Pandora's Box

by Allison Hobbs

After Victoria and Jonee finished filling out the forms, two young men practically fell over each other trying to get to Jonee’s bags. It was just the kind of negative attention Victoria had hoped to avoid.

  After they had unpacked and settled in their rooms, the boys, who had become quite chummy, convinced their mothers to accompany them to the arcade they’d spotted in the hotel lobby.

  “We’re not staying too long, fellas,” Victoria said, glancing at her watch. “The next shuttle to the Magic Kingdom leaves in an hour.”

  Jordan and Alec scampered about; they seemed content playing one video game after another, without giving a thought to the Magic Kingdom, or any other theme park that Victoria was impatient to visit. Jonee leaned sexily against the change machine, engrossed in flirtatious banter with the pimply-faced game room attendant. She didn’t appear to be in much of a hurry either. Victoria wandered unhappily behind the boys, dispensing change on demand.

  As a child, during a summer visit to California, Victoria went to Disneyland with her mother. But the memory did not evoke joy. Zeline had complained of a headache, exacerbated by the long lines, the heat, and all the walking. They had only gotten as far as Fantasyland, and Zeline was ready to leave, promising to return before the end of Victoria’s stay. They never did.

  A late lunch in the hotel’s rather formal dining room did not go over well with the boys; they wanted McDonald’s.

  Unhappily, Jordan pushed peas around his plate, mixing them in with congealing mashed potatoes. Except for the roast beef, Alec’s food was untouched also. Victoria beckoned the waitress for the check.

  “We’ve missed two shuttles. The last one arrives at four. It’s probably too late to start out for the Magic Kingdom. We’ll have to hang out at the hotel tonight,” Victoria said, apologetically.

  “That’s cool,” Jonee said.

  “There’s a pool in the basement. Who wants to go for a swim?” Victoria asked.

  “I do!” Jordan and Alec both shouted.

  “Okay, but afterward I want you both to get a good night’s sleep so we can get an early start in the morning.” Victoria paused, scanning one of the many tourist pamphlets. “Wait a minute,” she said excitedly. “We can go to Sea World. It’s not far, and later we can have a Polynesian luau-style dinner. Won’t that be fun?”

  Jonee screwed up her face. “Are there rides and things at Sea World, or just a bunch of fish?”

  “Rides? No, but the boys will love it.” Victoria unfolded the Sea World map. “Look!” Victoria said, trying to sound upbeat. “There’s entertainment. See!” She pointed to a picture of a dolphin twirling a ball. “A dolphin show, an exhibit…and the kids are allowed to feed the dolphins.”

  “I’m tired,” Jonee said, stretching. “I came here to see Disney World, I wasn’t planning on messin’ with no fish…so I’m gonna have to pass.”

  “Come on, Jonee,” Victoria whined. “They’re not just ordinary fish. We’ll see dolphins, sharks, and…” Victoria looked down at the pamphlet, her eyes widened. “And Shamu the Whale!”

  Jonee sucked her teeth. “I told you, I’m not tryin’ to see no sharks or whales. Why you trying to cram so much in one day? We got five whole days, don’t we?”

  “Only four after today,” Victoria replied.

  “Look girl, I just want to chill tonight. Eat dinner in my room and watch a movie. I don’t feel like a whole lot of rippin’ and runnin’.”

  Victoria was crestfallen.

  “Why you gotta look so sad? Girl, go on to Sea World. I’m not stopping you.”

  “Okay, Jonee. If you change your mind, we’ll be in our room for the next half hour or so.”

  “Don’t hold your breath. But look…you can take Alec if you want to. He likes sharks and whales, don’tcha, baby?” Jonee patted her son on the head.

  Knowing that Alec would be good company for Jordan, Victoria agreed to take him along.

  After the trip, Alec ended up crashing in the room with Victoria and Jordan. Jonee picked him up around two in the morning, explaining that she was sound asleep and hadn’t heard them knock when they returned from Sea World.

  The first morning in Orlando, Victoria awakened early. Excited as Jordan, she couldn’t wait to explore Disney World, the Epcot Center, Universal Studios, MGM Studios—she wanted to do it all.

  On their way downstairs to breakfast, Jordan grabbed his denim jacket.

  “Oh no, baby. We don’t need our jackets. It’s hot!”

  Tossing his jacket aside, Jordan grinned.

  Victoria picked up the phone to call Jonee.

  “Good morning,” Victoria said cheerfully to Jonee’s sleepy hello.

  “Rise and shine! Jordan and I are dressed and on our way downstairs to breakfast. The buffet started at seven.” The buffet breakfast was included in the package and Victoria wanted to take advantage of it.

  “I know you trippin’. I’m not getting up this early for no damn buffet. We’re on vacation. Remember? I’m staying in bed, and I’m calling for room service.”

  “Get up, Jonee.” Victoria dragged out her name. “The first shuttle leaves in an hour.”

  “Girl, I’m ’bout sick of hearing about when these shuttles are pullin’ out. Why you wanna leave so early? Damn!”

  “The Magic Kingdom is huge. It takes a couple of days, at least, to see all of it.” Victoria couldn’t keep the whine from her voice. “So, we’ll wait for you in the dining room, okay?”

  “Yeah, all right,” Jonee mumbled.

  Victoria and Jordan walked to the elevator. A white family of four, dressed in summer attire: shorts and sleeveless shirts, waited by the elevator. Victoria smiled a greeting. The mother responded with something of a facial contortion, and drew two freckled children closer to her. The father, perusing a guide to Orlando, became instantly engrossed.

  “Hmph!” Victoria snorted, wishing there was a way to take back her smile.

  Turning her attention toward Jordan, Victoria scowled. She wondered if she should have dressed him lighter. Would the heavy sweatshirt be too warm? Then reminding herself that white people were notorious for jumping into summer attire way before the temperatures required it, she relaxed. In Philly, white people threw down their convertible tops and headed for the Jersey shore at the first signs of spring, while black people, far more cautious, didn’t shed their jackets until the beginning of June. And black people most certainly did not step foot on the beach until late, late June.

  As the elevator descended, the white family chatted noisily, as if the elevator was an extension of their hotel room. Victoria spoke to Jordan in a hushed tone—requisite elevator etiquette, she believed.

  “What’s wrong, Jordan?” she whispered for the second time.

  “I’m not hungry, Mommy. I don’t wanna eat breakfast.”

  “You’ll get hungry later, so let’s eat now,” she said firmly. As they stepped out of the elevator, she coaxed him with one hand toward the impressive buffet table; the other hand removed his cap. Jordan looked at his mother, knitting his brows in confusion.

  “You don’t eat with a cap on,” Victoria explained, but Jordan’s expression did not soften with clarity. His mother was imposing a new rule.

  Victoria surprised herself. Influenced by the elegant atmosphere, she instantly took on Nana’s old-fashioned rules of etiquette.

  Jordan refused to touch his eggs, bacon and pancakes. He ate a couple spoonfuls of cereal, then wrinkled his face, and poked out his lips.

  “Knock it off, Jordan. Do you want to spend the entire day in the hotel room? That’s exactly what you’re going to do if you don’t straighten up,” Victoria said unconvincingly.

  Jordan slouched in his seat and continued frowning.

  Victoria held Jordan with an unwavering gaze of disapproval. She was giving him the ultimate kids’ vacation, and he had the nerve to pout. What an ingrate! And where was Jonee, she wondered, as she glanced at her watch for the thousandth time. Victoria’s attitude was rapidly changing f
rom enthusiasm to aggravation.

  Finally, Jonee breezed into the dining room with Alec. She wore dark sunglasses, skintight pink capris with a tiny top that stopped at her navel. Jonee insisted on dressing like a streetwalker; no wonder they were getting sidelong glances everywhere they went. Granted, Jonee was slim. She weighed no more than one hundred pounds, but her rear end was large, out of proportion to her size, and it protruded. It stuck out like an afterthought, and a longer top would have been more appropriate for a family outing. Victoria exhaled, and waved Jonee to their table.

  The Magic Kingdom was a magical experience, indeed, rendering the bumpy morning start a vague memory. The boys were enthralled by the parade of Disney characters that marched along Main Street. And Jonee was having a ball! Victoria’s body shook with laughter as she watched Jonee running down Main Street with a pack of kids, in hot pursuit of Disney characters.

  Not once during their entire stay did Victoria wear a drop of makeup—not even lipstick. Jonee wore enough for them both.

  Each morning Victoria and the boys ate a buffet breakfast in the hotel dining room, while Jonee spent the time painting her face and diligently applying false eyelashes. Victoria couldn’t imagine why Jonee bothered with such a time-consuming, tedious task. One morning, Jonee’s lengthy makeup ritual caused them to miss both the eight and nine o’clock shuttles. Jordan and Alec were inconsolable as they watched the little van pull off without them.

  On that day, Victoria drove herself and the boys to Universal Studios in a rental car, leaving Jonee at the hotel, alone with her silly lashes—all day.

  The primary purpose of the trip to Orlando was to spend quality time with their kids, not to pick up men, as Jonee’s come-hither look suggested. But Victoria kept her thoughts and opinions to herself; she had learned to tread lightly on the subject of Jonee’s appearance or behavior.

  On their last night in Orlando, Jonee asked Victoria to baby-sit Alec overnight.

  “I have a date,” Jonee whispered. Her eyes danced with excitement. “Got two customers lined up, and I’m charging vacation rates. Two hundred apiece—plus tips. Girl, you know I’m not about to turn down that kind of money.”

  Unable to speak, Victoria could only gape at Jonee and shake her head. Jonee was conducting business from her hotel room. Soliciting customers in Orlando—family-oriented Orlando? Instantly, an image of the father of the unfriendly family that Victoria had encountered at the elevator flashed across her mind.

  It occurred to Victoria that Jonee had been enjoying a lot of free time during their vacation. Tonight probably wouldn’t be the first time she’d used her room for illicit activities. The woman had stooped lower than Victoria thought her capable. But without uttering a sound of condemnation, keeping her feelings to herself, Victoria agreed to baby-sit. By the time Alec arrived in pajamas, Victoria’s emotions had run a full range from shock, disgust, and anger at Jonee to total sympathy for the sweet little boy. Clearly, Jonee’s priorities were skewed; her child deserved better.

  The temperature in Orlando had shot up to the nineties, and so they returned to Philly clad in summer attire, purchased from a strip mall near the hotel.

  “We’re just getting back from Florida. You wouldn’t believe how hot it was,” Jonee explained to the bundled-up, harried travelers at Philadelphia International Airport, who didn’t appear the least bit interested.

  Weary of Jonee, and seriously contemplating ending the friendship, Victoria was relieved when Jonee’s luggage appeared on the revolving rack.

  “Do you want me to wait for you?” Jonee asked.

  “No, go ahead. Who knows how long this will take.”

  “Okay, well…I’ll see you at work. Alec, tell Jordan goodbye.”

  Suddenly shy, the two boys blushed and raised their hands in an awkward farewell.

  “When are we going back to Disney World, Mommy?” asked Jordan, sporting Mickey Mouse ears.

  “We’re not even out of the airport yet, and you’re already asking to go back,” Victoria admonished, but was secretly tickled that Jordan had had such a good time, he wanted to return to Orlando.

  “Is our plane going right back to Disney World, Mommy?”

  I’m not sure, honey. I don’t think so. The plane probably needs to be refueled before it takes off again, and I’m sure the pilot needs to rest before he flies the plane again.”

  Jordan’s face lit up. “I want to be a pilot. Can I Mommy, please?”

  Victoria chuckled. “Sure, Jordan. You can be anything you want to be.”

  “Can I fly my airplane to Disney World every day? Can I, Mommy?”

  “Of course, you can. But pilots don’t just fly to Florida. They fly all over the world.”

  For the past week, Victoria had lived a normal life; she’d been a good mother who devoted much time and attention to her child. But Jordan’s innocent little face looking up at her, his words filled with hope, had reminded Victoria of her own lost dreams.

  “When can I start, Mommy?”

  “Start what?” she asked, distracted.

  “Start being a pilot.”

  Victoria lovingly cupped her son’s face. “You can start preparing now. We’ll get lots of books about airplanes, and when you’re a little older you can take flying lessons.”

  Their luggage finally appeared. Jordan dragged a large net bag filled with Florida oranges while Victoria carried the luggage with one hand, and squeezed her son’s small free hand with the other. She tightened her grip with each step, silently willing Jordan to never accept defeat as she had.

  CHAPTER 18

  Victoria was sorry she’d responded to Rover’s eight-a.m. call of distress. He’d said that he needed her to fill in for Zoe, the only black girl allowed to work the morning shift.

  Victoria wasn’t scheduled to return to work for two more days. Unpacked luggage, stacked in a corner in the bedroom, implied that she was still in vacation mode—mentally unprepared for the frenetic energy at Pandora’s Box.

  “You’ll be perfect on the morning shift,” Rover had said. “We have a nice clientele. Mainly businessmen who prefer the classy type…like you.”

  Victoria should have followed her instincts, but instead she allowed Rover’s flattery, along with her own greed, to uproot her from her warm, safe bed.

  Victoria entered the lounge and was hit with a feeling of foreboding. Oh God! Not an anxiety attack. It had been months since the last one.

  Perhaps her anxiety stemmed from her lack of familiarity with the four white girls she’d be working with, though she recognized one of them, Georgette, as the person who had greeted her when she came in for her interview with Rover.

  The personalities of the morning shift, Victoria noticed, were very different from those on the second shift. They were an alert and peppy group—energized Barbie dolls, chatting amicably, though clearly ignoring Victoria. The Barbie dolls were dressed and made up before Victoria had even figured out which restaurant would deliver the coffee necessary for her to function. If her sluggish movements were indicative of her ability to make money, then she was headed for big trouble.

  Fueled by indignation, Victoria mustered the energy to flip her braids dramatically and turn up her nose, sending the message that she was unfazed by their silent treatment. Across the room, she noticed a menu tacked to the wall. She sauntered over. There was a five-dollar minimum for delivery. She scanned the breakfast selections, but nothing looked appealing, everything was high-cholesterol, and higher fat. Victoria used the pay phone to order a large coffee and a bagel—no butter, totaling three dollars and tax. What the hell, she’d just have to pay the extra money, she certainly wasn’t going to try to find out if any these bimbos wanted to place an order.

  The first customer of the morning arrived before the coffee, but Victoria joined the bevy of girls at the door anyway. A professional-looking white man, who wore a suit beneath a trench coat, and carried a briefcase, stood in the lobby, smiling. Grey eyes flicked with interest from
girl to girl, but there was cool indifference when he noticed Victoria.

  Racist, she muttered to herself, then abruptly spun around and returned to the lounge to wait for the delivery guy. There was no point in standing around trying to dazzle the customer with a hard-to-hold fake smile when he had shown no interest in her.

  The man selected a tall, slender blonde named Diana, who resembled the late British princess uncannily. Diana smiled smugly at her competitors before she swept off, leading the man and his briefcase up the corridor. Victoria was mildly amused by the reactions of those who weren’t chosen. They streamed back into the lounge red-faced and pouting. Amanda, who was as tall and slim as Diana, but past her prime, chewed her lower lip furiously.

  The bell rang. Victoria rushed to answer it with the seeming assurance that the caller was for her. As expected, it was the guy from the deli. She handed the young black man a ten-dollar bill and waited for change. The pleasant-looking, chubby-cheeked fellow could hardly conduct the money exchange as he gawked at the nearly-nude women who had rushed to the door, then swiftly retreated, en mass, back to the lounge.

  Violated, apparently, by the black man’s roving gaze, the white women huffed indignantly and cloaked themselves with robes, sweaters, towels—anything that covered their exposed body parts.

  “What kind of place is this?” he inquired, whispering.

  Despite the young black man’s shameless interest in Caucasian women, buoyed by a desire to further provoke her co-workers, Victoria responded with a wink. “This is a whorehouse.”

  “Damn,” he exclaimed, prolonging the word. “I thought something freaky was going on up in here. How much to get with one of y’all?” He craned his thick neck as far as he could, looked past Victoria, as if her presence was inconsequential, and ogled the disinterested white women in the lounge.

  Victoria shook her head. What was wrong with some black folks? This moron was practically drooling. Didn’t he realize that his behavior perpetuated the myth that all black men desired and preferred white women? An annoying image of Justice Martin’s white secretary flashed in Victoria’s mind. Uncharacteristically, Victoria snatched her change—a five-dollar bill the delivery guy held out trance-like, as he surveyed the lounge.