Letters in the Grove

by Felicia Rogers

  When Elizabeth was hired, Janice had taken her aside and explained the situation. “You’ll be handling some very important documents while you work in this office.”

  “Yes, of course,” Elizabeth had dutifully nodded.

  With their arms interlocked at the elbows, Janice had them pacing the room. “I don’t know if you understand the gravity of the situation. My husband works with high profile businessmen. People who wish to keep their secrets secret. Therefore, I have a request.”

  Elizabeth simply nodded and waited.

  “I would like for you to dress less obviously.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “My dear, I want you to downplay your appearance. You know, look like a frumpy housewife or something. Wear sweat pants, pull your hair back in a ponytail—I don’t really care. Just anything to keep from placing attention on yourself.”

  Elizabeth had readily agreed. She needed the job to pay for the townhouse. Besides, Janice’s request seemed mild.

  Today as the sun rose in the Manhattan skyline, causing rays to pour into the room, Elizabeth tapped away at the computer keyboard. Thoughts of looking like her old self ran through her head. Before she realized the time, she heard a distinct ding.

  Promptly at eleven-thirty, Janice Hampton walked through the elevator door. She wore a cashmere skirt and suit jacket and was the epitome of the classy lady. Her graying hair was arranged in a coiffure; her earrings swayed as she walked. She sauntered over to Elizabeth’s desk and stopped.

  “Is he ready?”

  “I’m not sure. Give me a moment, and I’ll page him on the intercom. By the way, Mr. Hampton invited George as well. He should be here any moment. Would you like anything while you wait, Mrs. Hampton?”

  “No, dear. Just Charles. This is an important day.”

  Elizabeth was curious; however, she didn’t ask. She was afraid she would get Mr. Hampton in trouble if she should have known about the day’s events and then didn’t. Perhaps he should’ve been gushing with some exciting bit of news, but he hadn’t.

  She pushed the intercom button, “Mr. Hampton? Mrs. Hampton is here for your lunch appointment.”

  “I’ll be right out,” came through the little box.

  Elizabeth started to repeat what Mr. Hampton said, but Janice raised her hand with red lacquered fingernails. “I heard him, dear. No need to repeat it. I’ll just sit here and wait on him.”

  Janice sat in one of the office chairs and crossed her legs, picking up one of the magazines adorning the mahogany tables in the room. She flipped through the pages, appearing to study them. She put the magazine down and began to pace.

  Elizabeth tried to ignore her and kept typing on the brief needed for that afternoon’s meeting. Janice started to tap her bright red lips with her fingers and started muttering under her breath. Without warning she blurted out, “He didn’t tell you, did he?”

  Elizabeth looked up from her work. Now, what? Normally she knew everything that occurred in and around the office. Plastering a smile on her face she asked, “Tell me what?”

  “George is getting married.”

  “No. He didn’t tell me. That’s wonderful news.” Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief that this was the big news. That son of Charles always flirted with her and made her feel uncomfortable. She got the sense that he felt she was fair game because no one else would want her with the way she dressed. If only he knew why she was arrayed this way, then she was sure he would have taken a different tone. Directing her attention back to Janice, she heard her continue.

  “Humph. That remains to be seen. We’ve yet to meet this woman. George showed up last week at our family dinner and announced he was getting married in August.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s why we’re having this lunch with him today. We want to know who he’s marrying and why we haven’t met her yet. We’re not sure if he is ashamed of us or ashamed of her.”

  “That does seem out of character for George.” Lest Elizabeth sound more familiar with the family than she should, she added quickly, “I mean Mr. Hampton has told me in the past about how George was the son that liked to share his exploits.”

  “That’s true. The kid was like a bad refrigerator. He couldn’t keep anything,” Janice said with a smile. “It was Henry I worried about the most. He was the silent type. He never would tell us what he was thinking. Unlike George who always said exactly what was on his mind. I think that’s why this came as such a shock.”

  At that moment the elevator doors opened, and George walked through them. He wasn’t an overly tall man, measuring out at about five feet, ten inches. He was, however, lithe and graceful in his style. Although his mother told him he was too skinny, he never seemed to lack for female attention.

  Janice went to him and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks. “Good afternoon, darling. I’m so glad you could join your father and me today.”

  “Father didn’t give me much choice.”

  “He didn’t?”

  “No. He told me if I didn’t come, he was knocking me down to Henry’s floor.”

  George said the words with such scorn that it was all Elizabeth could do to hold in her laughter. From under her lashes, Elizabeth watched Janice and George interact. Fortunate for her, he seemed preoccupied with his mother. Elizabeth sank lower into her chair, pecking the keyboard slower and slower to try and mask the sound. Maybe if he didn’t hear her, then he wouldn’t see her, and then she would be safe from his fake charms.

  Hands on her narrow hips, Janice asked, “Would you please tell me what’s wrong with Henry’s floor? From what I can tell, all the floors are the same except for the décor.”

  “That’s just it. He was going to knock me down there and not allow me to redecorate!” George shuddered with mock horror. Noticing they weren’t alone he looked in Elizabeth’s direction. “Elizabeth. How are you today?”

  “Very well. And you, Mr. Hampton?”

  “Elizabeth, my dear,” he said, coming forward, he picked up her hand, and placed a peck of a kiss on her knuckles. Elizabeth smiled, wishing to pull her hand back and run to the restroom. “I have asked time and again that you refrain from calling me Mr. Hampton. It makes me feel old. As you can see, I’m hardly old.” He gave a huge grin, showing off a row of pearly white teeth.

  ****

  Janice grabbed George away from Elizabeth. Eyes narrowed, she studied her husband’s secretary. Elizabeth’s hair hung down to her waist. It was brown, dull, and dried out. It looked as if it had one too many bad perms, causing it to bush out. Her blouse was unwrinkled and clean, though baggy on her slender frame. Her skirt looked as if it came from a Goodwill store that was having a seventies sale. It had big flowers in wild colors and went to the bottom of her feet. Her tiny feet were encased in sandals made from what appeared to be plastic. She had glasses that were about a quarter of an inch thick and covered most of her face.

  While Janice looked her over, she couldn’t help but be a little happy with the fact her husband’s secretary was a little bit less than attractive. Of course this had been all her doing. She recommended this look to Elizabeth upon her initial employment. The reason was for the girl’s safety, although Janice wasn’t sure if the young lady ever realized the severity of the situation. Perhaps the issues had passed and the girl could come out of her shell. Maybe it was time to release her from the look. Besides, George pretending to fawn all over the girl while she dressed like this was sickening.

  She grabbed him and pulled him as far away from Elizabeth as possible. Whispering as low as she could, “Are you crazy? That kind of stunt is going to get you slapped with a lawsuit for harassment. Not to mention bringing undue attention to her.”

  “Oh mother, please. Elizabeth and I have an understanding.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I give her a peck on the hand every once in awhile and make her feel beautiful, and she lets me do it. Doesn’t every woman want the attention of a handsome, virile man once in
a while?”

  Janice didn’t have time to comment further because Charles entered the room.

  He addressed his secretary first. “Elizabeth, you may go to lunch while I’m gone. When you return, you may continue with your work. I’ll watch my clock and if by some mistake I don’t get back in time for the Winterbottom meeting, stall them.”

  Janice gulped. The Winterbottom Corporation was coming? She didn’t think Charles or her sons were in danger from them. She wasn’t even sure if they knew the entire story. But Elizabeth was different. Most of the important documents went through her hands at one time or another. Was it possible she’d read something she could pass along that could be detrimental to the firm?

  Janice waited on pins and needles to see what would happen next. Would Elizabeth acknowledge the Winterbottom Corporation? Would she reveal something she knew if she was left alone with them for too long? When the girl spoke, she showed no signs of deception.

  “Will do.”

  Tired of being ignored and ready to get the discussion with George over with, Janice spoke up, “Come along you two. We have much to discuss. And we mustn’t be late for our lunch reservations.”

  George plastered a grin on his face, linked arms with his mother, and walked to the elevator with Charles close behind.

  ****

  Elizabeth wrapped up her typing and grabbed her lunch from the break room refrigerator. In the middle of the building in which she worked was an open-air courtyard with tables. Many of the Hampton employees gathered there to enjoy their lunches. Elizabeth headed there now. When she arrived in the promenade, her friends—Wesley, Lisa, and LuLu—were all waiting.

  “What took you so long?” Wesley tapped his foot in a fast pace, all while snapping his fingers in her direction. He was by far the most impatient of the bunch.

  “Mr. Hampton had a lunch meeting, and I was waiting for him to leave before I came down. I’ve told you not to wait on me. Just go ahead and eat.”

  “We don’t like to eat without you,” said Wesley, glancing over at LuLu who had a mouth full of roast beef. “Well, some of us like to wait on you.”

  LuLu replied, “I was hungry.”

  Lisa said, “You’re always hungry.”

  The four of them were an odd mix, but for some reason they worked. Probably because they all held the same general ideas when it came to theology. LuLu was short and round with a jolly disposition. She claimed that she was just a tad overweight. Wesley had the build of a football player, and his blond hair was cut in a military buzz. Lisa was tall and skinny and would have fit in on any runway. Elizabeth was completely average. She was five-foot-six inches tall—an average height for a woman. She weighed around one-hundred-forty pounds, although no one could tell with the baggy clothes she wore. She had plain green eyes that remained hidden behind thick glasses.

  Things could be different. Internally she was aware taking on this appearance had been recommended and voluntary. The Hamptons, or rather Janice, had given her the choice. Change your appearance and stay safe, or don’t change and put yourself in danger.

  Thinking more on her friends, she realized that indeed to the outside world, these four were an odd mix, while to their thinking, they were the perfect match. They were all Christians. They attended the same church. They held the same basic morals and beliefs with very few exceptions. So although the world viewed them as a strange clique, they viewed each other as family.

  Even with all these things in common, they still had their own demons to wrestle. After everyone placed food in their mouths, Lisa asked, “What’s the drama from your floor today?”

  The other three in the group shook their heads and Lisa looked a little deflated. “Surely there is something going on. You have to give me something, anything. You know I’m a gossip addict. You guys also know it never goes beyond us. If you don’t share, I won’t make it through the rest of the day without blurting out information I already know.”

  Today the four of them sat under overhanging branches. Sunlight streamed through the leaves and landed all around them, warming exposed skin. A breeze came through, lifting Elizabeth’s hair off the back of her neck.

  Elizabeth thought about what Lisa had said. She knew it was true. At one lunch break everyone remained silent about gossip or work-related news and Lisa had gone back to her floor and told everyone LuLu had dyed her hair purple. No one in the office really cared that LuLu once had purple hair, however the news reached LuLu’s father. He worked as a janitor in the building, and LuLu had received a scolding of gigantic proportions. Since LuLu probably wasn’t really in the mood for a repeat of that particular day, she decided to share.

  “There’s a bit of news from George’s floor.”

  Elizabeth began to squirm. If they discovered information about George’s secret marriage, they would begin to question her to see if she knew more. She didn’t make it a habit to share her employer’s personal information because of loyalty and for fear of being canned. Not to mention, when a person started to gossip about things they knew, sometimes they became out of hand and said more than they should. In her position, saying more than she should could be harmful to her health. Yes, it was better just to remain silent. Elizabeth waited and when LuLu spoke, she was surprised by what she shared.

  “George hired a new lawyer.”

  Lisa frowned. “That’s it? George brought in another lawyer. He’s always hiring new attorneys. Word is that he doesn’t like to work, so he just pretends by employing more legal representatives. That’s nothing. Old news. You better give me something else or there might be more purple on the horizon.”

  LuLu frowned before saying, “You don’t understand. He didn’t hire just any lawyer. He hired blue eyes himself!”

  “Ol’ blue eyes? Like in Frank Sinatra? I thought he was dead,” said Wesley.

  “I didn’t say ol’ blue eyes; I just said blue eyes. As in, he has the dreamiest blue eyes a woman has ever seen. Anyway, he is a high class defense attorney for some of the meanest criminals known to man. They say he prides himself in getting the guilty off scott-free.”

  Elizabeth frowned. Now why would George, who was an expert in white collar crime, hire such a high-profile criminal defense attorney?

  Lisa interrupted her thoughts. “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard about him. He’s young, attractive, and likes to eat all over town with one beauty or another. He never dates anyone from work. He’s on all the society pages.”

  LuLu buttered a roll and asked, “How would you know? Have you been reading the society pages?”

  “Of course, I always read the society pages.”

  After that, the normal argument between LuLu and Lisa ensued. LuLu was of the opinion that reading the society pages was of the Devil, and Lisa took the position there was nothing wrong with it. The pastor had tried to reason with the two women using a theological explanation, but it had done no good. They were both firm in their beliefs. One said it was okay; the other that it was wrong. Wesley and Elizabeth had decided to just let them argue it out. They figured when one of them was personally convicted by Jesus, it would all work itself out.

  As the two ladies were going back and forth, Elizabeth spotted a new individual entering the promenade. He was tall with midnight black hair. His build was similar to that of Wesley’s, but he seemed broader in the shoulders.

  He sat down at a table and looked up, catching Elizabeth in the act of openly staring at him. He sent a smile in her direction, causing her to blush bright red. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo against her chest. Her throat tightened as she swallowed the food in her mouth. She lowered her gaze back to the table, but not before Wesley caught her.

  “I see you finally spotted someone you like.”

  “What?” Elizabeth asked in a shocked whisper.

  “Don’t be ashamed. That’s the first time in the year I’ve known you that you have openly stared at anyone.”

  “I was looking because he’s new. That’s all.”

  “Eliz
abeth, there’s nothing wrong with finding someone of the opposite sex attractive. In fact, I believe that’s God’s plan for all of us, or part of His plan.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re wrong. I was just staring because he’s new.” Sighing wistfully, she continued, “It wouldn’t matter anyway. I’m hardly the type of girl that would attract his attention.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Look at me, Wesley.”

  “I look at you a lot. You’re a very attractive and beautiful woman.” He lifted a piece of her brown hair. “You have lustrous brown hair and sparkling emerald green eyes, as well as a heart of gold.”

  “You’re just saying that to be nice,” Elizabeth said, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

  “Nope,” he said, while popping a carrot into his mouth and crunching on it.

  With uncommon boldness, she asked, “Then how come you’ve never asked me out, hmm?”

  “Good question. Do you want to go out?”

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. “I don’t think Lisa would like that too much.”

  “How did you know?” asked Wesley, an eyebrow raising in surprise.

  Elizabeth shrugged. “It’s obvious. Why didn’t you guys just tell us?”

  “We didn’t want to change the friend dynamic by announcing that we were dating. We would still like to be friends if it doesn’t work out.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear it. You guys will be great together.” Elizabeth thought for a moment and then looked at Lisa and LuLu, who were still hot and heavy with their moral discussion, before asking Wesley, “How would I go about getting the attention of someone like that?”

  “What kind of attention?”

  “That’s a good question. I mean, I could get attention from him now. He would probably think I was a frumpy housewife that had no time to take care of her personal being. I think I would rather be noticed as a woman, I mean a real woman.”

  Wesley tapped his forehead. “Maybe you should ask Lisa to help you with a makeover. She’s into clothes and looking her best and all that.”