“CONGRATULATIONS, Josiah. I can’t think of anyone in MacGyver Technologies who deserves this recognition more than you. I knew it was only a matter of time before a gem like you got noticed.” Nadhima Odemowa spoke the words as she approached the honoree’s table with Mickey Colt in tow. Her right arm was extended, offering Josiah her hand.

Standing, Josiah Tucker accepted the friendly handshake, all the while, wondering if the woman’s daughter had filled her in on their awkward meeting yesterday. “Thank you, Nadhima. I feel very fortunate.”

“Oh, his value was noticed a long time ago,” Mickey chimed, sounding a bit defensive at Nadhima’s insinuation.

Could have fooled me. Josiah pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and put all of his energies into maintaining his smile. He tried to be modest every time a new coworker walked up to congratulate him, but Josiah couldn’t deny that being humble was tough when he knew he was worthy of the promotion. After nearly seven years of hard work, and at times, feeling unappreciated and overlooked (especially in the years since Mr. MacGyver passed away), Josiah couldn’t think of anyone who was more deserving of the recognition either. “Thank you, Mr. Colt,” he chose to say. “It’s good to work for a company that honors its employees.”

“Well, anybody who can work his way up the corporate ladder like you did, and in such a short time, has definitely earned the right to join the ranks of the executives. You’re a firecracker, Josiah. A firecracker.”

Firecracker. Yeah, right. Josiah almost laughed. Buckskin was a better definition. He had covered Mickey’s behind more times than a few. Still, Josiah chose to be cordial in his response.

“Coming from you, that’s an especially humbling compliment, Mr. Colt. I’m grateful to be named among the other senior analysts that work for such a respectful company.” If there was one thing that Josiah had learned in his years at MacGyver, it was to not always speak his mind. He could suck up to authority with the best of them. It was a part of the game. The part that only the winners knew about.

“I noticed that you haven’t been served your meal, and I assume that was by choice?” Mickey looked around as he presented the questionlike comment. He looked as if he were ready to pounce on the caterers if they’d somehow forgotten to serve the honoree.

“Yes, it was my choice to eat later,” Josiah assured him. “I’d rather eat after speaking.”

“I’m the same way,” Nadhima said.

“That’s understandable.” A slow nod preceded Mickey’s scanning of the empty chairs that surrounded the special table. He then looked at the Rolex that encircled his wrist. “Is your family running late? I’m about to get ready to introduce you in just a few moments. I’d hate for them to miss the highlight of the evening.”

It was Josiah’s high school graduation all over again. He was the man of the hour and had no one there to celebrate his accomplishments with him. Looking past Mickey, purposefully avoiding eye contact, Josiah gave his head a slow nod. “They may not be able to make it in time. My … well, as I’ve told you in the past, my family lives out of town, and they made no promises about tonight. It’s okay if you move ahead with the program.”

“That’s too bad.” Mickey shook Josiah’s hand once more, and this time he topped it off with a single sympathetic pat to his shoulder.

Mickey had that same pitiful expression on his face as the redheaded officer wore when he came to tell Josiah that his mother had been murdered. Josiah couldn’t help wondering if Mickey knew the truth about his family… or the lack thereof. Seven years was a long time to work with someone and never see one member of his family. Josiah was sure that if Mickey didn’t know, he had some suspicions.

Breaking the brief silence with a deafening sneeze into his handkerchief, Mickey regrouped, and then said, “Well, present or not, I know they’re proud. I would have loved to have met them, but I’m sure you’ll be honored with something else in the near future that they’ll be able to come and witness. No doubt about that.”

Eye contact was finally made, but it was fleeting. “Thank you, Mr. Colt. I appreciate the faith that you’ve placed in my abilities.”

When Mickey smiled, Josiah found a new reason to wait until later to eat. How does one make six figures and not take better care of his teeth? Couldn’t he have the doctor sedate him or something? There had to be a way for Mickey to rectify that whole yuck-mouth situation and deal with his dentist phobia at the same time.

“I’ll be giving the floor to you in just a bit,” Mickey promised just before departing with Nadhima following close behind like a paid security guard.

As soon as Mickey was out of sight, Josiah retrieved this personal-sized bottle of hand sanitizer from his suit pocket and sterilized his hands. Anybody who sneezed and wiped their nose as often as Mickey did should never reach out to shake a person’s hand. The spot on his shoulder where Mickey had patted couldn’t be wiped away, but Josiah made a mental note to send his suit to the cleaners first thing Monday morning.

The smell of rubbing alcohol reeked from Josiah’s hands as he sank back into his seat and picked up his glass. He’d already polished off the water, but now his mouth was dry again. Probably a direct result of the lie that he’d just told his boss about his family’s absence. Josiah took in a mouthful of unsweetened tea that disgusted his tongue, and he tried not to gag as he placed the sweating glass back on the table. Immediately, he reached for the glass of water that had been a part of the place setting to the left of him. Might as well, since no one would be sitting there to enjoy it.

“Hey, JT. What’s up, man?”

A rush of liberation swept through Josiah at the sight of the approaching Craig Wilson. He didn’t know what had changed his mind, but whatever it was, Josiah was grateful. Because of him, the honoree’s table wouldn’t be completely empty after all. And just a bit of truth, perhaps, could be attached to the untruth he’d told earlier.

“Craig.” Josiah could hear the relief in his own voice. “What are you doing here, man?” The two slapped their palms together and then pulled each other into a quick brotherly hug. Josiah tried to control his grin, but couldn’t. “I thought you said you had other plans tonight that you couldn’t change.”

“I did.” Craig stepped to the side, unveiling the woman he’d been dating for the past two years. “Whether we came here or not was Dani’s call, and she chose to spend her birthday supporting you.” Craig seemed proud to make the announcement.

Josiah bent his knees slightly as he embraced his best friend’s girl. “Thanks, Danielle. You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know.” She looked up at Josiah as he fully released her. “I wanted to. There was no way that I would miss this by choice. When Craig told me about the function before, I thought it was something that was celebrating a group of your colleagues. When he explained to me last night that it was an honorary dinner specifically for you, it was a no-brainer. Tonight is your night, JT, and we want to celebrate it with you. Congratulations.”

When Josiah looked at Danielle Brown, he understood Craig’s attraction. She was only five three, but what she lacked in height, she made up in intelligence and beauty. Craig and Danielle had been attending the same church for years, but it wasn’t until Craig took the teaching position at Chapel Hill High that they met. That was one of the drawbacks of being connected to a ten thousand member church like Living Water Cathedral. A man could be worshiping in the same sanctuary with his own barber and not know it.

Danielle was already a guidance counselor at Chapel Hill High School when Craig joined the staff just over two years ago. They’d hit it off almost immediately and had been inseparable ever since. At first, Josiah had been a bit surprised that Craig was drawn to the freshman counselor. Danielle didn’t fit the mold of any of the women Craig had dated in college. His college sweethearts were tall, fair-skinned, and generally had chemically treated hair. Most wore silky weave that flowed down their backs. Danielle was none of the above. Except for her short stature, she was an India Arie look-alike. She was dark and very afro-centric, wearing her dark brown shoulder-length hair in sisterlocks adorned with small African shells and beading. All of her jewelry was authentically made in the motherland, and she wore little or no makeup. Not that she needed to. Her natural beauty was enough to turn any warm-blooded man’s head.

“When I told Dani that this was your night to shine, she suggested that we alter our dinner plans and support you instead.” Craig slipped his arm around his fiancée’s waist and kissed her jaw. Then he turned back to Josiah. “So here we are.”

Danielle shrugged like it was no big deal. “JT, I can’t believe you didn’t just tell me about this. Canceling our outing gave me the chance to go by and see my niece, anyway. You know she’s been going through therapy ever since the doctor gave clearance, and I don’t get around there to sit with my sister nearly as often as I should. Craig and I can go out again tomorrow night and make that my official birthday dinner, if necessary. There were definitely more important things to do today.”

“I appreciate that very much.” Josiah couldn’t stop smiling. They had no idea what their presence meant. “And I’m sure your niece was just as thrilled to have you spend time with her as I am to have you here with me.” Turning his face from them, Josiah pointed toward the empty seats around the table. “Pick a seat and join me. There’s water, tea, and bread already on the table, as you can see. The waiter will bring a plate once he notices you sitting here, I’m sure.”

The elevator music that had been playing at a lowered volume over the speaker system suddenly hushed, and when the floor lights dimmed to make the front of the room the focal point, the chatter in the rented hotel space quieted too. In Josiah’s tenure at Mac-Gyvers, he had done everything from one-on-one training sessions with entrepreneurs of home-based businesses to teaching systems orientation workshops to groups of more than a hundred employees. Standing in front of the scrutinizing eyes of people and having them size him up as he addressed them wasn’t something that Josiah wasn’t accustomed to. As a matter of fact, it was one of his strengths. One of the assets that elevated him to the place he was today.

So why—as the program got under way and Mr. Mickey Colt was giving his grand introduction—did Josiah’s stomach muscles feel like they were having grand mal seizures? Was it because as one of only a small handful of black executives in a company with a sea of executives, he knew that he still had something to prove? If that was his biggest worry, then this would be a piece of cake. Josiah was no stranger to challenges, and he’d certainly overcome much worse trials than this one.

“I hope you all have enjoyed your meal,” Mickey was saying into the microphone. “Let’s give the staff of Wingate Inn a round of applause for the excellent service that they’ve extended to us on this special evening.”

“Dang, where’s my plate?” Craig quipped as the lengthy thunderous applause finally tapered. “With a hand clap like that, this food must be da bomb.”

Josiah kept his eyes fixed on Mickey and prayed that Craig’s voice hadn’t resonated beyond the honoree table. Josiah also prayed that Mickey didn’t sneeze into the microphone or touch anything at the podium that he would have to touch later.

“It is my honor,” the CEO was saying, “to introduce our man of the hour. He’s one of the hardest working employees that Mac-Gyver Technologies has on its current staff, and it is my distinct pleasure to give to him this presentation that commemorates this momentous occasion.” At that moment, Mickey removed a plaque from a box that was behind the speaker’s stand and then beckoned for Josiah to join him.

The applause that followed outranked the ones for the wait staff, and Josiah’s stomach continued to flutter as he took the short stroll to the podium and stood beside his boss.

Mickey held up the plaque so that Josiah could follow along as he read aloud. “‘In honor of your dedication and extraordinary service, MacGyver Technologies, one of the United States’ exceptional leaders in software management, names Josiah Tucker its newest Senior Systems Analyst.’ Welcome to the rank of the senior employees.”

Mingled with the newest applause were loud, sharp whistles that Craig blew into the air using his lips and two fingers. It was so undignified, but amidst Josiah’s embarrassment, he’d never been more pleased. The genuine support felt amazing, but only for a moment.

With Mickey Colt gone and the spotlight solely on him, Josiah began his speech with the usual formalities. He felt like he was testifying on a Sunday morning as he gave honor to God, then to Mickey and other executives in the room. But somewhere along the way, emotions that he’d kept bottled up inside of him for years made a surprise appearance.

While Josiah sat at the honoree’s table, he didn’t like what it felt like to sit there alone, but from the front of the room, it looked even worse. Although Craig and Danielle filled two of the eight seats that encircled the linen-covered table, there were six other seats that were unoccupied. Six seats where family members should have been sitting. Family that he didn’t have.

Try as he might, Josiah couldn’t control the quiver in his voice or the tears in his eyes that demanded permission to roll down his cheeks. And at that moment, the best that Josiah could hope … the best that he could pray… was that the audience of onlookers would mistake his tears of sorrow for tears of joy.