needed that job that Mr. bad-ass-fucking-good-looking-don’t-mess with me, fired me over a fucking parking space.
The security guard must have felt sorry for me because he gave me his business card and said it wouldn’t cost me anything to get my car out. “Just tell him Ralph sent you and he will give you back your car.”
He called a cab for me and to my surprise the car was a few blocks away. I took my last money and paid the cab. I made it home to my small apartment and climbed into bed. When I woke it was night and Ryley was knocking at my door. She had the small apartment down the hall from me. “Are you Ok, Raven?”
I opened the door and she stood looking at me. My Afro setting to the side and looking like dread locks all tangled up. I had tried to give it a little flare by adding some blond highlights at the end. But she wasn’t looking at my hair. I had the same suit on and I hadn’t bothered to change my clothes and my eyes were swollen from crying.
I open the door wide and Ryley walks in. “How are you doing?”
“Not too good.”
“I know. You act like you are a tower of strength but deep down you are that scared little girl I met in high school. I was the same way that’s why we became friends remember. There are somethings that you don’t want to remember in high school and that is one of them and the prom that went bad.
She sat down on my bed and gave me a hug. She looks at me with her green eyes and say, “Tomorrow I have a date with someone I met at work. And he’s looking to double date. You see he has this friend who never dates.”
“Oh a loser like me.”
“He assures me that his friend owns his own company and I probably know him since he works at the same company I do. He didn’t tell me anything more.”
“Only that he might be a...” She stops me.
“We will be at the most expensive restaurant in San Francisco. Dinner for one person starts at one thousand dollars.”
“Why would I want to eat food that cost that much? And who would want to spend money like that on a blind date?”
“Just to say you did it and because I don’t have enough money for both of us until pay day.”
“So now we are selling ourselves for a dinner?” I wanted to break down and cry but I was all out of tears.
“Don’t look at it like that. It’s an experience. Don’t you want to experience things before you die?” I had never been adventurous or never thought of myself that way until I met Ryley. We worked and saved some money and backpacked across Spain. Now that was an adventure I could have done without. Staying in hovels, and eating cold soup was an experience I never want to revisit. The tuna and crackers were the best meal I had in Spain. Ryley ate everything with gusto and never complained.
I was a size ten then and a big beautiful happy woman before I went to Spain. Now I’m skinny and giving my boss the finger.
“You have got to lighten up, get out, and live a little Raven. Come on say you’ll go.”
“But I don’t have anything to wear.” Ryley pulls me up, I trudge down the hall to her studio apartment. It’s much bigger and nicer than mine. But she has been working longer than me. I had to take a semester off from college and now I’m taking another semester off just to clear up a few bills. She notified me when this studio became available and that job that I kept for all of two minutes. Now I go and screw that up.
Ryley stops in front of her closet and says, “Choose any dress in there.” She had worked for Saks Fifth Avenue as an assistant buyer and got a chance to get some great clothes. Most of the suits I wore to work those few days were hers. I had some dresses and jeans a cat wouldn’t drag in.
Looking around with a smile on my face, my hand drops on a beautiful designer white dress. I glance at the label. It still had the tag. It said Herve Leger. Not wanting to take her best dress, I asked for permission and she nodded yes.
She and I are both size six but my breasts and ass seem to take up all the space in a size six raising it a tad bit shorter over my knee to my thighs. “Now you need some shoes.”
“I have shoes,” I insisted.
“I’ll lend you some money to buy a pair. You can’t wear an expensive dress like that with cheap shoes. You need a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s or those red sole ones.
“There is no way I can buy those. Why do I need to get all dressed up anyway for what?” For men who just want one thing from us. A good time and hopefully a good screw and we will never hear from them again. We are just ordinary girls one black and one white and I’m not giving myself away to any man for an expensive dinner. They are probably just a bunch of losers anyway.
“My date is a dream and he’s fucking hot, Raven. Please don’t mess this up for me. I like this guy from the day I laid eyes on him. He wants to bring his friend along. His friend doesn’t date that much.”