“So? The officer didn’t shoot him. And he only arrested him because he was making a scene and coming after you.”
“He wasn’t really coming after me, and you know how these things get blown out of proportion. All that has to happen is that one still shot gets taken to the media and it’s all about the cops threatening some black guy for no reason. They’re going to say it’s just another case of racial profiling.”
“That’s my point! That’s why we have to go down and fill out a statement,” Hal said in an exasperated voice.
“But don’t you get my point? No matter what we might say, that photo might run, and they may start talking about police brutality, and we’re going to get caught up in it, and so will Paxon and Green. It might all eventually get straightened out, but why get caught up in all that bad publicity at all? Let’s just leave it alone.”
“Booby, I’m so sorry. I feel so bad.”
Booby grunted. “You feel bad? I’m the one who had to spend three hours in a jail cell. I got a good mind to call your mama and tell her what you did. Why you do that shit, Nika? Why you deny I’m your blood? That’s cold, man.”
Nikkie looked down at the ground. “I know. I’m the most awful person I know.”
Booby raised his head to get a better look at her. “The most awful person you know? Damn, baby, you even beginning to sound like them.” He chuckled. “Even taking me to a Starbucks to talk.”
Nikkie started chewing her lip. “Been around them too long, I guess,” she said sadly.
“Been trying to be one too long, is more like it.”
Nikkie lowered her eyes again.
“Look, I ain’t even mad about that. You do what you wanna do. But you ain’t got no cause to be letting no policeman pull a gun on me. That’s what I can’t get over.”
“I didn’t know what to do,” Nikkie said as she sipped her coffee. “I kept telling you that you were mistaken, hoping you would take the hint and leave me alone.”
Booby snorted. “Look at how you talking. Hinting for me to leave you alone. Now, ain’t that nothing.”
“Well, you know what I mean. I was trying to figure out a way to wave you off without having to, you know . . .”
“Without having to let your boyfriend know he’s dating a darkie?” Booby laughed. “Yeah, I guess we shoulda come up with some kinda code or something. You say the password and your family will just keep on walking and let you pass.”
“You tell anyone in the family yet?” Nikkie asked nervously.
“Get out! They don’t know?”
“I mean about what happened to you.” Nikkie paused, then said in a softer voice, “What I let happen to you.”
“Naw, I ain’t tell nobody yet.” Booby sighed. “You told the police you wouldn’t press charges, and I called one of my frat brothers who works in the District Attorney’s Office and he made a call, so the police aren’t going to charge me with anything on their own.”
“I didn’t know you knew people in the District Attorney’s Office,” Nikkie said incredulously.
“Yeah, a brother’s got some connects. I’m not just some country bumpkin, you know.”
“So,” Nikkie began slowly, “you said you haven’t told anyone in the family . . . yet. Does that mean you’re planning on telling them?”
Booby cocked his head. “I just oughta, you know. They know you up here passing?”
“Mama and Joseph know.”
“And they letting you get away with this crap?”
Nikki nodded. “They’re not too happy about it, though. Especially Joseph.”
Booby chuckled. “I wouldn’t imagine he would be.” He paused and shook his head. “Naw, I ain’t gonna say anything, Nikkie. That would just cause more drama, and I think I’ve had enough of that for a while. ’Sides, you know you’re my favorite cousin, even if you don’t own up to me all the time.”
Nikkie sighed. “This is such a mess, and you just don’t know how sorry I am. Is this your first trip to New York? How about I take you sightseeing tomorrow? I’ll take the day off from work and we can just hang out—just the two of us. I promise to show you a really good time.”
Booby gave her an amused look. “Why, that’s mighty white of you, ma’am.”
“Oh, Booby!”
“Naw, I’m only playing, Nika. It’s all good. And I don’t need a tour guide. I’ve been to New York before. I keep telling you I’m not a country bumpkin.” He fell silent for a moment. “You know,” he said finally, “I never thought that you’d be one to be passing. I mean, God knows you’re light enough to do it, but I never thought you would.”
Nikkie sighed. “I’m sure not the first one, Booby.”
“Well, you’re the first one in our family.”
Nikkie waved her hand dismissively. “Oh please. You’re going to tell me that no one in the Jenkins family—”
“Not a one,” Booby said, shaking his head. “Grandma was the most color-struck person I ever met, and she was proud as hell that she coulda passed, but she was even more proud that she never did.”
“And you believe her?”
“Yeah, I gotta say I do. She was a weird old bird, Grandma was. But I do believe she ain’t ever try. She was just like that.”
“I guess,” Nikkie said in a low voice.
Booby picked up her hand. “Nikkie, I ain’t trying to make you feel bad, but you gotta tell me, what made you do it?”
Nikkie could feel tears begin to well in her eyes. “Well, it’s not because I’m ashamed to be black or anything. It’s just that, well, it just made life easier.”
She laid the whole scenario out to him: her initial job interview, the night she met Cindy and her friends, being turned down for the job because she wasn’t black enough, her lunch date with Mrs. Randolph, and her being accepted once the company thought she was white. “And”—she threw up her hands—“everything’s just kinda got out of hand since then. I keep looking for the right opportunity to let people know I’m black, but it never seems to come. And I’m just getting sucked in, further and further. I really don’t know what to do.”
“And you even went and got yourself a white boyfriend, huh?”
“No. Hal Richardson is simply a colleague,” Nikkie lied. “I’m not into white guys.”
“Well, thank God for that.” Booby’s voice dripped with relief.
“And I really don’t like being white. At least not all the time, Booby. You gotta believe that. But how am I going to go into my job and announce that I’m black when, for all these months, I’ve been letting them think I’m white?”
Booby looked at her strangely. “Nika, all you gotta do is go in there and be black. Don’t say it, just be it. Go in there and listen to the kind of music you like, eat the kind of food that you like, and, damn it, watch the television shows you like. Don’t announce it, just be it.”
Nikkie shook her head. “It’s just not that easy, Booby.”
“Girl, the longer you wait, the harder it’s gonna be. But, hey, whatever. It’s your life. Live it white if you want.”
Chapter Sixteen
September 2007
Three cups of coffee, and Nikkie was still barely awake as she flagged down a cab to take her to the magazine for the photo shoot they were doing on Lucia. It was a cold day for September, and Nikkie wrapped her shawl tightly around her after getting in the taxi. She snapped open her cell phone and punched in her client’s mobile number.
“Lucia. I’m on my way now. Are you almost ready? I can swing by and pick you up if you’d like.”
“I’m here already.”
“Oh, good!” Nikkie guiltily looked at her watch. It was only 8:30; they weren’t scheduled to arrive until 10 a.m. Lucia must really be excited to get there so early. Or . . .
“Please tell me you didn’t go straight there from some club.”
“Fine. I won’t tell you. But if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to get here on time, you know. I’d think you should be proud o
f me.” Lucia yawned. “How long before you get here? I’m getting ready to go into makeup.”
“I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, maybe fifteen. Just hang tight.” Oh God, she thought after she’d hung up. I hope Lucia doesn’t look hungover. How can she do this to me when she knows I’m trying to convince them to put her on the cover?
The traffic was typical for New York City rush hour, and it actually took Nikkie almost a half hour to get to the magazine.
“Hi, I’m Nicole Jensen,” she hurriedly told the receptionist. “I’m here to meet my client, Lucia Silver.”
She was shown into the photo studio, where the photographer was setting up for the shoot. Lucia was sitting in the corner flipping through an old issue of the magazine, looking simply spectacular. Her long ebony black hair was pulled up and back into a luxurious fall, and diamonds—or maybe rhinestones—were dotted throughout. Her brows were penciled in to extend to the very outside of her eyes, and were perfectly arched to accentuate her startlingly bright violet eyes. She was draped in a snowy white toga-type getup, pulled tight against her bodice, and showing enough cleavage to make the male readers extremely happy.
“You look beautiful,” Nikkie said breathlessly.
“I do, don’t I? And I bet you thought I was going to look a mess after staying out all night.” The women shared a laugh.
“I was all prepared to have to do my own makeup, but they did a good job. I got the woman’s number in case I need her again. She does freelance work, too.” Lucia yawned. “So, do you know whether I’m getting the cover or not? I look twice as good as Nicole Kidman, and she’s made the cover twice, you know.”
“Don’t worry, I’m working on it.” Nikkie patted the woman on her bare shoulder. “But trust me, I have a really good feeling about this. Especially since you landed the Spielberg role.
And the interview you did was just great.”
“Oh yeah, we got to talk about that.”
“Uh-oh.” Nikkie’s stomach did a flip-flop.
“Don’t worry. I have bad news, but I’ve got good news, too.” Lucia hopped off her chair and moved toward the photographer, who was waving her over. “You got time to do lunch after we’re through here? How about we do Elaine’s? I haven’t been there in a while.”
It was Nikkie’s first photo shoot, but Lucia seemed to be a veteran. The photographer and his assistant were both oohing and aahing over her poses, and even the fashion editor came out to watch the shoot. Yeah, I’m sure I can land the cover, Nikkie thought with satisfaction.
She had put her cell phone on vibrate, and she felt it noiselessly buzzing against her suit pocket.
“Hey, beautiful Nikkie.”
“Hey, Hal. I forgot to mention I wouldn’t be coming in the office until this afternoon. I’m down here at the magazine; Lucia’s doing a photo shoot.”
“Wow, I’m impressed! You getting the cover?”
“I’m sure as hell going to try.”
“What time are you going to finish up? Maybe we can do lunch?”
“We’re going to be finished in about another hour or so, but I told Lucia I’d have lunch with her. I’ll see you when I get back to the office.” She paused. “On second thought, why don’t you join us. I’d love for you to meet my first new client.”
Hal laughed. “You sure? That girl’s hot, you know. I might have to dump you and move up a couple of rungs on the ladder.”
“Ha-ha. Very funny. Yeah, I’m sure. Meet us at Elaine’s at twelve-thirty, okay?”
Just as she hoped, Lucia seemed charmed by Hal. And just as she trusted, Hal hadn’t tried to pull her star client. They chatted about the movie and television industry and just made general small talk while they ate. It was after they were finished, and were sipping their wine, that Nikkie decided it was time to get down to business.
“Lucia, you said you had something to tell me about that interview. It sounded like it was going to be something heavy, so that’s actually why I asked Hal to join us. He’s been with Paxon and Green for a while now, and we may have to borrow his expertise if it’s something really serious.”
“Hmph, I may have been at the firm longer, but Nikkie has been outshining all of us of late,” Hal said with a smile. Nikkie squeezed his hand under the table in appreciation. “Still, if there’s anything I can do, I’ll be glad to help.”
“Well, here’s the thing.” Lucia leaned back in her chair. “You know how I told them that I had gotten the role of the chambermaid in the new Spielberg movie? Well, my agent called me last night. I’ve ungotten it.”
“What?” Nikkie’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean? I thought it was a done deal.”
“We left it at a handshake, but they hadn’t gotten around to drawing up the contract for us to sign yet.” Lucia shrugged. “Meanwhile, Spielberg came up with the grand idea that the chambermaid should be black. They said they hoped I would just graciously back out of it without making a fuss, and of course I have no choice. I do want to stay on Spielberg’s good side. And he promised me a really meaty role in his next flick.”
“Why did they decide to go with a black chambermaid?” Nikkie asked.
Hal broke in before she could answer. “Another example of someone being screwed because of affirmative action.” He snorted.
Lucia looked surprised. “How do you figure that?”
“Well, I bet someone brought it to Spielberg’s attention that they didn’t have enough blacks in his last couple of movies, or something, so he’s making this move to rectify it.” He paused. “I might be wrong, of course, but I just don’t see why else they would dump an actress of your caliber.”
Lucia smiled. “That’s very sweet of you to say. But I don’t think that’s the reason. It just so happens that there are layers to the role that could probably be more developed if the character were black. And I’m not into doing blackface.” She took another sip of her wine. “But you sound as if you have something against affirmative action? Haven’t you benefited from it?”
Hal jerked his head back. “I beg your pardon?”
Lucia gave a short laugh. “It kills me that so many people think only blacks have benefited from affirmative action.”
Nikkie was startled. “I guess Puerto Ricans and Asians, and, well, you know, other people of color have also?”
“Uh-huh.” Lucia turned to Hal. “Where did you go to college?”
“The University of Pennsylvania.”
“Ivy League. I’m impressed. The tuition must have been pretty steep.”
Hal shrugged his broad shoulders. “I was able to get by with school grants and student loans.” “Just what I thought,” Lucia said with a satisfied smile.
“You, my dear boy, are an affirmative action baby.”
“What do you mean?”
Lucia dabbed at her lips with the napkin before continuing. “Listen, the whole purpose of affirmative action is to even the playing field, right? It’s for people who have been born with a disadvantage to get the same opportunities to prove themselves as those without disadvantages. That’s it, plain and simple. Now, with the cost of college tuition these days, most students have to get some kind of financial aid. Well, financial aid is simply a form of affirmative action. It’s to make sure that students who can’t afford a college education can still get a college education so that they can then compete in the job force. So anyone—black, white, yellow, or purple—who has received student financial aid is an affirmative action baby, whether they want to recognize the fact or not.”
She chuckled. “So, yeah, Hal, you’re an affirmative action baby.”
“Wow. I never thought of it like that,” Nikkie said. And I’ve got to remember it the next time someone brings up the subject.
“Well, it’s not the same thing.” Hal tried to keep a level voice, but Nikkie knew him well enough to see just how upset he was.
Lucia raised one of her eyebrows. “And why not?”
“It just isn’t,” he protested
hotly.
Lucia looked at him and smirked before turning back to Nikkie. “Remember, though, I said I had good news and bad news. I may have lost the Spielberg role, but it just so happens that I landed the lead in Woody Allen’s newest movie. Filming starts in two weeks.”
“Oh, my God, that’s wonderful!” Nikkie clasped her hands in front of her. “So, okay, I’ll have to call the writer at the magazine to let her know to take out the part about the Spiel-berg film, but to add the info about the Woody Allen movie. That’ll be a cinch. Lucia, this is just great.” She turned to Hal, who seemed distracted. “Isn’t it, Hal?”
“Yes, just wonderful,” he said absentmindedly. “Listen, I hope you ladies will excuse me, but I’ve got to get back to the office. I have a conference call coming up in about an hour, and I have to prepare.” He pulled out his wallet and withdrew an American Express Platinum Card. “Please let me take care of the bill.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” Lucia said after he left.
“Something like that.”
Lucia shook her head. “He’s nice, but he’s got some real issues, and I suspect you know what they are. Personally, I think you can do better.”
Nikkie nodded. “I’m beginning to think so myself.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nicole? This is Mrs. Riverton. Have I caught you at a bad time, dear?” Nikkie almost dropped the phone. “No, ma’am. I was just getting ready for work. How are you?”
“Oh, I don’t want to make you late, so I’ll be brief. I hope you don’t mind, but I got your telephone number from Rachel. She said you live at Seventy-second and West End, is that right?”
“Seventy-first Street actually.”
“Good. Well, I’m working with the Hillary Clinton campaign and we have an office near there. We’re looking for some volunteers to come in on Saturday and help stuff envelopes. Boring work, but for a good cause. Are you free?”
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