On Time (Persaud Girl)

by Teisha Mott

  Suddenly she did not wish to be in Gauchos anymore. She hurriedly stood and picked up her bag.

  “Sorry guys,” she said, pulling on her sunglasses. “I have to go…”

  “Go?” Bianca questioned. In the past three years that they had been meeting, Klao never once ‘had to go’.

  “Yes, I have to get back to the office…”

  “Since when do you have to get back to the office?” Andie demanded.

  “I - I – I promised Marlene I’d come back and help her with a case. I’m really sorry guys…” She placed her black Persaud Enterprises charge card on the table. “Lunch is on me. I have to run. Collect my card for me, will you, Bee?”

  She paused to place a brief kiss on the top of Caitlin’s head before fleeing out of Gauchos like a bat out of hell.

  15

  On Time

  chapter two

  It was almost eight-thirty PM when Klao pulled her olive green CRV into her Millsborough apartment complex. She gathered her handbag and briefcase stuffed with work papers, balancing them in one hand as she armed her SUV with the other. She was bone tired. Not wanting to be proven a liar by her cousins, Klao had indeed gone back downtown to work. Marlene, who was preparing for trial, had been surprised to see her. Klao had never returned to the office after her lunch dates with her cousins.

  “I figured you’d need some help,” Klao explained, settling down in Marlene’s office.

  Marlene was not about to refuse Klao’s offer. This was a particularly tough case, and Klao was really bright. She could see loopholes and flaws that sometimes not even Mrs Reyes or Mrs Green could see, and they had been practicing law for longer than both Klao and Marlene had been alive. Marlene knew Klao’s days at Reyes, Green and Associates were numbered, as she would soon be joining her family’s company, and she also knew as a fact that the world of litigation would be one genius short when Klao Persaud made her way to corporate.

  Klao did not tell Marlene about Bianca’s engagement – not because Bianca wanted it kept a secret until the ‘anniversary party’, but because she did not want Marlene to figure out that she was upset about it, and that it was the reason she had left lunch early, and returned downtown. She preferred Marlene to think that she was happy to help her with her case. Plus, she did not feel insecure hanging out with Marlene. After all, Marlene was 33, and still single, too – no boyfriends, no prospects in that direction. It was a running joke in the office that Marlene was probably going to marry a prisoner or a bailiff, because she often declared she was not interested in dating a fellow attorney or a judge, and the only people she ever came in contact with were the people at court. Unlike Klao, Marlene was the most reclusive person in the world. She just went from home, to office, to court, and back home again. When she hung out with Marlene, Klao thought, she did not feel like such an LBR – loser beyond recognition.

  Klao unlocked her front door and turned on the living room lights. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. A ball of brown and white fur bounded over to her, yapping manically.

  “Hello, Minxy! Hello baby!” She cooed, picking up the puppy and clutching him close to her breast, not caring that he would shed all over her dark tailored Izzy suit. The puppy licked her face. “I’m sorry I’m late. I hope you did not pee on my bed!”

  Klao put him on the ground and headed towards her bedroom. He had to be walked by eight o’clock every evening, or else, he would do his business anywhere his mind told him. After he had peed in a pair of Jimmy Choos that she had never worn before, whenever Klao knew she would be working late, she would call and ask her neighbour, Stacy, who had a copy of her keys for emergency purposes, to let him out. That evening, she had not been able to get Stacy, and sure enough, not only had Minx peed on her bathroom rug, but he had also left a not so pleasant surprise by her laundry basket.

  Klao put the puppy in his box, pulled on her gloves, and without even changing from her work clothes, began to clean up the mess. She thought of Caitlin as she cleaned, wondering if she was that different from Samantha and Jeremy when they had to clean up after their daughter. She remembered once when Caitlin was a baby, she’d had a bad case of diaper rash. Her butt was so badly chafed that she could not wear a diaper. There she was, crawling around her grandparents’ house with her butt out, and leaving little gifts all over the house. Eventually, her grandma, Klao’s Aunt Janise, could not take it any longer and left the house, coming back half an hour later with a bottle of pure aloe vera and a dozen birds-eye cotton nappies. Samantha had asked her mother in horror who she had expected to wash those archaic cloth nappies. But she got her answer soon enough when she found herself standing over the pail and trying not to gag.

  Klao smiled at the memory as she dumped her rug into the washing machine. Minx was her baby. The only difference was that she could not put a nappy on him, and most times, he was well behaved. She smiled again as she imagined Caitlin bouncing off the walls from the Pepsi as Jeremy tried get her to calm down and go to bed. Samantha was evil, she thought; although she knew that there were times Jeremy would fill Caitlin up on chocolates and all sorts of sweets before handing her over to Samantha and heading back to work to finish up a project.

  Samantha and Jeremy had a great marriage, Klao thought, considering the fact that five years before, Samantha could not stand the sight of him. Learning she was pregnant had been the lowest point of Samantha’s life, but Jeremy had been there, throughout her bitching and her griping, and no matter how many times and how loudly she told him she wanted nothing to do with him. Eventually, they became friends, and in a move worthy of a Hollywood movie or a Mills and Boon novel, they fell in love. They finally got married after Samantha had finished NYU and Jeremy had done a two-year stint at Persaud Financials in Manhattan.

  Klao removed Minx, who was getting restless, from his box and tucked him under her arm. “Guess what baby?” She told him, as she moved towards the fridge. “Auntie Bianca and Uncle Tevin got engaged. There is going to be another Persaud wedding, and I’m going to be the maid-of-honour.”

  Minx barked in response.

  Klao removed a Stouffers dinner from the freezer, popped it into the microwave and set the timer. Then she reached into the cupboard and removed a can of dog food for Minx.

  “Yes, my dear!” She continued, as she opened the can and emptied the contents into the blue plastic bowl that was Minx’s dinner dish. “That’s me. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”

  Minx responded with two sharp barks, which Klao interpreted as, “Stop being sorry for yourself! You’ll find a husband in due course. And why do you want another man in the house, anyway? You have me.”

  “I guess you are right!” Klao decided with a sigh. She set Minx on the ground and watched as he made a mad dash towards his dinner. She sat at her kitchen table watching him eat, while waiting for her own dinner to be ready. The apartment was silent, except for the hum of the microwave and the ticking of the kitchen clock. Klao never felt more alone in her life. Her existence was pathetic, she thought. Home from a long day at work, with only her dog to greet her and microwave food for dinner. She closed her eyes and imagined another life. She imagined pulling her CRV into her parking spot, and lugging her briefcase and handbag to the door. She would fumble for her keys as usual, but before finding them, the door would open, and he would be standing there: six feet tall, with curly black hair like her dad’s and her brothers’. He would smile his perfect megawatt smile at her, and take her bags.

  “Welcome home, darling!” He would say. “How was your day?”

  Even if her day had been stressful, it would be forgotten because she would be home with him, and that would be all that mattered. She would tell him her day was fine; then he would give her a kiss. A brief kiss on the lips, but still sensuous enough to make her toes tingle in her practical Kate Spade pumps that matched the Kate Spade bag that he had bought her. He would take her jacket and hand her a glass of wine – probably some Merlot – she liked Merlot. She
would pat Minx’s head – Minx had to be a part of her life, no matter what – and cuddle him a bit while sipping her wine. When her wine was all gone, he would usher her to the bathroom, where the tub was filled with warm, bubbly water. He would insist that she take a nice fifteen-minute soak, and when she was done, dinner would be ready. Dinner was broiled salmon with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, macaroni and cheese and corn-on-the-cob. They would eat their salmon, have some more merlot and talk about their day. After dinner, they would do the dishes together, then watch some TV – they both loved Law and Order – then they would retire to the bedroom, where they would spoon and cuddle and eventually fall asleep in each other’s arms…

  The microwave beeped, bringing Klao back to her current existence; taking her away from the one that she had so lovingly crafted in her head. She was back to being alone in her apartment. Minx had finished his dinner and was now curled up in his bed. Klao served herself dinner, mentally chastising herself for her daydream. It was a dumb dream, she decided. It was also impractical. What man would be at home making salmon and crap and drawing her baths while she was away at work? When she found a man, he had to be a man with a job. No doubt, they would both tumble into the house together, too tired to cook anything, order some Chinese take-out, and fall asleep while the news was going on. That made far more sense.

  Maybe being in a relationship and getting married was probably not as fun as it looked, she thought as she ate. She thought about married people and people in a relationship that she knew, and wondered what they were doing. She knew her father was on duty at the hospital, so her mother was alone at home, probably already asleep. Her mother never usually made it beyond nine o’clock, unless she was at work. Dylan was at the hospital as well, so his wife, Amanda, was probably at home alone, too. Darrin was not married, but he was alone as well, as his girlfriend, Synclaire, was overseas on business. Samantha was probably at the office (and Jeremy was in their townhouse probably pondering whether he should take Dylan’s advice and tip some DPH into Caitlin’s milk to make her fall asleep). Grandpa Ravi and Grandma Sylvia were probably together, but too old to be doing anything that Klao even wanted to think about. Bianca was working night at the hospital, so she was not with Tevin. The only persons probably having anything close to her fantasy, Klao guessed, were Andie and Nathan, and they were newlyweds, so it did not count.

  After dinner, she settled in front of the TV to watch Law and Order. Half hour later, before they had even gotten through the Order part, and moved to the Law part, which Klao found more fascinating, she had fallen asleep, still wearing her tailored Izzy suit.

  ***

  Klao sat reviewing a petition for divorce that had found its way on to her desk that morning. The couple had been married for twenty-three years. She could not understand why after twenty-three years they could not work out whatever problems they were having. Anyway, Klao decided that was not her business. Her business was to get the matrimonial property equitably divided and these two unhappy people away from each other. Dylan did not approve of Klao’s job of divorcing people.

  “A lawyer who does divorces is like a doctor who performs abortions!” He’d always told her. “How can you sleep at night knowing that you are responsible for destroying what God has joined together?”

  Klao told him he was talking nonsense. “When they come to me, the marriage is already destroyed!” She told him. “I just legally help them settle their differences.”

  She wondered though, if on some level, Dylan was right. Maybe just once, she should ask her clients if they would consider counselling before going forward with the divorce. She wondered if subconsciously she was a bit disillusioned with marriage, and that was why she was having a hard time finding someone.

  Her private line rang on her desk.

  “Klao Persaud!”

  “Hey!”

  Klao closed the file when she heard Bianca’s voice.

  “Hey yourself!” She replied. “What’s up?”

  “Nothin’!” Bianca returned. “I just haven’t spoken to you since lunch, and that was all of last Wednesday. And I still have your charge card. What’s up with you?”

  “I’ve been busy,” Klao lied. The truth was she had been avoiding her cousin since she announced her engagement. She really did not want to talk to Bianca yet. She was not in the mood to start being the perfect maid-of-honour.

  “Busy avoiding me!” Bianca deadpanned. “Is everything okay, KoKo?”

  “Everything’s fine, Bee!” Klao tried to assure her. “And I’m not avoiding you. Why would I be avoiding you?”

  “I dunno,” Bianca said. It’s just that…”

  “I really am busy,” Klao interrupted. “I have a ton of work on my desk, I have a trial coming up, I’m helping Marlene with her trial…”

  “Are you going to be able to make it to my party Saturday?” Bianca asked.

  Klao sighed. “Of course I will, Bee!” She said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I just need to clear some of this work from my desk.”

  “Good!” Bianca sounded relieved. “I really need you to be here for me, Klao. I don’t want you to get too ‘busy’. Not right now, ‘cause even after dating for ten years, I still need to know that you’re in my corner, and you think marrying Tevin is the best thing. I need you…”

  Klao bit on her bottom lip. She was wrong and she knew it. She was being a real first class bitch to Bianca, and Bianca did not deserve it.

  “I’m always in you corner,” she assured her cousin. “I promise. Are you working tonight? Maybe after work I could pick up Minx and come over to your place. We can talk…”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Bianca agreed. “And you can pick up your card. I don’t know how you can function a whole weekend without it!”

  Klao laughed. “I’m not as high maintenance as you are, Dr Persaud! Besides, I always have a few hundred dollars in my purse.” Marlene appeared at her office door, and she motioned to her that she would be with her in a second. “I have to go, Bee. What time do you get off this evening?”

  “Four,” Bianca told her. “So I’ll be home by five. Can you come, say, six thirty?”

  “Will you let me watch ‘Gossip Girl’ on your TV without any complaints or criticism?”

  Klao could hear Bianca rolling her eyes. “Whatever, Klao. Just come.”

  Klao smiled. “Good. See you later then!” She hung up and turned her attention to Marlene.

  “You have a date tonight?” Marlene asked her.

  “Not unless a girl date with Bianca, counts!” Klao returned. “Does it?”

  “Not in the least!” Marlene flopped into Klao’s client chair. “So how is she? Any closer to marrying that fantastic boy toy of hers? I don’t understand this hitching thing that they have happening, and this everlasting courtship. I say crap or come off the pot man!”

  Klao smiled. Marlene could not understand her cousins – why they thought they had to date for this long time before getting married. Andie and Nathan had dated exclusively for seven years; Bianca and Tevin for ten… Why? Marlene often declared that if she was five years younger, she would make a move on Tevin and show Bianca what she ought to be doing with a man. Marlene had first taken a good look at him when Hurricane Dean had passed through the previous August and ravaged the St. Thomas fording. Tevin was on the team of engineers that the Government had commissioned to assess the damage, repair the fording and return normalcy to the citizens of St. Thomas as soon as possible. That was where Marlene saw him. She was among the crowd of idle Jamaicans who had driven out to the fording to see what had really happened, and she just stood there, ogling the six feet three inches mass of muscle that was Klao’s cousin’s boyfriend. He looked so hot and professional, and like ‘walking porn’, she had told Klao the following day when they had gone back to work. Klao knew Tevin looked good, but she had never thought of him as ‘walking porn’ before. She also never heard him described as ‘looking like he was full of
pheromones’, or ‘having a butt like Baryshnikov’s’.

  Marlene could not understand why Bianca would date a man like Tevin and not marry him. Worse still, she could not believe that he and Bianca were not having sex. She thought celibacy pacts were ridiculous, especially when your boyfriend’s special talent was ‘wearing the hell out of a pair of relaxed fit Izzy Man button fly jeans’. She wondered if Bianca did not lie awake at night wondering what it would be like having his legs, as thick as tree trunks, wrapped around her.

  “Well,” Klao thought wryly, “Bianca would know in due course – New Year's Day if Andie had her way!”

  She looked at Marlene. “Actually, it’s supposed to be a secret, but they’re officially engaged!” She said. “So it is time to pack up all your Tevin fantasies.”

  Marlene’s eyes widened. “No joke!” She exclaimed. “Like ring bought, date set, engaged?”

  Klao nodded. “Saw the ring, and trust me, ‘it wicked’. Date not quite set yet, though, but they’re looking at New Year’s Day.”

  “And another one bites the dust!” Marlene exhaled sharply. “So officially you’re the last Persaud left on the shelf!”

  “Well, not really,” Klao tried to appear nonchalant. “Alex, Margaux and Phillip are not married or engaged. And there’s also Christopher. I don’t think he’ll find someone before me.”

  “Your man-whore cousin, Phillip?” Marlene snorted. “Who’d want to marry him? And you know I meant you’re the only one left from among your little clubhouse cousins.”

  Klao decided she did not want to talk to Marlene anymore. She opened her new divorce file once again. “I don’t see what the big damn deal is! I’ll get married when I find someone. Besides, they say misery loves company. I don’t see why I should run down marriage; next thing you know, I get stuck with this damn man that I can’t shake, then I have to hire you to exorcise him from my life. Frankly, I don’t give a rat’s behind whether I get married or not.”