Familiar Stranger

by Dara Girard

  "Miss Rodgers, I am so sorry about the worker at your house. I take full responsibility."

  "Really?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you know how much that necklace means to me? My father used to beat my mother and I had to go to bed at night listening to her screams. She gave me that necklace when she died and it means the world to me."

  His eyes widened. "That's awful."

  "Yes, he's in prison now and I have to take care of my three younger siblings. It's been really hard getting by. I could use a break. What your brother is charging me is real steep."

  "He's charging you? I thought it was at our expense."

  "That's what he wants you to believe, but that's not true. I've had to sell some of my furniture just to afford the down payment."

  "I'll talk to him."

  Greta's tone turned flat and cold. "Why?"

  He blinked. "What?"

  "Why do you want to help me?"

  "Because you're having financial difficulties."

  "How do you know?"

  He hesitated. "You just told me."

  "I know what I told you, but how do you know it's true?"

  Kojo opened his mouth, then closed it.

  "The moment I said something you weren't sure about you should have verified. I said your brother was charging me. You thought he wasn't. What you needed to do was call Vance and find out the truth."

  "I didn't want to offend you."

  "You'd prefer to offend him?"

  "No, I just...I don't know."

  "You've been a lucky kid most of your life so you're not used to liars. You think that everybody who's hit a rough patch has just been unlucky. That's baloney. A number of them have made choices. Some use others, like you, to get what they want. You're going to hear a lot of sob stories and they're going to break your heart. Some will be real and some will be false but you're not hosting a soup kitchen. You can't afford to make stupid mistakes like the one you made. What if he'd raped me? Do you think a pathetic 'I'm sorry' would cut it after I sued your company?"

  He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

  "Do you want to do this job?"

  He raised his eyes. "What do you mean?"

  "Did you ask for this job or did your brother just give it to you?"

  "We're helping each other out."

  She started to smile. "You don't have to protect your brother. I know his shortcomings. He can be intimidating."

  "He needed men fast and gave me the task."

  "But you're not good at it, are you? You're book smart, but you can't read people and that makes you dangerous to your brother. Especially the business he’s in."

  "I'll learn."

  "You love your brother, don't you?"

  "I think he's the greatest, even though he doesn't feel the same."

  "He cares about you."

  "Only because our mother forces him to. I wish I could be like him."

  "You don't have to be."

  "I want to make this work. I want to make him proud. But he thinks I'm weak like our father."

  "Your father?"

  "Yes, because he was always so generous, a little too much so. We had a lot of financial troubles growing up. Once we nearly lost everything and had to live in a dive in a rough part of D.C. We didn't know where our next meal would come from. Mom almost divorced him, she couldn’t take it anymore. We finally recovered, but Vance never forgave him."

  "I'm sure your father's a good man and you are too. You just need to use your strengths." She looked around his office. "You're good with organization."

  "I like things to be in their place."

  "I think that's how you can help your brother. Tell him--"

  "Tell him?"

  "Yes, tell him what you're willing to do. You have to stand up to him."

  Kojo shook his head. "That's harder than you think."

  Greta knew he was right. They needed a neutral ground that Vance couldn't dominate. She started to smile as an idea came to her. "Let me make it easy for you. How do you feel about soccer?"

  Chapter Fourteen

  He should have gone with her. Vance checked his phone a fifth time. Still no update. What did she think she could accomplish? He had to trust her. He heard the keys in the lock and then Crystal, his daughter entered.

  "Hi, Dad."

  "How many times have I told you to knock first?"

  "You gave me the keys for a reason."

  "Yes, in case of an emergency."

  She kissed him on the cheek. "I'll remember next time. It's been hard to reach you these last couple of months."

  "I've been busy."

  "Grandma's still recovering from your breakup with Sylvie."

  I don't care. He checked his phone again.

  "You're in a grumpy mood."

  "Hmm."

  "We need to talk."

  "You know I hate when a woman says that." He pointed to a seat. "What's on your mind?"

  She crossed her legs. "I met Tera. I mean really?"

  "Really what?"

  "Didn't you hear me? I just said I met Tera."

  "Yes, she told me," he said absently. He didn't want to talk about Greta. He wanted to hear from her.

  "Grandma thinks she's a joke. Some weird phase you're going through. Is she, right?"

  Vance gritted his teeth. "What do you think?"

  "I think Tera's sweet, but she needs to work on her appearance, judging from her hairstyle and clothes. And those awful glasses definitely have to go."

  "I didn't mean what do you think about Tera," he said keeping his voice level. He didn't care what anybody else thought about Tera, not even his daughter. "I mean, do you think I’m going through a phase?" He waved his hand when she opened her mouth. "And it was a rhetorical question because it isn't a phase and I like her the way she is."

  "Why didn't you tell Tera about me?"

  "I didn't want her asking questions." He rubbed his chin. "I thought I'd be over her before you knew about us."

  "Why do you let her call you Vance?"

  "Because I don't want to remind her of my old nickname in high school."

  "I'm sure it doesn't matter now."

  His daughter was biased and loved him unconditionally. No woman looked at him with the love and devotion he saw in her eyes. Probably because he never inspired such feelings in them. He never cared. His daughter was the only person he really trusted. The only one he let into his heart. He'd used her to keep woman away, and now that she was grown he couldn't use that excuse anymore. Perhaps his daughter was right. Greta didn't fit the image of the woman he was usually with. He thought it would bother him, but it didn't.

  His cell phone rang. Vance snatched it and checked the number: Greta. "How did it go?"

  "Are you busy?"

  He looked at his daughter. "Am I busy?"

  She shook her head.

  "No. How did it go?"

  "Fine. I'll tell you when you get here. I found a place you'll love. It's an out of the way bar that has a big screen that shows international soccer matches." Vance couldn’t imagine such a place. He thought he knew all the places to go to watch a soccer match.

  He sat up. "You did?"

  "Yes, I'm sending you the directions. See you there." She hung up.

  "She's amazing."

  "What's going on?" Crystal asked, curious.

  "Tera found a place that sounds like heaven." He grabbed his coat then frowned when she did the same. "Where are you going?"

  "I'm coming with you. If this is the real thing, I don't want to miss anything."

  ***

  It was the real thing. It was a wonderful noisy, colorful, ‘jumping’ restaurant with a great bar and several enormous flat screen TV’s. Although a game was playing on the screen, the deep beat of music could still be heard. Vance spotted Greta waving at them from across the room and he made his way over to where she was sitting. He kissed her and then formally introduced her to Crystal. He looked around
amazed. "How did you find this place?"

  "My secret. I ordered some jerk chicken wings and beer, I hope you don't mind."

  "Sounds great. How did the meeting go with Kojo?"

  "You're about to find out." She waved at someone near the door. Vance turned and saw his brother.

  "What’s he doing here?"

  Greta stood. "He needs to talk to you."

  "Wait, where are you going?"

  "I have to go to orchestra practice." She kissed him on the cheek. "Now, enjoy the food and the game, and remember to listen."

  Kojo gave his niece a hug and kiss, then took a seat next to Vance.

  Vance folded his arms. "So you have something to say to me?"

  Kojo swallowed. "I want to be put in charge of dealing with the finances and the paperwork related to all the jobs."

  "But I need someone who can deal with hiring and overseeing the workers, especially the temps"

  "That’s not me."

  "But--"

  "Van, I really want to work with you and I’m great with organization, administrative and legal matters. Hiring and working with people just isn’t my thing."

  "Obviously."

  "Dad, just listen," Crystal said.

  "I am listening."

  "You know I’m good for it. I wouldn’t say I wanted to do something if I didn’t mean it. I know my work history is spotty, but I think this is me and I want a chance to do what I know I’ll be good at.

  "I'll think about it."

  Kojo nodded then looked around. "This is an amazing place. Remember when Dad used to take us to matches?"

  "Yes." Vance answered, sadly. He remembered how no matter how bad the weather was, if there was a soccer game in town, his father, Kojo and Vance would be there. Their father loved soccer. He had been an excellent player, back home in Ghana, and had even been recruited to join a professional soccer team, but his father, their grandfather, hadn’t approved. He wanted him to go to university instead. Which he did, specializing in sports' medicine. When he came to the U.S. he used his knowledge to partner with a fellow Ghanaian and opened a successful sports clinic, making an astounding amount of money for his family until poor decisions got in the way. Namely, he could not say "no" to anyone. Vance looked at his brother and knew the courage it had taken him to tell the truth. Kojo was right. He wasn't good with people and Vance shouldn't try to make him. He'd talk more with him later. Right now, he didn't want to discuss business, he just wanted to enjoy himself.

  Vance watched the game while they ate some of the best home-made fries and deep-fried onion rings, while engaging with his brother and soon, with some of the other patrons. Every now and then, everyone was shouting at the screen and cheering at the scores. The game was between Nigeria and Spain. For the first time, in a long time, Vance felt relaxed and happy. Crystal watched him, intrigued.

  She stared amazed when her father gave her uncle a friendly slap on the back. She'd never seen her father so carefree. Even the way he looked at Tera surprised her. While others gave them a curious glance her father didn't care. That wasn't like him. He usually was very aware of how he was perceived. Image was everything. At least it had been before Tera. He didn't talk about soccer because it wasn't a popular American sport. He only dated woman who were eye candy. Tera had made her dad happy but Crystal knew she would never get past her grandmother. Greta would need to do something about her looks. Crystal thought about her plan as she and her father returned to his place.

  "Dad I need some money."

  "What for?"

  "I want to do something nice for Tera."

  "Like what?"

  "It's surprise."

  He fell silent then asked, "How much do you need?"

  "Five hundred."

  "Try again."

  "Isn't she worth that much?"

  "Try again."

  "Are you strapped because you lost your job?"

  "You have a job," he countered. "Why are you asking me for money?"

  "Okay. Two hundred. "

  "Fine."

  ***

  That night Vance entered his apartment surprised to find all the lights out. Had Greta returned from practice and gone to bed? He cautiously opened the bedroom door then stopped when he saw it was empty. Where was she? Had something happened? He grabbed his phone and called her. His heart returned to his normal pace when she picked up.

  "Hi?"

  "Where are you?"

  "At home. Did you have a good time?"

  "What do you mean?" He said turning on all the lights. "Where are you?"

  "At home. My home."

  He stopped. He'd gotten so used to her being at his place. He'd started to think of it as her home too. "Why?"

  "I have to travel and I have a lot of my things here." He’d been on the site earlier that day, and things were still pretty rough. A lot of progress had been made, but the repairs were not complete.

  "Oh," he said, not knowing why he suddenly felt lost. He'd wanted to be with her tonight. "When do you leave?"

  "In two days."

  She didn't offer to invite him over and he didn't want to push her. "I'll miss you."

  "I promise to send you pictures of fountains."

  He didn't want pictures of fountains. He didn't want to talk to her over the phone. He wanted to come home and find her there. Or, know that she'd be coming home to him. He didn't realize how disappointing the thought was of going to bed alone. It had never bothered him before. He'd slept apart from Sylvie a number of times. But after his great experience at the bar and talking to his brother all he could think of was being with her and asking her how her rehearsal had gone. She had told him that her orchestra was preparing for an upcoming performance. He also wanted to ask her what she'd said to his brother to make him finally stand up for himself. Something felt wrong. Had the incident with the thief made her want to distance herself from him?

  "Vance are you still there?"

  "Can you come by tomorrow?"

  "I'm afraid not."

  "So I can't see you before you leave?"

  "I'll see you when I get back."

  He sighed. "What did I do wrong?"

  "Wrong?"

  "Tera, a man knows when he's in the doghouse."

  "Doghouse? What are you talking about?"

  "Since the incident with that thief we haven't been together. You went to my brother alone and then left me at the bar and now I come home and you're not here and you're telling me you're traveling and I'll see you when you get back."

  "And I mean it. I'm not holding anything against you about what happened. I told you why I wanted to meet with your brother and I thought it would be best that I wasn't there when you two spoke. I came home because I have to travel and I have a lot to do. That's all. I'd like to see you, but I can't. Really."

  He'd have to believe her. He didn't want to sound possessive, although he felt that way. "Okay."

  "You'll look after my house for me?"

  "Of course. This time when you come back you'll have a great surprise."

  "I look forward to it. Bye."

  "Bye."

  Vance hung up the phone then sat on his couch. The place felt empty without her. He'd gotten used to her tidying up and working on her laptop. He sighed. He'd never felt this way before. He enjoyed having his space. Sylvie had always talked about them moving in together, but he'd balked at the idea. Now he wondered. What would Greta think of the idea of moving in with him or him moving in with her?

  ***

  Greta stared at her phone wondering if she'd handled Vance well. He had sounded upset, but she couldn't understand why. Why would he think he was in the doghouse? Why didn't he know she'd forgiven him for the incident with the thief? He was right though. She had tried to not be alone with him. Had he somehow sensed that she'd lied to him? That she was keeping things from him? She hadn't gone to practice that evening and she wasn't sure if she'd ever go back. She couldn't focus the way she could before. She couldn't see Joan an
d pretend that her life hadn't faced a major upheaval.

  It was hard being back at her place with it still in chaos, but she had to face the reality of her life, not hide from it. But she didn't want to be a burden. She still felt guilty about the situation at her house. Even though she knew the raid hadn't been her fault, she didn't want Vance to think he would always have to get her out of scrapes.

  She used to be a woman she was proud of. A confidant, woman who was a member of an orchestra, went to rehearsals, practiced her clarinet nearly every day, or at least tried to, and frequently traveled for her job. A woman who had her life in order. She had to show Vance that she was independent and resourceful.

  ***

  Crystal searched through the racks of a local consignment store hoping to find the right outfit Tera might like. She hadn’t been able to squeeze more than $200.00 from her father, he had a habit of being stingy – money-wise, but she understood. He had just started his new business, and things would be tight for awhile. So, she had decided to add $200.00 from her savings.

  "How long are you going to take?" her boyfriend grumbled.

  "I didn't ask you to come with me."

  "I know, but you know I like being with you."

  Crystal held up a jacket. "Do you like this color?"

  "It's too old for you."

  "It's not for me. It's for my Dad's girlfriend."

  "She can't get her own clothes?"

  "It's a gift."

  He pointed to another rack. "How about that black one over there?"

  "Oh yes, that would be nice."

  "Good, can we go now?"

  "No, now I need to get her some accessories."

  ***

  He was going to be cutting it close financially. He'd been overly optimistic about the number of clients he'd been able to get, but their projects weren't big enough. Vance looked at the pattern he'd carved into a table leg. When completed the table would be a beauty but he'd need a lot more commissions like this to make a profit. Maybe Sylvie and Cordell had been right. The success of the CA Construction had nothing to do with him. He didn't want to let his men down. Although they had faith in him a number of the former clients he'd worked with, didn't. At least Greta's house was done now and he couldn't wait for her to see it.

  "Quite a little workshop you have here," Cordell said walking in the door.