A Taste of Reality

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  I honestly didn’t know what it was we needed to do to make things right again. But if it had anything to do with me swallowing my pride and forgetting about work altogether, that wasn’t an option.

  I just couldn’t see myself doing that.

  Not for him.

  Not for any one person I could think of.

  CHAPTER 2

  I LEANED BACK in my chair and read the job announcement for the third time. I wasn’t sure if I was expecting to read something different in comparison to what I’d read the first two times or not, but more than anything, I guess I was still debating whether I should even bother applying again. The fact was, I really did want a career in human resources, so I didn’t see how I could possibly pass up this opportunity. Especially since the city of Mitchell only had five decent-sized, industrial corporations to begin with and opportunities like this only presented themselves on rare occasions. Actually, my company, Reed Meyers, a screw manufacturer, was the largest.

  I skimmed the posting one last time and finally found the courage to go meet with Jim, vice president of human resources. I walked over to his office and knocked on his door, even though it was already open. He was sitting at his shiny mahogany desk, jotting down some notes inside what looked like an employee’s folder.

  “Hi, Anise, what can I do for you?”

  He had a pleasant smile on his face.

  “Can I speak to you for a minute?”

  “Sure, come in and have a seat.”

  I closed his door before sitting down.

  “Whoa,” he said. “A closed-door meeting? This must be pretty serious.”

  “Somewhat,” I said, wondering where and how I should begin.

  “Everything is okay with work, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. But I do want to talk to you about the HR recruiting manager position that you’re trying to fill.”

  Jim leaned back in his chair nonchalantly, staring at me and waiting to hear me continue.

  “I know I applied for it six months ago, and now that Jason has decided to leave so quickly, I’d like to apply for it again.”

  “Well, I guess my only concern or question is whether this position is really the one you should be applying for. You seem to work so well with the people in the shop, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that both your parents worked in factories. You really do know how to relate to these people. They love you, Anise, and I would hate to see you leave your current position in order to take one that may not be as rewarding.”

  I wanted to choke over what he’d just said. What did he mean, I knew how to relate to these people? And what in heaven’s name did my parents’ occupations have to do with my career in HR?

  “The shop employees are wonderful, and I love working with them, but I came to Reed Meyers to work with all people. You know that I stressed my interest in recruiting the last time this position was open, so I’ve had more than enough time to think about my goals. Working with employee benefits is fine, but I’d also love working with potential employees who are interested in joining our company.”

  “Well, I still think you should be sure about what you want to do before submitting the official application. Because who knows, maybe Elizabeth’s job will open up at some point, and you’d be interested in managing the benefits area instead. Or I can tell you right now that Frank Colletti is being groomed for a position in operations. He’ll be the youngest VP the company has had in years, so while this information is strictly confidential, I wanted to share it with you so you know that his position will probably open up sometime in the near future.”

  What was he talking about? Hadn’t he heard me say that I was interested in this position and not one that might become available? I couldn’t believe he was still trying to persuade me to move in another direction. Then there was this comment about Frank Colletti being groomed. Frank was a gorgeous Italian, whom I liked a lot and had great respect for, but I didn’t see how they could secretly decide that he deserved a top-management position. Especially since he worked in training. Yes, he was the director of training, but to my knowledge hadn’t worked in any other areas of the company and didn’t have a graduate degree. Not that he shouldn’t be groomed for a better position, but why weren’t they grooming other managers and directors inside the company along with him? Namely women. But it was my guess that they didn’t think women belonged in VP positions either.

  “I appreciate your suggestions about both the other departments, but what I really want is to apply for the recruiting position. So what I’ll do is complete the internal application form and place it in your mail bin. Or better yet, I’ll give it to your secretary,” I said, letting him know that my decision was firm.

  “It’s your call, but I have to tell you that we’re already considering two other employees for this promotion, and that we’ll have no choice but to choose the best-qualified candidate when it’s all said and done.”

  I stood up. “You know, Jim, that’s all I’m hoping for.”

  He stared at me in silence as I walked out of his office.

  Shortly afterward, Lorna caught up with me and followed me into my own office. She was the only true friend I had here at the company. My best friend Monica was my best friend in the whole world, but Lorna took close seconds.

  “So what did that asshole Jim have to say,” she asked, shutting my door and pushing her white blond hair away from her face. I’d told her first thing this morning that I was going to make my interest in the promotion known to Jim before lunchtime.

  “He acted as much like a jerk as he always does, and he made it very clear that he doesn’t think I should apply for the position,” I said with disappointment, and while I hated admitting it, I felt like sobbing. My mom raised me to be a strong, confident woman, but this entire scenario was starting to wear on me emotionally. I didn’t want anything that I didn’t deserve, but what I did want was to be treated fairly. What I wanted was for Jim and Lyle to look past my color and gender, if that was the problem, so they could see me for the person I truly was. So they could see that I really was qualified to carry out the responsibilities of a manager in the highest possible capacity.

  “Anise, I hope you’re not going to let them get away with passing you over again. Enough is enough, and if they don’t promote you, then they won’t leave you with any other choice except to file a discrimination complaint with EEOC and a private attorney if you have to.”

  “I know, but I’m really hoping that I won’t have to do that.”

  “You may not have a choice. And if you ask me, Jim, Lyle and the rest of their white-collar KKK buddies need to be brought to their knees.”

  I wasn’t sure why Lorna was so upset, because even though she’d been vocal in the past about the way women and minorities were treated, she seemed completely outraged today.

  “If I have to, I will, but I’m not going to consider any legal proceedings until after this selection process is over with,” I agreed, trying to convince myself that everything was going to work out and that maybe I was worrying about nothing. “Oh, and before I forget, Jim insinuated that Frank might be getting promoted, so since you’re the top training specialist, you’d be next in line for his job when he leaves it.”

  Lorna folded her arms and looked at me in silence. Something wasn’t quite right, but I wasn’t sure what was wrong with her. Especially since the possibility of being promoted should have been fabulous news to her.

  “Anise, I’ve never told anyone what I’m about to tell you, but if what happened to me will make you go forward with filing a lawsuit, then it will be worth it for all of us.”

  “What? What are you talking about?” She’d piqued my curiosity.

  “When I first came to Reed Meyers four years ago, Jim had just been transferred here from the Raleigh plant, but his wife stayed behind until their children finished the school year. Then, when she’d finally sold their home, she joined him five months after he’d gotten here.”


  “And?” I said, anxious to hear what she was getting at.

  “He came on to me immediately, and when he found out that I wasn’t interested in him, he started harassing me in other ways. Like the time I arrived at work ten minutes late, and he told me that if I couldn’t get to work on time, then I should look for another place of employment. And, Anise, it was the first time I’d ever been late for work since I started here. Then he sat in on a training session that I did on time management, and contradicted every point I made to the class. But the worst part of all . . .” she said, pausing and swallowing hard. Then she took a deep breath. “The worst thing of all was when I worked late one evening compiling the new training manual. You know our offices are at opposite ends of the department, but he came down to my office when he realized I was still working. He made a couple of sexual comments as soon as he walked in, but I ignored him. But then he walked behind my desk and caressed my hair. He kept saying how beautiful my blond hair was, and then he started stroking it. I was so terrified, but I didn’t move. I just kept praying that he would go back to his office and leave me alone. But he didn’t. And . . .”

  Lorna burst into tears, and I walked around and sat in the chair next to her. I pulled some tissue from the Kleenex box, handed it to her and then placed my arm around her shoulders. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She and I had been close for a good while, but she’d never hinted at anything like this before. It bothered me that she was so shaken up, and I was afraid to hear the rest of the story.

  She sniffled a few times and wiped her eyes. “This is so hard, Anise, but I can’t keep this to myself any longer.”

  “And you don’t have to. You know you can trust me with your life,” I promised her.

  “He went from stroking my hair to stroking the side of my face. Then he said he’d been more than patient with me, but that now it was time for me to stop playing games with him. He said he didn’t like being teased, and that it was time for me to stop pretending I didn’t want to be fucked. Tears rolled down my cheeks, so I closed my eyes. But when I did, I heard him opening the zipper to his pants. I begged him to stop, but he pulled his dick out and rubbed it across my lips. I tried to leave my seat, but he forced me back down in it. He told me that if I didn’t open my mouth and do what I was told, that I wouldn’t have a job to come to the next morning. But right when he finished telling me that, we both heard a door slamming shut on the opposite end, and he zipped his pants back up and left my office.”

  “Oh my God, Lorna. When was this?”

  “Right before his wife moved here.”

  “Has he approached you again?”

  “No, but he pretty much told me that since I wasn’t willing to cooperate, I could forget about ever getting any promotions, and that if I tried to leave and go work for another company, he would make sure they knew how incompetent I was as an employee. And, Anise, I have a daughter to take care of. I don’t have a master’s degree like you, and it’s not that easy being a single parent when your ex-husband deliberately misses child support payments just to punish you.”

  I was flabbergasted. Rarely was I speechless, but Lorna had told me something I never would have expected even from Jim. I’d heard how ruthless and conniving he could be, but I never would have pictured him harassing anyone sexually. The man was vice president of human resources, for God’s sake.

  “I can’t believe he would stoop this low,” I finally offered. “I am so sorry that you had to go through this, and I wish there was something I could do to help you.”

  “You can. I’m not as strong as you, Anise. But if you go forward with filing a discrimination lawsuit, I’ll find the courage to tell EEOC and whoever else what Jim did to me. There’s no way I can afford to lose my job, but if there is more than one of us making a complaint, they’ll be afraid to fire either one of us.”

  Lorna had obviously analyzed this whole lawsuit situation very carefully, and while I heard what she was saying and believed wholeheartedly that she should go to the police and have Jim arrested, I was still hoping they’d give me my promotion. I didn’t want to drive over to Chicago to visit EEOC or any other equal opportunity enforcement agency unless I absolutely had to. I was hoping that I’d get my job and be able to push all of this anger, frustration and humiliation behind me. I wanted Lorna to do the same, but I wasn’t so sure she’d be able to forget about any of this until Jim had gotten what he had coming to him.

  “That’s probably true, although I think it’ll be best to wait and see what happens with my situation first,” I said. “But regardless of how things turn out, I think you still have to go to the police. And maybe you should even think about telling Lyle or Tom, too.”

  “If I go to the police, it’ll be my word against his, and on top of that, they’ll want to know why it took me four years to file charges. And if I go to Lyle or Tom, what difference is it going to make with both of them being friends with Jim? No, that’s not the way to go. And while I know you won’t want to hear this, I have to say what I honestly feel. There’s no question that you are the most qualified person for that management position, but I really doubt that you’re going to get it. I’m not trying to be negative or trying to undermine your confidence, but I know these men all too well. We can bring them down, though, Anise. You’re a black woman who’s being discriminated against because of her skin color and gender, and I’m a white woman who has been sexually harassed by an executive of this company. So it’s not like they can say we’re both screaming racial and gender discrimination or that we’re both claiming that we’ve been sexually harassed and are being forced to work in a hostile working environment. We both have separate claims, and I’m willing to bet that if we both come forward, there will be others who’ll find the courage to tell what has happened to them, too.”

  She had a point. Actually, a few good points, and I had to admit that she was right about what we were obligated to do. I’d already experienced discrimination at Bradford, the company I worked for prior to joining Reed Meyers, so if this was the same case here, I knew I’d have to help break the cycle. The evidence would be as obvious as Alaskan icicles if they denied me a second time, and now I knew I would have no choice but to file a complaint against the company if I wasn’t promoted.

  But how was David going to react to something like this? We hadn’t spoken to each other this morning before leaving for work, but I was hoping that this latest blowup of ours would quickly pass. I couldn’t deal with all the frustration here at work and at the same time participate in angry debates with him. What I needed was someone to talk to, someone to help me through these very trying times. I needed someone to be there for me tonight, and since I knew David wouldn’t be home until late, I decided to call my girl Monica to see what she was up to. I was hoping she and her husband Marc didn’t have anything important planned for the evening, which was a possibility, since their daughter had already finished finals at the private school she attended and had gone to Houston to spend part of the summer with Monica’s parents.

  But if Monica wasn’t available, I would go visit Mom instead.

  Mom was one of the few people who knew exactly what to say when times were tough.

  It would be a blessing to spend time with either one of them.

  CHAPTER 3

  MONICA HAD ANSWERED my phone call on the second ring and told me that Marc would be teaching a continuing education course at one of the community centers this evening. So I’d driven straight home from work and changed into a pair of stonewashed jeans and a black T-shirt. Now, I was walking up her classic brick walkway, preparing to ring the doorbell. She must have seen me pull up, though, because she opened the door without delay.

  “Hey, girl,” she said, reaching out to hug me. We hadn’t seen each other in maybe a couple of weeks, so I was elated to see her as well.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” I asked, embracing her.

  “You know, things really couldn’t be better, Anise,” she said wi
th no hesitation, because she really was experiencing a very joyous time in her life. She’d married Marc about a year ago, and he’d proven to be the most caring husband and stepfather I knew. She was truly living her life to the fullest, and it filled my heart to see her so happy. Life hadn’t been the greatest when she was married to her first husband, so this made her even more appreciative of Marc.

  “I’m so glad to hear that everything is going so well for you,” I told her. “I wish I could say the same.”

  I hated always having such a woe-is-me sort of attitude whenever I spent time with Monica, but I couldn’t help it. I just couldn’t seem to find a positive way toward dealing with my problems.

  “Why? What’s going on?” she asked, giving me her full attention.

  “What isn’t? My marriage is still falling apart, and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be extreme drama at work in the near future.”

  “Don’t tell me they’re trying to keep you from making manager again?”

  “That’s exactly what they’re trying to do, and I’m worried about it because I’m not going to sit back and take it this time.”

  “Wait a minute. I want to hear the details regarding this, so let’s go sit out on the patio,” Monica said.

  “That’s fine.”

  “Do you want something to drink?” she asked, opening the refrigerator.

  “I’ll take some lemonade if you have it.”

  “We don’t have any that’s fresh-squeezed, but we do have some cans of Country Time.”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  Monica grabbed two cans of pink lemonade, pulled two glass mugs from one of the cupboards and filled them with ice from the refrigerator’s built-in ice dispenser. I scanned the recently remodeled kitchen, which was beautiful, but I couldn’t help but wonder how we could be such close friends, see eye to eye on almost every social and personal issue, but have vastly different tastes in decorating. I was modern with a flair for anything that was contemporary, but she was strictly traditional. I loved exquisite leather, but she loved cloth of almost any texture. She purchased a ton of cherry wood pieces, but each of my wooden pieces showcased the new-washed look.