As soon as I got home, I switched on the AC and then trudged to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and stood with the door open as I drank straight from the container, trying my best to down a full gallon of cold water. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and made my way to the bathroom and ran hot water in the tub. I slid inside the scalding water to soak my aching muscles, and I knew with certainty that I wasn’t going to make it as a roofer—not for very long. As soon as something else came up, I was out of there. But being an ex-convict, my options were limited, and I’d most likely have to tough it out with the roofing job for much longer than I preferred.
Later in the evening, I got dressed and dutifully went to my recovery meeting. Having that extra support was like being thrown a lifeline, especially while I was feeling down and out. Addicts used any excuse to get high, and depression was at the top of my list of triggers.
When I entered the basement of the church, I was surprised to find it much more crowded than my first visit. I scanned the room and spotted Ahiga. He gave me a wave and nodded toward the seat beside him where a black hat was resting.
I approached and he lifted the hat, placing it in his lap.
It was a worn black Fedora with a band made of Native American beading and a bright blue feather tucked on the side.
“Cool hat,” I complimented.
“Thanks,” he responded. “It belonged to my father and I wear it to keep his spirit close to me.”
“Hmm, that’s deep,” I uttered, not knowing what else to say.
“How was the first day on the job?” Ahiga asked.
I shook my head glumly. “Brutal, man. Absolutely brutal.”
“I’m surprised you do manual work. You struck me as someone who was more analytical…” His voice trailed off as we both noticed a cute white chick that was sending a sultry smile in my direction. She was wearing jeans and a close-fitting crop top that showcased her big boobs and exposed a lot of skin.
Imagining the two of us twisting up bedsheets, I inadvertently licked my lips as I returned her smile, and I made a mental note to strike up a conversation with her during the break. I hadn’t enjoyed the company of a woman since arriving in Arizona, and I was eager to make her acquaintance.
Ahiga nudged his chin toward the sexy white chick. “They say it’s best to socialize with people in recovery, but from my experiences, when it comes to members of the opposite sex, it’s not a good idea unless the woman has been in recovery for over a year. She’s only been clean a few months, son. She may not be your best choice for female companionship,” he said sagely.
I instantly felt the heat of annoyance, and it was on the tip of my tongue to tell Ahiga that he wasn’t my damn father and to mind his own fucking business. But thinking back to Kaloni and the destruction she brought to my life, I reeled in my raging hormones.
• • •
Elias’s uncle never bullshitted me about my money. He paid well and delivered my pay in cash every Friday—on time. But the job was not only labor-intensive; it was dangerous. During my third week on the job, I fell off a roof and luckily didn’t sustain any broken bones. But two weeks later when I was accidentally splashed with hot tar, I decided it was time to rethink my career choice. After a trip to the ER where my burned left forearm was treated and bandaged, I was sent home with the strict order to stay off roofs for two weeks. Although my arm hurt like hell, my burns weren’t as severe as they could have been, so once again, I was lucky. But how long would my luck last?
I searched online for menial jobs that I didn’t think would do a background check on me, and after turning up nothing, I decided to call Ahiga and find out if he knew of any job leads.
“Uh, hello?” he said, sounding distracted when he answered the phone.
“Hey, Ahiga. It’s Malik. I had a little accident at work, and uh, I don’t think working with roofing is gonna work out for me. So, I was wondering if you knew of any job leads. Something that doesn’t require a background check.”
“I’m in the middle of something, son. But we can we discuss this at the meeting Wednesday night. I may know someone who’s hiring, but I can’t talk right now.”
“Sure, man. Okay, I’ll see you on Wednesday.” I hung up with a feeling of optimism. Ahiga didn’t appear to be prone to hype, and I felt hopeful that he might be able to put me on with a reliable gig.
With time on my hands until I could get back to work, I resorted back to my old habit of checking on Elle. But instead of physically following her, I cyberstalked her, obsessively monitoring her social media accounts like I was the administrator of her pages. Viewing photos of her and Phoenix warmed my heart, but whenever I came across photos or videos that involved interactions between Everett and my son, I felt my pulse throb as my mood shifted from joy to rage.
Cyberstalking wasn’t healthy behavior, and I made a mental note to talk to a professional if and when I ever got access to health insurance.
Wednesday finally rolled around and with rent to pay and other bills starting to pile up, I was eager to get more information on the job lead Ahiga had mentioned over the phone.
I entered the church basement fifteen minutes before the meeting started. Moving my head from side to side, I surveyed the crowd and spotted Ahiga across the room, engrossed in a conversation with Steve, the white dude who facilitated the recovery meetings.
Ahiga hadn’t noticed me in the background, and I quietly observed him. Although he was middle-aged, he looked strong as an ox. He carried himself with a quiet dignity and gave the impression of being a strong-willed individual. I wondered what kind of demons had penetrated his steely resolve and led him down the destructive path of illicit drug use.
I hadn’t heard him stand up and give a personal testimony yet, and I was curious about his story.
When his conversation with Steve ended, he meandered over to the coffee station.
I approached him and extended my hand. “Hey, man, what’s good?” I said with a smile. My jovial demeanor was merely a front; inside I was starting to panic about my employment situation.
“Hey, Malik. You caught me in the middle of a complex job the other day, which was why I couldn’t talk.”
“Oh, sorry about that.”
“No problem. When you gave your testimonial, you mentioned that you installed generators on your last full-time job.”
“Yes and I was surprisingly good at it considering my background is in African American history.”
“Are you computer savvy?”
“Absolutely,” I said with confidence.
“Then I have a job for you. You’ll be working with me.”
“Really?”
He assumed a serious expression. “I used to work for a company that maintained huge data centers for major companies, like Walmart and Wells Fargo bank. Due to my troubles with addiction, they had to let me go. That was seven years ago. In the past few years I’ve been doing independent jobs with small business owners within the Native community. Lately, business has started picking up and I’ve been getting contracts outside of my community. I’m getting overwhelmed and could use some extra help.”
I couldn’t believe my luck. A job where I could use my brains instead of brawn and I’d be working for someone who wouldn’t judge me. I broke into a smile and spread my arms wide. “I’m your man…when do I start?”
“There’s extensive training involved. I had to train for six months when I worked for the company. But you’re lucky that you can learn on the job, working alongside of me. I can start you at thirty an hour while you’re training, and we’ll discuss a pay increase after you’ve satisfactorily completed the training program.”
“Sounds good,” I said, nodding briskly.
“Can you start tomorrow?”
Hell, yeah! “Yes.”
“Good, I’ll text you the address of the job. Meet me there at six-thirty p.m.”
I arched a brow. “The job is at night?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all,” I assured him. “I’m a little surprised, that’s all.”
“In some instances, I have to turn off the power and most companies don’t want to interrupt the flow of the workday.”
“That makes sense.”
Steve called the meeting to order, and Ahiga and I took our seats in the circle of metal folding chairs.
• • •
I met up with Ahiga at a dental office in the suburbs at six-thirty sharp. He was carrying a sturdy laptop in one hand and a heavy canvas bag in the other. A security guard let us in and escorted us to the data center, which was actually a small electrical room with one server.
“We’re only here to do monthly preventative maintenance,” Ahiga explained. “But remember, preventative maintenance is the bread and butter of this operation. It’s how we keep the business running.”
I nodded.
“Now, this Panasonic Toughbook is my lifeline.” He nudged his chin toward his laptop. “I’ll make sure you have your own Toughbook. It’ll contain all the instructions, codes… everything you’ll need to do a job. I’ll also make sure you have all the tools you need to get inside the equipment. Screwdrivers, wrenches, drills, voltage radar, and of course you’ll need to carry your protective work gear in cases where you’re working directly with electricity.”
I frowned at the idea of working directly with electricity.
“It’s not typical to have to protect one’s self against an arc flash during a maintenance job, but in other situations—for instance, when you’re doing a repair—it can happen. During an arc flash, electricity will swiftly travel through the air and connect with your body. Believe me, you don’t want to feel the jolt of five hundred and eighty volts,” he said grimly. “During repair jobs, it’s mandatory that you wear head-to-toe protective gear.”
“We always turned off all power supplies when installing or servicing generators, and I never had to worry about arc flashes,” I said.
“This is different. But you don’t have to worry about an arc flash happening on this particular job. Basically, all we have to do here tonight is open up the equipment, change the filters, check the wires, and check the temperature.”
I didn’t have a clue about changing filters or checking wires in a computer system, but I gave a head nod. I was totally in the dark, but I intended to study and learn everything I could about my new job.
Ahiga opened his bag and took out a large screwdriver and opened the back of the unit. “Tonight, I want you to watch me closely and feel free to ask questions.”
“Okay, boss.”
“This small job is good practice for you. Some of our clients have massive data centers that are located in a separate building from the business site. Those off-site centers are equipped with rows and rows of server cabinets. It can be somewhat intimidating,” he said as he began to tinker with the small server.
I hovered over Ahiga, listening intently as he explained what he was doing.
“This small server is essential to this business’s daily operation, which includes accessing patient records, retrieving medical insurance information, email communication, financial information, and much more. It’s vitally important that we do everything we can to keep the system from going down.”
“Got you,” I said, trying to inject confidence that I didn’t feel into my tone.
There were two soft raps on the door. Thinking that only the security guard was on the premises, I was surprised to see a young black woman enter the server room. She was medium height, slender and had smooth walnut brown skin. And she was wearing a lab jacket with her name stenciled in red. She was pretty in an understated way.
“Good evening, Dr. Ravony. I didn’t know you were still here,” Ahiga greeted with a smile.
“Yes, a pile of paperwork has kept me chained to my desk,” she quipped with a melodically beautiful French accent.
I’d never met a black person with a French accent and I was so intrigued, I inadvertently gawked at her.
“This is Malik Copeland, my new coworker,” Ahiga introduced.
“Hello, Malik,” she said in her musical voice. The way she pronounced my name made me feel special, and I would have loved to hear her say it again and again. Her dark eyes were doe-shaped and expressive, and I could have stared into them forever. But the way my heartbeat sped up and began to pound like a drum, I was forced to look away in embarrassment.
No other woman except Elle had ever ignited that kind of reaction in me, and I wondered if my physiological responses indicated that I was finally over the woman I had intended to marry.
“Nice to meet you, Doctor,” I said with a smile that I hoped looked respectful and friendly rather than flirtatious.
“So, how’s the little one doing?” Ahiga asked.
Little one? I felt instantly deflated. My dream girl was married with a kid. Oh, well, she was out of my league, anyway.
At the mention of her child, Dr. Ravony’s eyes lit up. “Zoe is doing great. She’s only three months old and she’s trying to sit up on her own. She’s starting to sleep a lot longer during the night, which is great for me.”
Ahiga’s brows furrowed. “What happened to the two nannies that were helping you take care of the baby?”
“Having child care help around the clock was a temporary arrangement until Zoe got a little older. But I still have Lucinda, my full-time nanny who takes care of her while I’m at work. When she leaves in the evening, I’m on my own. Motherhood can be challenging, but I don’t want to give the impression that my daughter is a handful because she’s not. She’s the sweetest, most angelic baby in the world.”
“I’m sure she is, and she gets her disposition from her mother,” Ahiga chimed in, wearing a paternal smile.
“Thanks, Ahiga. I’ll get out of your way so you can get back to work. I just wanted to pop in and say hello before I left for the night.”
“All right. Take care of yourself and little Zoe.”
“I will.” Dr. Ravony exited the room, leaving behind a floral scent that suited her perfectly. Her husband was a lucky man. For some inexplicable reason, it annoyed me that the doctor’s husband got to sleep through the night while she had to walk the floor with their child. I wondered what kind of work he did that entitled him to a peaceful night’s sleep.
Ahiga walked me through the required steps for maintaining the system, but I was only half-listening. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dr. Ravony. Although her eyes lit up when she talked about her infant daughter, I detected something sad behind her smile. I wondered what was troubling her.
CHAPTER 7
After four months of intense on-the-job training, Ahiga decided that I no longer required direct supervision and was capable of working independently. I bought a used truck that allowed me to get to my assignments on one part of town while Ahiga drove his truck to a different work site. He was only a phone call away if I ran into a problem that I couldn’t resolve, but I figured out most issues on my own and rarely had to ask for help.
I stayed out of trouble by working long hours and regularly attending recovery meetings. Dating apps kept me occupied with plenty of female companionship, and I convinced myself that although my life wasn’t perfect, it was as good as it gets for someone with a troubled past like mine.
I didn’t realize how much I missed being in a loving relationship until I’d made a solo trip to Dr. Ravony’s dental practice. Once again I arrived at six-thirty and was escorted to the server room by the security guard. I hoped that Dr. Ravony would stop in to say hello, but after thirty minutes elapsed, I figured she had left for the evening. Disappointment swirled around me like a dark cloud, but I pushed past the letdown by reminding myself that I was there to check on the system and not to gawk and drool over the pretty dentist.
Hunched over the system and in a zone where I felt like I was one with the equipment, I didn’t hear the door open. Her presence was announced by her sweet fragrance, and when I heard her voice, my
heart literally skipped several beats.
“Good evening, Malik. How are you?”
Instead of experiencing the sensation of butterflies fluttering around, it felt like giant bat wings were flapping inside my gut. I couldn’t trust myself to speak in an even tone, and so I cleared my throat as I turned to face her.
“I’m doing well, and you’ll be glad to know that your system is running great. Everything seems to be up to standard.”
“That’s good to know.” She gave me a smile that warmed my heart and then quickly began heating up my loins.
Getting an erection while she innocently smiled at me was embarrassing. I tried to focus on her neck instead of her mouth, but I quickly discovered that her long, delicate neck was sexy, also. I couldn’t risk offending her with the way my quivering dick was pointed in her direction like a missile, so I turned back to the server and began tinkering with the wiring.
“Well, it was good to see you again, Malik.”
I looked over my shoulder. “Likewise,” I said, feeling like a complete asshole for lusting over a woman who had a husband and a newborn at home.
I stole another glance as she walked toward the door, and when her knees suddenly buckled, I rushed to her side.
“Are you okay?” I asked, holding her up.
“I feel lightheaded,” she said as I steadied her with an arm around her waist.
I led her to a chair and hovered over her as she sat down.
“It’s been a long day. One patient after another, and I forgot to eat. I’m probably dehydrated, too,” she explained.
“I’ll get you some water,” I said, gesturing toward the water cooler outside the door.
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