by Mz. Robinson
“Mommy!” Jasmine blurted with excitement.
“Hey baby girl!” Octavia looked refreshed and well rested as she stooped down to eye level with our daughter and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She also looked enticing and sexy in her choice of attire. She wore a short above the knee knit dress that dipped low in the front giving me a peak at her breast. The dress accentuated her hips and highlighted her smooth brown legs. She wore her hair straight and it hung neatly over her shoulders.
“Mommy bought you something,” Octavia said to Jasmine.
“Where?” our daughter asked, jumping up and down.
“It’s in your room,” Octavia answered. “Ask Daddy to take you upstairs to get it.”
“Come on,” Jasmine said, grabbing my hand.
“I said ask Jazz,” Octavia reminded her.
“Please,” Jazz looked up at me with her big brown eyes. She knew her please was more than enough. I was a sucker for both of my girls and proud of it.
“Lead the way,” I said, patting the top of her head.
“Yayyyy!” Jasmine chanted. I smiled, then looked over at my wife.
“Hurry back,” she said sweetly.
Jasmine wasn’t the only one who had a surprise waiting for her. The nursery door had been replaced.. I had made arrangements to have someone come out and take care of remodeling, but they weren’t coming for another day. It was obvious Octavia had hired someone to beat me to the punch and they had done an excellent job. The walls were now soft blue with eggshell colored trimming. There were new light blue drapes that ran from the top of the window to the floor. As well as a new ceiling fan and even fresh carpet. The crib and other things we purchased in anticipation of our son were gone. I closed the door to the room then waited for Jasmine to accompany me back downstairs. She strolled beside me carrying the purple and pink stringless toy guitar her mother had purchased for her.
“Thank you Mommy,” Jasmine said, as the two of us rejoined Octavia in the kitchen.
“You’re very welcome,” Octavia stated. “Go in the family room until mommy finishes dinner.” Jasmine did what she was told. A few seconds later we heard the sounds of what sounded like a cat being skinned alive, but it was actually our daughter making music.
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” I laughed, watching Octavia.
“I got us covered,” she said. “We have ear plugs upstairs and when all else fails, we can remove the batteries.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. I leaned against the kitchen island watching her maneuver around the stove and the counters. “The room looks nice. I love the color.”
“Mama helped pick it out,” she said. “After you left this morning, I called her and Daddy and told them what I had planned. They were too happy to help. I really didn’t have to do anything but cut the check.”
“It still looks nice,” I said. “I love it.”
“I figure someday the blue will come in handy,” she said. She removed the pot she had going on the stove then emptied the contents in the colander she had sitting in the sink.
“What do you mean?”
“We can always try again,” she said, softy.
I hadn’t even considered the possibility of the two of us someday trying for another child. I guessed there was still a part inside of me that felt guilty over what happened with Josiah. The decision to have another baby was one that took me several months to get Octavia to warm up to. Once she did and the two of us found out she was expecting again she was so happy and anxious. I hated that she got to that point only to have the unthinkable happen.
“Maybe,” I said gently. “Someday.”
She walked over to me then wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I’m sorry Damon,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder. “I was wrong for the way I acted and the things I said.” I wrapped my arms around her tightly, holding on and wishing I never had to let her go.
“I’m sorry too,” I said. She pulled back then looked at me.
“Oh, the roses are beautiful,” she said. “I put them upstairs in our room. Thank you.”
“You’re always welcome.”
Octavia leaned in and pressed her lips to mine softly. I parted my lips, allowing her tongue to stroke mine. It wasn’t until the two of us were mouth to mouth and tongue to tongue that I noticed the faint smell of what I thought to be alcohol on her breath. I decided not to address the subject. Maybe it was mouthwash, I told myself.
Octavia prepared our family a small feast for dinner, consisting of lobster, shrimp, a garden salad, and fresh baked rolls. We prayed together, broke bread together, and then had the pleasure of being serenaded by Jasmine and her new toy. After dinner, Octavia and I gave Jasmine a bath then tucked her in her bed. I ran my hands through Octavia’s hair as the two of us lay stretched out across our bed. She lay with her head on my chest and her fingers playing with my close-cut beard.
“How was your day today?” she asked.
“It was good,” I said. “Although my evening has been ten times better.”
“I’m glad,” she said.
“Me too,” I said.
“Did you get a chance to talk to Savoy’s sister?”
“Yes,” I said. I filled her in on my conversations with Tamara and what was currently going on with her and her husband. I also brought her up to speed on my decision to help her get her finances in order.
“She is the poster child for unorganized.” I advised her.
“Why? What happened?” Octavia asked. She propped her head up with her arms on my chest.
“Baby, she came to the office with three shoeboxes filled to the brim.” I told her. “You should have seen it.”
“You know not everyone has our flare for organization.”
“I understand that,” I said lightly. “But she didn’t even have a bank statement.”
“Maybe she banks online.”
“She couldn’t remember the name of her bank,” I said seriously.
“How can you not know who has your money?” Octavia frowned.
“That’s what I said,” I laughed. “She had to pull out her debt card to remember.” Octavia laughed.
“Clearly she doesn’t have her brother’s business sense.”
“Not an ounce,” I said. “Oh, she mentioned the three of us getting together.” I figured since she was the first to bring Tamara up and the conversation was going pleasantly, now was as good of time as ever to hit her with Tamara’s request. I’m not a coward, but I’m smart enough to know when and where.
“What about lunch?” she suggested.
I looked down at her blinking my eyes several times. “Really?” I asked surprised.
“Don’t look like that,” she said. “It’s time to put the bullshit behind us. Savoy and Shontay would want it that way. Besides, maybe we’ll discover we have something in common.” I continued to stare at her, admiring her beauty while marveling at her wisdom.
“I agree,” I said. “And thank you.”
“It’s true bae,” she said. “It’s time to repair and heal. Life goes on.”
Chapter 13
Octavia
I screwed the top back on the small flask I had tucked in my purse before I left home. Since I started taking a shot or two daily, the voices and visions had stopped plaguing my head. I knew alcohol was not a permanent solution, and too much consumption could lead to a shit load of other problems, but I was a controlled drinker. At least I was since my last drunken binge. I figured as long as I maintained, I would be fine; no harm no foul.
I sat in one of the examining rooms of my gynecologist office, wearing the traditional paper gown, and waiting for my doctor to come in for my checkup. A minute later, there was a knock on the exam room door and Doctor Warren entered carrying a clipboard and folder. Doctor Warren was an older black man with a receding hair line and big brown eyes. He had been my OBGYN for several years and was one of the coolest doctors I had ever met.
“Hey there
chicken butt,” he smiled, giving me high five.
“Hey doc,” I laughed. “How you doing?”
“I’m good,” he said, easing down on the rolling stool in the middle of the room. “The question is how are you doing ladybug?”
“I’m doing better,” I said. “One day at a time.”
“That’s the only way we can take it,” he said, nodding. “One day at a time.” He flipped through several pages on the clipboard, circling different items. “I see you had top notch care when you were in the ER.”
“Doctor Aurora?” I asked.
“Yep.” He said. “That hubby of yours must have a hook up.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Doctor Mehta Aurora is an excellent physician,” Doctor Warren commented, continuing to look at the chart. “He deals mostly with celebrity like clients. Politicians. Reporters. Big names.” He looked at me then said, “Not saying that you and Damon don’t fit the mold--”
“I know what you’re saying,” I said. I wanted him to know there was no need to explain and that I was in no way offended. “I thought he just worked at the hospital.”
“No,” he said. “Huntsville Hospital is a public hospital and if Aurora is at a public hospital, it’s because he’s been requested.”
I thought about Doctor Warren’s words briefly, then dismissed them without a second thought. The rest of my visit went well and I was given the go ahead to resume my normal sexual activity. I was happy to hear this, but I knew Damon was going to be ecstatic. The two of us agreed to meet for lunch at the Ambiance where Tamara would also be joining us. I meant what I told Damon about it being time to repair and heal, and I was ready for all of us to move on.
I still had a little more than an hour until we were scheduled for our lunch date, but I arrived early for an interview Marilyn had scheduled for me. I had been keeping up with the functions and the daily operations from my home office and both Tabitha and Marilyn were doing an excellent job, but it was time for me to solidify a replacement for Amel and get Tabitha back on a regular eight-hour schedule. As usual, my employees were happy to see me and appeared to be getting along. I made my rounds through the dining room, the lounge, and the kitchen before slipping into my office. As soon as my butt hit my chair, Tabitha knocked on the door.
“Hey now,” she said entering the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Hey Tab, I’m good.” I said. “How are you?”
“Busy and loving it,” she said cheerfully.
“I’m happy to hear that,” I said.
“Are you expecting a visitor?” she asked. “There’s a gentleman waiting for you in the dining room.” The applicant Marilyn selected for me was a man name Joe Santo. Joe and Marilyn had worked together at her previous place of employment.
“I’m actually expecting three today,” I advised her. “Joe Santo is my first, then I have a lunch date with my hubby and a friend.”
“Well, Mr. Santo is already here,” Tabitha told me. “Would you like me to send him in?”
My interview with Joe wasn’t for another forty minutes. I had already been wowed by his resume and his reference from Marilyn. He was now batting a thousand with his punctuality.
“Yes, please do,” I said. I reached down in my bag and pulled out my leather binder that contained the resume Marilyn had faxed me at home. Joe was a tall, nicely built, olive-skinned man with light green eyes and dark silky hair. He wore a nice business suit and an emerald green tie. After speaking with him about his ten years of experience in restaurant management, I was not only impressed, but convinced he was the right man for the job. I held my breath when I told him about the criminal background check and drug test. I’d had my share of applicants who cringed at the mere mention of both, but Joe didn’t blink twice. After giving him the drug testing form, I shook his hand and advised him I would be in touch. If everything came back clear with Joe, I planned to offer him a position and get him started within the next seven days. I decided that giving Tabitha a raise was also necessary and well deserved. I called her into my office to commend her on a job well done and to let her know that she would see the increase on her upcoming check.
“I can’t thank you enough for your dedication and your loyalty,” I said. “You and the rest of the team have been exceptional.”
“It’s our job,” she said. “We’re happy to do it.”
“Well, I wanted to let you know again none of it has gone unnoticed and I’m giving you a raise,” I said smiling. Tabitha’s eyes lit up while she looked at me.
“Are you serious?” She asked.
“Very,” I said. “You can expect to see it on your next check. I thought an additional two dollars an hour would be a good start.”
“An hour?” she repeated. Tabitha looked completely stumped from the news.
“Yes, an hour,” I said.
“Oh,” she said frowning. “I thought General Managers were salaried.”
“General Managers are salaried,” I said. “My Lead Hostess all get paid by the hour.”
“Wow,” she said, “I assumed with the performance I’ve been giving these last few weeks that the position was now mine.”
“Tab, I’m sorry, but my criteria for the position hasn’t changed,” I said. “I think--”
“I’ve been doing the same job that Amel did,” she stated. “And I’m doing the same job Marilyn’s doing,” she said, cutting me off. “What other criteria is necessary?”
“I agree you have been doing much of the same task but—”
“But what?” she questioned, cutting me off again. “I do the orders, I work the floor. I keep the traffic coming. I do that!”
“Tabitha, who does the payroll?” I questioned. “The schedule? Prepares the menus? Handles marketing and promotions?” I was by no means trying to downplay what Tabitha was doing, I was only trying to differentiate between her tasks and everything that went into keeping us in business.
“So let me try!” she snapped. “I can handle it Octavia, and right now we both know you ca--”
The look I was giving her must have been the red flag she needed to halt the insult I felt was coming. I folded my hands in front of me on the desk while gathering my words. “Bitch, don’t overplay your stroke” was clearly the wrong choice of words, but they were the only ones I was thinking at that moment!
“I thank you for being discreet about my breakdown that day in the parking lot,” I said firmly. “I thank you for going the extra mile out of the way for these last few weeks, but please don’t forget that it’s my name on your check, and long before my customers or my staff even knew you existed, I was turning a profit and bringing in traffic.”
“You have passed me over for this position twice,” she said, holding up two fingers. “When Amel was strung out and treating her veins, you hired me and I bust my ass to prove myself, but yet you let her come back and then promoted her!”
“Leave Amel out of this,” I said through clenched teeth. “And if I remember correctly when I hired you back then this was the first job you had in years. You couldn’t handle the demands that came along with the job.”
“So why did you hire Marilyn?” she demanded.
It was my right not to justify any of my business decisions to anyone but God, but I chose to answer the questions Tabitha was dropping before me.
“Because she was qualified,” I said frankly. “Ambiance 2 does almost three times what we do here. I wanted someone with previous management experience who could handle the crowd and the rush.”
“Is it because she was qualified or because she’s black?”
No, the hell she didn’t! I thought.
“It’s because her resume was worthy,” I said offended. “Nothing more or less. I understand you feel that you should have been offered the position, but after this conversation it’s clear I made the right choice then and that I’m making the right choice once again. Now, if you don’t understand that or you feel that you deserve som
ething other than what I’ve presented here, feel free to clock out and go home.”
She stood looking at me with low, dark eyes. I stood waiting for her to say whatever it was she was feeling or if she was feeling lucky—to make the wrong move; either way the ball was in her court and I was down for whatever.
“I think I’ll return to my post now,” she said. “Thank you for the raise and for the talk.” She turned on her heels then walked out the room leaving the door open behind her. I picked up the phone and called Ambiance 2 to ask Marilyn if she knew of one more potential applicant for a hostess position. After the conversation I had with Tabitha, I had a nudging feeling that soon I would be replacing another employee.
*****
“Octavia, I’m glad we could get together,” Tamara said, looking at me from across the table. The two of us, along with Damon sat in one of the leather booths close to my office. Although Tabitha’s attitude had improved tremendously since our discussion, I wanted to stay close to the office so I could watch her every move. I didn’t think she was stupid enough to try something crazy, but at the same time I never thought she would throw the race card at me either.
I watched Tamara while thinking to myself that the way she favored Savoy was almost uncanny. They had the same pecan-colored skin and bright smile.
“I am too,” I said truthfully.
“I’m sorry for how me and my sisters and mother reacted towards Shontay,” she said. “We were overprotective and stupid.”
I agree, I thought to myself. “No worries,” I said. “It’s a new day.”
Tamara smiled, while Damon squeeze my knee under the table. I listened to the two of them talk about the misadventures of Damon and Savoy while we waited on our food. When Tabitha brought our order, all conversation ceased within an instant and we all dug in.
