Color Me Grey

by Michelle Janine Robinson

  Sitting in his office now with Bridget, on the heels of offering her a position that would probably change her life, David realized he was once again in a position to make a difference. Despite his apprehension, he decided to go full speed ahead with the reason he had asked Bridget to his office. But first, given her body language after he mentioned the circumstances of her being employed at McDonnell, he wanted to put her at ease.

  “Bridget, before I continue, let me first apologize for bringing up how you came to work for me. I consider myself a good judge of character. Somehow, I don’t believe you were the person that engineered your placement here. I believe it was probably someone else; someone a lot more crafty.”

  Bridget wasn’t sure how she should feel about David’s comments about Jade. However, she decided to hear him out before responding. It had taken her a few months, but between David’s coolness towards her and comments from her co-worker Brianna, who had found out the real-deal from her cousin Pookie—Big Rob’s runner, Bridget eventually figured out how she had truly gotten the job at McDonnell.

  “That’s fine Mr. McDonnell. It’s okay. Really.”

  “No, Bridget, it’s not okay. And I’m going to make you a promise today. I will never bring up the circumstances of your employment here, ever again.”

  David was happy to see that his last comment had elicited a smile from Bridget. It made him happy.

  “Well, that’s enough of that talk. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Bridget said.

  “Let’s get down to the task at hand. As you know, Linda is no longer working here. I’ve been very impressed with your commitment to this firm and the level of work you’ve been doing here. I’d like to offer you the position as my assistant. It would be at a significant pay increase from what you’re presently making; not to mention an increase in your yearly bonuses, and other benefits. Do you think that’s something you might be interested in? It would do me a great service if you say yes. I’ve been lost without Linda and you seem to be the only person here that even comes close to her abilities.”

  Bridget was speechless for a brief second. “I... I...” she stuttered. “I...um, yes...of course. I’d love the job. Are you sure? Are you really sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  David was so taken with her response, he couldn’t think of anything he would rather do right then than take her in his arms, but he knew that would be unacceptable.

  “Yes, I’ll take the job. Thank you so much, Mr. McDonnell. I promise you won’t regret this. I’m going to do a really good job. I promise!”

  “I’m sure you will, Bridget. I have every confidence in you. Take the rest of the week off and start fresh on Monday. You’ve earned a couple of days off. I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Monday. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Linda’s been gone for two months and things have gotten very overwhelming.”

  Bridget raced out of the office on cloud nine, eager to tell someone. But who would she tell? Jade would surely try to figure out a way for her to do something she probably wouldn’t want to do, or she would try to get a job at McDonnell as well. She’d already hinted at that several times. Bridget already told her they only had three floaters and they weren’t hiring anymore. If she told her about the promotion, she’d realize that her prior position was vacant. Bridget decided not to share her good news with Jade.

  She decided to do what she liked doing best; she would catch an early train to Long Beach and spend the day—maybe even some of the night—enjoying the beach. It was the middle of July and sure to be a great day to spend on the beach.

  Bridget also went shopping over the weekend and purchased some clothes with the money she had been religiously saving over the last few years. There was no better time than now to get her own place. Bridget was ready to be on her own. She needed autonomy and, although she knew Jade would be pissed, she had a newfound independent nature. She was quite happy with that and had every intention of exercising it.

  Bridget arrived an hour early on Monday morning and decided to spend some time freshening up in the ladies room. It had been so warm that morning, she had opted to commute without pantyhose and put them on when she arrived. She was in one of the bathroom stalls when she heard Kimberly and Tania talking. They obviously didn’t know she was there, or they probably wouldn’t have been doggin’ her out the way that they were.

  “He’s been checking her out from the minute she walked her skinny ass up in here,” Bridget heard Tania say.

  “Well, it’s his firm and he can do whatever he wants, but the shit is foul. We both started working here long before her. If anybody should’ve gotten that position, it should have been you or me. That job pays eighty thousand a fuckin’ year. My man’s out of work and shit, and my kids are startin’ Catholic school in the fall. I coulda used that money,” Kimberly said. “But no, he gives it to that fuckin’ chickenhead. She ain’t even got no kids. She’s probably gonna end up like the last assistant he had; sniffin’ that shit up her nose. God don’t like ugly. I woulda felt a little better about him dissin’ us, if he’d at least hired somebody from outside the office.”

  “Yeah. At least that would’ve made some damn sense. Instead, he hires some young girl with no experience. I asked her where she worked before this and she tried to do a divert. I’m tellin’ you, there’s somethin’ foul about her. I bet you she’s fuckin’ him.”

  Bridget heard one of the other stalls open.

  Bridget instantly recognized Brianna’s voice. She had a high-pitched squeak—particularly when she was excited—and this was definitely one of those moments. Brianna was a sweet girl, but she needed to learn to keep some things to herself. Each and every Monday morning, she’d enthrall everyone with “blow by blow” accounts of her latest sexual encounter. The last two or three weeks, the male “lead” in her little sexual melodrama was Kenny; the mail guy or, as Brianna liked to call him, Big Dick. If you could be fired for sexual improprieties, Brianna definitely had both feet on a banana peel. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Brianna, or that she wasn’t a bit intrigued with her sexual exploits; it wasn’t law office conversation. She wasn’t the least bit discreet.

  Brianna was a Technicolor girl working in a black and white world. She didn’t have a clue how to change channels. Not only was she loud, but so were her clothes. Bridget peeked through the opening. Brianna was wearing lime-green vinyl pants and a white button-down shirt. The shirt would’ve been conservative enough, if it wasn’t two sizes too small and the buttons didn’t look like they were going to pop off and go flying any minute. Bridget guessed that Brianna wore tight shirts to show off her latest investment—an upgrade from a set of 34B’s to a set of 38DD’s. She had the audacity to plop them down on Bridget’s desk one afternoon, right in front of Mr. McDonnell.

  Bridget assumed that the partners and management kept Brianna around as a sexual stimulant to an otherwise ho-hum day. Even ultra-serious Mr. McDonnell seemed to like her. It was rumored that she’d been with other partners in the firm and Bridget wondered if Brianna had been with him, too. Brianna didn’t discriminate; she screwed everything from the janitor to the managing partner. It often occurred to Bridget that Brianna’s behavior was probably what Mr. McDonnell had expected of her, under the circumstances of which they met.

  “You know, ya’ll are triflin’,” Brianna said.

  Bridget had been sitting behind the stall trying to stifle her crying and waiting for Kimberly and Tania to leave. Hearing Brianna stick up for her made her feel better. Despite Brianna’s eccentric ways, Bridget always liked her—she was more real than most people, more honest. Hearing Brianna defend her made her like her even more.

  “Excuse me,” Kimberly said.

  “You heard me; ya’ll are triflin’. The girl came up in here to do a job. She don’t bother nobody. She ain’t all up in everybody’s business, like some people, and she does a good fuckin’ job! She ain’t takin’ coffee and cigarette breaks all damn day and shit. She does her jo
b. And, ya’ll tryin’ to fault her for that.” She paused. “I would’ve liked to have that eighty grand, but I ain’t Bridget. I’m not in here working on weekends and asking other secretaries if they need help when I’m not busy. I don’t offer to stay late whenever they’re short-staffed, but Bridget does.” Brianna sighed. “So, yeah, she deserved that job. More power to her. She’s the one who did the research and found that less costly supplies company. You don’t think that went a long way in getting her that job? Well, you’re both fools, if you don’t think that made a difference. So instead of doggin’ her out for doin’ her fuckin’ job, why don’t ya’ll spend less time hangin’ out in the bathroom talkin’ about everybody and go do your jobs.”

  “Since when do you tell us what to do? You don’t even work for a partner. You ain’t got no right to tell us what we should be doin’,” Tania said with spite.

  “No, you’re right. I ain’t got no right to tell you what to do, but my girl, Bridget, is workin’ for the owner of this firm. If he knew you were questioning his choice for an assistant, he might have somethin’ to say. In fact, if all the shit you sayin’ about her and Mr. McDonnell is true, you know, if he’s fuckin’ her and all that, I’d be very careful about what I say and where I say it.”

  Both Kimberly and Tania left the bathroom in a huff, fully aware that they were treading on dangerous ground; especially since they both desperately needed their jobs.

  “Whatever,” Tania said as a parting word.

  Kimberly tried to slam the heavy bathroom door and left, fully aware that she had played herself.

  “Bridget,” Brianna said. “Bring your ass out here. I know damn well you ain’t in there cowering because of these tired bitches.”

  Bridget opened the door and walked out quietly.

  “Thanks.”

  “Thanks for what? We girls and all, but that wasn’t only for you. I’m sick of those hoes. They always talkin’ about who’s screwing who and the two of them are like Grand Central Mother Fuckin’ Station. Stupid-ass Kimberly don’t know it, but Tania was even screwin’ her man behind her back. I can’t stand them and they’ve done their fair share of doggin’ me out, too. I don’t let these folks ruffle me. I am who I am and I’m not tryin’ to live for nobody but me. You need to do the same. You need tougher skin, Bridget. You’ve got a great opportunity, but you’ve got to learn to stand up for yourself.”

  Bridget shrugged. “I don’t know why I care so much about what people say about me. I just do. My best friend, Jade, tells me that all the time.”

  “The next time you let people’s words fuck wit’ your head, remember, none of us, and I do mean none of us, would like to have our lives on display for the world. So, whoever it is that’s tryin’ to judge you, has got their own glass house to deal with, with a closet full of skeletons.

  “Ignore, ignore, ignore; that’s my motto. Kimberly and Tania aren’t the only ones you need to watch out for. These other secretaries here ain’t your friends either and they’re not to be trusted.” Brianna stared at Bridget and put her hands on her hips. “This kind of shit burns me up. David’s assistant was sniffin’ more blow than her nose could hold, but everybody around here is tryin’ to act like you pushed her out her job or somethin’. You earned that fuckin’ job and don’t let nobody tell you otherwise. Pussy is pussy and all that, but Mr. M. is a businessman. I’ve worked here long enough to know, he’s good at what he does, and he ain’t tryin’ to hire somebody that don’t know what she’s doin’. That’s all I’m gonna say about the matter. Get yours and ignore the haters. At the end of the day, they’re not putting clothes on your back or food on your table.”

  Bridget felt much better.

  “Thanks, Brianna. Thanks a lot.”

  After the two of them left the bathroom, the name Jade kept ringing in Brianna’s ears. It wasn’t exactly a common name and she knew that Bridget either lived or used to live in the Bronx. She kept wondering if this could be the same Jade that her cousin, Pookie, knew. The same Jade that was Big Rob’s woman. Big Rob was Hunts Point’s biggest drug dealer and Brianna’s cousin was one of his runners. She hoped that wasn’t the person Bridget had referred to as her best friend.

  She’d met Jade once, a year or so ago and, from what she could remember, Jade’s comments about her gullible frien-emy sounded eerily like Bridget. Brianna sincerely hoped she was wrong and that it was a different Jade altogether. If it were the same person, Bridget had bigger problems than the haters at the office. The Jade she’d met was trouble, plain and simple.

  For the next several months, Bridget learned all there was to know about expense reports, invoices, HR work, and anything and everything that had to do with running a successful law firm. Her days in the word processing department were over and she was the assistant to one of the most influential lawyers in New York City. She even established some savvy with dealing with the “haters” at the firm, as Brianna called them. They were all acutely aware that David considered Bridget invaluable. And they were fearful of losing their jobs, so they didn’t dare fuck with her.

  “Hi, Bridget,” Kimberly said. “David brought this document over to WP. He said you were too busy to work on it. It’s all done and ready to go. You want me to bring it in to him?”

  “No, thanks. You can give it to me.”

  Ever since Kimberly and Tania had made her cry behind that bathroom stall with their cruel words, Bridget found herself taking great joy in the level of control she had over them. It wasn’t her typical nature, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. The two of them couldn’t wait to go switching their asses around David. He was considered quite the catch and was an attractive man. Kimberly’s only objective in offering to take his work directly to his office, instead of giving it directly to Bridget, his assistant, as was firm policy, was so that she might have an opportunity to get some attention from David. Just as Bridget was waving Kimberly away, David walked in.

  “Bridget, are those the revisions to that brief I took over to WP?”

  “Yes. But, I could’ve worked on this. I wasn’t that busy.”

  “I’d prefer you to continue working on those letters regarding our unpaid invoices. I can’t give you that monster Christmas bonus, if our clients don’t pay us. Also, we have that first-year associate starting on Monday. Is everything squared away with him? You know, the usual—Human Resources, office set-up, orientation?”

  “Everything’s pretty much done. I’ve got his name plate right here, so Office Services can put it on his door. It’s Stephen P. Martin, right—Stephen with a ‘ph’?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I’m sure he’ll be here bright and early, but that’s not a problem for you, since you’re usually here at the crack of dawn anyway. Right?”

  “Don’t make fun, David. It’s all your fault anyway. You keep me so busy I like to have a chance to ease into my day rather than hit the ground running as soon as I arrive. If I get here early, you’re not here yet and I can work on whatever is on my desk before I get bombarded with more.”

  “You know you wouldn’t have it any other way. McDonnell & Simpson would crumble without you. I truly don’t know how this firm or I ever survived without you.”

  Bridget was surprised at the ease with which she and David were able to work together. She was full of pride at hearing how valued an employee she was. She often forgot about the circumstances under which she’d come to work at McDonnell & Simpson. It appeared as though he did as well.

  “Oh, Bridget, one more thing, I want to pick your brain about the Christmas party and gifts for the staff when you finish sending out those letters. Okay?”

  “I’ll be done in about fifteen minutes.”

  “You got any plans for lunch?” David asked.

  “No, not at all.”

  “Tell you what. Why don’t we have a working lunch? We’ll go to Smith & Wollensky, and have two huge steaks. Oh, and you can also have a steak.”

  Bridget laughed at David’s silliness. He really was a
nice guy. To some extent, that made Bridget feel a little guilty. Jade never mentioned anything to her outright, but Bridget knew she had an association with Greg in accounting, that she had tried to forge a relationship with Brianna, and that she had even known Linda for a time. She also knew that nothing Jade did was without purpose. Not only that, Jade had been trying for quite some time to get a job at McDonnell. Bridget didn’t know the specifics, but she was sure Jade was planning something. She wondered if Jade would listen, if she talked to her about leaving David and his firm alone.

  “That sounds good, but who’s going to watch the office while we’re gone?”