by E. N. Joy
Chapter 29
“Hello there,” Hannah said to the PYT that was manning the reception desk at Drake’s firm.
The girl was so busy with the paperwork in front of her that she hadn’t even noticed Hannah enter the office. Upon hearing Hannah’s voice, without even looking up, she plastered the warm and welcoming smile on her face that she used to make every client or prospective client feel right at home.
“Oh, hello to you too. Sorry I didn’t see you come in,” the receptionist said.
“Oh, that’s quite all right,” Hannah assured her with a playful laugh and the shooing of her hand. She didn’t know why she was acting that way. Perhaps the receptionist’s mandated actions were contagious. “Anyway, I’m here to see Drake.”
The receptionist’s smile became more forced than ever, as if she really wanted to brush the smile off of her face, but knew she shouldn’t. Hannah noticed the change in her facial muscles and thought maybe the girl had a sudden case of gas and was holding in a fart or something.
“Uh, Drake? You mean Mr. Trinity, don’t you?” It was obvious that the girl simply did not like the way Drake’s name so easily escaped Hannah’s tongue—like she knew him all like that or something.
It was even more obvious that not only wasn’t the girl feeling the fact that Hannah had called Drake by his first name, but she wasn’t feeling Hannah. Hannah quickly recognized this and figured she had shown a lack of respect towards the girl’s boss, so she quickly tried to recover. “I mean Mr. Trinity. Yes, that’s what I meant.”
In a matter of seconds, both women’s smiles had gone from fake to forced. This wasn’t going to be pretty.
A fake laugh was a prelude to the girl’s next words. “I’m sure you did.” The girl pointed to the black leather couch. “Why don’t you have a seat right there, Miss . . .”
“Wells,” Hannah finished. “Hannah Wells.”
“Miss Wells, have a seat and I’ll let Mr. Trinity know that you are here.” She picked up the phone. “Oh, I forgot to ask. You did have an appointment with him, didn’t you?”
“Yes, of course. Drake is . . . I mean Mr. Trinity is expecting me.”
The girl went to push a button, but then she looked down and realized that the light on Drake’s phone line was lit up. “He’s on a call right now. I’ll buzz him when he gets off.”
“Thank you,” Hannah said. Just then her cell phone rang. As she pulled it out of her purse to answer it, she made a mental note to turn it off so that it wouldn’t ring during her meeting. “Hello,” she answered. “Oh, hi, honey, what’s going on?” Hannah asked at the sound of Elkan’s voice on the other end.
“Honey, I need you to—” Elkan started before the phone cut off.
“Hello? Hello, Elkan.” Hannah removed the phone from her ear and then looked down at it. “Darn it! I meant to charge this phone.” She looked up at the receptionist, who rolled her eyes as if to say, “Oh well, since you didn’t, looks like you won’t be talking.”
Hannah put her phone down in her purse, hesitated for a moment and then asked the receptionist, “Do you mind if I use the phone to call my husband?”
The girl’s eyes lit up at hearing that Hannah had a husband. Hannah figured that the receptionist must have thought that she could have been talking to one of her kids or something. Hannah noticed the receptionist’s eyes wander down to Hannah’s platinum wedding ring set, confirming her married status.
“Sure,” the girl said. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out her cell phone. “You can use my cell phone. Mr. Trinity is funny about tying up the business phone lines for personal calls. I’m sure you understand.”
This girl is a trip, Hannah thought. Guess good help is hard to find. Hannah accepted the girl’s offer by taking the cell phone and dialing Elkan back on his cell phone. “Sorry, honey, my battery died,” she said into the phone. “What did you need me to do? . . . oh, okay . . . sure . . . no problem . . . Okay then . . .”
At that moment, Drake came through the doorway behind the receptionist’s desk. Hannah’s eyes immediately locked with his. “Yeah . . . uh . . . you too,” Hannah said, quickly ending her phone call with Elkan.
The receptionist looked at her strangely as Hannah handed back her phone. Hannah wondered if it was obvious to the girl that Elkan had told her that he loved her, and a lousy “you too” was all she had given him in return.
“Mr. Trinity,” the receptionist stood and said, having not missed one beat of the way Hannah had ended her call with Elkan. “I tried to buzz you, but you were on your other line. “Hannah Smells,”—she looked at Hannah with her nose turned up—“has been waiting to see you,” she said, deliberately mispronouncing Hannah’s last name.
Hannah was going to correct the girl, but then decided to do what she had pretty much done her entire life when someone did or said something she didn’t care for. She brushed it off.
“Hannah,” Drake said. His eyes had a sparkle in them so bright that he seemed to look down and not directly into Hannah’s eyes for fear he would blind her with them.
“Mr. Trinity.” Hannah shook Drake’s hand. They forgot that anyone else was even in the room as they just stood there shaking hands, Hannah staring at Drake and Drake staring down and past Hannah.
The receptionist was busy observing Drake act like a shy little boy who had found himself alone in the same room with the girl he had a crush on. She knew the look. She’d possessed it herself her first day on the job.
“Oh, please, how many times do I have to tell you? It’s Drake. Call me Drake. I insist,” he finally said as the two still stood there, now holding hands—the shaking had stopped.
“Okay, Drake,” Hannah accepted. As badly as she wanted to look over at the receptionist and toot her nose up at her, she didn’t. She simply followed Drake’s lead behind the cherry wood door.
“Oh, and Delilah,” Drake said to his receptionist.
She stood with a huge smile on her face as she patted down the short little number of a skirt she was wearing. “Yes, Mr. Trinity.”
“Hold all of my calls. I’m going to be busy with Hannah.” Drake, along with Hannah, then disappeared behind the other side of the door, out of Delilah’s view.
“I bet you are going to be busy with Hannah—gettin’ busy,” Delilah mumbled to herself as she began slamming papers around once Drake and Hannah were out of sight. “You think I didn’t see that stupid little look on your face when you walked into the room and looked at her? Huh? And you’re on a first-name basis with her?” Delilah continued by thinking all the words she wanted to say to her boss.
Delilah had been hired as Drake’s receptionist when he first started the firm. As a matter of fact, it was only the two of them. He’d hired her through one of the local high school’s Cooperative Office Education programs as a senior intern in order to save on salary. After she graduated, she stayed on permanently and began taking on the duties of a secretary. Eventually, she began to wear many other hats as well, and although she remained at the receptionist’s desk, her duties varied and her paycheck reflected her true worth to Drake. Delilah never cared about her title with the firm. All she ever cared about was being close to Drake.
It became obvious to Drake after only a few months of working with Delilah that she had what seemed to be a little crush on him. But like all high school crushes, Drake knew that the sparks Delilah thought she was feeling for him would fizzle down and die out. In Drake’s eyes, they had, but in all actuality, Delilah had just turned the flame down to an invisible simmer.
The phone rang and Delilah answered it, informing the caller that Drake was tied up for the rest of the afternoon. That call only reminded her of the fact that her object of desire was behind closed doors with a woman he was obviously attracted to—doing God knows what. Once again, she began slamming papers around while talking to herself out loud.
“It’s just like a black man to reach a certain status on the corporate ladder and then go out and get hi
mself a white woman. I thought Mr. Trinity would be different. Turns out he’s a Mister Charlie just like the rest of ’em. For five years, I’ve been working like a Hebrew slave for him. Not once does he notice me. But Cameron Diaz walks up in here and he’s all over her. With all these good sistahs out here, not to mention the one right up under his nose, and he’s interested in a white girl? It’s about time someone let these so-called brothas out here know that this jungle fever thing is played out. And who better to do it than me?” A sinister smile crept across Delilah’s face.
Although Drake had never once shown any interest in Delilah other than businesswise, Delilah still held on to the one-sided infatuation with Drake, hoping that he’d come around eventually and take her on as a partner in his firm and his life. And she didn’t care how long it took. Drake was worth waiting for. But now with this Hannah girl entering the scene, there were one too many chefs in the kitchen, and somebody was about to get burned.
“I’m so sorry for being late,” Hannah said as Drake pulled out her chair at the conference table so she could sit down.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I was on a call anyway until I looked up at the clock. I came out to let Delilah know that I was expecting you.” Drake pulled out his chair and sat away from the table so that he was almost sitting directly across from Hannah.
“You could have finished the call. I wouldn’t have minded waiting. I’m sure Delilah would have kept me company.”
Drake thought that he detected a hint of sarcasm in Hannah’s comment. “Yeah, well, actually, it was just my brother. He’s having woman issues.”
“You have a brother? For some reason I took you as an only child.”
“No, I have a brother. He’s a bodybuilder.” Drake didn’t know why he always used the term bodybuilder instead of personal trainer. But in a sense, Dawson was a bodybuilder. He helped people build healthy bodies.
“So, he’s the good-looking one and you are the brains.” Hannah winked, not realizing she had this look in her eyes that put her comment on the verge of flirting.
Drake blushed. “I guess you could say that.”
“I was just joking.” Hannah crossed her legs. A little thigh fell out of her tangerine-colored skirt.
Drake tried to ignore it. “So, the lady has a sense of humor.” But he couldn’t. “I like that in a woman.” He wondered where that comment came from. “Will you excuse me for a sexy . . . I mean a second?”
Drake darted out of the conference room, closing the door behind him. When he looked up, Delilah was standing there. “Oh, snaps!” Drake expressed his surprise.
“I uh, was uh, about to knock and see if I could get you and Mrs. Wells something to drink.” Delilah tried to play off that fact that only two seconds had passed since she had placed her ear up against the conference room door to eavesdrop. The only thing she had a chance to hear was what was sounded like her boss calling Hannah sexy. But for her, that was enough. More than enough.
“Yeah, uh, that would be nice, Delilah.” Drake could feel the sweat beads his forehead had started giving birth to. “Excuse me.” Drake brushed by Delilah and made his way into the men’s bathroom next to the conference room.
Drake grabbed a paper towel and dabbed the sweat from his forehead. He then did what he had come into the bathroom to do in the first place. He closed his eyes, bowed his head and began to pray.
“Father God, I just thank You for the position You have placed me in; to be able to come into contact with individuals that will allow me to be prosperous and successful in this life You have blessed me with. Father God, I thank You for allowing me self-control in the relationships that might be formed as a result of these contacts. I thank You for allowing me to see the purpose of these relationships from Your eyes, God. Thank You for magnifying Yourself in situations so that my flesh may become microscopic. Right now, Father God, in the name of Jesus, I declare that my flesh has no control over my spirit man and that anything that is not of You be bound and sent off to a dry place, never to return again. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.”
Drake opened his eyes, wiped his palms down his slacks and then took a deep breath before exiting the bathroom. As he was coming out, Delilah had just exited the conference room and was heading back to her desk.
“Hannah, are you okay?” Drake said, entering the conference room and finding Hannah wiping tears from her eyes. “What happened?”
Chapter 30
Although Locksie still enjoyed her morning coffee with her aunt Mary, ever since Locksie had joined Naomi’s church two months ago and had managed not to miss a Sunday since, their relationship felt a little distant. When Locksie called Mary from the church parking lot that day after service, excited by the wonderful new church she had visited, she didn’t really think about disappointing her aunt. Now she realized maybe she should have.
Mary felt the distance between her and her niece and thought that it might be hindering their relationship, so she decided that it was finally time to address the situation with Locksie.
“Can I ask you something?” Mary started. “And I don’t want you to take this the wrong way. But I was just wondering . . . I mean, I’m so happy to see you into church and all, but I was just wondering why you didn’t choose my church to worship at,” Mary said, trying not to take it personally. But she had. She loved The Baptist Saints Tabernacle. That’s where she had given her life to Christ ten years ago after her rape. It had taken a near death experience for God to get Mary’s attention, but she hadn’t looked back since. Every now and then she thought about the night she was beaten, tortured and raped for nine hours. Locksie had even left her home in the middle of the night a couple of times when her aunt had called her up afraid and crying after a nightmare. But she knew that by the grace of God she was alive. She’d watched Court TV enough times to know that some women don’t make it out of those situations alive, and had it been up to the perpetrator, she wouldn’t have. But it hadn’t been up to him; it had been up to God, and He spared her.
Pastor Clevens had heard about the incident on television and went up to the hospital and prayed with Mary. She got saved right there in that room, not knowing if she’d ever make it out of the hospital. But Pastor Clevens and other church members of The Baptist Saints Tabernacle showed up every day and prayed for Mary’s healing until she began to walk in it.
Mary knew that sometimes the church folk there could be a little difficult at times, but as long as God kept showing up at that church, so would Mary. She’d hoped Locksie would have the same outlook.
“You said yourself you enjoyed the service,” Mary reasoned with Locksie. “You talked about it for days.”
Locksie pretended to take a sip of her coffee even though she had already guzzled it all down. This gave her time to think of an excuse for why she chose not to go to her aunt’s church. But then she realized that she didn’t need an excuse. She should be able to worship God wherever she wanted to. “I did enjoy the service. It was excellent; truly wonderful. Your church is beautiful, Aunt Mary. I mean, whoever designed the building deserves an award. It truly is beautiful.” Locksie beat around the bush until finally blurting out, “It’s the people that were just ugly.” Locksie took another pretend sip of her coffee as Mary waited for her to explain herself. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean ugly in the literal sense—like their outside appearance. I mean ugly as in the way they were acting. The girl at the door acted like she was mad that I wanted one of the programs she was supposed to be handing out. The usher acted like he didn’t want to take the few more steps to seat me a few pews closer than the one he had picked out for me. And during the welcoming of the visitors, them heifers only half wanted to look at me, let alone welcome me.”
Mary shook her head. “Umph, umph, umph. I guess I’ve just been so caught up in getting the Word and doing what I’m supposed to do, that I didn’t even think about how things might look to anybody else, especially visitors. I guess I’m just used to all them heifers by
now.” Mary tried to laugh it off, but Locksie could tell she was a little disturbed.
“I’m not trying to talk about the people you fellowship with, but it’s just not for me. They didn’t make me feel at home or welcomed. And they seem to get it honest.”
“What do you mean?”
“That first lady; her tongue is like a knife. Trust me, I don’t know too much about the Bible. I’ve only read a few books, but I read the book of Ruth. And that first lady is certainly no Naomi that I’d want to follow.”
Mary sat silent for a minute as certain situations that had taken place in church began to resurface in her head. She thought about the time one of the ministers told a choir member that she had a voice that only God could love. She thought about another time when the first lady had run off one of the members of the church by belittling her and talking to her like she was some chick on the street. And that was just one person. No telling how many other members the first lady had run off with that sharp tongue of hers. Because of some of the things Mary had endured in life, she was tough-skinned, and there wasn’t too much the first lady, or anyone else for that matter, could say to hurt her feelings. But perhaps she should have considered other people who didn’t have skin as thick as hers.
Mary knew God’s Word and that it said to turn the other cheek. She couldn’t help but reason, though, that in His house, perhaps some things were just unacceptable and should have been rebuked.
Up until now, Mary had turned the other cheek and a blind eye to some of the not-so-Christlike characteristics of some of her fellow members. She figured that was just the way they were and that God would deal with them accordingly. But now that she realized there was a possibility that their actions were keeping members from coming back to God’s house, possibly keeping souls from being saved, she knew it was time to do something about it. With the church meeting coming up, that would be the perfect time.