by Jamela
A few moments later, Sonny walks from the bay area on his way to the bathroom. He washes his hands then goes into his office. He closes the blinds, and locks the door after closing it. I’ve never seen him do this before. Anything is liable to happen with Sonny, though. I walk to the bathroom to refresh my makeup. As I am coming out, there is a knock at the back door. I open it since we have customers entering from the front and the rear. Rear entrance requires someone open the door for you. Upon opening the door, I’m surprised to see Lisa, Sonny’s girlfriend.
“Sonny, is here, right?” She says walking past me. She never speaks to me. I think she’s jealous of me working with him, but she doesn’t want the job. He offered it to her and she turned it down. But that’s her problem, not mine.
“Yeah, he’s in his office with a customer.” I reply closing the door behind her.
Lisa hurriedly walks to the front of the shop. She walks to the counter and takes a seat. After a few minutes, she picks up the remote and changes the channel. “How long has he been talking with him?” She wants to know.
“Him who?”
“The customer. It is Mr. Lawson, right? I told him about Sonny’s shop and he said he was coming down to talk to him.”
“Oh Mr. Lawson called, but that’s not who’s in the office. Sonny is with a different customer about some work being done on the car. She came i…..” before I can finish my statement, Lisa jumps up and runs to the bay area. She is only gone a few seconds. The next thing I know, she’s running back toward the counter. She runs past me and begins banging on Sonny’s office door after discovering it to be locked. I can hear shuffling as Sonny yells. “What Tasha?”
“This isn’t Tasha. Bring yo’ cheatin’ self out here. And bring that hussy with you.” Lisa screams as she continues to hammer the door.
“Oh, it’s you, sweetheart. I’ll be done in a minute.” He says sweetly. You could see the lights come on again in the room. I hear something fall then I hear a small groan. Lisa is standing there looking like she wants to kill someone. I slowly back away and go sit in one of the armchairs across the room. There’s gonna be a show today.
About five minutes later, Sonny and Mrs. Henderson emerge from the room. Sonny doesn’t have any mirrors in his office, so Mrs. Henderson doesn’t know her hair is flat in the back and utterly disheveled on top. Lisa takes one look at her and starts swinging. Poor Mrs. Henderson isn’t ready. She is caught square in the nose with Lisa’s right fist. As Lisa is coming around with her left hook, Sonny grabs her wrist. “Stop it! What are you doing? We were just discussing the repairs to her car.” Sonny says struggling to hold Lisa at bay.
It is all I can do to sit across the room and keep from laughing aloud. Didn’t he think something like this might happen one day? And how can he go into his office and have sex with a customer with me outside? They aren’t quiet about it at all. He deserves everything he gets. “Tasha, would you bring Mrs. Henderson’s car around for her please? She will be leaving for her hair appointment, now.” He politely instructs me.
I walk out of the room to get Mrs. Henderson’s car. As soon as I walk out of the door, Lisa begins hitting Sonny. His 6’3” frame just stands there and takes it. Lisa is all of 5’6” and has on a pair of flat shoes. She is a hospital executive. I kinda feel sorry for her. NOT! They deserve each other.
I return and Mrs. Henderson runs to me, grabs her keys and leaves in a hurry. And, she was worried about me. Finally Sonny picks Lisa up like she’s a piece of paper and takes her into his office. He slams the door shut with his foot, closes the blinds and I laugh aloud. I laugh until my side aches. How can he be so stupid as to get caught? They spend about 20 minutes in the office. When they came out, Lisa is smiling and Sonny throws a scowl at me. I look at him, shrug my shoulders and check my watch. I hadn’t realized how late it was getting with the “live” show going on.
“Sonny, I’m going to take the bank deposit and get some supplies for the office. I should be back in about an hour.” I go to the cash register, take out a couple of bills, grab the bank bag and head out the back door. The last thing I want is to be there when he and Lisa are making up, fighting or whatever is gonna happen.
As I drive to the bank, I think about what I’ll cook for dinner. I decide I’ll go ahead and get the shopping out of the way. Since we have a fridge at the office, I can put the food in there until time for me to go home. I drop off the bank deposit then head to Office Depot. I spend as much time as I can there. When I’m done, I drive back to the office and Lisa is gone. Sonny is sitting in his office when I came in.
“Tasha, why didn’t you tell me Lisa was on the way?” He accusingly questions.
“How could I tell you something I didn’t know? Besides, she just showed up at the back door and barged in. She didn’t really give me a chance to tell you anything. You should have heard her talking as loud as she is, but obviously you had your mind on something else.” I say sarcastically.
“Don’t be a smart ass, Tasha. You know I did not, I repeat, did not, want Lisa to be here when Mrs. Henderson was here. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.” He says angrily.
“First of all, I am the office assistant, not your co-conspirator in your lil’ sexual escapades. I don’t like what you do, so why should I try to protect you? Every one of your female “friends” thinks I’m the new lady in your life. I mean other than an employee. What are you telling them to make them feel that way?” I shoot back.
“I’m not telling them anything. They’re just jealous, I guess.” He replies avoiding eye contact.
“What reason would they have to be jealous of me? I talk about my husband and children all the time. I definitely am not interested in being with you. So, again I ask, what have you been telling them?” I say with my right hand on my hip.
“I said I don’t know what you mean. And I don’t wanna talk about it anymore. Did you do the bank deposit?”
“You know I did. And if you don’t accuse me, then I won’t have to speculate about you.” I say leaving the room. I walk out to the car to get the rest of the supplies. There’s a black Saab pulling up. I’ve never seen the car before, so it must be a new customer. The man stops, gets out of his car and asks if he can help me. “Sure, can you open the door for me, please?” I respond.
“Sure, anything for a beautiful lady. Would you happen to be Tasha?”
“Yes I would and you are?”
“Oh, I’m Curtis. I called earlier about buying a set of tires. I’m an old friend of Sonny’s from high school.” He says holding the door.
I walk past him and he closes the door behind me. “Oh my goodness. Would you look at that? Sonny is a lucky man to have such a talented woman.” He says walking behind me. I pretend I don’t hear the comments. As I come into the front office, I put the bags on the counter as I call to Sonny. “You have an old friend here to see you.”
The morning’s events have left Sonny in a foul mood. However, a broad grin spreads across his face when he sees Mr. Lawson. “Wassup, man?” He says walking over and giving him a firm handshake. “I haven’t seen you in years. What brings you by and what’s going on in your life, man?” Asks Sonny.
“Oh, you know, the usual. I got married to Lynn from high school. But, that ended a few years back. I guess we just grew apart. Anyway, I ran into Lisa and she told me you had this shop and suggested I come on down here and check your stuff out. So, here I am. Now, what kind of deal am I gonna get? But before we get to that,” he says leaning in close and whispering, “Please tell me about the honey behind the counter.” Curtis says with a sly grin.
Sonny gives him the lowdown on why I work there and what my duties are. He tells him I’m married and I mean the world to him. “Don’t try to take her away from me. I don’t know what I’d do without her. Man, she came in and cleaned up the place, redecorated and even brings customers in. All the guys come in to shop here because she’s here. But I don’t think she knows that. She even arranged my filing system so i
t’s easier to find things and keep up with how much money I’m making. She’s a Godsend.” He says with a chuckle. “And she’s as smart as any man I know.”
I hear the laugh and dismiss it as them remembering old times from high school. After a few more minutes Curtis walks over to me and says, “Can I get you to show me some tires? You must know your stuff if Sonny lets you work here.”
I come around the counter, “What year is your car?”
“I have a 2010 Saab 9-3 ARC. I want some low profile tires, but I want good tires with a good warranty, I do a lot of traveling.”
“Okay. Do you want all weather or are you more concerned with rain or snow traction?
“I have a Cold weather package on the car right now, but I would rather have some different tires. I’m relocating to this area within the next week or two and the weather is warmer here. So, I was thinking the low profile performance tires would look really good on my convertible. Would you like to go out and look at it?” He asks handing me the keys.
“Sure.” I say walking to the rear. I walk around the car checking out the wheels. He has nice tires on it already, but we live in the south and cold wet weather is rare. I make a suggestion and we go back inside to place the order. I take all of the pertinent information and he gives me the balance in full. I’m surprised, ‘cause many of our customers will give me half of it and come in with the rest when the order arrives. We’ll only hold the product for two weeks, before we try to sell it to someone else. When I’m done doing the paperwork, Curtis leans across the counter and takes my hand in his. “That’s a nice lil’ ring you’re wearing. But, a woman as beautiful as you should be wearing something much bigger. What is your favorite stone?” He asks.
“Careful Curtis. I told you, I can’t live without her. But you’re about to get something you didn’t expect.” Sonny says laughing and walking into his office.
Curtis rolls his eyes at him and turns back to me. “Now, what is your favorite stone?”
“Don’t you have a wife, girlfriend or woman who would be upset about you holding my hand?” I mockingly ask.
“No. I don’t. But you can be the lady in my life, if you want.” Curtis says winking with a smile.
“You know, I think I’ll pass. I’m happy with the husband I have and I believe you probably can’t be faithful, anyway. Now, your tires should be here within two business days. I’ll call you when they arrive so we can schedule a time to have them mounted and rotated. Would you be interested in some seat covers or other accessories?” I ask coming around the counter.
“Not today. But, I’ll be back to talk to you. I like a sassy woman.” He says strolling into Sonny’s office.
The only part of this job I don’t like is the way some of the guys come on to me. I wear my wedding rings every day. I dress professionally for the environment, don’t flirt with the customers and they still don’t get the picture. If I weren’t saving the money I earned to buy my husband a motorcycle for my 11th anniversary gift to him, I’d have quit already. Because of the way Sonny pays me, it shouldn’t take me more than six months to get the money. I mean I get a commission on sales plus my salary, which is pretty nice. I figure by the end of the year, I should be done working here. But, I love the fact that I’m constantly learning new things.
A few hours pass with the usual shop stuff happening. The mailman comes in.
“Hi Tasha. How is my talented lady doing today?” He asks walking through the door. “I don’t have a lot today. Do you have anything going out?”
“Nah. I haven’t done up any letters yet. I’ll just drop whatever I have in the box. Thanks for checking. Sonny may decide to pay some bills today. Right Sonny?” I say teasingly toward Sonny as I take the mail. He chuckles and tells me to be quiet. The mailman leaves and says he’ll see me tomorrow.
I make calls to customers informing them of arrival of their parts and schedule appointments. Some customers walk in to shop around and I sell a spoiler and a set of wheels. The guy doesn’t look like he has any money. He walks in and goes over to the “wall-of-wheels” immediately. He asks me the prices on a few different styles. I give him the prices then ask what he’ll be putting them on to make sure the specs match. He says he has a BMW 525i. After we narrow things down, he tells me the car is outside and he wants to see what the wheel looks like. I make a second suggestion, ask him to grab the wheels and we go outside to put it against the car. He likes the one he picked out, but loves the one I suggested. We go back inside.
“Your total is $ 2,783.56. How will you be paying? We accept cash, checks, money orders and all major credit cards. If you want, you can pay half now and the balance when the wheels arrive.”
“I’ll pay all of it now.” He says as he reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a big wad of money neatly wrapped with a rubber band. “I only have twenties and fifties. Is there somewhere I can count this out?” He inquires shyly. I tell him to wait a minute and step into Sonny’s office. I explain the situation to him and he agrees to let the young man use his office. I go back to the door and call him to come around and enter Sonny’s office. Sonny partially closes the door and they are in there for a little while counting out the money. After a while, Sonny calls me to come get the money and finish out the paperwork. The young man leaves and I go in to talk to Sonny.
“I didn’t expect him to have that kind of money. When I told him the price, he didn’t bat an eyelash. I wonder what he does for a living.”
“Oh, he’s a street pharmacist.”
“He’s a what?” I ask with widening eyes. “You mean he sells drugs?” I say shocked.
“Yeah, he gets a new car every couple of years and always comes here to buy. He always comes in with cash in twenties and fifties.”
“How do you know that’s what he does to get his money?” I ask with unease.
“’Cause he’s a friend of my sister’s. He’s all right. Don’t lose sleep about it. Oh, and bring me the cash he gave you. I wanna go ahead and put that in my bag.” He says as I’m leaving the room.
I do as he requests, but the whole time, I’m thinking something isn’t right. Shortly, Sonny tells me he’s going to lunch. He takes the bag of money with him and asks me to call him on his cell phone if Mr. Langston calls. I ask how long he’ll be gone since I’m meeting Ed for lunch. He says he’ll be back in about twenty minutes. Once he leaves, I call Ed to find out where he wants to meet.
True to his word, Sonny is back within twenty minutes. I tell him I’m leaving. Once I get to the restaurant, Ed is sitting in his car waiting on me. I get out and walk over to him.
“Hi sweetheart. How is your day going?” He asks as he kisses me.
“It’s okay, I guess. We’ve been pretty steady today. Oh, and we had some action. I’ll tell you about it over lunch so you’ll have something to laugh about.” I say with a giggle as we walk inside. Over lunch, I describe the events of the fight between the two women in Sonny’s life. Ed can’t believe Sonny isn’t more careful. Then he catches me off guard and says, “I’m having second thoughts about you working there. If he has things like this happening, he can’t be a good person to be around.”
“I understand. But you know I took this job because there is something big I want to buy and I wanted to earn the money to do it all on my own. Can I just stay until I have the money, then quit?” I ask warily.
“I don’t know, Tasha. I’ll have to see how things go. Maybe I’ll come down there a little more and see how he does things.”
“That will be good. Then I can try to sell you something. It’s more money in my pocket.” I say laughing.
We conclude our lunch and go back to our jobs. When I open the door to the shop, Sonny is coming out of the bathroom. “Did you have a good lunch?”
“Yes I did.
“Good. Mr. Langston will be here in about ten minutes. We’ll be in the office for a while talking. Would it be all right if I ask you to bring us something to drink? You know, like a real secretary.�
� He sweetly inquires.
“I guess so.” I say walking to the front of the shop.
Just as I’m about to file the receipts from yesterday a tall thin middle-aged sallow man walks through the door. As he pushes his salt and pepper hair from his green eyes, he says, “Good afternoon. Is Sonny here? I have an appointment.” He stands directly in front of the counter awaiting my reply.
“Hello. What is your name Sir?”
“Mr. Langston.”
“Hold on a moment please.” I twirl and walk into Sonny’s office. “Mr. Langston is here. Do you want me to send him in or are you coming out to address him?” I ask. Sonny bounds around his desk and out into the front area.
“Hello Ted. I’m glad you could make it.” He says gently extending his hand. The two shake hands as Sonny guides him into his office. He softly closes the door and I return to my duties. A few curious customers enter and I sell a couple of small items. Time goes by quickly and I don’t realize how long Mr. Langston and Sonny have been in the office.
I hear the door to the office open. “Well I look forward to working with you Sonny. I’ll send the first one by tomorrow afternoon. Now you can call me anytime with questions.” He says pumping Sonny’s hand.