Back to Me

by Wanda B. Campbell

  “Dr. Simone, I must admit, I’m surprised to see you this morning. When we parted yesterday, I wasn’t sure if we had reached a truce or not,” she finally said.

  “If we hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” he answered in the no-nonsense tone she was used to. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m looking for some investment properties, preferably four fourplexes. Fixer-uppers are fine, as long as they’re in good neighborhoods.”

  “And just how much are you prepared to spend, and how soon?” she asked while typing in the information on her computer screen.

  “Soon as possible, and no more than three hundred thousand each, repairs included.”

  She continued typing. “Is it safe to assume you’ve already solidified financing?”

  “This will be a cash transaction.”

  Her fingers slowed, but only momentarily. She was used to working with financially secure clients, but she had a feeling Sergio-Xavier was on another level. As they worked through the client intake form, Paige learned that Sergio-Xavier was single and lived within five miles of her office, near UC Berkeley.

  “I have everything I need to get started,” Paige said after printing a copy of the broker’s agreement for him to sign. “Can you answer one question for me?”

  “Sure,” he said after reading the document and signing on the dotted line.

  “Why do you have so many names? Two first names is kind of ghetto for someone of your caliber, don’t you think?”

  He leaned back, and the smirk on his face suggested that this might be the shortest client relationship of her career.

  “Miss McDaniels, I was just beginning to think you’re an intelligent woman, and then you open your mouth and say something stupid. Actually, I expected that, because you really can’t help it. It’s who you are.”

  The truce was officially over. Paige stood and pounded her desk with her palm. “Are you calling me stupid?”

  He remained seated, totally unmoved by her animated behavior. “What I’m saying is, stop judging people by your measuring stick, because your vision is blurred.”

  Paige shook her head, in total confusion. “What?”

  “Sit down and listen, and I’ll explain it to you.”

  Paige huffed and puffed and rolled her eyes, but she sat down. She didn’t want to listen, but she had a feeling she needed to. Then she would throw him out and tear up the contract.

  “First of all, I wasn’t born a doctor. I was born a regular human being, so my caliber, as you call, it is not important.”

  His humility surprised her, but she didn’t show it.

  “My paternal grandfather had five daughters and no sons. I was the first male in the family, and my mother wanted to name me after her Latino father, Sergio Xavier. My father wanted to name me after his childhood friend Winston, who died of sickle-cell anemia while in high school. The day I was born, my parents reached a compromise and honored them by giving me both of their names. Sergio-Xavier is my first name. Winston is my middle name. So you see? There is nothing ghetto about my name.”

  “Oh,” Paige mouthed more than voiced. “So you’re Latino?”

  “Actually, my mother is Latino and African American, and my father is French and African American, but that’s beside the point. Stop making assumptions about things you know nothing about.”

  “I don’t do that,” she retorted, defending herself. “At least not on purpose.”

  “Yes, you do,” he answered emphatically. “You judge people with ease based on your self-imposed high standards.”

  His words cut so deep and quick that Paige didn’t have a chance to brace herself. A tear escaped before she could get into self-preservation mode. She blinked rapidly and looked away. “If I’m such a bad person, then why did you come here today?”

  If he noticed the tear, he didn’t mention it. “Honestly, other than divine intervention, I don’t know why I’m here today. When I left you yesterday, I had no intentions of seeing you again, but as I jogged down the hill, I felt compelled to stop here.”

  “Really?” Her voice was just above a whisper.

  “Look, Paige,” he said, leaning forward, “for the record, you’re not a bad person. More than a little misguided, but not bad.”

  If you only knew what I did, she thought as another tear fell.

  “And despite what I said a moment ago, you are intelligent and beautiful, with a nice rear end.”

  “What—”

  “Hold on,” he said when she stood up again. “Before you start throwing holy water on me, I’m not flirting or being lustful. Just stating facts.”

  Slowly, she returned to her seat.

  “Gee whiz,” he said, shaking his head. “Why do women always think a man wants them just because he compliments them?”

  “Sorry.”

  He stood to his feet. “Look, let’s try this from the beginning. Hello, Miss McDaniels. My name is Sergio-Xavier Winston Simone, but you can call me Serg-X.”

  Suppressing a grin, she stared at his extended hand a long time before accepting it. “Hello, Sergio-Xavier. You may call me Paige.”

  “I’m glad there’s only one of you,” he said after the handshake.

  “I guess this means we’re friends now?” she asked, with more anticipation than she thought necessary.

  “No,” he answered through that perfect smile. “But at least now we can have a cordial business relationship.”

  She observed him as he prepared to leave, and felt the need to say something to prolong the visit.

  “Thank you for giving me another chance,” she said and handed him her business card. “For the most part, I’ll be contacting you, but just in case you ever need to reach me, all my numbers are on there.”

  He held the card in the palm of his hand. “I look forward to doing business with you, Paige.”

  This time, instead of watching his back, Paige walked beside him back to the reception area. With each step, she had a feeling her life was about to change. For better or worse, she didn’t know.

  Chapter 9

  “Way to go, ladies! We are on our way!” Paige exclaimed with more excitement than she’d felt in years.

  DWAP was officially up and running, and during its first week it had had enough sales to cover production expenses and to purchase more supplies, with a little profit left at the end. The marketing ploy of having the varsity football and basketball players wear the necklaces was ingenious. After one week nearly half of the student body was sporting DWAP originals, and according to the girls, even the geeks were wearing them. Although pleased, Paige wished the idea had been Seniyah’s instead of Jasmine’s.

  “Check this out,” Jasmine said, waving a handful of purple order slips. Another one of Jasmine’s ideas. “Purple represents royalty, and DWAP ladies are definitely royals,” she had said while trying to persuade the group to select that color. “I have orders for at least fifty more, and this doesn’t include what everyone else has done.”

  “Very good, Jasmine. Now you need to work on increasing your orders every week,” Paige told her. Paige wanted to encourage her, but she didn’t want to give her a false sense of ease. Running a business was hard work.

  Jasmine smacked her lips. “Whatever, Miss Paige.” Paige ignored the teenager’s attitude. Jasmine was always angry about something. “Divas, let’s hear your reports on how you’re doing, and then we can start production and do inventory control.”

  For the next twenty minutes, Paige stood in the back of the room while the divas stepped up to the podium individually and reported on their progress and outlined their goals for the following week. Paige felt like a proud mother as she listened to them identify selling opportunities and cost-saving measures. They effectively applied the principles she’d taught them, but what made Paige feel like dancing in the spirit right there in the classroom was their appearance.

  During the first meeting, Paige had emphasized how important it was to look professional in the business world.
At the time she didn’t think the girls were paying attention, but tonight’s display proved otherwise. They weren’t fans of long skirts and sleeves, but at least the tattoos and body piercings were covered. Most importantly, Jasmine’s hair was one color, blue, and it was pulled back and held together by a clip.

  Paige squeezed her long frame behind a student desk when her protégé took the podium. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about hiding her excitement about Seniyah’s brilliant ideas. She couldn’t jump up from the small desk if she wanted to. She smiled as Seniyah opened her notebook and began her presentation. She looked confident in the wool coat Paige had given her, although Paige thought it fit more snugly than it should. She’d purchased a larger size purposely to accommodate Seniyah’s fuller frame, or so she’d thought. Paige attributed the fit to the thick sweats the girl wore underneath, and then gave Seniyah her full attention. On her next shopping trip, she’d purchase Seniyah some dress slacks.

  Within seconds, disappointment couldn’t begin to describe how Paige felt. Seniyah spoke with confidence, but her ideas were mediocre at best. Her sales ranked at the bottom, and she didn’t have any concrete ideas about how to turn them around. It was then that Paige remembered that Seniyah never did e-mail her that marketing plan from the previous session. Unlike with the rest of the girls, at the end of Seniyah’s presentation, the only person clapping was Paige. As her mentor, she had to encourage her.

  “Are there any questions or suggestions for Seniyah?” Paige asked the group in hopes of helping Seniyah gain a better grasp of what she was supposed to be doing.

  “Ooh, ooh, I have a question,” Jasmine said, waving her hands in the air.

  Paige knew this wouldn’t turn out well, but she had opened the door and couldn’t close it now.

  “How much longer do we have to carry her?” Jasmine asked. “It’s obvious she don’t have a clue about what she’s doing.”

  “No one asked you to carry me,” Seniyah shot back, uncharacteristically outspoken. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve just been too busy lately to focus on the project.”

  “It’s not a project!” Jasmine yelled, silencing the murmuring among the other girls. “It’s a business, our business. If we don’t believe in it, no one else will. No one is waiting in line to hand us a free ride out of the ghetto like you have. I need this to work. This training and community college may be all I get.”

  Jasmine’s passion surprised Paige, but she couldn’t allow Jasmine to insult Seniyah. Sure, the girl needed to work harder, but Seniyah’s family dynamics were quite complicated. “Jasmine, let’s not be too hard on Seniyah, just because she applied herself and earned a scholarship,” Paige said, maneuvering from behind the desk and walking to the front of the room. “At least she’s trying.”

  “And just how do you know?” Jasmine snapped. “She hasn’t participated in any of our production sessions on the weekends. And she comes here late and doesn’t complete assignments. So unless you know something we don’t, just how do you know she’s trying?”

  Paige’s steps slowed as she neared the podium to stand next to Seniyah. She’d grown accustomed to dealing with Jasmine’s outbursts. Usually they were misguided, but not this time. Paige had assumed Seniyah was now participating in the weekend production sessions, and although she’d arrived earlier than last time, tonight Seniyah was still late. For once Paige didn’t have an answer to defend her favorite student. Neither did she like the unassuming expression Seniyah wore.

  “Instead of attacking one another,” Paige said, facing the group, “I think we need to come together as a team and work on our weaknesses.” She intended to spend some one-on-one time with Seniyah before the next session.

  “We’ve been doing that,” Jasmine shot back, gesturing toward the rest of the girls. “She’s the one who is not acting like a team player,” she added, pointing at Seniyah.

  Paige had to regain control before Jasmine convinced the group to vote Seniyah out. One of the rules governing the group was that everyone had to participate, or else they’d be asked to leave the group.

  “In any business there are people who work harder than others. However, DWAP’s goal is for every member to contribute to its success,” Paige told the girls. “That being said, instead of the regular production session on Saturday, I’m willing to attend and provide training and team-building skills.” She paused and turned to Seniyah. “Everyone must attend.” She faced the group again. “If any issues remain after that, then we’ll reevaluate and make any necessary changes as a group.”

  In the silence that followed, Paige prayed that Seniyah would get more involved and would lose the nonchalant attitude. She couldn’t admit it out loud, but Jasmine was right. Everyone had problems.

  “Fine,” Jasmine finally said. “Where do you want to meet?”

  Paige exhaled a sigh of relief. “We can meet at my office. I have a conference room. Let’s say three o’clock? The address is—”

  “We have your card,” Jasmine said, cutting her off, then walked to the production table and started counting beads. The rest of the girls followed, including Seniyah, but at a slower pace.

  Paige planned to speak with Seniyah after the other girls left, but as soon as the session ended, Seniyah darted out the door. Paige ran out to the parking lot in hopes of catching her, but the black wool coat was nowhere to be found.

  Chapter 10

  Paige sat in her usual third-row seat during Wednesday night Bible study and wondered if she was still saved. For the first time ever, she couldn’t comprehend the words written on the pages of the borrowed book, which was supposed to bring her life. Pastor Drake was an excellent teacher, and the Word of God was powerful, so the problem had to lie within her. She’d allowed other things, namely, Seniyah, to distract her and weigh her down to the point where she couldn’t focus on anything else.

  Afraid that Jasmine’s lack of compassion would diminish what little self-esteem Seniyah had and would cause her to quit DWAP and maybe give up on her dream of attending Stanford, after last night’s session, Paige had gone home and had prayed nonstop for the young girl. She’d dozed off several times while on her knees, only to awaken and continue praying. Her body ached so much, she could barely move when her alarm clock sounded this morning. Her fast from caffeine was short-lived. This morning she’d finished off a double espresso in record speed.

  Throughout the day, thoughts of Seniyah had distracted her to the point where she forgot to meet clients at the title company to sign the final documents for the purchase of their first home. When the anxious husband called her cell phone, she lied and said she was stuck in traffic. She repented as she left the office and got a speeding ticket en route to the title company. When she finally rushed into the title company, winded, the couple was so angry, they threatened to back out of the deal. It took Paige thirty minutes to calm them down and reassure them of the solid investment they were making. She even threw in a gift card to a home improvement store.

  It wasn’t until she sat down on the pew in church that she realized she’d left her Bible at home. She routinely kept her Bible inside her briefcase so she wouldn’t forget it. Now she missed Pastor Drake’s teaching on being an effective light to the world. She had checked out right after the topic appeared on the screen, because thoughts of how she was lighting the way for Seniyah’s future had consumed her.

  Without a doubt Paige knew it was her responsibility to give Seniyah a better life. She didn’t believe in luck or happenstance. If it weren’t God’s will for her to help Seniyah, He wouldn’t have placed the girl in her life the way he had. Seniyah needed what Paige had to offer: she could teach her how to present herself as a respectable young woman and how to succeed in school, and whenever the opportunity presented itself, Paige would teach her about the Lord. She had to dig deeper and discover what was going on with the girl. Seniyah was her assignment, and Paige would see to it that she didn’t become another statistic.

  When Pastor Drake ask
ed the audience if they had any questions, Paige closed the Bible and placed it back on the pew in front of her and left before the benediction. Another first for her, but she needed to map out a plan and maybe get some sleep.

  Paige sang and danced from room to room as she cleaned her house. It was indeed a day the Lord had made, and she was determined to be glad and rejoice. After two mentally and physically draining days, Paige had skipped the Friday all-night prayer session and had soothed her tired muscles in a hot bubble bath, then had collapsed onto her bed and fallen into a coma-like sleep. She’d slept so well, she didn’t change positions until her alarm sounded at 8:00 a.m. She’d got up without pressing the snooze button, and after brewing a cup of Columbian coffee in her Keurig, she’d turned on the sound system and started her weekly chores. Living alone and being a neat freak made the task easy. By nine thirty the dust had been wiped away, the clothes had been washed and sorted for dry cleaning, and the Pergo floor had been dust mopped. She had just enough time left to shower and get to the food bank on time.

  The clear blue sky didn’t deceive her today. The thermostat inside her Lexus registered sixty-nine degrees, perfect for jeans and a scoop-neck tunic. Paige’s wardrobe consisted of dark, conservative colors, like brown, black, and navy blue, and an abundance of white blouses. She was content in believing that dressing modestly was an outward sign of her inner commitment to God. As a result, Paige’s skirts stopped mid-calf, and her sleeves hit near the wrist. Tank tops, shorts, and open-toe shoes were out of the question.

  Her mother thought Paige would die an old maid because of her style, and she made a point to tell Paige that every chance she got. “It’s a good thing I’m around. Otherwise, a man wouldn’t be able to see what he’s getting, since you cover everything up,” she would say. “A man can tell how his woman will look in the future by how her mother looks.” Her mother would then pose to display her full breasts, tiny waist, and voluptuous hips. “You better learn to use what your mama gave you before you get too old.” If only her mother knew that using what her mama gave her was what had gotten Paige into trouble in the first place.