Destination D

by Lori Beard-Daily

  Dee couldn’t believe what she was hearing. After all of this time, it was true. The one person that cared for her unconditionally was not in Miami or New York, but right at her back door.

  Dee nodded slowly. “My last session was yesterday. I couldn’t go back to the lying even if I wanted to.”

  “Well, if that’s true, then what do you think about what I said? But I want you to know that—”

  Dee stopped him in mid sentence and pressed her lips up against his. He welcomed Dee’s tongue in his mouth suppressing any doubts about a future with her. While still holding the envelope from the Georgia Bar Association, she placed her arms around his neck and held him close.

  Final Destination

  Dee’s flight landed at La Guardia Airport right on time. “245 Park Avenue, please,” she announced as she slid into the backseat of the cab. The driver took a glimpse of her through his rearview mirror and then did a double take.

  “I’ve seen you get On the crew van a few times. You’re a flight attendant, right?”

  “Yes, I am. For a little while longer, anyway,” she remarked with a satisfied grin. The last time she was in New York she was visiting Steve. This was a new beginning. The bad luck she’d experienced with Steve couldn’t possibly happen with Pam.

  As she stared out at the immense buildings and long stretch of yellow cabs, she felt butterflies in her stomach. What would she do if Pam didn’t want to see her? She pulled out the letter for Pam and the one from the bar association that had arrived yesterday and stared at them. If nothing else, she would leave them up front with the secretary for her to give to Pam. As the cab pulled in front of Pam’s law firm, she pulled out her fare and handed it to the driver as she got out of the car.

  “Thanks. Hope to see you next time you’re in the Big Apple!”

  Pam’s building was located in one of the most prestigious areas of New York. Anything she could imagine was right outside her front door. A distinguished and portly doorman held open the door as Dee walked in and rode the elevator to the twenty-fourth floor. When she got off the elevator, she was immediately stopped by a wrinkled, gray-haired receptionist. Her voice was so irritating that it could peel paint.

  “May I help you?” She looked up at Dee from her cat-eyed glasses. Her hair was piled high on her head in a beehive, reminding Dee of the lady from the old Outback Steakhouse Restaurant commercials.

  “Hi, I’m Deidre Bridge. I’m here to see Pam Madison.”

  “Is she expecting you?” The voice pierced through Dee’s ears and zipped down her spine. How could someone with such an irritating voice be at the front desk?

  “No, I don’t have an appointment.”

  “I see. Well, let me call back to her and see if she is available to speak with you.”

  Okay, this was where the rubber met the road. It was totally up to Pam whether or not she wanted to see her. On the other hand, if she could somehow slip past Great Grandma, here, then she could just walk back there and not give Pam a chance to refuse. Dee wrung her hands while the receptionist picked up the phone and called Pam’s office. She felt as if she was waiting in the lobby of a hospital for the test results of a life-threatening illness.

  “She’ll see you now,” the receptionist said.

  “Excuse me? I mean, thank you.” The waiting was over.

  A young, slender woman walked up to meet Dee. She was wearing a charcoal gray suit with a white silk blouse that rested neatly across the lapels of her blazer. She wore a simple strand of pearls, and her auburn hair was pulled back in a taut bun. “Good morning, I’m Angelica Ashbury, Ms. Madison’s secretary,” she said, extending her hand to Dee.

  “Hello, I’m Deirdre Bridge.”

  “I’ll take you back to Ms. Madison’s office.”

  Wow! Pam really hit pay dirt with this job. A gray haired watchdog, a personal secretary, and an office to die for! As Dee walked down the winding corridors, she couldn’t help but picture herself sitting in one of the elaborate offices that seemed to ooze of sophistication. What a change of pace it would be from going from a job that lifted her into the air every day to one that kept her grounded all year long. As her mind began to wander, she heard Angelica’s voice.

  “Here’s her office,” she said, knocking twice on the paneled door.

  “Come in,” the familiar voice answered.

  Angelica opened the door and poked her head in. “Miss Deirdre Bridge is here to see you.”

  “Thanks, Angelica. Send her in.”

  Dee felt like her feet were frozen to the floor. Angelica held open the door. “You can go on in.”

  Pam was seated behind a desk that looked the size of her entire home office back in their old apartment. She rolled around in her leather burgundy tufted chair, stood up, and walked emotionlessly over to Dee. Her spiked four-inch heeled pumps still made her diminutive in comparison to Dee, who was statuesque even in the pair of flats she was wearing.

  “So, what brings you here?”

  “I know me coming here comes as quite a surprise,” Dee said wringing her hands together and focusing on the two padded mahogany chairs seated in front of Pam’s desk. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

  “Help yourself.” Pam pointed to one of the chairs nonchalantly.

  Pam watched as Dee sat down and pulled two envelopes from her purse. “Listen, Pam, I know what you’re thinking. Sedrick told me all about the conversation he had with you about the money. I know you were in Atlanta to attend his grand opening, too.”

  Pam said nothing, but she raised an eyebrow. Her hands were folded tightly behind her back.

  “Sedrick and I have mended our friendship. I’m not sure how much he’s told you, but I’ve been working really hard and getting myself back on track.”

  Pam still had nothing to say. Dee’s words were meaningless. It sounded like a boring tune with unmoving lyrics.

  Dee picked up on Pam’s cool vibes instantly. If there was one thing she knew about Pam, it was that she better have some backup to go with the song she was playing. This one was falling off the charts quickly. She handed Pam the first letter, still in its original envelope.

  Pam inspected the envelope carefully to make sure that she hadn’t forged the words Return to Sender. It looked legit. She opened it and read it.

  Dear Pam,

  I don’t know what to say, other than I have been really irrational in my thinking, lately. I’m not sure how much Dr. Grimaldi is allowed to tell you, but he recommended me to a new therapist and I have been working with him since you left and am making strong strides in getting rid of the demons of failure that have engulfed my dreams for so long. It’s too bad that I had to lose everyone I cared about or loved before I decided to stop the lying. I’ve lied to you, Sedrick, and many other people in my life. But, worst of all, I’ve lied to myself.

  Pam, I hope you will eventually find it in your heart to forgive me for not using your money for what it was intended. I am sorry, and I promise that I will pay it all back to you. I have allowed your successes to fuel my insecurities for many years, and that’s no one’s fault but my own. I am proud of your decision to leave SMS. You have a lot more courage than I ever would have in leaving something that seemed secure and then to turn around and venture out onto the unknown. Also, congratulations on your new career and your new relationship with an honest and good man. I really do wish you and Dr. Grimaldi the best, now and forever.

  As for my plans for the future, I can honestly say that I have been studying for the bar exam. I am proud to say that I have scheduled to take it within the next couple of weeks. Pam, you are, and will always be, my best friend. I only hope that one day you’ll let me be yours again.

  Love Always,

  Dee

  Pam folded the letter and put it back in its envelope. Her reaction mirrored Dee’s tearful one. Dee handed her the second envelope from the Georgia Bar Association and waited for Pam’s reaction as she read the letter.

  “I’m so proud of you! Yo
u passed!”

  “And on the first try, too!”

  “Man, check out these scores! They are off the charts,” she said as she grabbed her friend and hugged her as if she had been lost and found after several years. They both were crying.

  “Thank you, Pam! I’m so glad you approve!”

  “Approve? I’m elated!” She sat down and pulled a tissue from her desk and handed one to Dee. They both blew their noses at the same time and giggled like two high school seniors who were about to embark upon their first day as college freshmen. There was a silence that filled the air and suddenly they felt like a void was between them. Dee decided to break the silence.

  “I heard that you and Amanda have finally squared away your differences.”

  Pam nodded. “Let me guess who told you?”

  Dee smiled and nodded. “Yes, it was Tracey. She emailed me this wedding picture and told me,” she said showing Pam her phone.

  “Oh, they look so happy!” She handed back the phone. “It felt good talking to Amanda. I must admit, I’m glad that’s behind us now, and we can move forward.”

  “Yes, that would be a nice change.”

  Dee immediately noticed the sparkling rock on Pam’s finger. “Pam, that is so gorgeous!” She grabbed Pam’s hand and pulled it toward her.

  “Marc asked me to marry him!”

  “Oh my God!” Dee screamed again. “First Amanda, now you! Congratulations!” She grabbed her neck and hugged her. “The three of us are going to have to get together and celebrate! So, when is the big day?”

  Pam shrugged her shoulders and looked giddy. “We haven’t decided yet. As soon as we both find a date on the calendar when we are both available,” she laughed.

  “So, how is he doing?”

  “Well, you already know that he’s retired from his practice. Now, he’s going to be taking some time off to write a book. Lately, he’s been talking a lot about buying a home in Atlanta. He really loves it there.”

  “So what does that mean for you?”

  “Well, for now, that means I’ll be commuting back and forth between Atlanta and New York. U-n-n-less…”Pam looked at her between giggles. “Dee, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “You’ve read my mind!” Dee squealed as they hugged each other again and screamed like two teenagers at an Usher concert.

  Their long-awaited Atlanta law firm of Madison and Bridge was about to get underway, and they already had their paralegal position filled.