It was nice to be able to drive into work and not have to take the bus on Monday. Vicky didn’t have to return the car until 7pm Monday night. She was able to drop Angel off at the daycare and at lunch she would go and pay her electric bill. Vicky was so grateful for the rental car. And, for the millionth time, she wondered if she should have allowed him to let her borrow it. However, the bigger question was should she take a chance with Jason. He seemed too good to be true. They had talked over the phone for hours all weekend. Yet, it seemed like minutes. Vicky made the decision not to be her normal cautious self and second guess everything. She was going to enjoy this time with Jason while it lasted. Not every man was destined to break hearts. Lots of women had exciting and healthy relationships. She didn’t know any but she knew they were out there. Maybe Jason wouldn’t break her heart. She hoped taking this chance with him wouldn’t leave her heart in a million little pieces because she was already falling fast and hard.
Vicky pulled into the parking garage at the same time as her supervisor, Sandy. Darn it, she didn’t want to have to walk into the building and make small talk with her. Sandy did a double take when she noticed it was Vicky getti
ng out of the Mercedes Benz. She couldn’t hide the look of surprise on her face. I guess she would look very surprised since she knew exactly how much money Vicky made. After the initial awkwardness Vicky said good morning to Sandy and Sandy returned the greeting. They walked into the building together in silence. After they stepped onto the elevator and into the bright lights that’s when Vicky noticed Sandy’s eyes were puffy almost as if she had been crying. What a turn of events. This past Friday it was Vicky who had gotten onto the elevator in tears and on Monday it was Sandy getting on the elevator in tears. It was just the two of them heading up to their floor. Vicky didn’t know if she should ask if there was anything wrong or if she should just pretend as if she hadn’t noticed. Vicky’s conscience won out “Sandy is everything ok?” It looked like she was going to respond and then the elevator opened. Sandy nodded and quickly exited the elevator. She went straight into her office. As much as she hated to see anyone upset, even Sandy, and as much as she hated this job Vicky got off of the elevator feeling like she was walking on cloud nine. Vicky as sure it was all because of Jason. He’d help to put a little pep in her step.
Close to time to go home Vicky needed a ladies room break and put her phone into the obligatory status for bathroom breaks. When she’d gotten close to the bathroom she heard muffl
ed angry voices from around the corner “How could you do this to me again Josh? Why are you always messing around with women that I work with?” Vicky looked around the corner and saw Joshua Jones and Sandra Catchings huddled up together in what seemed to be a heated argument. He was aggressively holding one of Sandy’s arms. Mr. Jones’ back was to Vicky so he didn’t see her but Sandy saw her. What in the world did she walk in on? Vicky quickly turned back around and went into the bathroom as if she didn’t see or hear anything. Vicky wondered if this could be the reason that Sandy was so cool towards her.
About an hou
r later after she’d returned to her desk Vicki had gotten a call into her head-set from Sandy with a request to come into her office. Vicky had hoped she wouldn’t get this call but knew that she would. Vicky hesitantly entered Sandy’s office. She didn’t need any more reasons for Sandy to make life hard for her. “Hi Sandy, you wanted to see me?”
Sandy was at her desk reviewing paperwork. She never looked up when she responded to Vicky “Yes, I did. I wanted to tell you that I was able to find coverage for the time off we discussed last week. I’ve put
you on the calendar”. As relieved as Vicky was she didn’t want to feel dirty. She didn’t want to get the time off because Sandy was afraid Vicky would tell someone about what she’d seen “You don’t have to do this Sandy. I wouldn’t tell anyone what I saw between you and Mr. Jones.” That made Sandra’s head immediately snap up “And just what exactly do you
think
you saw Ms. Martin?” Vicky looked her squarely in the eyes “look let’s just get this out in the open I don’t like pretending the elephant is not in the room. I saw you and Mr. Jones arguing over I’m guessing him cheating on you. I didn’t want to overhear what I heard but I did. I won’t tell anyone because it really doesn’t concern me. I also don’t like feeling like I’ve somehow wronged you when I haven’t.” Sandy glared at Vicky “So, you can sit here and honestly tell me to my face that you are not sleeping with him?” Vicky’s mouth almost hit the floor “Are you crazy? Oh my god…NO! No offense Sandra but Joshua seems like a player. I have a daughter and I’m not interested in introducing all that drama into our lives. You are a woman who really seems to have it all together. I mean you have a good job and you’re a beautiful woman. It would seem like you could have your pick of guys. I don’t know why you would put up with all of that drama either. Is that why you were crying when you came into the office this morning?” Just like that it appeared Sandy just wanted to release everything that had been building up inside of her. Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Joshua makes me so crazy that I’m doing things that I wouldn’t normally do. I’m no good with women and apparently men either. I owe you an apology Vicky. I know he’s attracted to you and seems like every other woman who works here. It’s driving me insane. We’ve been seeing each other for a while. When we first started dating I knew he was still seeing other women but after all this time I’ve fallen in love with him. I’ve never been an insecure woman but with Joshua I just feel so
insecure
.” Sandy slammed her hands down on her desk “I hate this feeling”. Sandy’s office phone rang. She saw that it was Mr. Franklin Roth from the caller i.d. “Why in the hell….hold on a moment I’ve got to take this call” Vicky tried to give Sandy privacy as she took the call. Vicky looked around Sandy’s office. She noticed pictures of kids on her desk and on her walls. She didn’t think Sandy had any kids. She wondered who they were. All Sandy kept saying was “ok, ok, that sounds good and finally Vicky and I have already worked that out”. Vicky was drawn back into the conversation when she heard her name. After Sandy hung up the phone she looked at Vicky dumbfounded. “I didn’t know you knew Franklin Roth” Vicky shrugged “I don’t know him personally. We’ve actually never met. I spoke to him on the phone once. I think he knows my boyfriend.” It felt a little weird saying that word “boyfriend”. Maybe it felt weird because Vicky wasn’t so sure the term actually fit. They were seeing each other but since it was so new she wasn’t exactly sure what they were. Sandy’s tone changed again to the all so familiar iciness she was known for “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. I thought you were single? Anyway, he wanted to make sure that you had the day off to take your daughter for shots. So, whoever this ‘boyfriend’ of yours is he pulled some major strings on your behalf”. “Sandy, I didn’t ask him to do that I’m sorry. We were talking and trying to figure out what I was going to do about the shots. Jay works in the sales department I never would have suspected he could even do such a thing. Now that I know I’ll be much more careful with what I say around him. I don’t want to take advantage of anyone either him or you”. Sandy truly believed Vicky and decided to let the matter drop. She actually liked Vicky. She was a breath of fresh air. “I think we’ve cleared up a lot of misunderstandings today. Thanks for coming in to see me and being honest. You don’t get that a lot around here” Vicky smiled “Anytime you need someone to talk to Sandy please don’t hesitate. I can be a good listener”. Vicky left the office and realized it was time to pack it up and go home.
“Ok Jason, fill me in on the details that I haven’t been able to glean from the file I’ve had pulled on Ms. Martin. I know she’s worked here for about a year. She seems to be a dedicated employee. There is nothing in her file that would raise any red flags thus far. Oh, wait a minute; I do see one big red flag. A sexual harassment lawsuit! Are you sleeping with this woman?” Jason coughed nervously “Franklin, I’m not going to respond to that unless the legal department calls asking for that information. Anyway, remember our last conversation? The one where I told you I was feeling unsatisfied? I think Vicky might be the answer to some of the unsettledness I was feeling. I know it’s sudden. We’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks but….I think she could be the one”. “Jason are you out of your mind? How could you possibly know that? Other than the mind-blowing sex she obviously gave to you to make you lose your damned mind, you two have NOTHING in common. What do you really know about her? She’s a mother. Are you ready for an instant family? From all appearances she’s never been married, never attended college, and is a customer service representative!” Jason was really annoyed “There is more to a person than just what you can quantify on paper Franklin and when did you become so
judgmental?
” Franklin never minced word and that’s what Jason loved most about him but today it was annoying “Look, let’s get serious here. You can’t believe it will be easy for her to fit into your world or for your friends to get used to you dating a black woman. Be honest, other than President Obama how many black friends do you have or even know? Scratch that even he’s bi-racial. Not to mention your father would have a heart attack. He’s already planned your merger I mean marriage to Bridget.” Franklin had to laugh a little about the last bit of information regarding his nuptials to Bridget. “Frank, what does color have to do with anything? You know I don’t care about that and those who do can go straight to hell. I know that Vicky would have an adjustment period but she is smart and kind. She makes me feel like I’m suspended in air when we are together. I get excited just thinking about her. I want to explore whatever connection it is that we’ve found. I am going to see where it goes. If my friends and associates won't support me then maybe they won’t be in my life” Franklin rubbed the back of his neck “Jason you know I don’t care about color either but I just want you to be ready because there are those who do. I’ll support you no matter what I just want you to understand what you are in for. You have social obligations, business meetings and dinners with other wives. Just ask yourself if you think Vicky can be a partner in all of it. Would she even want to? You obviously had some doubts about something because you didn’t even give the girl your real name. Jason, all I’m asking is that you take some time and think about this before you make any big decisions. Don’t rush into anything.” Jason knew he needed to slow things down with Vicky. Franklin did have some valid points that left a lot for Jason to think about. Mostly, would Vicky want to be a part of his life and obligations? “Speaking of slowing things down, if you haven’t heard already I’m sure you will soon. I broke it off with Bridget. ”
Vicky and Jason had been dating for the last several weeks. They had sort of gotten into a routine. They would talk every morning, text each other all day and Jason would call her every night around 10pm. However, tonight by 10:15pm he hadn’t called. So, she decided to call him and got his voice-mail. Vicky left a message. She was disappointed that she wouldn’t get to talk to him but looked forward to talking to him in the morning.
The next day Vicky was getting ready to sign on for work and
still had not connected with Jason. By bedtime, Vicky started to get worried. She hoped he was alright. She hadn’t really met any of Jason’s friends or family so she wasn’t really sure who to call to make sure Jason was ok. Well, she could call Mr. Roth. That might be a little awkward but she needed to know that Jason was alright. So, the next day on Vicky’s lunch hour she decided to go up to Mr. Franklin Roth’s office. When she arrived she asked Franklin’s administrative assistant if she could speak with Mr. Roth. The Admin looked Vicky up and down. Her face looked as if she’d swallowed something distasteful. Then, after assessing that Vicky was no-one important she told her that she would have to make an appointment. Vicky felt like maybe she’d made a mistake by coming to Mr. Roth’s office. As she was about to walk away Franklin happened to come out of his office. She needed to know Jason was ok. She was nervous but she just took a deep breath and approached him. “Mr. Roth? I’m Vicky Martin, a friend of JK’s”. Franklin turned to see the woman that had blown up the Rutherford household, “may I speak with you for just a moment”? She was very beautiful. He could see why Jason would be attracted to her. “Sure, I only have a moment since I’m in between meetings”. Vicky quickly walked into Mr. Roth’s office “I’m sorry to bother you but I know you and Jay are friends. I hadn’t heard from him in a couple of days and that is so unlike him. I was just wondering if you had talked to him and if he was ok”? Franklin took a deep breath before answering “Actually, I just spoke to Jay this morning. He seems to be fine. But, can I ask you a question?” Franklin proceeded on before getting her response “Honestly, Vicky have you known him long enough to say what he would or wouldn’t do? Look, Jas..err um Jay has been a friend of mine since we were kids. I’ve met a lot of gold diggers since I’ve known Jason who wanted to land a rich husband. Or, they were looking for someone to ‘save’ them from their terrible life choices. I hope your motives for dating him are pure because if they are not” Franklin paused for emphasis “I will make your life a living hell” Vicky was taken aback by his forwardness and tone. She wasn’t expecting that response. Franklin made her so nervous “I can assure you that my motives are pure Mr. Franklin. I’m sorry to have bothered you this afternoon…I just wanted to make sure he was ok. Apparently, he’s fine. I won’t take up anymore of your time”. Franklin was a pretty good judge of character and after seeing her response he felt like a first class jerk. He wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings but she needed to know that he loved Jason like a brother and if her motives weren’t pure life for her would be hell.