At Winslow Corporate headquarters, I took the elevator up to the twentieth floor, hardly able to contain myself. I had finally found my brother. I was so happy. But then again, I was also conflicted. Eric wasn’t what I expected. But that made little difference to me now. I had been reunited with someone from my true family, and that’s all I cared about. The other stuff, I’d concern myself with later.
The elevator doors slid open. I walked out, and practically skipped down the hall toward Sissy’s office.
Her secretary, Trina, a young woman with big eyes and blue mascara, stood when she saw me. “Good evening, Mr. Winslow, is Ms. Winslow expecting—”
“No,” I said, happily blowing past Trina.
Sissy was standing behind her desk, wearing a tweed skirt suit, the jacket of which was hung over the back of her leather desk chair. She wore very stylish eyeglass frames; the microphone of a telephone headset was positioned an inch from her full lips. When she saw me, she held up a single finger, gesturing for me to wait.
“No, that’s not good enough,” Sissy said. “If they can’t get the shipment there on time, then find another distributor. Good-bye.” Sissy pulled the headset off and tossed it to the desk.
“Hey, Sis,” I said, walking over to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?”
Smiling, I said, “Sissy, we have an addition to our family.”
“Don’t tell me. My gay brother has knocked up some hoochie, and she’s suing for child support.”
“Yeah, you wish.”
“Then what?”
“The best news you could ever imagine. You ready?”
Her arms crossed, Sissy said sarcastically, “I’m tingling.”
“I found him! I found our brother. Can you believe it?”
“Really,” Sissy said, sounding sincerely excited. “Where?”
“It was kind of right under my nose, but I never thought to look there. This morning, I was up at the prison, and—”
“Cobi, no,” Sissy said, taking a concerned step toward me. “Tell me he works there. Please, tell me he works there. He’s the warden, right?”
“I was at Joliet this morning,” I said, ignoring Sissy, “and this guy bumped into me, and when I looked up—”
“He’s a corrections officer? He can be the damn janitor, but—”
“—when I looked up—”
“Enough with the freaking narrative, Cobi,” Sissy demanded. “Is the guy a convict or not?”
I paused a moment. “Yes. He’s an inmate there, Sissy.”
“Okay,” Sissy said, going into strategy mode. She paced a line before me. “So you found—what’s his name?”
“Eric,” I said.
“You found Eric. You’re going to visit him in prison for the next ten years, and no one ever has to hear about it. I understand. That’s admirable. And as long as word doesn’t get out, the family business will be fine.”
“No, Sissy. Eric’s getting out in two days, and I invited him to move in with me.”
Sissy started choking. I ran to her and patted her on the back till she stopped.
“Invited him to live in the mansion to do what—rob you of everything? Cobi, that’s not happening.”
“The other three houses are yours, the mansion is mine. I’ll have whomever I like.”
“Cobi, please. Understand, nothing good can come from this. At the very least, he won’t be the man you think he is. And if this leaks and the public gets a hold of it, then—”
“Then what, Sissy?” I said, raising my voice. “Does this make our products any less valuable than they are? Accepting my brother—our brother—”
“That ain’t no brother of mine.”
“Will accepting our brother into my home change the people we are, what we and Winslow Products stand for?”
“No, Cobi.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Perception is everything. Public opinion is everything. People get off on this elite family crap. Think Kennedys, think Clintons, and the Obamas now. Remember Roger Clinton? Wasn’t a good look. What if little Sasha Obama was a pyromaniac? Or Malia, a juvenile alcoholic? How do you think that would play? If we welcome a convicted felon into our home, into our family, we no longer maintain that elite status. Our public perception will suffer, our sales may suffer, and in a time like this, we cannot afford to lose the sale of a single can of Winslow Pomade. Do you hear what I’m saying to you?”
I stood there, angrily absorbing everything my sister said. There were things I wanted to say back to her, but I held my tongue, fearing I’d regret those words. Instead, I waited another couple of seconds till I calmed down and said, “I know, the circumstances aren’t perfect. He’s not who I expected him to be either. We’ll deal with that. But I came here to share this wonderful news, not to ask for your permission. Everything will be fine. And if all goes well, Eric, our brother, will be moving into my house in two days.” I forced a smile. “Come by and say hello. I’m sure he’d like to meet you.”