“Paris, this is some awesome food here,” Lawrence said, pointing his fork at his plate. “I didn’t know you could cook like this. Your mother needs to get your recipe for this lasagna. It’s fantastic!”
Paris stepped out of the shadowy corner and came over to where they sat. “It’s takeout, Daddy. You know I didn’t cook that. I didn’t have time to cook anything like that.”
“Now how was I supposed to know that?” Lawrence put a forkful of food into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, then began to speak again. “Your mother never orders in and she whips up things like this, this fast and good, all the time.”
Paris smiled. “Of course, Daddy. Of course.”
Paris knew her mother didn’t always cook what they ate when her father thought she was “whipping up” something. In fact, it was her very own mother, Deidra Jean (Long) Simmons, who had taught her to order takeout when she found herself in a pinch. But that was her mother’s secret, and she certainly wasn’t about to clue her father in.
She most certainly was not.
Chapter 3
Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
—1 Corinthians 4:18
The twenty-seven-year-old woman sporting a black V-neckline pantsuit with wide pant legs and modest-sized gold-looped earrings sat patiently outside of Representative Simmons’s office. Mattie Stevens, Lawrence Simmons’s secretary, refused to go to lunch and leave the woman unattended in the office. The woman disclosed when she arrived that she wasn’t planning on leaving until Representative Simmons returned.
Mattie had informed the woman, who had been polite in her insistence to speak with Representative Simmons no matter how long she had to wait this time, that she wasn’t sure exactly when he’d be back. But Mattie knew he was scheduled to return sometime before lunchtime. William had mentioned they would be back by then because he had a lunch date he couldn’t miss. The two had gone in the same car. Of course, Mattie didn’t tell the woman (whose age she had deduced to be around twenty-seven) that—hoping she would do as she’d done before and not stay longer than forty to fifty minutes.
Lawrence and William had gone to meet with a large donor. Mattie had managed to call William and let him know (using coded words since the woman was sitting there at the time) that the mysterious woman was there in the office. They both felt she likely wouldn’t hang around long. But when he called two hours later to let her know they were on their way back, the woman was still there.
Thirty more minutes passed. The woman suddenly got up and, without saying a word, left. She didn’t even respond back to Mattie’s cheery “Good-bye” and “Have a nice day!”
William and Lawrence returned to an empty office.
“I guess Mattie went to lunch,” Lawrence said.
William looked around. “Yeah, it looks that way. And it looks like that woman she said was here is gone as well. But you know Mattie wouldn’t dare leave with someone here, not if she can help it. And especially not someone she’s uncomfortable with. Mattie has real trust issues, specifically when it comes to strangers outside of your office.”
Lawrence stopped at Mattie’s desk and picked up the messages she’d stuck in the large, gold paperclip holder she still used for the messages she knew he would likely have to write down anyway. Lawrence unlocked and opened the door to his office, then turned back to William. “This has been a good day, wouldn’t you say?”
“Absolutely!” William said. “And that was a nice donation, really nice. And to think: You didn’t even have to sell your soul in order to get it.”
“Yeah,” Lawrence said. “Just had to make a few promises I may or may not, in the end, be able to keep. So, William, what’s on your agenda for the rest of the day, besides your hot lunch date with your wife?”
“Oh, my wife ended up canceling on me,” William said. “She sent me a text right as we were riding up on the elevator that she wasn’t going to be able to make it.” He held up his cell phone. “But it’s just as well. Lately, she and I haven’t had many nice things to say to each other. It seems like she’s always upset with me about something or another. You know how it is.”
“I do know that. So does that mean you’re free for lunch now?”
“Yeah. You want to go grab something?”
“Sure,” Lawrence said. “But let me take care of a few things first.” He held the messages up in the air. “I have a few folks that I have to get back to right now. You know: You snooze, you lose. It shouldn’t take but about ten . . . fifteen minutes at the most.”
“That’s fine. I’ll just wait out here for you. I have a few calls I need to make while you’re doing that.” William sat down with his cell phone out as Lawrence stepped into his office and closed the door.
Five minutes later, a woman walked into the outer office area. William was just finishing up his call.
“Hi there,” William said to the woman as she sat down two chairs away from him as though she were merely returning back to her own home.
He couldn’t believe how gorgeous she was. Her hair, reaching down to her back, was the most beautiful loose tresses he’d ever seen. She didn’t appear to be wearing much makeup. If she was, he definitely couldn’t tell it. Her beautiful brown mocha-colored skin was flawless. Her lips were accentuated with a burgundy color that glistened from a touch of lip gloss placed just right. Her eyelashes were long and absolutely hers. And the outfit she wore couldn’t have fit any better had it been tailor-made right on her body.
She gave a quick smile. “Hi,” she said. The sound of her voice, to William, was positively angelic.
“Are you here looking for anyone in particular?” William asked. “The secretary is out right now, most likely at lunch.”
“Yes, I see. And, yes, I am waiting on someone in particular,” the woman said. “Do you work here or something?”
“Well, kind of,” William said. “I mean I work here, but not in here. Perhaps I can be of some assistance.”
She shook her head. “Unless you’re Representative Simmons, which I can tell you that you’re not, then, no; I don’t believe you can be of any assistance to me.”
“Well, now, I do work for the representative. I’m sure I can help you.” His eyes scanned her from her head to her neck in a flirtatious-like way.
“I’m waiting for him to return. You wouldn’t happen to know if he’s back yet, would you?”
“I’m sorry. Where are my manners? I haven’t properly introduced myself.” He stood up and went over to her. “My name is William Threadgill. And you are?”
“Waiting on Representative Simmons,” she said.
William chuckled. “Hold up. You’ve called here before. In fact, I’ve spoken to you on the phone once.” He nodded. “Yeah, your voice is coming back to me.”
“Yes,” the woman said. “I’ve called many times before. I’ve been here before as well. Representative Simmons appears to be a hard man to catch up with.”
“As you can imagine, he’s a very busy man. Out there fighting for and trying to do the work and the will of the people. And in these days of high unemployment and uncertainty, he’s working extremely hard. It is difficult to catch up with him. That’s why he has such a fine staff in place.” William sat back down, this time in the chair right next to her, and crossed his leg. “I’m his right-hand man. I’m certain if there’s something you need, I can ensure that it gets done, that’s if it’s something Representative Simmons can do. I, at least, can pass the information along to him. You can trust me; he does.”
She gave him a curt smile. “I agree. He does have quite a competent staff. So far, all of you have managed to keep me at bay this week. I’ve concluded either he’s really busy or he’s a pro at getting rid of the people he doesn’t care to be bothered with.”
“Well, the district he serves is quite large now,” William said. “I’m aware that almost everyone would personally like to speak to him if they could. But that’s not humanly possible. So if you’d jus
t tell me your name and what you need, I promise I’ll see what the two of us can do. You have my word.”
She shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, Mr. Threadgill. But I’ll just wait for Representative Simmons.”
“Call me William. Look, Mrs.”—he tilted his head slightly—“or is it Miss?”
She smiled as she slowly shook her head. “It’s Miss.”
“All right. That’s a start,” William said. “We’re making progress here. Miss, let me be frank with you. You’re likely not going to get to meet with the representative. Not because he doesn’t want to, it’s just a difficult thing to arrange. I’m his chief of staff. That means when you talk to me, it’s just like talking to him. In fact, it’s difficult for people to get to talk to me, but here you are.” He grinned. “So why don’t you tell me what you need and let me see what I can do. I promise I want to help you.” His eyes again scanned her face, then began to roam downward.
“Listen, Mr. Threadgill. I appreciate you for being so nice in offering yourself up as you sacrificially are. But I have to speak to Lawrence Simmons and I’m not leaving here until I do,” she said. “Now, I know he’s due back into this office at some point today. I overheard his secretary on the phone telling someone that he would definitely be back in the office today. So I’m going to sit right here until he returns.” She crossed her arms and sat back hard against her chair.
“You know I could call security,” William said.
She uncrossed her arms and looked at him. “And tell them what? That a taxpayer is here to speak with Representative Simmons and you don’t happen to care for her being here?”
William scratched his head. “No. But if you’re a threat . . .”
She laughed. “So you’re trying to say that I’m a threat?”
He laughed. “No. But you can’t threaten to stay in a place where you’ve been asked to leave.”
“You asked me to leave? That’s funny; that’s not what I was hearing coming from your mouth. Listen, Mr. Threadgill, this is the people’s place.” She stood up. “Our money pays for this place. It’s not Representative Simmons’s office nor is it yours, or his secretary’s, for that matter. I have just as much right to be here as any of you. I’m not threatening anyone; I’m not a danger to anyone. I have requested to speak with Representative Simmons, and all I’ve been getting for my troubles from this office is the runaround. Believe me, I do have another option other than coming here and being put through what all of you are putting me through. And when Representative Simmons hears what I have to say, I dare say he’ll thank me that I’ve been this persistent in seeing him instead of doing what I could be doing at this point.”
William stood up. “So is this something personal?”
She looked at her watch. “Could you please find out how much longer it might be before Representative Simmons is due back here?”
“Listen, I was just about to head out to lunch. Why don’t you and I go get something to eat? I take it you do eat lunch, don’t you?”
“I’m not interested in lunch. I have to talk to Lawrence Simmons, and I’m running out of time! So if you really want to help, then get on your cell phone and call him or text him, whatever you need to do, and see if you can’t make that happen! Can you do that? Can you?”
“Calm down. There’s no reason for you to raise your voice,” William said.
“Yes, there is!” She stomped her foot. “And I will not calm down. I’m tired. I took off from my job today just so I might somehow catch up with Lawrence. And I don’t have time to play these silly games with you or anyone else for that matter. I know he’s due to be in his office today. I heard his secretary confirming it. So you get in touch with Lawrence and you tell him that Gabrielle Mercedes . . . Booker wants to talk to him—”
“Gabrielle?” William said, stepping closer to Lawrence’s closed office door. “So your name is Gabrielle. What a beautiful name. Gabrielle Mercedes Booker.” He was speaking loud now, loud enough for Lawrence to hear him. “And you want to see Representative Simmons today.”
“Yes!” Gabrielle said. “I know his daughter Paris.” Gabrielle was also speaking louder, as though she knew that the man she wanted to see might be on the other side of the door listening. “Paris and I were roommates for a couple of months back when we were eighteen. Representative Simmons will remember me.”
The door to Lawrence’s office suddenly swung open. Lawrence smiled. “Well, hello, there.” His eyes were on the woman in the office. “I thought I heard voices out here.” He pivoted to William. “William.” He said his name as though there was more to what he was saying than just saying his name.
William nodded slightly. “Representative Simmons, this is Gabrielle Mercedes Booker. I happened to have found her out here waiting to see you.”
Lawrence walked past William and straight to Gabrielle. “How nice. You’ve come by to see me. Well, as you’ve likely noted, it’s lunchtime around here. And my dedicated secretary is away. I suppose it’s a good thing that William came along when he did. We wouldn’t want you sitting out here all by yourself.” Lawrence extended his hand and gave her a firm handshake, the way he did with all whose votes he hoped to secure.
“I didn’t realize you were in there,” William lied. “I was sitting out here waiting on Mattie to return when Gabrielle walked in. We’ve been sitting out here chatting away.”
“Well, our doors are always open,” Lawrence said. “We’re here to serve. And the only way we can do that is to be available to the people we were elected to serve, as much as is humanly possible, of course.” He smiled and leaned in toward her. “Gabrielle Booker.” He smiled. “So what can I do for you?”
“I need to speak with you,” Gabrielle said. “Privately, if you don’t mind.” She glanced at William, who wore a mischievous grin on his face now.
“You know, I’m sure Representative Simmons would love to speak with you,” William said. “But don’t you have an important meeting you have to attend?” William said to Lawrence. “In fact, that’s where I thought you were.”
Lawrence looked into Gabrielle’s eyes. “I’m okay,” Lawrence said, not taking his eyes off hers.
“But, sir,” William said. “I don’t think you should miss this meeting. It really could have detrimental effects.”
Lawrence looked at William, instantly dropping his smile. “I told you, William. It will be okay.” Lawrence went back to his office door and held it open for Gabrielle. “Please, please. Come in,” he said to Gabrielle.
“Then I’ll just come in with the two of you,” William said, realizing that Mattie wasn’t there, and at this point in the political cycle, this woman—who although said she knew his daughter—showing up looking all beautiful and tempting could very well be a ploy to take Lawrence down.
Lawrence allowed Gabrielle to enter. “William, I said we’ll be all right. Now, why don’t you head off to that meeting I was scheduled for and hold things down until I get there.”
“Are you sure?” William said, not speaking of the fake meeting, but referring to him being alone in his office with this dish of a woman. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Lawrence smiled, then winked at William. “Yes. I’m sure.”
Lawrence closed the door and turned around. “Gabrielle, it’s good to see you again.” He gave her a quick hug. “It’s been a long time. My, my. You’ve certainly grown up since the last time I saw you.” He motioned for her to sit down in one of the two chairs that faced his desk, then walked around to the other side and sat down. “So, to what do I owe this pleasure?” He leaned in.
Gabrielle took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Look, Lawrence, I’ll just cut to the chase. It’s about your daughter. She’s in serious trouble. And it’s come to a matter of life and death at this point. Your daughter desperately needs your help. And if she doesn’t get it, she’s going to die.”
Chapter 4
What will ye? Shall I come unto you with
a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
—1 Corinthians 4:21
Lawrence eyed Gabrielle hard now. Yes, she was even more beautiful than the last time he’d seen her, which had to be almost ten years ago. She was eighteen when he met her, the same age as his daughter Paris. In fact, she’d just turned eighteen, at the end of May, if he recalled correctly. He remembered how Paris had allowed Gabrielle to come and stay with her after Gabrielle’s aunt and uncle, who were her guardians at the time, put her out following her having graduated from high school and turning eighteen. Gabrielle stayed with Paris for a few months. Paris had turned twenty-seven back in July so that would be a little over nine years ago.
But Gabrielle and Paris had parted ways, and not at all on friendly terms. Paris never told him exactly why the two of them had fallen out, but it had been just as well as far as he was concerned. He’d met Gabrielle when he’d dropped in unexpectedly to the apartment he was paying for. That’s how he learned what was going on.
Gabrielle Booker had seemed a nice enough young lady, although Paris hadn’t told him she was staying there before his visit. Gabrielle had endured a hard life; that much was clear: her mother, having been killed by her own father; him sentenced to prison for her murder. This three-year-old child having to go live with her father’s sister and husband along with their four children, feeling every single day like she wasn’t wanted or loved, to then be put out on the streets with nowhere to go for no good reason. Gabrielle certainly had lived a hard-knock life.
Lawrence wasn’t sure how Paris and Gabrielle had become friends, or more to the point, how they had become friends enough for Paris to open up her door and share her apartment with her. But to his surprise, his daughter had.
At first he hadn’t been happy about it. After all, he was the one footing the bill, and here were two people essentially living off him for free. But, of course, Deidra, with her compassion for others, made him see how selfish he was being and the message he was sending his children when he acted that way.
The Other Side of Goodness Page 3