Chapter 14
“AJ, there is no way I can work under Bransford’s leadership. None. I will relocate first,” I said to the mayor pro tem.
“First of all, you’re delusional if you think I will allow you to relocate. You’re one of the best firefighters we have. Secondly, I would never appoint Bransford as the new fire chief. He’s way too biased in his beliefs, and that’s putting it nicely. He doesn’t care for all citizens equally. So get ready for the backlash, because you are the best candidate for that position. I’ve watched you put your life on the line repeatedly to save others. Your own safety is an afterthought most times.”
I lowered my head, grateful that we were on the same page concerning Bransford. While I meant what I said about relocating, I didn’t want to have to. My family, the only family I knew, was here in Beaumont. Besides Micah, my mama was my best friend. I wasn’t great at making friends. I was always friendly and in a good mood, but I didn’t let people in on my personal life easily. People couldn’t be trusted. Unfortunately, Kyrie had reminded me of that.
I missed him so damn much, but I had to make peace with the situation and move on. The holidays had come and gone, and we were embarking on a new year. My goal was to make it better than last year and focus on elevation in my career. Being fire chief was the next step. Our fire chief had retired, and we had a retirement party for him right before the new year rolled in. It was a great time.
“Thank you, AJ. Are you going to run for mayor?”
“Absolutely. I didn’t come all this way to go down in the books as only mayor pro tem. I’m going to make my appointment tomorrow at the city council meeting. Do you have to work?”
“No. I’ll be there. I go back to work day after tomorrow.”
“Perfect. See you tomorrow then.”
I shook his hand. “Yes, you will. Thanks again.”
“No problem.”
When I walked out, I took a deep breath. The last time I was in the courthouse, or even in the vicinity of it, was when I’d rescued Kyrie from that courtroom. I swallowed hard and made my way to my car. It had been months, and I was still pining after this man. I didn’t understand why God was allowing me to go through this. It was like I was grieving our relationship and what it had the potential of being. I was so childish and na?ve.
I was literally daydreaming about us being a family. We’d have a destination wedding, and I would get pregnant a year later. We would live at his house since it was bigger than mine. Eventually, we would have up to four children that all looked like him. My dreams were crushed. However, I seemed to be in this loop pattern, where I was easily triggered. Everything from the sight of flowers to TV court shows had me feeling incomplete and lost in this world. I was trying to be strong and trudge forward, but it was hard. It took conscious effort.
The worst part about all of this, I knew if I were to see him, I would give him a hard time. I’d make him stand on his decision in my face, just like I did when we pulled him from his SUV. It didn’t help that he’d been all over the news. He was taking a leave of absence. So I didn’t have a clue of where he was.
Getting into my car, I drove to Dairy Queen to get a crispy chicken salad, then I would head home. I had a lot of housework to do, plus I needed to check on my grandma. She was still coming over on Wednesdays to do my laundry, until yesterday. That wasn’t like her to miss, especially without calling to let me know. My uniform shirt was at her house anyway. She’d picked it up from the cleaners for me a while back, and I never got it from her house.
I needed it tomorrow to wear to the board meeting. I was almost sure Bransford would be there. His off days started tomorrow, on what would be my last off day. Like AJ had said, I had better be prepared for the fight. While he would make the appointment, the council members would have to be convinced that I could handle the position better than Bransford.
After getting my salad, I made my way to Grandma’s house. When I got there, I noticed her car wasn’t in the garage. She always parked in her garage. That was strange. I got out and immediately smelled food. God bless it. She was cooking or had already cooked. I walked up the stairs to the back door and turned the knob to find it locked. She rarely locked the back door during the daytime.
She probably had a boyfriend! That had to be it! That was the only reason she would miss Wednesday at my house. I could hear her laughing, and then I heard a man’s voice. I froze. That voice sounded a lot like Kyrie’s. I heard his voice in my dreams. I would never forget it. With a shaky hand, I knocked on the back door.
It got extremely quiet, and I could hear footsteps walking in the opposite direction of the door. Then I heard them coming my way. I plastered a huge smile on my face as the door cracked open. “Woman, why are you cracking the door open like you’re hiding?” I yelled.
She rolled her eyes and opened the door. She was still blocking the door though and said, “Hey, baby! To what do I owe this visit?”
“You didn’t come over yesterday. I was off, but you still normally come over anyway.” I frowned slightly. “Are you gonna let me in?”
“Umm… yeah. Come in.”
She seemed so damn nervous. “Grandma, I know you got a man in here. I heard y’all talking and laughing. Let me meet him.”
She seemed so nervous, and that only made me more nervous. “I don’t think it’s a good time for you to meet him, baby.”
“It’s okay, Grandma,” a male voice said.
I closed my eyes because I knew it was him. When I opened them, he was standing in front of me. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
Before he could answer, I realized this was probably where the police hid him out at. How convenient. I slowly shook my head and said, “Never mind. You don’t even have to answer that.” Turning to my grandma, I said, “I came to get my dress shirt. I have to go to the city council meeting tomorrow. AJ is going to appoint me fire chief at the meeting.”
My grandmother’s eyes widened. “Congratulations, sweetness! I’m so proud of you!”
She hugged me tightly as Kyrie stood there like he was in wet cement, staring at me. When my grandmother tried to pull away, my hair had gotten caught in one of the buttons of her shirt. Just that quickly, it had gotten good and tangled. I grabbed her hand and walked to the kitchen. Grabbing her shears, I cut it off.
Her mouth opened in shock. I’d been growing my locs for years. They hung to the middle of my back. My nose twitched, along with my lips as I cut off another one. “Genesis! What are you doing?”
I frowned hard, holding in my emotions and cut every last one of them off, leaving only a couple of inches of hair. I went and got the broom and dustpan and swept it all up as she and Kyrie looked on in shock. After I dumped it in the trash, I said, “Let me go get my shirt.”
Walking right past him, I headed to the bedroom he was probably sleeping in and got the shirt from the closet. When I got back to the kitchen, I went to my grandmother and said, “I’ll see you later. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby. Good luck tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
Before I could get to the door without acknowledging Kyrie, he called out my name. I spun on my heels and said, “Yes, Judge Patrick.”
I’d never seen a dark-skinned man turn red, but I swore he did at that moment. “Can we talk?”
“About what? I thought you made yourself clear the last time we talked. Has anything changed?”
“No. Nothing’s changed.”
“Then there’s nothing to talk about then. Enjoy your stay. I won’t say anything to anyone.”
I quickly got out of there before I completely lost my breath. He looked so good. Before I could get in my car, my grandmother was behind me. “Please don’t be upset, Genesis.”
I turned to her and said, “I’m not. You weren’t supposed to say anything. I get it. I just wish he would have stayed put and not revealed himself. I have to go before my salad gets soggy.”
“Okay, baby.”
She backed away as I opened my door and got inside. The minute I pulled out of the driveway, tears fell down my cheeks. He was supposed to be my forever. How was I supposed to go on without him? Cutting my locs had to represent a new beginning. Our relationship was as dead as that hair on the floor was. Neither of us wanted to change what we believed in, and now I could only hope that holding on to our opinions was worth it.
“My appointment for fire chief for fire rescue station number nine is Genesis Farris,” AJ said.
The crowd gathered nearly exploded, some of them standing from their seats. It didn’t move me one bit. Bransford was seated there in his dress shirt, but he clearly wasn’t as decorated as me. I rubbed my hand down the back of my head, something I found myself doing repeatedly since I’d cut all my hair off.
Yesterday evening, I’d gone to a barber and had him even it out to make me look presentable instead of like a plucked chicken. When I’d walked in, his eyebrows had lifted. The sign said he took walk-ins, not miracles. Those were his first words to me. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he let me know that he was joking and let out a laugh that caused me to laugh as well.
My hair was soft and had slight curls in it, so I supposed the constant rubbing was to make sure it wasn’t sticking up in the back. When he’d cut it, I was in awe. It made me look almost like a younger version of Nicole Murphy. He laughed about it and asked if I was sure I had chosen the right career. I belonged on someone’s runway, not in a burning building. I could only laugh at his analysis and promise him that I’d gotten it right.
When I arrived, people literally had to do a double take, not recognizing me at first sight. I looked different but not that different. I honestly believed they were probably shocked that I cut my hair. I was ready to get my Angela Bassett on and show them I meant business. Cutting my hair was only the beginning.
As I sat there calmly, watching things turn chaotic, I couldn’t help but silently chuckle. Bransford was fuming. It was evident with his red face and balled fists. Once the council had gotten everything calm, they took a question from a concerned citizen.
“What qualifies her for this appointment over Matthew Bransford? He’s been a firefighter for a year longer than her and has military experience.”
AJ smirked and said, “Bransford, will you stand, sir?”
He did so with a frown on his face. I remained calm as he scowled at me. I wanted to smile, but I chose to keep my petty under wraps for now.
“Farris, will you also stand?”
I stood, once again sliding my hand down the back of my head.
“Will the two of you turn to the crowd?” After we did as he requested, he continued. “Bransford has military background, but yet, Farris is more decorated and has more honors than he does. She puts her life on the line in every circumstance. Bransford has gone on record not wanting to rescue some people because he said they were here illegally. Does that mean they should die such a torturous death? We don’t need someone like that leading our firefighters. We need someone who will look out for all people, no matter their race, gender, social class, or even immigration status.”
The room seemed extremely quiet and somewhat embarrassed. Bransford seemed extremely small in this moment. I’d given AJ that information. It was documented because he’d gotten written up for it. Even with that, our former chief had endorsed Bransford to be chief, because he said I wasn’t equipped to lead. I was too soft. When I read his statement, I was pissed. Time and time again, he’d congratulated me on a job well done, when I’d run into buildings Bransford had refused to go into.
People could be so blatantly cruel, unfair, and biased. What normal human couldn’t see that I was better for the job? An effective leader led by example. How could he or she expect their team to go above and beyond if they didn’t? It would be pure audacity to even require a thing. A good team reflected good leadership.
“The two of you may be seated. My appointment stands.”
I hated that Bransford had all these supporters here, but I had no one. I didn’t invite my mother or brother, and my grandmother was busy babysitting, no doubt enjoying it. They seemed to be having an amazing time until I arrived.
AJ gave the floor to the members of the council. The first one said, “I agree with the appointment to have Genesis Farris as fire chief of station number nine.”
The crowd grumbled. There were five others that had to vote. Three of them had voted for Bransford to my two. I still kept my head high with a slight smile on my face. We only had two more to go. If only one voted for Bransford, it would be a done deal. My heart was racing, because I thought the council would see right through his facade. He was an imposter. He wasn’t loyal to the citizens of Beaumont. He picked and chose who he wanted to protect.
The next member agreed with my appointment, so it all came down to the last one. Everyone seemed to be sitting on the edge of their seats. He stood from his seat and stared at the both of us. “Bransford, what do you feel qualifies you for this position?”
He stood from his seat with his chest poked out like the man asking the question was his commanding officer. I wanted to roll my eyes so bad. He irritated me to no end. I really wished Micah could have been here to really talk about the kind of person he was.
“I have experience dealing with all types of trauma. I have experience with being in high-intensity situations without panicking. I know how to approach those types of situations with a logical plan. I don’t just run in without analyzing the situation. Besides rescuing people, I have to make sure my team won’t get hurt in the process.”
Oh, he wants to throw slugs. I glanced at him as he smirked at me. He could kiss my big ass if he thought he was intimidating me. The councilman nodded then turned his attention to me. He nodded politely then said, “Farris, same question.”
“In order to have a great team, you need to have a great leader. I’m not a dictator. I lead by example. I have a passion for helping people. I’ve started a couple of initiatives to make sure that we show up for the people of this community… not just when there is a crisis or accident. I already lead in a way that is natural and not forced. I have the respect of my team because I extend the same respect. I’m qualified because I’m me. I’m human, flawed just like the next person, but I find ways to overcome. That’s what sets me apart. I don’t just talk and demand. I do. That’s the type of leadership we need.”
Surprisingly, there were a few handclaps. The councilman took his seat with a slight smile on his face.
He stared down at some papers for a while, then he said, “I agree with the appointment. I believe Genesis Farris will make a fine fire chief.”
AJ smiled, and I beamed. Bransford stood and left without a look in my direction. He was pissed, and I could only assume he would want to be transferred. I didn’t think he would go as far as I was willing to go by relocating, but he was surely going to want to be at another fire station. What he needed to realize was no matter where he went, I outranked him. If we ever ended up at the same location, I would still be his superior.
Members of council left their seats to shake my hand and applaud me on a job well done. When they left, I felt an arm slide around my shoulders. When I turned and saw my brother, I hugged him tightly.
“Why didn’t you tell me this was today? You know I would’ve been here. The lieutenant told me he saw you coming in here all decked out.”
I smiled big. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to disrupt y’all’s day.”
“Mama and Grandma are going to be pissed.”
I lowered my head for a moment. When I lifted it to look at him, he smiled and pulled me in his arms again. “I’m so proud of you. Daddy would be proud too.”
Neither of us really remembered much about him, especially Samuel, but we knew enough secondhand stories to know that he wanted what was best for us, whatever that may have looked like. He loved his babies. However, to see me follow in his footsteps and become fire chief at such a young age would have him beaming with his chest stuck out.
He released me and said, “We have to go to a celebratory dinner tonight. I’m gonna call Mama and Grandma.”
“Not tonight, brother. Maybe another time.”
Suddenly, I wasn’t as happy as I was in the beginning. All I could think about was Kyrie. This was a moment I would have wanted to share with him, but here I was, feeling all alone while surrounded by family that loved me.