The Cost Of Love And Sanity

by Jaye Cheríc

  Alex, however, would not halt their efforts. She had them continue searching through the agency’s database for people that fit the companies’ qualifications. Alex had given them a few days to come up with more candidates for each company. She would hold another meeting with them to review their picks on Friday morning. She could have held it that day but she didn’t feel like it. Honestly, Alex couldn’t focus and her staff needed to see her as her usual self—determined and professional, not distracted and uninterested. But overall, they were on track to have the job fair on the appointed date. That kept her from feeling too bad about her current attention span.

  She stopped tapping her pen on her desk. I can’t believe this. Before reconnecting with Nathan, she would have worked late nights and brought work home—sometimes falling asleep with the papers spread across her bed. Now, she couldn’t wait to go to that club with him and she didn’t even like clubs. She continued to fantasize about what their life would be like if they married and had children. She bet he’d be a good father. He already had the practice with his first son.

  She sighed. Her pride tried to keep her from taking their relationship too seriously but her heart knew different. She had fallen for Nathan all over again.

  Alex glanced down at the clock on her computer. She had ten more minutes to go before time for the meeting. Hovering over her list, she refocused on the burning issue that hadn’t been addressed for the job fair: money. She had given the sponsorship task over to Dan and she’d even given him the names and contacts of people who might agree to it but she hadn’t heard his update on that yet, which made her a little nervous.

  Although Dan had been going above and beyond since they started actively working together on the job fair, the sponsorship was a sore spot in their last meeting with Mr. Sims and she didn’t want that to cause another rift, especially since she and Dan had recently learned how to work with and respect each other. She also had to take into account that the food and the venue would cost money. They could not charge unemployed candidates a fee to get in. Their agency would have to get sponsors. They desperately needed Dan to come through with this.

  At 9:40, Alex knocked on Mr. Sims’ office door. He answered promptly.

  “Morning, Alex.” Mr. Sims motioned for Alex to enter.

  “Morning, sir. How are you?” She stepped inside the immaculate office.

  “Wonderful.”

  A minute or two later, Dan showed up with tablet and pen in hand. He and Alex nodded to each other as the meeting began.

  “Well, it is good to see the both of you here today. I trust that all is going well.”

  “Yes. It is,” Alex said.

  He nodded. “Tell me about your progress on the job fair.”

  “The venue is set and ready to go. We have seven companies on board to participate and they are really excited about it. The call center is sending a daily log of the people they are referring to the job fair. So far, we have almost four hundred candidates recruited.”

  “Excellent. That is really good news,” Mr. Sims said with a smile. He faced Dan. “What about you, Dan?”

  C’mon, Dan. Don’t mess this up.

  “Well, the fair is shaping up to be exciting and catching a lot of attention. We have a news station and a couple of newspapers that are planning to cover the event,” Dan said.

  “Oh, okay. I didn’t expect that,” Mr. Sims said.

  “Me neither, but people were waiting for something like this,” Dan said.

  “Where are we with the sponsorships?” Mr. Sims asked.

  Alex held her breath while waiting for Dan to respond.

  “Very good, sir. We have four sponsors and one more pending. They are also eager to be a part of the event,” Dan said.

  Yes! I could kiss you, Dan.

  Mr. Sims smiled wider than Alex had ever seen him smile before. “Now, we’re in business. Will you have enough to cover the expenses of the job fair?” Dan returned his smile. “I’m certain of it. As a matter of fact, Alex and I planned to meet later today to hash out all the expenses.”

  Mr. Sims slapped his desk. “Well, you two have truly outdone yourselves. You are putting together a quality event that will benefit several different sides and I commend you.

  “Thank you, sir,” Alex and Dan said in unison.

  “Keep up the good work. Let me know if you need anything.” Mr. Sims stood from his chair.

  He walked them to the door with his hands around both of their shoulders.

  After he closed the door behind them, they turned to each other and smiled.

  “You did good,” Alex told Dan.

  “So did you,” Dan said.

  CHAPTER 24

  I shouldn’t have agreed to come. As Alex and Nathan rode down the street, she nervously tugged at her pink and black dress. Looking out the window, she wondered how long they had to stay at the club. It wasn’t her favorite place to be and she didn’t know how she would keep from going stir crazy. The last time she went to the club she was accosted by a man with stinky breath. She couldn’t imagine going through that all over again. Perhaps the chances of that happening again were slim; Nathan would be at her side. Certainly, no man would approach her with him standing there. The thought made her smile but only for a minute.

  “Are you okay?” Nathan asked, peeking over at Alex.

  She faced him. “Yes, of course. I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Um hmm. Why do you ask?”

  “Do you remember when you were a little kid and your mother yelled at you or whipped you before getting in the car for a ride? You’d spend the car ride looking out the window, with a sad look on your face.”

  “Yeah?” Alex frowned.

  “That’s what you look like right now.”

  She sucked her teeth.

  “I’m serious. C’mon. What’s wrong?” Nathan asked.

  “I don’t really like clubs,” Alex said.

  “Okay,” Nathan said.

  “I’m not a club person, I guess. It’s noisy. People grope each other on the dance floor. Some people have sex in corners.” She squirmed. “It’s not my thing.”

  Nathan nodded. “I got you. Those things can happen but they don’t happen all the time. And it depends on which club you go to.”

  She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t like to visit any of them.”

  “I know what the problem is.”

  “What?” Alex asked.

  “I’ve been picking places for us to go but I haven’t been giving you the opportunity to choose. You should choose the next place.” He stopped at a red light. “Where do you wanna go?”

  Alex looked around. “I don’t know right now.”

  “Well, pick a place and that’s where we’ll go next. From now on, we’ll switch off. You choose a place. Then, I’ll choose a place. Does that sound like a plan?” He put his foot on the gas as the green light came on.

  “Yeah.”

  “So, do you know where you want to go yet?” Nathan asked.

  “No.”

  “I know where I’m gonna take you when it’s my turn.”

  “Where?”

  “To a little club outside of Orlando. They play salsa and other types of Latin music.” He turned the corner. “I think you’ll like it. The place has an amazing atmosphere and you won’t have to worry about anybody ‘getting it’ in the corner, the bathroom or anywhere else on the premises.” He smiled at Alex. “Does that sound good to you?”

  Alex smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “In the meantime, I promise to make tonight up to you later.” He winked and licked his lips.

  Nathan pulled in front of Spears, a large, brick building with an electric blue sign. Cars lined the walls, while people straggled into the club. As Nathan drove around looking for a parking space, Alex could hear the thuds from the bass heavy music inside the building.

  “What type of music does A.J. perform?” Alex asked.

/>   “Hip hop,” Nathan said, still rubbernecking in search of a parking space.

  Alex nodded. She needed some way to keep herself occupied tonight. Although she didn’t mind listening to it on occasion, she wasn’t really a hip hop kind of girl. The funny thing was she didn’t remember Nathan being a hip hop kind of guy.

  She turned to him. “When did you get into that type of music? I thought you liked Jazz and R&B.”

  “I do. I just try to support my friend.”

  “Oh. Well, you’re a good friend.”

  Nathan smiled at her. “Ah, here’s one.”

  Once Nathan finished parking, he jumped out of the car and walked around to open the door for her. She stepped out and adjusted her dress. Nathan closed the door behind her and pressed a button to lock it. As they began walking toward the club, Alex noticed that the zipper on her small, silver purse wasn’t closed. She fell out of step with Nathan, as she struggled with it. Nathan hit three steps ahead of her, then stopped after noticing her absence at his side. He turned around.

  “What, what are you doing?” Nathan asked.

  “I’m trying to close this thing up.” The purse finally gave in to her pressure.

  Nathan stepped back and grabbed her left hand. He gently pulled her up to speed with him. “Don’t do that. Never walk behind me,” he whispered.

  “What?” Alex narrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him.

  “Always walk beside me or in front of me. That way I can see if someone is coming at you.”

  Alex stared at him, stunned. Her feet were still moving but she couldn’t feel them. One half of her thought he was overreacting. But the other part of her was touched that he cared about what happened to her. No man had ever said that to her before. She didn’t think any other man she dated cared where she walked.

  Deciding to drop the issue, she shook her head. “Fine.”

  The closer they got to the club, the louder the thuds became. If Nathan hadn’t been holding her hand, she probably would have darted back to the car but, with her hand securely placed in his, he led her up to the door.

  “Nathan Chestnut!” Nathan shouted over the thumping.

  The bouncer checked the list. He nodded and unhooked the rope to let Nathan and Alex in. When they entered the club, the loud music reverberated through her core. Ironically, it wasn’t as unbearable as Alex thought it would be. The truly loud music awaited them beyond the arch a few feet away. There were people scattered, talking and drinking. There were several black leather booths aligning the wall. A bartender stood behind a bar taking orders and chatting with patrons. A few people sat in the booths, where the electric blue sign illuminated their hair. Alex had begun looking for a place to sit down, when Nathan tugged her toward the arch.

  “I think A.J. is in here,” he said.

  When they stepped through the arch, a much higher level of noise rushed toward them. People were shouting the words to the song, which Alex couldn’t hear. Luckily for her, it didn’t last long. The audience cheered. Then, the host strode onto the stage.

  “Coming to the stage is one of the coldest artists I’ve seen in a long time. Put your hands together for my man, A.J.,” the host shouted.

  Nathan clapped and hooted along with the crowd.

  In a black studded, T-shirt and faded black, urban jeans, A.J. came out on stage. He bobbed side to side to the music and the audience bobbed with him. A.J. rhymed into the microphone and he actually sounded like someone Alex would hear on the radio, if she wanted to listen to his type of music. He wasn’t bad.

  After a few minutes of flowing, he ended his set to cheers. The host came back to the stage.

  “Give it up for A.J.”

  The crowd cheered again, Nathan whistled. Alex found Nathan’s support of his friend endearing. Although the two men were obviously different, he valued his friendship with A.J. enough to support his dreams. Having a friend like Izzy, she could understand and appreciate why he insisted on being there. She followed Nathan’s lead and applauded A.J.

  Nathan turned back to her. “Wasn’t that great? I told you he was good.” He smiled.

  Alex returned his smile. “Yes, he did a really good job.”

  “C’mon. Let’s tell him we’re here.”

  Nathan grabbed Alex’s hand again. As they waded through the crowd, she tried hard not to bump into people because some of them were moving on the dance floor, while holding their drinks. Her dress cost $212—too much money to be ruined by vodka and cranberry juice. Nathan spotted A.J.

  “A.J.!” Nathan cupped his hands over his mouth to tunnel the sound of his voice. “A.J.!”

  A.J. turned in the direction of Nathan’s voice and smiled. “What’s up, man?” The two men moved toward each other and man-hugged.

  “Watching you do your thing up there. Great job, man. The audience was feeling you.”

  A.J. looked around. “Yeah, there were a few ladies feeling me, too. I’m trying to see which one I can take back to the ‘mot’ later.”

  Alex scowled. Is this who he calls a friend? The saying “birds of a feather flock together” came to mind as she watched them interact. She began to wonder what this said about Nathan. Up until then, he seemed like he’d changed from the guy she remembered. The guy who seemed more interested in chasing women with his friends but what if he hadn’t changed at all? Was Alex making a fool of herself by giving him another chance?

  Her eyes drifted to the floor as she thought of the worst possibilities. Nathan broke from his pow wow with A.J. and glanced Alex’s way. He quickly reached out and moved his arm around her waist to pull her into the conversation.

  “A.J., this is my lady. I told you about her.”

  “Yes. Hey, how’s it goin’?” A.J. shot her a crooked smile.

  Alex nodded. “Good. Congratulations on your performance.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m gonna go get a drink. Do you want me to bring you anything back?” Nathan asked Alex.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Nathan leaned into her and whispered into her ear. “I’ll be right back.” He rubbed her back as he left.

  Alex nodded again, trying to remain confident and unfazed. A.J. lit a cigarette, inhaled the nicotine and faced upward to blow the smoke out.

  “So, what do you do?” A.J. asked.

  “What?” She frowned.

  “For a job? What do you do?”

  “Oh. I’m a recruitment manager.”

  “Cool. You help people find jobs, huh?”

  That’s the idea. “Yes,” she responded.

  “So, how did you and Nathan hook up, Clarissa?”

  Alex frowned and put her hand on her hip. “Clarissa? That’s not my name.”

  “Oh, my bad. That’s the last woman he told me about.”

  Nathan had introduced her as the woman he’d told A.J. about but she didn’t remember him saying her name. Perhaps he was confident that A.J would know her. It didn’t make sense for Nathan to leave that open for him to make a mistake, if he’d been seeing another woman. And not just any woman—his son’s mother. But then again, why didn’t Nathan say Alex’s name? It’s not like he didn’t remember it. They had a long history.

  The more she thought, the more confused she became. She scanned her memory for clues that Nathan had been dishonest but she couldn’t find them. He almost always answered his phone. When he didn’t, he promptly returned her calls. They went out regularly.

  “Oh, well.” A.J. leaned closer to her. “What are you doing later?”

  While he broke into laughter, Alex’s blood boiled. She didn’t want to stay there another minute. She looked around for the front door. Before she could take one step toward it, Nathan popped back through the crowd.

  “Hey.” Nathan smiled at them.

  Alex looked the other way.

  “Yo, Nathan. I gotta split, man. I got some people I need to see before they leave,” A. J. said.

  “All right, dude. I’ll see ya later,�
� Nathan said.

  A.J. nodded. “Nice meeting you.” He shot Alex a twisted smile and disappeared into the crowd. While Nathan spent the next few minutes nursing his drink, Alex quietly nursed a wound—a wound that increased by the second.

  On the ride home, Alex stared out the window in silence, similar to the way she had done on the way to the club, except this time she didn’t talk much. She muttered an occasional “um hmm” when appropriate but returned to her thoughts and hurricane of anger.

  “Did you enjoy the show?” Nathan asked, looking at her.

  “Um hmm,” she said.

  “A.J. did a great job. He’ll be on the radio in no time. I told you he was good, right?”

  “Um hmm.”

  “Did I tell you how great you looked tonight?”

  “Um hmm.”

  “We passed a restaurant. Do you want to stop and get something to eat?”

  She shook her head. “Uh uh.”

  “What about a walk on the pier?” Nathan asked.

  “Uh uh.”

  “Is everything okay?” he asked, frowning.

  Alex glanced at him briefly. “Yeah, everything is fine.”

  “Then, why are you so quiet? You haven’t said much since we left Spears.”

  “I don’t know. I guess I don’t have anything to say right now.”

  “Yeah but were you even listening to anything I said?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did I say?”

  Alex sighed. “You said A.J. did a great job tonight and that he had a shot at getting on to the radio.”

  “And?”

  “That I looked really good tonight.” Alex rolled her eyes.