Chapter 20
The Easons returned home from the cruise. Kiara consulted an attorney the second week of October. She made Rashad sleep in the upstairs guest room. He hadn’t left the house since; he was too afraid to leave, but he was also afraid to stay.
Kiara felt nervous and jittery. So she invited Adina over on the Monday after they returned.
“I feel this is all my fault, Ki.”
“Stop it. You have no control over what he does.”
“But if I hadn’t brought your attention to all he was doing, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Kiara said nothing. She had mixed feelings. In some ways, she wished Adina had kept her mouth shut. Truth hurt. Bad. But she needed to know what was up and now she knew.
“Why is he still here?”
“He refuses to leave.”
“What?”
“He is still begging me to hear him out. He feels he deserves that chance.”
“You’ve given him a hundred chances, based on what you told me.”
“Don’t worry. He is out of here. I’m about to pull an Olivia Pope and fix his ass good.”
On Tuesday, Kiara returned to the job after being on vacation. She picked up the phone and called Alexis into her office.
“Close the door and have a seat.”
Alexis calmly sat down and crossed her legs.
In a low voice, Kiara said, “I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I will be sending you a termination letter—”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s not for you. It’s regarding someone else.”
“Oh.”
“It will be addressed to Nicole. A lot of things are happening around here that have made me conclude she isn’t going to make her probation. She’s very unprofessional and causes too many disturbances in this office.”
Alexis nodded, knowing exactly what she was referring to: the big announcement with the worst timing. Alexis hated having to rat out Nicole but she was doing things way beyond what was necessary.
“Anyway, there is no way I can envision Nicole as being part of our team. So I’m firing her. Of course, no one else knows yet. This is highly confidential, Alexis.”
“I do understand. And I’m sorry about how things went down. And please do not tell Nicole that I told you. I don’t need her harassing me anymore.”
“No, thanks for telling me. I never would have known, otherwise.”
Alexis felt guilty about not admitting that Hayley was Rashad’s. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep that a secret.
“I will email you the letter. I want you to review it, print it on my letterhead and bring it to me in a sealed envelope. And I want you to schedule a meeting between myself and Nicole—”
“I see. When?”
“I’m not finished yet.” Kiara studied Alexis, then remarked, “You two have never hit it off very well. Why is that?”
“I just don’t like the bitch. Excuse my French.”
“You don’t have to like someone to respect them.”
“I don’t respect the bitch, either.”
“Well, all righty then. Anyway, I need you to send her the meeting invite. Just title it ‘Miscellaneous Communications’ and blind copy yourself. I need you to be present.”
“Really? Why?”
“You’ll see.”
Alexis walked back to her desk. She was happy Nicole was getting let go, but she really didn’t want to be in the meeting. Yet it was like a dream. She couldn’t believe her good luck.
She almost salivated when she received Kiara’s email. She reviewed the attachment:
Dear Nicole Kelly Greene,
This is in reference to your employment dated May 28 which requires you to undergo a probationary period of six (6) months before full employment is offered. Based upon a recent evaluation by your supervisor, we regret to inform you that your work performance does not merit an offer of a permanent position. We feel our work environment may not be the best match to your work skills and work style. This is your termination notice, which is effective immediately. You will be paid for any unused accumulated vacation leave which is calculated to be 48 hours.
We wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Kiara M. Eason
Senior Manager of Communications
By signing this letter below, you are acknowledging receipt of this termination notice:
Date;
cc: Human Resources
Nicole K. Greene
Alexis felt a strong sense of jubilation when she read the letter. In large bold italics she spontaneously typed at the bottom:
P.S. Don’t let the doorknob hit your bitch ass . . .
Alexis snickered, then deleted the last line. Nicole’s firing would be sufficient.
“It’s a shame we gotta pay this woman to leave out the door. But even the NBA must fork over the dollars to get rid of a player. That’s cool. Whatever it takes to keep me from looking her in her ugly face ever again.”
Heart pumping with exhilaration, she printed the document on letterhead, then carried it to Kiara, who reviewed and signed it. Alexis personally delivered the letter to the VP so he could sign it, too. When she returned to her office, Alexis happily sent Nicole an Outlook invite to the meeting, which was set for nine o’clock the next day.
She couldn’t wait.
That evening Alexis prepared a simple dinner. Salmon, grilled corn on the cob, wild rice, and a garden salad with ranch dressing. She filled four plates with food, took one to her mother, and set the tray on Mona’s bed before closing the door behind her.
She returned to the kitchen, picked up two plates, balanced one in each hand, and carried them to the dining room.
“Here you go. Hope you like it.”
Varnell examined the meal she had prepared. “It smells good. I’m sure it tastes just as good.”
“Mama, eat!”
Alexis grinned broadly. This was the first time Hayley called her “mama” and meant it. She laughed and said, “All righty, Ms. Greedy. You know I wouldn’t forget about you.”
After she set down Hayley’s dinner, she got her food and a mimosa, then joined the others.
Alexis felt a twinge of nervousness. So far, she and Varnell had been on four real dates: the off-Broadway play, bowling, the Wings Over Houston air show, and fishing. Nice simple outings. And she’d had a good time. But still, she questioned if it was too early to let him meet her daughter.
“I appreciate you understanding about—”
“No need to apologize. I’m glad you told me. Children are gifts from the Lord. They are a blessing.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have any.”
“Not yet. I’m only thirty-one. There’s still time.”
She shyly grinned at Varnell and appreciated the comfort his presence always seemed to give her.
“Well, let’s eat.” She started to stab her daughter’s fish with a knife but Varnell interrupted.
“In my house, we give the blessing before we break bread. It’s just a little habit.”
“A great habit. I apologize. Can you say it for us?”
Varnell grabbed Alexis’s slender hand and then reached for Hayley’s tiny fingers.
She yelped. “Eat. Now.”
Varnell chuckled and said, “Patience, my child.”
Alexis felt warm and fuzzy on the inside. She held Hayley’s other hand and bowed her head but she didn’t close her eyes. She kept taking quick peeks at this man who was quietly yet authoritatively sitting in her home. The more she looked at Varnell, the more she liked what she saw.
After the blessing, they all sat together and chowed down.
“Is it okay?” she asked.
“It’s great. Perfect.”
“Are you sure you’re not lying to me?”
“You really ought to know me better than that.”
Alexis agreed with him. “That’s my New Year’s resolution.” She grinned and winked.
She had both her BlackBerry and iPhone sitting on the kitchen counter. She kept the work phone powered on just in case her boss called. But when the iPhone rang, she pretended she was hard of hearing.
“So how was your day today, Mr. Brown?”
“It started out fine and it’s ending up even better.” Varnell’s eyes twinkled when he smiled at her. She couldn’t believe how his smile could make her blush. Alexis’s heart began to melt like a chocolaty hot fudge sundae with cherries on top. The phone went silent but immediately rang again, and she knew it was Rashad. She silenced the phone. Varnell didn’t flinch. He didn’t question.
She was feeling this guy more and more.
Varnell helped Alexis put the dishes in the dishwasher and wiped down the counters without her even having to ask.
“Um, why aren’t you married?”
“Why aren’t you married?” Hayley said, imitating her mother.
“I’m happy. That’s what is most important.”
Just then, she heard a persistent tapping on her front door. Alexis knew that it wasn’t a Jehovah’s Witness or the UPS guy.
“Varnell, I need to handle this. If you don’t mind, go on upstairs and make yourself at home. You know where everything is.”
She was referring to her den. He’d never been in her bedroom.
“No problem.”
Alexis went to grab her daughter and balanced her on her hip while Varnell started up the stairs. Before he reached the top, he called down to her, “Don’t hesitate to call me if you need me.”
“It’ll be all right. Thank you so much.”
She hesitated, then answered the front door. Rashad may have turned out to be a disappointment, but he was still her child’s father. She knew that if anything went down, Varnell would protect her. Alexis stepped outside into the noisy breeze of the darkened evening. Dogs could be heard barking. The sounds of children yelling filled her ears.
“Skillet! Why didn’t you pick up?” Rashad openly stared at the unfamiliar black pickup parked in her driveway.
“Please don’t call me that anymore.”
“Okay, Alexis. What you been up to that you don’t answer the phone?”
“Busy. That’s all.”
“You too busy for me?”
“Obviously I was at that particular second, Rashad. What’s up?”
“You don’t ‘what up’ me.”
“If this ain’t some foul mess.”
“Let me hold her.” Rashad scooped his daughter into his arms and played with her for a minute. “So why are we outside? It’s cold. And she isn’t properly dressed.”
“It’s not that cold, Rashad. Don’t even try it. How was your little honeymoon?”
“That wasn’t a honeymoon.” He paused. “I want to know if you heard about what happened. While we were on the cruise, Nicole texted me that she’s pregnant. All hell broke loose. Did my wife mention anything about it?”
“She mentioned Nicole, but definitely not that. Hmm. Your little female Shrek is pregnant, huh?”
“Shrek, Shrek, Shrek,” Hayley cheered.
“She’s not ugly. But check this out . . . Kiara is pregnant, too.”
“Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant.”
Now it was Alexis’s turn to be shocked. “No shit? Whoa! Your life has really grown into a hot-ass mess. But it’s not like I care or anything. I’m glad I got out while I could.”
His jaw rigid, Rashad felt frustrated at her behavior. “You’ve always been a pro at trying to hide your feelings. But I know even though you putting on this big act like you’re unbothered, I know you still love me, even though you got some man up there probably laying in the bed waiting on you—”
“What? Why would you think I love you?”
“Because you’re trying to get back at me through this new dude that has this lame-looking truck. What’s his name?”
“Ha, that’s none of your business. As many women as you’re sticking it to, you have the nerve to be jealous.”
“I’m used to you being accessible, being all mines.” He sounded sadly sober. “I thought you were different. A true ride or die.”
“Are you honestly trying to go there, Mr. Married Man?”
“Don’t throw shade. We better than this. We been together, what, almost two years?”
“First of all, we are not together. Not anymore. And secondly, your daughter is way past two, so your calculations are way off.”
Clearly agitated, Alexis folded her arms across her chest and debated whether or not to tell him what was about to go down with his new side chick. Once Nicole got fired, she would bet a million dollars that Rashad would have no interest in that woman. She knew he didn’t like bum bitches and that’s what Nicole would be in less than twenty-four hours.
“All I can say is you have changed—”
“I’ve changed? Look, give me my daughter. I’ve got important things to do.”
“Nothing is more important than me. Nothing! You go and have your little fun, your little pity party with that man that’s over there. I can see the ninja looking out the window right now.”
“That’s a lie because my room is in the back of the house.” She laughed. “You got the nerve to be jealous. That’s my mama in the window making sure nothing is going down out here.”
“Tell her she don’t have to worry. Nothing is happening. Literally nothing is going on.”
“You got that right. We have no business but our daughter. The past is over, Rashad. You may as well get used to it. I do not belong to you anymore.”
“But what if I need a place to stay if she kicks me out?”
“Ask your female Shrek!”
Rashad left in a huff. And she turned around and went back inside the house.
It was the next morning. The meeting was about to start. Alexis sat in a guest chair in Kiara’s office. She wore a black suit with a white blouse. Her hair cascaded down her back. Alexis was poised and felt calm. So when Nicole entered the office and loudly gasped when she spotted Alexis, she felt energized and satisfied like someone was looking over her shoulder.
“Have a seat,” Kiara told Nicole.
“What’s this about?”
“Please sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down.”
“You may not have a choice. Sit down please.”
“OK, but I feel like you’re double-teaming me.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but if you’d just calm down and be seated, we can get this meeting started.”
Nicole nervously sat on the edge of her chair and clutched a university-owned tablet to her chest. For a minute, she resembled the quiet and insecure young woman Kiara first hired.
“Nicole, as you know, you were hired last May as the media coordinator for the communications department. And you understood from the beginning that during the first six months of employment, your job performance, skills, and adaptability to the workplace would be closely evaluated.”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“I’m here to inform you that you didn’t make probation and today is your last day. It just didn’t work out. Alexis?”
Alexis took her cue and presented Nicole with the letter.
Nicole snatched the letter from Alexis and quickly reviewed it. Her hands were shaking.
“This is crazy. I-I did an excellent job. I covered all the events that you told me to do, and I wrote a ton of feature stories and co-produced videos that got good coverage. I’m more than qualified.”
“If you can recall, when you first came to this job you received an offer letter that stated you could be terminated for any reason. You signed it. Do you need me to pull it from the file?”
“I bet I know the real reason for this so-called termination.” Nicole rose to her feet and began pacing. Her spike heels clicked against the floor. “I don’t agree with this action. I can see it if I was someone who didn’t come to work half the time. Or one who didn’t do her work.”
“Half the time you didn’t work,” Alexis murmured.
“And why is she here? She doesn’t even like me, and never has.”
“Nicole, this has nothing to do with anyone liking you or not liking you. It’s business, not personal. Now sign and date the letter at the bottom. I will need you to clear out your desk and hand in your keys, badge, and any other university-owned equipment. Give everything to Alexis.”
“Including that tablet,” Alexis said.
Nicole laid angry eyes on Kiara. She wanted to smack her but she knew that doing so would result in more serious trouble. She eyed her boss’s slightly protruding belly. She walked up to her and reached out and tried to touch her stomach, but Kiara screamed then leaped from her chair.
“What are you doing?”
“Whose child is this?”
“W-what?”
“Whose baby is it, Kiara? Tell me.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“That’s because the baby you’re carrying doesn’t belong to your husband. I heard you and Mr. Osborne talking in the stairway that day. I know his voice. I heard him ask you if your baby was his. I wonder how Rashad would feel if he knew that?”
Alexis’s eyes enlarged. She couldn’t believe how devious and spiteful Nicole was.
“Look, Kiara. I need this job and you know I need it. Now’s not the time for me to be going through this. But I will bargain with you. I know you’re mad because I am having Rashad’s child. But we are a team. I like my job and I need the income. It’s not fair to put it all on him.”
“You’re sick—”
“More importantly, with your reputation, I know you wouldn’t want the university to know you could possibly be pregnant by another man. So if you let me keep my secret, keep my job, and let me stay, I will keep your secret. I won’t tell a soul. Is that a deal?”
“That’s blackmail,” Alexis said.
“And you,” Nicole said, walking up to Alexis. “You have no room to talk, either. I’m not the only woman around this place who can get fired.”
Alexis shot Nicole a warning look. Nicole backed down. She wouldn’t want to break her promise to Rashad not to tell that he was Hayley’s father.
Nicole turned to Kiara. “Bottom line is I think you didn’t clearly think this through. I know you’re scared of people knowing your business. I have a way to solve this.”
She took her termination letter, spit on it, tore it up in dozens of pieces, then merrily tossed them up in the air.
“Effective immediately, I accept your offer of full-time employment as the media coordinator for this department. Alexis, be a sweetie and type up an official letter. I’d like a four percent raise, too. After the letter is ready, I will be more than happy to sign that one.”
Nicole walked toward Kiara’s door and started to open it.
“Don’t forget. Keep my secret and I will keep yours. And that’s a promise.”
Nicole whipped out her smartphone, clicked the camera app, pouted for a pose, pretended like she dropped a microphone, then twirled like she was gone with the wind fabulous, and walked out.