EXACTLY WHAT LITTLE SOIREE was she talking about Jim?” Tom asked when Anise left the room. “It’s nothing. I was in the training room with Lorna the other night having a conversation, and Anise assumed something else was going on,” Jim tried to convince him, but he knew Tom thought it might be true, or he wouldn’t be asking for more details.
“So all you did was talk? And nothing happened that we’re going to have to hear about somewhere down the road?” Tom wanted confirmation.
“Anise is just exaggerating the same way she did in this letter she wrote, but I will say she’s crazy enough to make people believe it,” Jim said. We’ve got to get that black bitch out of here no matter what it costs.
“Well, as much as I hate saying this, her letter does make me a little nervous, and it troubles me even more to know that she has access to the entire HR system,” Lyle continued.
“But what right does she have telling us how to run this company?” Tom asked.
“I don’t think it’s about that,” Lyle explained. “This is about how her accusations will look in a court of law. Right or wrong, no judge is going to simply overlook the fact that she has superior performance reviews, has two degrees and more than enough HR experience. Yet we gave the position to someone who is white and much less qualified, and then we paid them more. And what I’m concerned about the most is that she’s found information regarding other employees that could lead to a class action lawsuit.”
“I still don’t think she has anything,” Tom said. “Some disgruntled asshole inside this company may have given her pay information for the three of us, but I really don’t think she has anyone else’s. If she did, she would have brought them with her. No, what I think she’s trying to do is bully us, and if we let her get away with it, we’ll have every Joe Schmo in the company waltzing in here demanding thousands whenever they feel like it.”
“You know, Frank could be our culprit,” Jim suggested. “Because you know they’ve been seeing each other.”
“That’s another son of a bitch we’ve got to get rid of,” Tom said.
“This is a tough one, but I think we have to offer her something, because right now the important thing is to get her out of here before she stirs up trouble with other employees,” Lyle said, getting back to the matter at hand.
I agree, and I’ve got to make them realize how important it is for us to pay her that money, because the last thing I need is to have some sex-related rumor floating around about Lorna and me. Next thing you know, that black bitch will try convincing Lorna to have that damn baby. And then she’ll be placing all the blame on me for not getting that fuckin’ promotion.
“Look,” Jim said to Lyle, “I cringe just from looking at Anise, but at this point I agree with you, because it’s probably in our best interest if we give her a little hush money, along with her walking papers all at the same time.”
“I just don’t see it,” Tom said. “And, Jim, I’m surprised that you’re throwing in the towel so easily, because you’ve never liked this woman from day one.”
“That’s true, but I do think it would be better for everyone involved if we get rid of her. She’s a troublemaker just like every other black person I know, and we need to get this taken care of. The sooner the better,” Jim said. I hope they’re not going to try and give her less than what she’s asking, because that uppity black bitch will never go for it. Lyle and Tom have no idea that I really don’t want to give her one red cent, but I know if she doesn’t get exactly what she wants, she’ll try to crucify me.
“Well, I think we need to think this through, because three hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a shitload of money. And we can’t even be sure she has everything she says she does,” Tom said.
“What we can do is ask her to bring us the originals of anything she’s printed as well as any copies she’s made,” Jim proposed.
“Maybe. But still we’re talking about making a large transaction that’ll have to be executed under the table. Which means we’ll have to handle every aspect of this with extreme care,” Lyle said.
“I still don’t agree, but if that’s what both of you think we should do, then so be it,” Tom said. “But we will not under any circumstances pay her what she’s demanding. Maybe a hundred thousand, but I’m thinking it should even be less than that.”
“Look, Tom,” Jim said carefully, “I think she’s full of shit the same as you do, but we have to consider the amount of bad publicity we’ll get if she goes to the newspaper. She’s already threatened to, and I believe she’d actually do it. It angers me that these affirmative action laws have made it possible for somebody like her to make such a threat, but this is the reality.”
Tom didn’t say anything else.
I can see he doesn’t get what I’m trying to say, but I’ve got to keep encouraging him to do the right thing before next week. I’ve got to make Tom see that we can’t afford not to pay her, and that if she goes public, he’ll take the biggest fall as CEO of this company.
“What I think we need to do is take all of tomorrow and the weekend to think about our options and then try to arrive at some decision by Monday morning,” Lyle said.
“Fine,” Tom said. “But I still say we shouldn’t give her a thing until we see what proof she has. No one is more worried about the laws than I am, but I just don’t believe she has anything that could hurt us.”
If only she hadn’t seen Lorna and me in that conference room, I could force Lorna to talk some sense into that bitch. But now Lorna claims Anise won’t speak to her. Which means I’ve got to figure out a way to make Tom give her what she’s asking for, and then I’ve got to make sure Lorna has that abortion I gave her the money for. Because I’m not about to let two stupid women ruin everything I’ve worked so hard for, unless it’s over my dead body.
“Mom, you would have been so proud of me for standing up to them the way I did,” I said.
Mom and I were sitting on her screened porch on the west side of town eating sub sandwiches and chips that I’d picked up after work. They weren’t as good as the ribs we had yesterday, but they were filling.
“I’m proud just because you decided it was time to call them on what they were doing.”
“That Tom was so cocky, though, and if anyone tries to play hardball, it will be him.”
“The way you’ve spoken about Jim, I would have expected him to be the problem.”
“He would have been if I hadn’t caught him and Lorna in that training room.”
Mom laughed. “I’ve been thinking about that ever since you told me. It would be wrong for any man to sexually harass a woman, but somehow you just wouldn’t expect that a vice president at a company would stoop so low.”
“I know. But if you want to know the truth, I think something’s wrong with him. He hates blacks in the worst way, but I’ve come to realize that he hates women just as much. And that means he hates me for two reasons.”
“Well, I hope you get your money soon so you can get out of there and move on with your life.”
“I do too, Mom, because even though I enjoyed seeing them squirm in that conference room today, I still feel so humiliated. I feel like I’m always going to have to deal with the same thing, no matter what company I work for. I’m always going to have to prove that I’m not just some whiny black woman who doesn’t know her place or another black person screaming discrimination for no legitimate reason. And I’m so tired of that.”
“I know you are, sweetheart, but hopefully this will all be over soon.”
“I don’t know, maybe it would be better if I commuted to Chicago to work. I’ve never wanted to do that before now, because it would take so many extra hours from my day, but maybe it’s something to think about.”
“Do you think you’d be treated more fairly than you have been around here?”
“I don’t know. It’s just so hard to say one way or the other. But there are more companies there.”
“Maybe what you need to do i
s think about starting your own business.”
“Actually, I’ve never really given that much thought, but maybe you’re right. Maybe that’s what I should do with the settlement package if they give it to me.”
“I think you would do real well, and that way, you’d have money to pay your bills and funding to get your business up and running.”
“You know, Mom, that’s really something to consider. Because whether I want to admit it or not, I don’t think I will ever find any real success if I don’t go out on my own. Starting a business will take a lot of research and marketing, but I think it’s worth trying.”
“I know it is. We didn’t have a whole lot of options when I graduated from high school back in the sixties, so the only logical choice was to go work in a factory. But at least you had the opportunity to get a good education, and now you have the option of doing something on your own. You’ll still have to prove yourself twice over, but at least you’d be doing it for yourself.”
“That’s true. And I think what I’ll do is take some time to clear my mind. Then I want to start thinking about the type of business I should start.”
“A break will be good for you, because it won’t be easy dealing with a divorce, being in a new relationship and then having to find a new place to live.”
“Especially since David isn’t being fair about anything. I haven’t heard from him since we had that big blowup when he came to the house, but I can tell that things are going to get worse before it’s all over. He is so angry with me, and I don’t understand how he could be, because he’s the one who decided he wanted someone else.”
“But you know that’s how it always is,” she said. “It was one thing when David left you to be with another woman, but it’s another now that he knows you don’t care.”
“The reason I don’t care is because there was nothing I could do to make him love me. He found another woman, and I learned to accept it.”
“I know, but what he wanted was for you to shed a bunch of tears over him. And when you acted like you didn’t care one way or the other, he couldn’t take it.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly why he’s so upset. I’ve thought that all along, and he would die if he knew about Frank.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he would.”
“He’d never guess in a million years that I would end up dating someone white. Actually, I didn’t ever think I would myself. But it just goes to show how funny life can be. I practically despised white men when I realized how racist Jim and Lyle were, and now I’m seeing one.”
“Love is love, no matter what color a person is. You can’t fight the way you feel about someone when it’s meant to be. And with the way you always said you’d never date a white man, I know for sure that you must be head over heels about Frank.”
I laughed. “I am. I don’t know how it happened, but I really am. He’s so considerate of my feelings and my needs, and he goes out of his way to make sure I’m happy. I never experienced that with David. So I finally had to ask myself, is it better to be with a black man just because he’s black, even though he treats you like crap, or would it be better to live the rest of your life in peace with a man of any color who loves and respects you?”
“Love is much more important than someone’s racial background.”
“I realize that now, but you know Monica isn’t happy about my relationship with Frank at all.”
“She’ll get over it. And if she doesn’t, then she’s not really your friend, and she doesn’t care one thing about your happiness. I love Monica like a daughter, and I know you’ve been best friends with her forever, but it’s during times like these that you discover who your real friends truly are. Because it’s not Monica’s job to decide what’s right for you. Her job is to support you no matter what.”
“I just hope she sees it that way pretty soon, because our conversations have been a little on the tense side ever since I told her about Frank. I called her a few times when I wanted her to read that memo I put together, but I could tell things weren’t the same between us.”
“You’ll have to see how things go, but I wouldn’t feel bad about being with the person I love regardless of who has a problem with it.”
“I know, but I just don’t want to lose Monica’s friendship. She’s always been like a sister to me, and the thought of us not having anything to do with each other really hurts.”
“I understand how you feel, but it’s like I said, she’s not really the friend we thought she was if she doesn’t support your decision. Especially when it’s pretty obvious that Frank makes you happy.”
“He does, Mom.”
“Then I wouldn’t worry about what anyone else has to say.”
“I wish it were that easy for me.”
“As time goes on, it will be. Don’t get me wrong, you will always come across people who don’t approve of your relationship, but in the end you still have to do what’s best for you.”
“Mom, thanks so much for always understanding me and for loving me the way only a mother could,” I said, reaching for her hand and holding it against my cheek. My eyes misted.
Darkness spread across the sky, but we didn’t go in the house until after ten o’clock. After another half hour or so, I drove home to get my clothes ready for work the next day. Then I called Frank. I’d given him a few details about the meeting before we left work, but I wanted to thank him again for everything he’d done.
“Hi, beautiful,” he answered.
“How are you?” I asked, and smiled when I heard his voice.
“So how does it feel to be queen of the mountain?”
We laughed.
“Yeah right,” I said.
“Well, you are. It took a lot of courage to stand up to the three of them in that meeting.”
“Yeah, it did, but I have to say I’m glad it’s over with, and I hope the rest of it is over very soon.”
“I’m sure it will be. What they’re doing now is trying to figure out how they can get away with paying you a smaller amount than what you’re demanding.”
“Well, I’m not taking less than three-fifty, so they can just forget about it. Actually, they should just be happy I’m not asking for more, because in reality, there’s no specific dollar amount that could possibly equal the way they’ve treated me. And the only reason I’m asking for money at all is because that’s the only remedy available to the victim when it comes to racial discrimination.”
“Good for you, and if they don’t do what you expect, then you have to go straight to the newspaper like we discussed. Then we’ll go over to EEOC to get the ball rolling with them.”
“I’m hoping it doesn’t have to come to that, because, like you said, the publicity would totally destroy my chances of working anywhere else in the city. But if I don’t have a choice, I agree with you that I have to move on to Plan B.”
“So how was your mom?” he asked.
“She was fine. I hadn’t spent that much time with her in a while, and it felt good.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I do think she’s lonely, though, and I wish she could find someone to share her life with.”
“It’s never too late.”
“No. It’s not, but she’s almost sixty.”
“Some people meet and get married in their eighties.”
“Yeah, I’ve read about a few in the past, but I hope my mom doesn’t have to wait that long.”
“So what are you doing for lunch tomorrow?”
“Nothing, why?”
“I thought we could grab something quick and drive out to the forest preserve.”
“I don’t know if we should take the chance of being seen together now that Jim knows about us.”
“I don’t care who sees us, because I decided tonight that I’m turning in my letter of resignation as soon as you leave the company.”
“I hate to see you doing that because of me.”
“Don’t worry about it for one minute, be
cause Reed Meyers is no longer the type of place I want to work for. And you can bet that I’m never going to be promoted now that they know I’m dating you. They hate that sort of thing, so I’m out anyway, even if I continue working there.”
“That’s really too bad, and it makes me so angry to know that they have that much control.”
“Well, they do.”
“Frank, I’m so sorry that you had to get involved with all of this.”
“Don’t be. I would do it all over again if I had the chance.”
“I love you so much,” I confessed.
“I love you more,” he said.
An hour passed before we ended our conversation, but as soon as I hung up, my phone rang again. My blood flowed rapidly when I saw that it was Lorna, and I couldn’t help wondering how she could possibly have the audacity to be calling.
My first notion was to answer and see what she wanted. However, I soon decided against it, and waited to see if she was bold enough to leave a message.
She did, and I dialed the access number to retrieve it.
“Anise?” she began in a distraught voice. “I was really hoping you would be home so that I could speak to you directly. But I guess leaving this message will have to do. I’m so, so sorry for everything. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you. I’m sorry for lying to you and for betraying you the way I have. I know you probably hate me right now, but I’m still hoping that you will find it in your heart to speak to me again. Please let me make all of this up to you, Anise. I’m not just asking, but I’m begging you. I can’t explain why I did what I did, except that Jim promised me a promotion and more money, and I really, really needed it. I needed it more than you could possibly ever know. And I guess I was just hoping that Jim would make good on his promise if I slept with him and didn’t tell you that he had someone following you. I know it probably sounds sick, but there’s no other way I can explain it. I don’t know how long I have left on your voice mail, so I’ll just say again that I’m sorry, and whether you believe me or not, I’ll regret all of this for the rest of my life. I really do care about you, Anise, and I realize now that I’ve never had a more genuine friend than I had in you. I can’t believe I was so stupid,” she said between sniffles. “And if it’s the last thing I do, I promise I will make things right with you. I don’t know quite how, but I promise you I will. My life is so screwed up, and while I know that doesn’t justify my actions, I hope you can try to forgive me one day. Bye, Anise.”
A Taste of Reality Page 26