by Eva Morian
Imani cleared her throat as she smoothed the back of her skirt and returned to her seat, “He is, but everyone else is in conference room, C.” she repeated.
Susan gave Imani a plastic smile before she nodded, “Right. Thank you, Mr. Gabot and I will be going there together.” She stated.
Breaking from the desk, she tipped on her heels towards his office and Imani groaned to herself, “I’ll let him know that you’re one your way.” She said lifting the phone to her ear.
Susan paused before she slowly turned her body. She ran a French tipped finger underneath a bang before she rolled her shoulders back and gave her a poised glare, “And ruin the surprise of seeing me again? No, that is completely and utterly unnecessary. Get back to work, Imani. Some more files need to be pushed.” She hissed. Turning around, a smile once again formed on Susan’s face as she continued towards Simon’s office.
Imani grimaced to herself as she rolled her jaw from one side to the other, “Bitch.” She muttered under her breath. Pulling up their instant messaging service, Imani perked an eyebrow while her nails clicked rapidly on the keys and her gaze on the back of Susan’s head; sending a message to Simon.
Incoming.
Unfortunately, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Before he had a chance to read the message, a firm knock rapped across the door, and Susan entered. With her pearly white teeth on display, she sighed softly as the mere image of him stole her breath away. She stopped in the middle of his space and wiggled her fingers in his direction, “Hello, hello. Simon. I’m so happy to see you! It wasn’t the same at the Christmas party without you here.” She said.
Approaching him, she wanted to see what he was moving about and was more than pleased to see that he’d removed most Emily’s photos. Though, one stuck out like a sore thumb. She didn’t know the context, but could recognize that curly hair anywhere. Bundled in far too much with the mountain scape behind her, Cherish was proudly on display on his desk. Susan’s face fell slightly before she pushed aside her ill feelings and rested a palm against his shoulder, “Seeing you is absolutely wonderful. I thought the others would burn this place down without your guidance. How are you?” she asked with her hand blocking his view of Cherish’s picture.
Simon cleared off his desk and placed the folders in his briefcase. He gave a slight laugh and lifted his blue gaze to meet hers, “You know, I had that same worry, but Imani said everything ran smoothly. So, I should probably start going on more vacations when I have the days to spend. I’m feeling great though. Really needed the time off.” He said. He then narrowed an eye because even he could see she was dressed to the nines. He didn’t know the occasion but figured she felt as relaxed as he was. “You look refreshed too. Are you sure you worked the holidays?” He joked.
Breaking into a smile as his smooth words rippled over her form, Susan tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear and hid the blush of her cheeks with a hand, “Oh Simon…”
He shut his briefcase and rested it beside the chair, “The reason why I missed the party was because I went to Colorado. We went skiing, sledding, skating. We spent a lot of time by the fire and there was a cute little town there too. Very picturesque. Oh, and the lodge we rented? Beautiful. The sights were phenomenal. I highly recommend it.” he stated.
Her happiness was short-lived. We? What did he mean, we? Glancing over her shoulder at Cherish’s picture once more, her eyes narrowed slightly before she touched her throat. She tried her best to sound happy for him, but her tone was tight as she stepped away from his desk, “That sounds wonderful. Maybe we should have an office getaway with the other hard workers and take some time for ourselves. Good idea, right?” She questioned running her fingers along the back of a chair across from him.
Simon felt strange when Susan’s pitch shot up an octave. Still, he didn’t delve in and simply nodded, “Sounds like a great idea actually. Run it by Imani, she’ll get everyone involved.” He said.
Susan felt absolutely elated at the fact that he jumped on her idea. From her point of view, he practically couldn’t wait, and neither could she, “Of course! I will tell Imani and others when the meeting is over.” She expressed with a grin.
Almost as though she’d heard her name, Simon’s phone buzzed in before Imani’s voice echoed from the speaker, “Everyone is waiting on you and Susan, Mr. Gabot.”
Following him as he opened the door for her, she stroked along his arm, “Thank you.” She said. Taking a couple of steps away, she stopped, turned, and waited for him to finish what he had to do.
Simon shut the door behind him with his briefcase tucked beneath his arm. They both strolled towards the meeting and started their work day on a positive note; unbeknownst to him of Susan’s intentions.
Chapter 16
April.
Throughout the passing months, Cherish and Simon were finally back into the full swing of things. Over the holidays more cases poured into his department, so he was swamped both at home and in his office. She held off from getting a job so he wouldn’t have to worry about their kids. That was until February rolled around and one of the belts in her car snapped. Saving herself from a nagging from both Margaret and Simon, she took the car to be fixed. There, she was given the prognosis of how badly deteriorated the vehicle was. Now, burdened with the thought of having to replace the transmission and engine, she searched for a new job.
After two weeks, Cherish found one in a massive tourist spot which featured an aquarium, admission to a large museum, arena, and restaurants in one building alone. She, was a floater. Which meant she cleaned toilets, served food, operated ticket machines, and cashiered; all on her feet. Her schedule was set to where she’d be home with Simon and gone when he’d be in the office, on top of alternate weekends. To put it lightly, Cherish was exhausted again.
When prompted by Simon to ask why she was working and obviously miserable, she brushed it off and said she wanted to keep busy. As though keeping two crawling, babbling children, who loved to get into kitchen cabinets the most, wasn’t busy enough. Knowing Simon didn’t entirely buy her reason, Cherish would reassure him that she was fine; even if she was lying. This was not the kind of life she wanted to give Jasmine. After living in Simon’s home for nearly a year, she wanted to give both babies the lifestyle he was able to provide. She soon figured out retail wasn’t the way to go.
On one of her weekends off, Margaret had invited Cherish and Jasmine out for a mommy, daughter, and granddaughter day. As she packed Jasmine’s baby bag, she yawned out quietly before she caught herself, stopped, and peered around for Simon. If he saw her extra exhaustion, she knew that he’d somehow, someway talk her out of working and give her promises on how he wanted to take care of her. She would then see it his way and concede. But, that also meant telling her about the car which, the lecture that would come from he and his mother, was enough to keep her working until they found out.
Quitting wasn’t an option.
Dressed in a pair of jeans and a mustard crop top, her coiled curls fell well below her shoulders and each time she lifted her arm, a peek of her toned abdomen would expose itself. Having worked hard to get back to her pre-baby weight and stronger, she was quite proud of all she’d accomplished for herself; even the minute milestones.
Jasmine stood beside her mother with both hands holding her against the dresser and stared up, “Da-dee. Da-dee. Da-dee.” She repeated several times.
Cherish glanced down at her precious, precocious baby and sighed, “It’s mama baby, mama. Daddy is downstairs with Jr.” she replied with a soft laugh while packing diapers in the compartments along the side of the bag.
Now that Simon had a day off between his busy work schedule, he was more than happy to spend it with his family. A guy’s day out sounded fantastic and he hadn’t seen his dad in a long while. While Cherish was upstairs with Jasmine, he was putting Jr.’s little shoes on and double-checked he had everything he needed in the baby bag. Diapers, wipes, sweater, extra socks, extra outfit, snacks, and
a sandwich for his son.
Rubbing Jr.’s full head of thick, black hair, Simon zipped the bag shut before he went and organized Cherish’s day bag as well. From upstairs he soon heard his daughter calling out of him, so he picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and brought his son in his arms towards the kids’ room, “Are you guys almost ready?” he asked.
Dressed in a little purple floral number Simon had picked out, Cherish was in the middle of settling a hairband over Jasmine’s slight wispy hairs.
The moment she saw her brother and daddy, Jasmine broke into an excited smile and shrieked out in delight. She sat on the changing table while Cherish held out a hand in front of Jasmine and stretched herself to grab a small sweater from the closet, “Yeah, we’re almost done here. What about you guys?” She asked glancing at the boys.
Simon lit up when he saw Jasmine while Jr. rocked heavily against his dad with his shirt gripped in his fist. Going over to his baby, Simon let Jr. lean over and nicely pat along Jasmine’s head, “We’re ready to go. The bag is all set and ready by the door for you.” he said. Leaning over, he kissed Jasmine on her cheek while she grabbed against his with her little nails. Smiling for his daughter, he pried her hand off, “I love you. We’ll see you guys when we get home.” He said pulling back.
Taking a hold of Jr.’s chubby arm, he waved it while using a little voice, “Bye sissy! Bye mom! I’m going to be a man tonight. Hanging with the fellas until bedtime! Bye!” Simon said as he brought Jr. closer to Cherish.
Leaning in to kiss her boy on both cheeks, she crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow, "Yeah, be safe. Have fun. Don't come home after bedtime and we love you! Be safe with my baby!" She called after him.
As the boys left the house first, Cherish looked to her daughter. She smiled a bit to herself and waited a proper amount of time before going downstairs. Setting the alarm, she hurried out to the car with Jasmine in her arms and the bag on her shoulder. Strapping Jasmine in the car seat, Cherish got into the front and turned the ignition. The engine sputtered and died which caused her to sigh and lean her head over, "Come on. Come on. Come on..." Turning the key again, the car sputtered before cranking to life. She shut her eyes and exhaled before silently thanking the car under her breath.
Rolling down the windows, she gazed back at Jasmine in the car seat who looked rather confused, "Ready to go baby? Let’s go see Grandma!" She exclaimed backing out of the driveway.
Driving to his parent’s house, his dad waited outside the door thanks to his mother getting him ready on time. Climbing in the front seat, he nodded to Simon before he turned to his grandson with an excited glimmer in his eyes, “Hey little man, how’s my guy?” he asked while holding out his hand. It took a moment before Jr. clued in and slapped at his hand crazily with happy gurgles which made his grandpa’s grin. Simon Sr. glanced to his son as they backed out of the driveway, “Has he said anything yet?” he asked.
Simon turned on the GPS and drove through the neighborhood around the block to Simon Sr.’s co-worker’s poker night. He pursed his lips with dissatisfaction, “No, not even his first word. We’ve been trying, but all he does is grunt.” He admitted. Looking back at his son in the rear-view mirror, he saw Jr. with a whole first in his mouth; chewing on it.
Simon Sr. huffed as he looked to his son and saw traces of worry over his features even though he tried to hide it, “Hey, don’t stress out about it, all kids develop differently. You weren’t potty trained fully until you were five when you shit yourself in Kindergarten. Never forget.” He said.
Simon’s mouth slowly fell open as horrid flashbacks from that day flickered back to life at the mere mention. He slowly turned his attention to his dad and rubbed along his jaw, “Good talk dad. Thanks for that.” He replied.
Pulling up to a nice suburban house, smoke billowed, and music streamed from the backyard. They got out of the car and met the other men around back. A bunch of dads there were happy to see the chubby little boy and tugged on his feet and hands while saying their hellos. They treated Jr. like a fellow man even though he had no idea what it meant yet, “Hey! What’s up Jr.?” one man asked.
Jr. stared blankly at him with wide blue eyes and wet lips. His little eyebrows tucked together before he hummed out and grunted with a kick of his legs. Simon kept a firm hold of his son and gave a forced smile as Jr. kicked him in the permanent set of bruises he’d left with his constant movements, “He says hello.” Simon said.
Finding somewhere to sit, Simon cracked open a beer while they waited for the barbecue to finish. His father lit a cigarette which hung from the middle of his bottom lip while he played cards with a couple of friends. Soon, lunch was done, and Simon was served chicken, rice, coleslaw, and corn. He pulled off little bits for Jr. to try as he sat on his dad’s lap.
As Simon handed his son shredded bits of chicken, by instinct Jr. pushed the meat in his mouth and chewed. Slowing down, his face twisted from the charred taste on his tongue and he spat it out. The meat rolled down his bib and fell onto the grass beneath while he fussed.
Simon he looked up at the one who manned the grill and sighed, “I think he’s used to Cherish’s cooking.” He muttered as he picked up the mess. He wiped Jr. off before reaching into his bag for the sandwich.
The man laughed out loud and rolled his head, “Oh please! Save us the talk. Your dad never shuts up about her cooking either! Until we get to meet this woman and eat her food, we don’t want to hear the bragging!” he said.
Simon Sr. smirked to himself as he took a big bite of corn and shook his head, “I was serious when I said she’s a ten.” He replied.
Simon stared at his father with a dull expression, “How much DID you talk about?”
Simon Sr. acted as though nothing was wrong, “Hm? No, not as much as you think.” He answered.
A short, brunette man jumped into the conversation, “Enough for us to know that you’re a lucky bastard and you’re taking your sweet ass time getting in on her.”
Simon stared into his father who simply toasted with his beer despite the deadpan expression he received, “There it is.” He stated.
Simon Sr.’s partner, Gary, spoke up and pointed out, “I’m surprised the madam let you out of the house on your own. Pat doesn’t let me out without the fight of a lifetime and an extensive schedule of what I’ll be doing and when I’m home. Including when I piss.” He joked.
Simon cleared his throat, “Cherish and I aren’t together, so I don’t have to worry about that.” He clarified; as always.
His father pushed the issue now that he had back up, “You’re going to let her get away if you don’t hurry.”
There were hums and nods in agreement from all around while the short man spoke up again, “I knew this girl, Lucy, back in college. I took too long to commit and before I knew it, I saw her with Ted. Now I’m stuck with Nadine.” He expressed.
Simon sighed. None of them knew of what was between Cherish and him. He wasn’t scared, but he summed it up simply for them, “It’s just too soon.” He stated. Which was a statement he used often to get people off his back.
Immediately they all understood and nodded. “Let’s watch the game.” Gary offered as he turned the television on in the living room.
With football in the background, Jr. ate some of the sandwich, but it was the strawberry pie he devoured without hesitation. Getting red syrup on his mouth and hands, Simon got up and took him to the bathroom, “Give us a second.”
Riding about forty-five minutes out to a part of town she didn’t recognize, Cherish pulled up to a nice, brick and stone building. There were older children playing outside at the park immediately across the road. Margaret hadn't told her what they were doing, but once she plugged the address into her GPS, she found out that it was a spa experience. She wondered to herself how they were supposed to enjoy a spa with Jasmine.
Stepping out of the car, she saw Margaret already outside of the building on a bench and speaking to a woman who looked vague
ly familiar and another who instantly smacked a smile on her face.
Margaret pointed out towards Cherish, Miriam waved, while Imani turned her head and broke into a grin. The door to Cherish's car creaked open as she quickly bowed down and unbuckled the princess. Pulling Jasmine out, she grabbed the bag and hip bumped the door shut. She hurried across the street where the others waited with a surprised smile on her face. She had only text messaged Imani since the baby shower and hadn't seen Miriam since the second week of January.
Once she was within earshot, Margaret grinned and stood from the bench with her hands held out, "Surprise!" She exclaimed. Jasmine's soft gaze landed on grandma and she instantly leaned over. Margaret bent at the knee and caught the little girl excitedly, "Whoop! Hello there my love!" She exclaimed.
Miriam approached Cherish and pulled her into a hug, "Hello sweetheart. You look great." She expressed while rubbing her back.
Gripping Miriam in return, Cherish smiled at Imani over her shoulder before pulling away, "When did you and Jack get in?" She asked.
Miriam pushed hair from her face, "Last night, but Margaret insisted that we didn't tell you." She replied.
Cherish then looked to Margaret while she pointed back, "Does Simon know?"
Smiling to herself, Margaret shrugged her shoulders gently while Miriam shook her head, "No, not yet. Jack is out playing golf with a few of his friends, but he's going to play poker with the boys tonight." She answered.
Cherish nodded before she finally turned her attention to Imani standing in the background, "I'm sorry, I was just surprised to see my...other mom."
Quickly waving a hand, Imani stepped forward and hugged her, "Don't you worry about that! I get it, I'm just so happy to finally see you. How long have we been trying to get out? But our schedules just clash ridiculously, right?" She asked while loosely crossing her arms.
