by Alexis Gold
“I just… I’m not sure… if this is the right decision for me.”
“To hire an image consultant?”
“Well… yes,” he shrugged honestly.
Morgan smiled and softened her tone, “I assure you Mr. Harris, you have nothing to worry about. You will look back on this decision as one of the best of your life.”
“Wow… okay, well it’s hard not to be convinced by that,” he said, a small smile curving on his face.
“Does that mean you’re hiring me?” she asked lightly.
“Yes, I suppose it does.”
“Excellent,” Morgan replied. “I think a meeting is in order so that we can get acquainted with one another.”
“All right, and then what?”
“Well, we can assess the kind of image change you need, and go from there.”
“The kind of image change?” he asked quizzically.
“My clients have different needs. Some simply require a physical transformation, while others require more extensive help. The meeting will help me to assess what kind you need.”
“Probably the latter,” he said with another shaky laugh. “The more extensive the help is, the better. I’m sort of a lost cause.”
“There’s no such thing as a lost cause Mr. Harris,” Morgan said confidently.
“Please, call me Calvin.”
“All right Calvin,” Morgan said, taking an immediate liking to his soft, shy voice. “How about we meet on Friday at six o’clock? I’ll text my office address to this number.”
“Great,” Calvin replied. “That sounds great. Thanks.”
“Don’t worry about anything Calvin,” Morgan said before she hung up. “I can help you.”
“You don’t even know what I need help with,” he lowered his voice doubtfully.
“Regardless,” Morgan said with a smile. “I can help you.”
She could almost hear him smile. “I’ll see you on Friday then. Farewell.”
Morgan couldn’t help a burst of laughter escape her when she heard the old fashioned goodbye. She controlled herself and listened for Calvin on the other end, wondering if he had heard her laughter.
“I’m sorry,” Calvin’s mortified voice came through. “I don’t know where that came from.”
“Don’t apologize,” Morgan replied, still suppressing her laughter. “I think people should use that word more.”
“I’m going to hang up now,” Calvin informed her with another embarrassed laugh.
“Bye Calvin,” Morgan said hanging up.
She returned to her table with a large grin plastered across her face. Even Leslie noticed.
“Why do you look so happy?”
“I may have just booked a new client,” Morgan said simply.
“You’ve booked dozens of clients,” Leslie pointed out. “None of them have put that kind of smile on your face.”
Morgan shrugged. “This one’s different,” was all she said in response.
Chapter Three
The building was located just between San Francisco and the suburbs. It was a thin, long building that had offices that independent contractors could hire out. He searched for Morgan’s name on the list and went up to the third floor.
Calvin reached the floor and stood outside Morgan’s office, his hand poised for the knock. He steadied his erratic breathing and said a silent prayer that this wouldn’t turn out to be another embarrassment. He brought Sasha’s face to mind and focused on her. If this image makeover of his turned out to be a success, Calvin hoped that his dreams of a future with Sasha would morph into reality.
He took another deep breath and knocked the door three times. Almost immediately, he heard footsteps on the other side and the door was opened a moment later by a short young woman with a very big afro, bedazzled glasses and a nine watt smile.
“You must be Mr. Harris,” she greeted.
“Calvin please, and yes I am,” he said, wiping the palms of his hands on his pants.
“Come in Calvin, and take a seat.”
She ushered him into a small square space that had been set up as a waiting room. Only a desk was pushed up to one side, beside a large rectangular window that was responsible for all the light in the room.
“Your name is?' he asked as he raised his eyebrows and gave her a smile.
“Molly,” she replied sitting down behind her desk. “Morgan is on a client call at the moment. She should be done soon.”
Calvin nodded, content to wait for her, thankful of the extra time he had been given to compose himself. He looked around the walls. There was a light powder blue, with a few framed pictures hanging off the walls. Apart from those however, the most prominent thing were the quotes plastered everywhere, little inspirational quotes from people both famous and unknown, about self-confidence, determination and ambition.
Unable to take in the quotes, Calvin started picking at his nails, tearing out the rough edges. It was a habit he had had since childhood. It had waned slightly in the last few years, but every now and then, it propped up when he felt especially anxious or uncertain. His thoughts were disturbed by a sharp buzz that came from Molly’s desk. Molly looked up at Calvin.
“You can go in now,” she informed him.
Calvin stood and walked up to the door. He paused beside Molly’s desk and looked down at her.
“She’s good, right?” he asked hesitantly. “Morgan?”
Molly gave him an understanding smile, “She's the very best.”
Calvin nodded and then walked in. The room he found himself in was much larger and sparsely, but tastefully furnished. Morgan Akenzua stood just in front of her desk. She was tall, Calvin observed, perhaps around five foot eight, probably closer to five foot ten in her nude heels. Her body was lithe and athletic; he could see the definition in her forearms. The fitted pearl grey dress she wore ended at below her knees, making her appear even taller. Her skin was a fantastic rich chocolate. Calvin couldn’t help admiring the smooth silkiness of her skin. There didn’t appear to be one little blemish on it. Her face was perfectly shaped, made more obvious by her nearly shaved head.
Calvin had heard once that if a woman shaved her head and still managed to look good, that it was definitive proof that she was a beautiful woman. He couldn’t help thinking that in Morgan Akenzua’s case, there might be some truth to that theory. She didn’t appear to be wearing any makeup; the only thing Calvin noticed was a touch of gloss on her thick, full lips. Her eyes were her most prominent feature however. They were large and beautifully shaped, fanned by generous lashes. They were a deep coal black, set against the whites of her eyes, which were the clearest he had ever seen.
Morgan cast a subtly professional eye over Calvin. He was not at all how she had imagined him to be. In her head, she had drawn a picture, which she tended to do with all her clients. More often than not, she was right, but this time she had completely missed the mark. She had expected someone a little shorter, perhaps a little fuller too. What she had was a tall man, who stood at six feet at least, with broad shoulders and a trim but muscled physique hidden beneath clothes that were perhaps a little too large for him. His hair was a reddish brown that people had started referring to as ‘ginger’ and it was long and unkempt, falling around his face, nearly landing at his shoulders. He had a sad little stubble of beard that lined his jaw and an unfortunate pair of glasses that hid the color of his eyes.
Morgan could tell instantly however, that there was real potential hidden underneath the nerdy exterior. She saw the fine lines of his face, the straight patriarchal nose, the strong jaw, the great build. Physically, everything was there, it just needed a little fine tuning. Morgan was aware she was being assessed too. She took in his body language, aware of how nervous he was. She could already tell that he was a nervous sweater.
Taking in the woman he had just hired to give his image a serious adjustment, Calvin felt his body tense. He was not good with women, particularly beautiful ones. He felt the palms of his hand
s begin to sweat. He hastily wiped them against his pants pockets, knowing that a handshake was imminent.
“Welcome Calvin,” Morgan said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
To Calvin’s surprise she did not initiate a handshake and he felt himself relax. Morgan noticed it and suppressed a smile. She gestured for him to take a seat, which he did, hoping to get through this meeting with as much grace as he could manage. He remembered the ‘farewell’ incident from their last phone conversation and he cringed internally. Morgan watched Calvin carefully, she could feel the nervousness roll off of him.
“Relax Calvin,” she said kindly. “You don’t have to be nervous around me.”
Calvin let out a breath of air that was a cross between a cough and a laugh. “I… it just happens when I’m around beautiful women,” he tried to explain quickly. Immediately he froze, as Morgan tried to suppress her smile. “I… that was… I wasn’t trying to hit on you,” Calvin said in a rush.
“I know,” Morgan said calmly.
“Okay,” Calvin replied, feeling stupid already.
“Would you like to tell me why you felt the need to hire me Calvin?” Morgan asked him.
Calvin sighed. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Morgan smiled, “Regardless, I’d like to hear your reasons.”
“I guess it’s because… well…” Calvin wondered if he dared tell her the truth. “The honest truth is I’m lonely, and I need to change my image, so that I work towards changing that.”
Morgan nodded, “You think you’re image has something to do with your lack of a romantic life?”
“I don’t think,” Calvin replied. “I know. I’m awkward and bumbling around women. I sweat profusely and I say words that I’ve never used in my entire life. Something that you were made aware of when we last spoke.”
Morgan laughed gently, “I see.”
“I know this is a big job—”
“On the contrary,” Morgan replied. “This is a fairly straightforward job.”
“Really?” Calvin asked, wondering if her professionalism extended to unwarranted flattery.
“Oh yes,” Morgan insisted, feeling as though the world had simply overlooked this particular guy. “I don’t have much work to do here.”
Calvin fixed her with an incredulous look that plainly told her he disagreed.
“What would you say is your primary concern?” Megan asked.
“Talking to women,” Calvin replied immediately. “I’ve never been able to do it very well, and it’s not so cute when you’re twenty-eight.”
“All right,” Morgan said, clasping her hands together. “Well then I think what you need is a few pointers.”
“Pointers?” he asked blankly.
“You’ll see,” Morgan said with a smile. “Do you trust me Calvin?”
Calvin was taken aback by the question. He had only just met Morgan; he wasn’t entirely sure how to answer her. He took a moment to think about it. She was looking at him intently, but Calvin avoiding her gaze, it only made him self-conscious and intensely aware of his gangly limbs.
“I… yes I do,” he said finally.
“Good,” Morgan replied pleased with his answer. “Because you’re right to trust me. I will do everything in my power to make sure you leave here satisfied and happy. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are the furthest thing from lonely.”
“You’re confident,” Calvin observed.
Morgan smiled.
“I wish I had that kind of confidence.” He sighed heavily.
Morgan’s smile got wider, “You will.”
Morgan watched him nod at her words, but she knew he was a million miles away. He was so shy, the way he moved and spoke; it was instantly reserved. When he spoke however, he was open and sincere, and very aware of every fault he owned, and completely unaware of all the great features he possessed.
“I’m not sure how this works exactly,” Calvin said. “I mean what’s the first step?”
“The first step,” Morgan answered. “Is a first date.”
“What?” his eyes grew wide.
“You’re going on a first date,” Morgan informed him calmly, humored by the look of panic that rushed through his face.
“Who with?” Calvin asked, feeling his palms begin to sweat all over again.
“With me,” Morgan replied easily.
Calvin fixed her with a look that was half-terrified and half-perplexed. He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but all he was concerned with was not making a fool of himself. He knew there was no avoiding that if he took her out on a date.
“A date with you?” Calvin repeated, buying more time to process Morgan’s strange methods.
Morgan laughed lightly, “Don’t worry, Calvin. It’s not a real date. It’s more of a tester, to determine how you function under that kind of situation.”
“Okay,” Calvin said uncertainly.
“Shall we schedule this ‘date’ for eight o’clock on Saturday?” she asked.
“Umm… yes… sure,” replied Calvin, still reeling from this new information.
“Excellent.”
“I… where are we going?” Calvin asked tentatively.
“Surprise me,” Morgan said. “You can decide.”
“How are we meeting?” Calvin asked.
“You tell me,” Morgan put the ball in his court.
Calvin was aware that the process of his transformation had already begun. He knew what his ‘date’ with Morgan was expected to accomplish, and still he couldn’t do anything differently from what he was used to.
“We can meet at the corner of Third Street and go from there...” Calvin put forth.
“All right then,” Morgan replied, making her voice a little less enthusiastic.
Just as she had suspected, Calvin didn’t seem to notice. He just sat there, with that nervousness flitting through his eyes. He kept wringing his hands together and from time to time, Morgan noticed that he pulled at his nails.
“You’ll give yourself an infection,” Morgan pointed out, her eyes zeroing in on his torn nails.
Calvin's face turned a bright shade of red. “I… it's a nervous habit,” he explained lamely.
“Pick one that doesn’t make your nails look diseased please.”
Calvin smiled slowly and nodded, “I’ll work on it.”
“That’s about it for now,” Morgan replied.
“Does this mean our meeting is over?” Calvin asked.
“It does,” Morgan replied. “If you have questions you can try contacting me or Molly.”
Calvin took the card she handed to him and looked at it intently.
“You’re not going to stand me up, are you Calvin?” Morgan asked.
Calvin shook his head, “No.”
“But you want to, don’t you?” Morgan asked candidly.
Calvin gave her a weak smile, “Just to avoid embarrassment for myself and boredom for you.”
“Don’t over-think Calvin,” Megan instructed patiently. “Take this date breath by breath.”
“I’ll try,” Calvin said, wondering if it was possible for leopards to change their spots.
Chapter Four
Calvin sat in his office, trying to keep up with the barrage of questions Randy and Steven kept throwing at him.
“So you’re going on a date with your image consultant?” Randy asked, half-amused and half-incredulous.
“Isn’t that kind of a… breach of ethics or something?” Steven lowered one brow.
Calvin shook his head at both of them. “It’s not a real date,” he tried to explain. “It’s more like… an assessment.”
“Of what?”
“My… dating abilities I guess,” Calvin replied lamely.
“Oh boy are you gonna be in trouble,” Steven laughed.
“That’s very helpful,” Calvin sent him a cutting stare. “Really, that makes me feel so much more confident.”
“Relax man,” Steven advised. “Look at it as a l
earning experience. Look at it as whatever you do wrong on this date won’t ever happen again in the future.”
“That’s what I’m focusing on,” Calvin admitted. “Doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. I mean… I don’t know if I’m supposed to take the reins on this date, or let her lead.”
“Guess you’ll find out soon enough,” Randy said with a shrug.
Calvin could tell that his friends were filled with anticipation. It was easy for them; they had the luxury of being observers. There was no pride at stake for them, no humiliation to worry about. They were filled with questions that Calvin didn’t have answers to. Despite his uncertainty, he was beginning to be more confident about Morgan. She was strong, he had sensed that right away. She struck him as the kind of woman who knew exactly what she wanted, a trait that Calvin had always admired.
“Hey,” Randy said suddenly. “You still haven’t told us what she looks like.”
“Yeah,” Steven agreed. “Is she a troll?”
Calvin rolled his eyes at his friends’ immaturity. “Seriously?”
“It’s a valid question,” Steven said with a shrug.
“So come on,” Randy persisted. “What does she look like?”
“Really gorgeous actually,” Calvin replied. “I mean she’s a real knock out.”
“Knock out?” Randy repeated incredulously. “The only other woman I’ve heard you describe that way was Sasha.”
“Well Sasha has a different kind of beauty compared to Morgan,” Calvin tried to explain. “Morgan… she’s got this amazing dark skin. It almost shines, like gloss, and she has no hair. She’s almost bald, but it just enhances her features you know… it makes her look like some far off African princess.”
Randy and Steven exchanged a look.
“You’d better be careful buddy,” Steven said.
“Careful about what?” Calvin asked in confusion.
“Falling for your fairy godmother,” Randy stepped in and continued Steven’s thought.
Calvin sent a mocking look in their direction. “I’m not going to fall for her,” he said firmly. “And she’s not my fairy godmother.”
“I beg to differ,” Randy put in. “She’s going to transform you from a nerdy tech loser into a dashing, debonair gentleman. That reeks of fairy godmother to me.”
