“Darien…Darien, I must say,”
It was Rhonda Eastman, hurrying out of the conference room. She had a broad smile plastered on her face, wringing her hands as she almost ran across the narrow hall. She placed her hands on my shoulders and gave me a stronger shake than I had expected.
"That was unbelievable. They went in there ready for a confrontation, but you handled them with a poise and maturity well beyond your years. Go on inside." She said, then hurried inside of my office as if it was hers. “I’m telling you, Darien, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I shrugged, “It’s a fresh way to look at markets, I guess.”
“To say the least.”
She walked over to the window and tapped her index finger to her lip as if she were thinking about something, but I could tell it was just a show. Whatever it was she wanted to say was already at the tip of her tongue.
“I know this is short notice, Darien, but during tomorrow’s shareholder meeting, I’m going to carve out some time for you to present your philosophy. We’ve been getting a lot of pressure this year, especially after last quarter’s earnings.”
“She’s trying to poach us, D.” I heard Red say from just outside of the office door.
He was right, of course. But it didn’t matter. The truth was, as long as I could demonstrate competence, and a reproducible outcome, at least for me, I would avoid too much scrutiny, and they wouldn’t be able to wrap their heads’ around the process, because even I couldn’t. Well, at least that’s what I hoped.
"Well then," I said, walking past her and over to my high-backed chair and sat. "I have to work on my presentation. If you don't mind, Rhonda, I'd like to get started."
Rhonda smiled. “Of course.” She turned to leave, then paused and looked over her shoulder. “Impress us tomorrow, Darien.”
"Don't I always," I said to her back as she was already stepping out, and slid the door closed behind her.
I exhaled and ignored Red's rumble of a laugh. He lived for these moments when we were challenged. To him, it was an opportunity to reinforce what they still refused to fully accept, in spite of our record, in spite of the fact they offered us more than ten times what we thought we would get when a company finally came knocking on the door of our modest office looking to give us an offer we couldn’t refuse to leave behind the private sector and step into the high tempo world of the largest publicly traded asset management company in the world: we were that good.
I hit one on my phone’s speed dial as I woke my computer with a tap of a mouse and began logging in. The phone rang once, then connected.
“Let me guess,” came Fati’s voice on the speaker phone, “you have to work late tonight.”
I sighed. “Possibly. Probably.”
There was a pause. “Well...I just dropped DJ off at my aunt’s.”
My heart sank into my stomach as I glanced at the date on my computer screen, even though I knew it was our night. "Don't worry about it, babe. I'll be home as soon as I can, and we'll have our night. It shouldn't be too long. I promise."
“You already promised me, remember? ‘No matter what, we have our one night out of the week for us.’ You insisted on every week when I would have settled for once a month.”
"You don't have to settle for anything. I told you that. Let me get going with this presentation, and I'll be right home."
“Okay, Darien.”
She hung up without even waiting for a response. I glanced at the time again. It was only two-thirty—more than enough time for Red and me to cook up a presentation that woul—I glanced up, and Red was gone.
I slammed my hand down onto the desk so hard my pen-filled cup toppled over, and the dozens spilled over onto the floor. Having to do the presentation myself meant not only would it be a long afternoon, but I was far less confident in the finished product when it was all said and done.
~ * * * ~
As I feared, it turned out to be a long, tedious process, to first gather my thoughts for my approach, and then get everything organized and to a point where I felt confident in my delivery. I glanced at the time, and my eyes widened. It was seven-thirty in the evening. I sighed, knowing I had to get home to try and salvage the rest of the night, while also knowing I would likely need to be back first thing in the morning to study my notes and approach. Of course, I understood every transaction we’d ever done, but I didn’t quite know how to spin the transactions that appeared like nothing less than a stroke of genius at best, and insider trading at worst.
I saved and closed the document, resolved to deal with it in the morning.
"About time you finished, D," Red said from behind me.
I turned to see him leaning against the window behind me, giving me his back, looking out at the bustling city below. “You’ve been here the whole time, Red?”
He laughed. “Of course not. Had some business to attend to.”
“I’m sure it could have waited.”
He turned and looked at me with half of his face cast in shadow, the other half illuminated by a red hue coming in through the window. "Looks to me like you had it covered."
“Red, this is important. This presentation is something that has to go right, or everything we've been planning gets flushed right down the drain."
He chuckled.
“The hell is so funny?”
“That.”
I ground my teeth and forced a deep breath. “Red. This is serious. I would app—”
“That is what I’m talkin’ about, D. Look at how fuckin’ worked up you’re gettin’. It’s not that serious. It’s the numbers that matter, remember that. That’s all that matters. No one will give a fuck, so long as the numbers stay right, even if you screw up the whole presentation.”
“We.” I corrected. “Even if ‘we’ screw up the presentation.”
“Oooh…” Red fully turned my way and crossed his arms. “Now it’s we? You seem to be flying solo a lot lately. Now you need me, and it’s a ‘we’?”
“The hell are you talking about?”
“Ah,” he waved me off, “it’s doesn't matter now. You're done, so let’s ride down to Atlantic City, clean out some casinos, pick up a nice, curves...”
I slammed my palm on my desk and stood up. “Are you fucking serious?” I walked over and put my finger directly into his face. “I already told you, Red, I am not fucking around anymore. Don’t bring that shit up to me again.”
Unbelievably, Red laughed, again, and my eyes went wide. “Son of a bitch!”
“Darien…” It was Fati’s voice from behind me, soft and cautious. I froze.
Red’s laughter intensified as he slipped past me and walked through the wall and out into the open seating area. I waited a few seconds, breathing in and out, slowly, and then turned around, almost afraid of what I would see. What I saw was every bit my worst fear realized. Fati stood frozen, wearing a long coat and black heels so high they made her almost my height, with a mix of shock and horror on her face that was enough to make me want to crawl under my desk, flee from the room, or, be anywhere but there at that moment.
“Darien…” She said again. “What...what’s going on?”
“Fati,” I cleared my throat, “hun, what are you—”
“Don’t you ask me what I’m doing here.” She said. Her voice was surprisingly gentle, but also had a not-so-subtle hint of caution that was like a kick in the chest. Did she fear me now?
"Fati, you're right," I said. "I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm alright."
She shook her head and tears welled up in her eyes. "No. You're not. But I don't know who you're consciously lying to, me, or yourself."
I sighed. “Fatima, baby I'll figure this out.”
“Damnit, Darien. You’ve had these delusions all of your life.” She held up a hand and took a deep breath, somewhat regaining control of her trembling body. “Nothing is fine about this. I fully expected to find you knee deep in work, but to stumble in on an argument with your reflection; I wasn't prepa
red for this today.”
Her judgmental tone stung, but I choked down a wave of anger before it had a chance to boil up. Instead of allowing my emotions to make me say something I’d later regret, I turned my back to her and looked out at the lights below. “I need you to trust me, Fati. Everything I do, I do for you...for lil Darien.” That wasn’t exactly true, but I’d do my best to be that husband moving forward. “You have to understand, whatever this thing is that is going on with me, is how we have gotten everything we have, Fati. Crazy as I might be, I am who I am because of this gift.”
Fati seemed to deflate as I watched her reflection through the window as I spoke. I think she understood how confrontational she must have sounded because she walked over and gently rested a hand on my shoulder. "Hun, please listen to me for a second, without getting upset or defensive. Can you do that?" When I didn't answer, she asked again.
“I can do that.”
She pulled my arm and brought me around to face her, then stepped in close and looked up into my eyes. “When we were at Dr. Ryan’s, you said Red was always with you, right?”
“Yeah, ever since he first came to me when I was a kid.”
"So that means you've managed this part of you very well for years, because, as close as we've been, I'd never known. Sure, the therapist knew, but you managed to fool her as well. Now, in a matter of days, I find you arguing with...yourself on two separate occasions. Doesn’t that seem odd to you? Can you at least entertain the possibility that you need a little bit of help now, that you cannot manage this part of yourself alone anymore?”
My initial reaction was to dismiss the notion as ridiculous, but I couldn’t deny the truth in her words. She was right. Red and I had always had different approaches to just about everything, but up until very recently, we had fed off each other’s strengths to excel while balancing out our weaknesses. We were completely at odds these days, and that was new territory to navigate.
“Darien, are you listening?"
I blinked. “I am. And yes, I hate to have to admit it, but I think you’re right.”
She placed a hand on my cheek. “I know I’ve been a bit insensitive lately; I only realized it just now, seeing your reaction to my words. I’m sorry. You need me to be with you now, and while I kinda feel like I’ve let you down, I am here for you now, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to help you.”
I saw the emotion in her eyes, and a feeling of relief washed over me. I hadn't realized just how alone I'd felt until now. "Thank you, Fati. You have no idea how that makes me feel. I can stick with Dr. Ryan, or we can find someone else together."
“I’m sure you have the resources to find the very best doctors in the field, but I do think it might be a good idea to broaden your horizons, beyond the traditional.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“There’s an old family friend. Well, a friend of my grandmother's, really.”
“A friend?”
"Yes. A healer, actually. Grandma and Ms. Bezi met decades ago when they first came to this country together."
I laughed. “Since when do you believe in that voodoo witch doctor stuff.”
“Not voodoo. She was her village shaman before she moved here to the States.” Fati nodded with a smile. “I get it, though. I laughed too, for years. So did my dad. My grandma told me stories of how they had first met, nearly fifty years ago. If you let my grandma tell the story, Ms. Bezi was old even back then, compared to my grandma anyway. But it didn’t matter much to my grandma. She was so happy to meet another Malian that they spent almost every day together. Grandma said Ms. Bezi was like a mentor to her. In fact, grandma always credited Ms. Bezi for meeting my Grandad. Grandma loved that old woman.
“Even when my grandparents moved to Harlem, she would take regular trips to see Ms. Bezi. And when the children came, the whole family would go.” She laughed. “When my dad got old enough to make his own decisions, he’d decided to stop going. By the time I was born, not only had he stopped going, but he’d dismissed her as nothing more than an old woman selling snake oil. He forbade us to go. But then, one day, my mom got very sick. She had to take trip after trip to see doctor after doctor but only seemed to get sicker. My grandmother was gone by then, but, desperate, and out of options, my dad finally reached out to Ms. Bezi and was almost shocked when she was still alive. Mom was too sick to travel, but Ms. Bezi showed up at the house. Ms. Bezi spent a long time alone with her that night but ended up staying over a week. Would you believe she started to recover? The doctors were baffled. A year later she was fully healed. He started going to see her a couple of times a year after that, insisting that we all go with him.”
I frowned. “So, what’s this have to do with me?”
Fati shrugged. "I've seen her do amazing things, hun. I think it's worth a shot at least. Yes, see your doctors, of course. As a nurse, I would never tell you to do otherwise. That would be irresponsible. But, Ms. Bezi is worth a shot at least.”
The idea didn’t sit well with me, but if the alternative meant possibly easing some of the fallout, it was well worth the trip. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “Now, can we put this behind us for tonight? There is still plenty of time to enjoy our date night.”
I exhaled in relief. Things went much better than I had expected. “Of course. It’s not too late to make our reservation.” I pulled out my cell and went to dial the restaurant, but Fati took it from me, placed it on my desk beside her, and shook her head.
“We won’t make that appointment.” She stepped away and sauntered towards the open door, making a show of swaying her hips as she stared back at me over her shoulder as she crossed the room. She slid the door close, then glided over to the rope that controlled the wall shades, pulling them close and casting the office in deep shadow. She spun back around, grinning. “I had a better meal planned for you.”
She opened her coat and let it fall to the floor. My breath caught as I drank in her oiled body, her heels being the only article of clothing she had on.
CHAPTER SIX
“TREMENDOUS WORK, DARIEN. Truly, very impressive.” Tom Walker said right before he slammed his meaty palm into the center of my back in what was supposed to be a show of affection.
I turned to thank him, but before I made it entirely around a wave of dizziness hit me so suddenly it froze me in place. It took my full concentration not to stagger into any of the shareholders as they slipped past me as they filed out of the conference room. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep, slow, breath, in and out. When I opened them again, my vision had cleared, and I mouthed silent thanks as I wiped the sweat that had suddenly coated my forehead.
By the time I made it fully around, Tom Walker was already outside of the conference room, hustling towards the elevators.
"I think the Chairmen just said it best, Darien," Rhonda said as she made it through the remaining press of shareholders rushing to catch up with Tom. She stepped up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder with a smile. “The way you broke down your methodology—the mix of time-tested industry standards and your uncanny gut instincts—well, it left me highly impressed, Darien. You are a jewel.”
"I appreciate that Rhonda," I said, straightening my posture as I was close to fully recovered from the spell. “Really, I do. But next time, a bit more time would be appreciated.”
Rhonda laughed. “I honestly expected you to fail.”
“What?”
She laughed even harder. “Some humbling might do you good, but it seems you’re too good to get flustered on any stage.” She shook her head. “You are quickly creating quite the reputation for yourself. I already got another three more offers for press interviews, one being a televised panel. They’re being vetted through communications as we speak.”
I smiled. “Oh, that’s g—”
"Kill that shit, D," Red said from behind me.
I nearly ignored him, but my thoughts flashed to how surprisingly
helpful he had been during the presentation. He had stepped in once or twice at decisive moments, helping me explain the few things I had no answer for.
“Excuse me, Darien?”
“That’s great that I’ve garnered so much interest in such a short period, which of course is great publicity for the firm,”
“I sense a but coming.”
I laughed. “But, I’ll have to pass.”
"Are you sure? I remember how excited you were when Future Investor contacted us. Hell, you were willing to do it even before we insisted the editor give you the cover to yourself and an additional solo spread.”
“Tell her we ain’t doin’ no more interviews or appearances, period.”
“I know. And it really was a great experience, but I’m done making media appearances.”
Rhonda shook her head. “And yet again you are full of surprises. Every wealth manager dreams of this type of media attention, about what it would do for their ability to attract clients, and yet you walk away from it.”
“I'm not a wealth manager. I've no interest in clients looking to do anything other than making lots of money. They can turn to another portfolio manager for nice, safe, diversified, investments.”
Rhonda smiled and held my eye for a long moment before turning and walking from the conference room, leaving Red and me alone. I closed the conference room door and turned around and looked at Red. He was still where he had been throughout the entire presentation, leaning against the window, looking down at the busy city below.
“Thank you.”
Red swung his head my way and raised an eyebrow. “The fuck you thankin’ me for, D?”
I laughed, and then walked over and stood beside him. “For being there today.”
“Ain’t I always there, D?”
I hesitated. “True. But shit has been kind of tense between us lately.”
“Tense?”
I nodded. “Come on, you’ve felt it too. After you didn’t help at all with the planning of this presentation, I wasn’t sure if you were going to be here this time.”
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