Chapter 13
Zara
Dear Sandra,
You ever heard that saying, don’t shit where you eat? What does it really mean? Do people ever really shit where they eat? I think not.
If they do, they are stupid.
That is all for now,
Miss you!
Zara
“Batman, Batman,”my nephew, Luke, screams as he runs back and forth between the living room and the kitchen with a toy car in his hand. Charlotte chases behind him, singing ”Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and I hope that’s not her way of telling me she’s expecting Christmas presents anytime soon. I look at the laptop screen and refresh to see if any new positions have shown up for me to apply to in the last thirty seconds.
“I’m hungry.” Luke stops in front of me and drops the car on my foot. His hazel eyes look at me with a sad expression as he pouts. “And so is she.” He points at Charlotte, who has also stopped and is now twirling around in her pink ballet outfit, stained with red ink. I hold in a sigh.
“What would you like to eat?” I place the laptop onto the couch and ruffle the top of his dark, curly hair. “Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?”
“Ham and cheese on a baguette,” he answers, and I stifle a laugh. He’s definitely Elise’s son.
“We don’t have any baguettes, Luke.” I shake my head as I head to the kitchen and open the fridge. “Let’s see, we have?—”
“Chicken curry and roti then.” He follows behind me, and I press my lips together. If he’s this bossy at six, I can only imagine what he’ll be like at sixteen. He’s my nephew, and I love him, but his manners are not always the best. Always demanding this and that.
“We don’t have any.” I shake my head.
“Grandma would have some.” He stomps as he compares me to my mother. My mother cooked pots full of food every week. Mainly dishes that reminded her of the home she grew up in, in Guyana. “Curry or cookup rice, please.”
“Luke, we don’t have cookup rice, curry, chow mein, pepperpot, or…” I stop as I realize he’s not paying attention to me. I look back into the fridge. “We have cheese and cucumbers. I can make you cheese and cucumber sandwiches.”
“I want a cheese sandwich.” Charlotte smiles at me, her big green eyes glowing in her pretty face. Her long dark hair is up in a ponytail, and I can’t help but think that Elise has made some good-looking children. Sometimes, I wonder if my own children will be as attractive. However, I have to find a husband first.
“Great. And you, Luke?”
“I want a Lunchables.” He juts his little chin out, and I press my lips together. He’s only six, but I swear he’s been put on earth to test my last nerves.
“We don’t buy Lunchables.” I shake my head. “You can have a PB and J or cheese sandwich.”
“PB and J.” He shrugs.
“Please,” I remind him.
“You’re welcome,” he says, running back into the living room. “Batman, Batman,” he screams, and I wonder if I close my eyes and tap my heels together three times if I can be transported back to last night. The beginning of the night, though. Not the end. The part where Zeus rescued me from the loser gym guy and then took me outside. I blush as I think of the cab ride and how the taxi driver had gotten a glimpse of my scandalous night.
“Can I have orange juice, Aunty Zara?” Charlotte asks, and I try to clear my thoughts before I give her my attention. I need to get my mind out of the gutter. I can’t just stand here reminiscing about my hot night of debauchery.
“Yes, you may.” I grab the carton of orange juice and two plastic mugs from the cupboard, as I already know that Luke will also want some. I pour the orange juice and then hand her the mug before putting the carton back into the fridge.
“Thank you,” she says sweetly, and I beam at her before quickly making two sandwiches, handing them to them, and heading back to my seat on the couch.
I grab my laptop and stare at the screen for a couple of moments. I don”t have the energy to look for a job, but I know that doesn”t matter right now. I know that what I need more than anything is a paycheck. I need to make money. And fast. I refresh the screen and then pause when I hear a rapping on the door, and I freeze for a second. I have no idea who could be here.
”Who is it, Aunty Zara?” Luke says as he comes running up to me. ”Shall I go and check?”
”No. Have a seat,” I say, shaking my head and standing up. ”You know you”re not allowed to open the door.”
”But I asked you first, Aunty Zara.”
”Luke?” I give him a look and cross my arms.
”Okay. Fine.” He sits on the couch and then I beckon Charlotte toward me.
”Come on, Charlotte. Have a seat.”
”Okay,” she says, running up and plopping herself next to Luke.
The rapping on the door gets louder. ”Just a moment,” I call out as I head to the door and peek through the hole. I try not to let out a loud groan as I see Frankie standing there. I take a deep breath, plaster a wide smile on my face, and open the door. ”Hey, Frankie, how are you?”
”Not as good as you, obviously,” he says, looking me up and down.
”Sorry. What does that mean?”
”I saw you out last night at the club looking all sexy,” he says, leering at me. ”I was about to come and talk to you and you just disappeared.”
”Oh, really? I didn”t notice that you were out last night.”
”Yeah, funny that. I swore you looked right at me. So, tell me something. How were you able to afford to buy drinks in an exclusive bar if you have no money?”
”I didn”t buy any drinks. As you know, I”m saving all my money to?—”
”You owe me rent,” he says, glaring at me. ”And I will have to have to evict you if I don”t get something within the next week.”
”I know,” I say. ”I”m working on it. I have a paycheck coming from my job and?—”
”And what?”
”And I will give you all of that.” Even though it’s not enough.
”Well, there”s another thing you could do to work it off,” he says, winking at me. And I stare at him obliviously like I don”t know what he”s suggesting.
”So, is that all?” I go to close the door.
”Can I come inside?” he asks, pushing his way in.
”No.” I block him from entering the apartment. ”My niece and nephew are home and?—”
”Oh, I get it. You don”t want to bang in front of them,” he says crudely, and I narrow my eyes at him. I stand my ground and keep eye contact with him.
”Frankie, I”m not going to say this again, but I”m not going to sleep with you to pay off rent. I”m not going to blow you; I”m not going to do anything with you. You will have the money within a week.”
”That”s what you said last week.”
”And I”ve been working hard.”
”Obviously not that hard,” he says, staring at my breasts, and I suddenly wish that I was wearing a bra.
”What”s that supposed to mean?”
”Well, you”re not at work right now, and I noticed you didn”t come home last night.”
”What do you mean you noticed I didn”t come home last night?”
”I was kind of waiting around to see if you were going to be drunk and ready to have some fun,” he says with a sneer.
I visibly shudder at his confession.
”Aunty Zara, I want cake,” Luke says, running up to me, and I”ve never been more grateful that he”s a brat than at that moment. Frankie looks down at him and rolls his eyes.
”Aren”t those kids supposed to be in school?”
”Not right now. They have the week off,” I say. ”And I”m actually looking for better-paying jobs right now. So if you could leave, maybe I can get back to it.”
He shrugs. ”You do what you have to do, but just know unless I get the two grand you owe me within the next week, you”re out.”
”I hear you,” I say, nodding slowly.
”Unless you want to please me.” He moves his hips back and forth and flicks his tongue against his teeth.
I look away and wait for him to leave. As soon as he walks back into the hallway, I close the door. I lean back against it and rub my fingers across my forehead. I can feel my headache is starting to come back.
”Are you okay, Aunty Zara?” Luke looks up at me with big, wide eyes. He”s young and oblivious, but he can still sense that something”s wrong.
”Everything”s fine, Luke,” I say, bending down and a kissing him on the cheek. I don”t want him or Charlotte to worry; I don”t want them to have any sense that something”s wrong. I want them to have as great a childhood as they can have in this situation. Their mom is all over the place, and their dad”s not in the picture. I hate that both of their parents suck. Their dad is a deadbeat, and if I could get my hands on him… I stop the thoughts from running through my mind. There is no point in me thinking about Shane, their dad; it’s probably better that he’s not in their lives corrupting them. ”Do you guys want to do a puzzle?” I say, thinking of something to occupy their mind while I return to searching on my computer. ”And I am just going to look for jobs so that I can make money and get us ice cream.”
”I want ice cream,” Charlotte says, ”Vanilla and strawberry and chocolate.” She jumps up and down, and I groan. Why had I brought up ice cream? I’m not a rookie. I know better than that.
”Well, we”re not going to get it today, but maybe soon. Okay?” I grab one of the Disney puzzles from the bookshelf and put it on the ground. “You guys play right there.” I motion to the ground, then I have a seat back on the couch, grab my laptop, and start to scroll through job websites again. My eyes immediately flicker to a new listing that”s only been up for a couple of minutes. I scan the synopsis.
Fortune 500 company seeking executive assistant for CFO. Must have experience, must have patience, very competitive salary, starting at 150K. Apply now for interviews this week.
”Wow, six figures,” I mumble to myself, feeling excited. I’ve only ever dreamed of making six figures, and I didn”t even realize executive assistants could make six figures. I quickly hit apply, but then I see there”s a phone number to call. I take a deep breath, grab my phone, and call the number.
”Thank you for calling Rosser International. This is Kim speaking. How may I help you?”
”Hi, Kim. I”m calling about the ad listed online for the executive assistant position.”
”Oh, yes. Yes. We just put that up. Do you have experience working with… as an executive assistant?”
”Well, I”ve been an assistant for many years and?—”
”And you know how to deal with demanding executives?” she cuts me off. I look over at Luke and Charlotte and think about Frankie and everyone else I”ve ever had to deal with in my life.
”Yeah, I know how to deal with difficult people.”
”And you’re proficient in Excel and Word?”
”Yep, I know both of them and PowerPoint.”
”What about QuickBooks?”
”QuickBooks?”
”Well, that one”s not a must-have; you can always learn it.”
”Sure, I don”t mind learning it.”
”Great. Can you come in for an interview tomorrow morning?”
”Tomorrow morning? Sure. What time?”
”Nine a.m.”
”Of course.”
”Great. And please bring your current résumé and a list of references we can call.”
”Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
”Don”t thank us; you haven”t had the interview yet,” she says in a churlish voice, and I wonder what that means. She laughs quickly to cover up her tone. ”Just a small joke that we like to play here in HR. Looking forward to seeing you, what was your name again?”
”Zara,” I say. ”Zara Hathaway.”
”Great, Miss Hathaway. We”ll see you in the morning.”
”Yes, looking forward to it.” I hang up the phone and look at Luke and Charlotte putting the puzzle pieces together, and I can feel a warm smile crossing my face. I haven”t gotten the job yet, but I feel positive about it. I feel like the universe wants to reward me for being patient. I feel like maybe things are starting to look up. There cannot be any more lows in my life at this point in time. It just doesn’t seem possible.
I”ve lost my job, I had a one-night stand with a guy who talked to me like trash afterward, my landlord is trying to sleep with me or evict me, my sister”s disappeared with some rando that she just met, Lila”s hoping that she”s going to get her big break from a play that quite frankly sucks, and my niece and nephew, while I loved them, are driving me absolutely crazy. I have to get this job. This is going to be the start of my new life.
I can feel it in my bones. It’s mine for the taking. I am going to have an executive assistant position at a Fortune 500 company, making six-figures. My boss is going to love me, and my life will finally be on track.
”I need to update my résumé,” I say out loud. ”And then I need to print it out. Do you guys want to go to Staples later?” I ask Charlotte and Luke.
”What”s Staples?” Charlotte asks.
”Staples are in a stapler, stupid,” Luke tells her.
”What”s a stapler?” Charlotte asks.
Luke rolls his eyes and looks at me. ”Little kids,” he says, shaking his head, and I can”t stop myself from laughing.
”You know I love you both so much, right?”
”We love you too, Aunty Zara,” Charlotte says. ”I love you more than I love ice cream,” she continues, and I don”t respond because there is no ice cream in her immediate future.
Luke jumps up and runs to the kitchen, grabs his glass of orange juice, and then runs back toward Charlotte. ”I love you, Aunty Zara, but I don”t know that I love you more than ice cream, especially chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and fudge pieces.”
”Fudge pieces?”
”You know those fudgy brownie pieces? They”re absolutely delicious. If only I could have an ice cream with fudgy brownie pieces right now.” He rubs his stomach.
”Well, that would be nice,” I say, shaking my head. ”But that”s not about to happen.”
”Oh,” he says, frowning. ”That makes me sad.”
”I know, but if I get this job tomorrow, we”ll get ice cream, okay?”
”Yay,” he says, grinning. ”I can”t wait.”
I stareat my phone screen. I have my résumé in my hand and am ready to head out for my interview. It”s eight o”clock in the morning, and I need to leave for my interview. Lila”s not back from her late-night emergency meeting with the cast, and none of my neighbors are home. ”Fuck it,” I say as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I”m wearing my best navy suit (the one my parents got me for graduation). I look smart. And even though the heels are slightly too high, I want to impress with my best power look. ”Hey, Luke, Charlotte,” I say as I walk out of my bedroom, holding my blusher brush in my hand.
”Yes, Aunty Zara?” they say in unison, looking up at me from in front of the TV, where they are seated eating Frosted Flakes.
”I need you guys to get dressed really quickly. We”re just going to pop out for a bit.”
”Oh, are we going to get ice cream?” Charlotte asks excitedly, and I take a deep breath. Now is not the time to become annoyed and lose it.
”No. I have an interview, and you guys are going to come with me. You”re going to sit in the lobby, and you”re going to be really good. Okay? And then afterward?—”
”We”ll get ice cream.” She grins.
”If you”re good,” I say. “And if I get the job.” I beam at them both, but internally, I”m feeling nervous. I don”t want to have to take the kids with me. ”I shouldn”t even be in this position,” I mumble to myself. I grab my phone and call Elise, but of course, she doesn”t pick up. Not that it would matter if she did. Other than me giving her a piece of my mind.
I can”t ask Lila to come back right now. And there”s no one else. For a split second, I wish I was still in Florida. My mom and dad would”ve taken care of the kids in a heartbeat, but I”m not in Florida, and they”re not here. I apply the blusher to my cheeks, grab some mascara, and then look around for my fake Chanel handbag. It”s not real, but I love it as much as if it were.
”We”re ready, Aunty Zara,” Charlotte says as she and Luke come out wearing jeans and sweaters.
”Great. Come on.” I grab my keys and head toward the door. ”We”re going to take the subway. And remember, you guys have to be good once we get there. Okay?”
”Okay,” they say, and I”m thankful for once that they”re quiet and good as we walk to the subway.
The subway ride is also amazing, and I feel like everything truly is going my way. Maybe the universe is finally smiling at me. When we reach the Rosser International building, I step inside and head over to the front desk. ”Hi. I have an interview with the HR department,” I say, checking to ensure the kids are behaving.
”Take the elevator over there and go up to the fifteenth floor,” the lady behind the desk says, and smiles at me. I look around for seats, but there are none. I can”t leave the kids down here.
”Come on, guys.” I lead them to the elevator with me. I”m hopeful that the HR office is large and has seats. ”Remember,” I say as we get into the elevator, ”you have to be good. Okay?”
“Yes, Aunty Zara,” Luke says, rolling his eyes. Charlotte yawns, and I hope that they”ll behave for once in their lives. We get out on the fifteenth floor, and I follow the signs to the HR office. I”m grateful that there are some seats near the door, and I tell Luke and Charlotte to sit there before heading to the desk.
”Hi,” I say. ”My name is Zara Hathaway. I”m here for an interview.”
”Oh, great. For the executive assistant position?” the lady asks me, and I nod. ”Perfect. I”m going to have you follow me, and then Mr. Pruitt will be in shortly.”
”Sounds good,” I say. ”Thank you.” I look back at Charlotte and Luke, sitting quietly and looking at a magazine. I cross my fingers and hope they”ll stay that quiet. I take a seat in the large conference room and wait patiently. I don”t know who Mr. Pruitt is, but I hope he”s a nice man. I hope he takes one look at me and thinks, oh, she”d make a great executive assistant. I need this position. I really, really, really need this position. I hear the door opening and look up expectantly, hopeful that this is when my life takes a turn for the better.
My heart sinks when I see Zeus standing there, and I can tell from the look on his face that he”s just as shocked to see me.
”You,” I say, pointing at him, all the color rushing from my face. The universe is not on my side. ”What the hell are you doing here?” I groan as my heart races. He’s looking at me with narrowed eyes, not saying anything, and I’m starting to feel nervous. ”I can’t believe it’s you.”