by BWWM Club
“Thank you so much,” said Kizzy, feeling light and elated. Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all. “That really means a lot to me.”
“It’s the least that I can do after all that I have put you through today,” said Michael. “I hope that we can put all of this behind us and just work like nothing happened. I know that is asking for a lot, but I think we can manage if we just focus on our work.”
“I think so too,” said Kizzy. “If you don’t have anything else for me to do, I would like to take a short break for lunch before calling Mr. Carlos to confirm his meeting with you at four. I have brought your lunch in as well.”
“Oh my,” said Michael when Kizzy showed him his lunch. “That’s exactly what I had been thinking of ordering today. Thank you so much.”
“Not a problem, Mr. Gamble,” said Kizzy with a smile. She had done this right, just like she had done a lot of things right. Michael was on her side now, and she could actually look forward to working with him from this moment on.
“None of that,” said Michael. “I don’t want you calling me Mr. Gamble. Maybe in front of clients and other employees in the company, but when it’s just the two of us I would like you to call me Mike.”
Kizzy smiled even wider, her heart feeling like it might just end up floating out of her chest.
“Will do, Mike,” said Kizzy. She stepped out of his office and sat at her desk. Her food was still hot, the day was still young, and there was a lot for her to do. She was an important part of this office and this company. She had a role to play. And she could actually call her boss Mike now, something she was sure that she’d be the first to do. Everything was going as well as it possibly could.
Little did Kizzy know, a huge change was just around the corner for her. And when it came, she was going to have to deal with the manner in which her life had completely been altered.
Chapter 5
The past week had gone extremely well for Kizzy as far as her professional life was concerned. After she had cleared the air with her boss whom she happily called Mike when it was just the two of them, which it usually was, she and him had started to work with great efficiency. It was uncanny the way she was able to discern what exactly her boss would want and when he would want it, but thanks to her immense skill she was able to help Mike close in on a lot of deals that had been eluding him for quite some time.
Mike was happy with her performance, and that made her happy. Her personal life was not going so well, of course. Her father seemed fine but the doctors kept telling them that anything could happen at any time, and that they really needed to get the procedure done before the worst occurred. According to the doctors, if they performed the procedure after her father had a heart attack or something similar, it could result in his death. His body would be simply too weak to resist any of this.
“I’m probably going to have to take a loan this week,” said Kizzy. “I don’t know how else I am going to be able to pay for this.”
“Are you sure that there is a bank out there that would give you a loan?” asked Mike. “I’m not trying to discourage you, I am simply trying to see all of the possible outcomes of this scenario.
“I don’t know,” said Kizzy. “I mean, I have a good credit rating and I have a good reason for wanting a loan, but at the end of the day it’s the bank’s call, and we both know just how picky they can be with their loans. I just wish that I had had more time. I could have saved up for the next three months, and then after receiving my first bonus from you I would have had more than enough money to pay for the procedure as well as for a nurse that would take care of my dad for a couple of weeks after the surgery was complete. It’s so frustrating.”
“I can imagine,” said Mike. “You know, you can take time off at any time.”
“I know,” said Kizzy, “but it just doesn’t feel right. I have only been working for you for a week. I think I’ll take a loan, send the money to my parents and then go to my home town for a weekend. I might take one day off, but not more than that. I have responsibilities over here, too.”
“Your parents are more important than your job,” said Mike. “Besides, if I don’t have a problem with it then you shouldn’t. I am practically giving you a paid vacation here.”
“I really appreciate that,” said Kizzy, “but I just don’t like the idea of charity. You see, I have been trying really hard to get people to take me seriously in this company. Black women aren’t all that well thought of, surprisingly enough. When you work hard and get a promotion, people doubt you and say that you only got in because the company had to fulfill some sort of race quota. Any black person moving forward is seen as some kind of affirmative action, even though such things don’t happen at all. And besides, I don’t like charity. I know that you only have my best interests at heart, but I would prefer to handle this as best I can without shirking my professional duties. I have worked so hard to show people that I can go places without special treatment, if I start accepting special treatment now I will never be able to live it down.”
“I understand,” said Mike. He sighed and said, “Life is so tough for people. I have gotten everything I have ever wanted in my life. My parents have made sure of it. Since I have been so spoiled pretty much from birth, I initially used to think that this was the way that everyone was raised. When people told me they were broke, I would think that that meant that they couldn’t afford to eat at the most expensive places for a couple of weeks. I never knew about problems like this, I never thought about them. But as I have grown older I have started to see that problems like this don’t just happen often, they are at times an inescapable part of some people’s lives. I really wish I could change things. Maybe I could set up some sort of charity that would help people in need. I mean, I would if I didn’t have to focus so much time on this company. I guess my dad should do something like this now that he is semi-retired, but he has never really been big on charity. It’s one of the biggest problems I have with my dad.”
“I take it that your dad is still acting like you can’t handle this company?” asked Kizzy.
“Yeah,” said Mike, “which is really funny because I have been running it for six whole years and not one year has gone by where we haven’t ended up making a huge profit. When my dad was running things, the company would see both highs and lows. Ever since I started running the show, however, people have noticed that the company is slowly and steadily growing every quarter. I wish my dad would stop seeing me as some irresponsible kid.”
“Does this have anything to do with that personal matter you mentioned before?” asked Kizzy, referring to the fight that they had on her first day. He had never really explained to her what had been going on in his life, and over the past week when they had actually started to bond he had failed to elaborate on it any more than simply saying that it was complicated.
The same was true right now as well. When Kizzy tried to get Mike to talk about what was happening, he got quiet.
“I don’t know,” said Mike. “I have spent my life living for other people. I wish I could just start living for myself for a change. Thirty three years is enough. I partied hard, it’s true, but I never let my grades slip. I was a straight A student throughout high school and college. Sure I slept around and that was wrong, but I graduated top of my class from Harvard and I have run the company better than anyone, even my own dad. It’s like they don’t want to see me for who I am right now, they choose to see the child that wanted to waste his money on booze and women.”
“It’s really stupid of them to treat you this way,” said Kizzy. “I’m sorry if I’m being too bold, but it’s true.”
Mike laughed and said, “That is too bold, but I really don’t mind. You’re pretty much saying what I’ve always wanted to say but have just never been able to. Good God, I wish I could at least take a vacation. But with everything that’s going on, all of the business deals and mergers and acquisitions, taking a vacation would just end up making me look like I am not right
for the job. Six years of working my ass off has not improved my image in my parents’ eyes, but taking a week long vacation, one that I most certainly deserve, will set me back a great deal.”
Kizzy felt truly sorry for her boss. He was quickly becoming a lot more than just someone she worked for, or even worked with. They were developing a friendship, and it was blossoming fast. It was rare for two people to be so compatible with each other, and when the two people in question were as different as Mike and Kizzy the probability of this happening was almost laughably low.
Kizzy was a black girl from a small town. She wasn’t poor, she had never been hungry, but she and her family had been firmly middle class and, at times, had struggled to meet even this halfway mark. She had worked hard for everything in her life and had ended up a personal assistant. Granted she was twenty four years old and would probably go really far in her career. This still did not change the fact that she was not nearly as privileged as Mike. He was a white man, privileged in its own right, but to top this off he was extremely rich as well. He had been given anything and everything a child could possibly want, and he had been guaranteed the top spot at one of the most prestigious and profitable tech companies in the world.
Their lives were so different that they could have been from opposing ends of the galaxy. And yet… both of them were able to look past these differences. Even the more profound differences felt arbitrary when they just sat and talked.
There was a class difference here, no doubt about that. And yet, in spite of this enormous difference in wealth and privilege and power, when Kizzy sat with Mike in his office she felt like she was the only person in the world that could peak past his prickly exterior and see him for the man he truly was. All this in just a week of knowing him, whereas lifelong friends remained dumbfounded as to Mike’s true nature.
“I’m really glad that we are here right now,” said Kizzy. “I guess that what I want to say is that I don’t have too many friends. A couple back home, a couple here, but no one that I can truly talk to openly. They all seem to judge me. It’s weird. It’s almost as if the fact that we are so different from each other makes us rise above all of the things that other people would judge us for. I’m not like any of your rich friends, so I won’t look at you through that lens. You aren’t from my social class, so when you hear about my plans for the future you are not going to laugh at me or tell me that it’s impossible. I really appreciate this. I know I’m your employee and you’re my boss, but apart from that I think that we have started to become friends and I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate what we have.”
Mike smiled and said, “You know, I have started to realize that I really appreciate what we have too. We’ve known each other a week and already I feel like you know more about me than I know about myself. I have friends that I have known for decades, people that I grew up with. But around them I have always had to maintain this façade so that they would accept me. Whenever I would talk about my own dreams they would think that I was crazy for wanting anything other than what I already had. I really appreciate our friendship too, and I want you to know that even though I am your boss and all that I don’t look at you as someone inferior to me. I doubt you’ll work for me for more than a year, you have too many ideas in your head. You are going to rise to fame and glory, and I would love to just be there, watching it as it happens. And if there is anything I can do to help you achieve your dreams, anything at all, you should know that I would do it without any hesitation at all.”
“Thank you so much,” said Kizzy. “That’s so sweet. I can’t believe how nice you really are. If everyone in this office knew just how nice you were, I don’t think they would be nearly as afraid of you as they are. But then again, I suppose that wouldn’t be the best thing for you. What with you being your father’s son and all, the son of the owner of this company, becoming CEO would have been a complete and utter nightmare for you, with everyone thinking that you don’t deserve what you have.”
“I think that’s something we have in common,” said Mike. “Obviously, you have it so much worse than I do. You have to justify yourself every step of the way, and that’s to be a personal assistant to someone with real power. Your job is important, of course, but it’s not something that someone as hard working as you would not be able to get. You’re doubted whenever you move forward, and it’s the same with me, and even though it’s a lot worse for you, I feel like you are the only person that could ever truly understand what it’s like to be in my position.”
“I do understand,” said Kizzy. “And it is worse for me, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s pretty bad for you too. Don’t deal yourself the short shrift, you are in a pretty bad spot yourself. I think we are just what we need from each other. And that’s why we work so well together.”
“That’s a nice way to put it,” said Mike with a smile.
Kizzy stared at him for a second, unaware of just how deeply she was gazing at him. Mike was incredibly handsome, with that powerful jaw, perpetually covered in stubble, and those blue eyes that were framed by his dirty blonde hair that magically seemed to be both messy and perfectly styled at the same time at any time of the day.
She felt something within her, something that went beyond the platonic relationship that they shared at the moment. She ignored it, of course. There was no way that she was going to be able to pursue a relationship with this man. Such a thought was barely even in the back of her head as a fantasy. The attraction she felt towards him was undeniable, but there was no place that attraction could go because things would never work out between them. Still, Kizzy couldn’t help but wonder if the attraction was one sided or if he felt anything similar to what was within her.
She suddenly realized she was staring and was glad of the fact that she was black, for her dark skin hid the embarrassed flush that was creeping up her cheeks. “Anyway,” she said, “I’d better get back to work. We both should. We have a couple of things left to do and then both of us can leave. I think you could use leaving the office at eight for a change instead of ten, it would give you a couple of extra hours to do something that you actually enjoy doing.”
“I would like that,” said Mike. “It’s a deal. Let’s finish everything up in the next thirty minutes and head out. Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” said Kizzy.
“Let’s grab a bite to eat on the way home,” said Mike. “I have never really eaten at a proper city place, you know? I mean, I grew up here so obviously there were a lot of things I enjoyed that were intrinsically a part of this city, but I feel like you would know more about where the good food is than me because you have had to find it in a more visceral manner.”
Kizzy smiled and said, “Yes, I know this great Chinese place. The Kung Pao there is to die for, you are going to love it.”
“Great,” said Mike, and the two of them started to finish up their work.
As Kizzy sat at her desk sorting through documents so that she would have a clean desk to come to work to in the morning, the phone started to ring. She knew that Mike was not going to want to take any calls so late in the day, as he usually reserved this time for more calm projects even when he was at work, so she decided to answer.
“Hello, Michael Gamble’s office,” said Kizzy.
“Hello, this is Michael Gamble,” said the voice on the other end. Kizzy was taken aback for a moment as the voice coming through the receiver in the phone was a lot older than the one that she was used to hearing from her boss, but then she realized that this was simply Mike’s father, Michael Gamble the Second. He often played pranks like this, or so she had heard.
“Mr. Gamble,” said Kizzy. “I am sorry, I could not recognize your voice for a moment. Your son is currently busy. He is probably going to head home in a little while, about twenty minutes I would say. Would you like to call him back some time in the morning? I will tell him that you called and if he has time he will get back to you some time during the evening.”
“No,” said Michael Gamble, the owner of the company that Kizzy was working at. “Tell Mike that I am going to come see him right now, and I’m bringing Madeline. I’m glad that he is leaving work early, or as early as Mike ever leaves work. We can all go to dinner together. Just let him know that I am going to be there in about forty five minutes, so he should shower and get dressed because Madeline is wearing her very best clothes.”
“Alright, sir,” said Kizzy. “I will inform Mr. Gamble that you called, and I will pass your message along to him.”
She wondered who Madeline was. Mike had never mentioned her before, yet it seemed like she was a fairly important person in his life. Kizzy wondered if this had anything to do with the personal problems that her boss had been facing in his life, the problems that were stressing him out so much.
She knocked on Mike’s door and, for a change, he told her to come in.
“Yes, Kizzy,” said Mike. “Who was that on the phone? It’s pretty late, who the hell calls three hours past office hours without informing me first?”
“That was your father,” said Kizzy. “He said that he is coming here with Madeline, and that you are going to have dinner with her. He seemed pretty determined to come here, so I guess we are going to have to reschedule our thing.”
“Oh no,” said Mike, his face paling visibly.
“It’s okay,” said Kizzy. “We can have our dinner some other time too, it’s no big deal at all. Who’s Madeline?”
“She’s the girl that my father wants me to marry,” said Mike. “I… I have to call him. I have to stop this before it’s too late. Oh for fuck’s sake, Dad, I wish you would stop meddling just for once in my life.”