14. Daylin
FOURTEEN
daylin
“After this box, we can call it a night and start back on fulfillment, Monday,” I told my team to which they clamored in response to say they understood.
“Day, you have a visitor here to speak with you.” My assistant Petra jogged up behind me en route to my office.
“Who?” I frowned, thinking most likely it was Rakim, and after such a busy day, I could use a dose of him.
“Morgin?” She frowned, attempting to read me and see if I knew her.
“My old assistant. Tell her to kick rocks please.” I was about to continue my stride until Petra spoke up.
“I told her you didn’t accept impromptu visitors at the warehouse, but she insisted and stated that it was important.” Petra clenched her teeth, and I could sense she was hoping she hadn’t made a mistake.
“Okay. I told them after this box here—” I pointed to it—“we were gonna end the day and start back up on Monday since after that box, it’s only orders that were placed twenty-fours ago,” I explained.
“Got it.” Petra walked right over to where my staff was fulfilling orders and got right in with them as I made my way toward the front door of my warehouse.
I couldn’t think of shit Morgin had to say to me, but maybe the bitch came back for a round two of getting her ass beat.
As frustrated as I was with all these orders and impatient customers who were inquiring on their shipments, despite our shipping time being clear as day on the site, I could use a punching bag in the form of Morgin’s disloyal ass.
“Yes.” I stepped outside where Morgin was standing, looking like she’d seen better days.
Instead of being dipped in perfume, makeup, jewelry, and the latest fashions, she wore leggings, a crop top, a jean jacket, and her usually bouncy silk press looked greasy and stringy.
I didn’t catch a whiff of any floral or fruity scents peppering the air, so I could assume she didn’t put on any perfume like usual.
Morgin would typically leave her scent behind for days because she put on so much fragrance, so this was odd for her. Clearly the bitch was stressed.
“I think I’m owed a check.”
“No, you got your check. You cannot be serious.”
“I did, but it was a little short because I had some leftover vacation time.”
“No you didn’t. I just applied it to those days you didn’t show up to work nor did you call to inform me you wouldn’t come. So you got all of your money. Now is that it?”
Exhaling and looking off momentarily, she focused back on me and said, “Day, I am so sorry.” She held her hands in prayer mode, irises glistening with sorrow.
“I know I fucked up and you hate me, but you know I loved Delicacies almost as much as you, so if you could put that aside and rehire me, I would truly appreciate it.” Her lids lowered for a moment as she sniffled.
“I would even work the assembly line. I don’t have to be right under you like before, especially since I see I’ve already been replaced. ”
“No, Morgin. This isn’t Target or some big ass corporation where I have to push my feelings aside and leave personal shit at home.
You fucked my man, and I don’t want a bitch who fucked my man working for me.
I don’t even want a bitch who fucked my nigga in the past before he met me working for me, so damn sure not while I was with him. ”
She nodded.
“I get that, but be honest, Daylin, you were about to leave him. I mean you ran off with a whole nother nigga and—”
“First of all, I didn’t run off with a nigga.
Second, what I do in my relationship or to my man doesn’t give my assistant the right to go fuck him.
Because if I fucked your man due to the fact that I thought you weren’t treating him right, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be okay with that shit.
Lastly, something you and Shaun seem to fucking forget, y’all were fucking each other almost the entirety of our relationship before I did anything.
So let’s stop pretending like you two only came together because I was fucking around on him.
If anyone knows that isn’t true, it’s you, bitch. ”
“You’re right. I’m gonna be real with you, Daylin. I need this job. I’m in a predicament that I need to take care of ASAP.”
“Apply somewhere else, Morgin.”
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted as if that would make me generate some sympathy for her.
“Well I guess I’m sorry to hear that, but my decision stands. You cannot work here. And you typically only fuck men who have some kind of money, so they should be able to help you.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“Shaun may not be rich like you want, but he surely isn’t too broke to help you raise that baby or pay for an abortion.”
“I know that, but it may not be Shaun’s baby. And the situation with the other guy is . . . complicated.”
“Complicated. Sounds like you’re the side bitch again.” I laughed before saying, “The fact that you expect me to not only have sympathy for you but rehire you because you’re possibly pregnant by the nigga I was with is insanity, Morgin.”
“Day—”
“No. You are a grown ass woman. As a grown woman, you need to do better, Morgin. The problem with being a pregnant side chick is that no one likes them, not even the nigga who knocked you up. You are a pretty girl, and you know how to get money when you actually apply yourself. I don’t know why you make it seem so damn difficult to get your own man and one who is going to do right by you.
The only thing fucking on taken men will get you is a side baby, your ass beat, murdered, or all three.
Grow the fuck up and get off my property.
” I turned and went back inside, not caring what she had to say in response, and judging by the silence on the other side, she had not a damn thing to say anyway.
* * *
THE NEXT LATER AFTERNOON . . .
Entering Sweet Maple out in Santa Monica, I swept the restaurant before locating Kasia at a table already, nursing a mimosa.
“Hey!” I greeted her, grinning at how she lit up as she rose from her seat to embrace me.
“You smell so good,” she stated, descending back into her seat.
“Jo Malone Raspberry Ripple and Crumb Couture,” I informed and Kasia nodded.
The waitress approached after seeing me sit down, so I put in an order for a mimosa as well, but the Tiffany blue version, and then she gave us some time to look over the menu while fetching my cocktail.
“So how are you?” Kasia inquired.
“The same. We don’t need to talk about me. It’s the same old story—I’m still in love with Rakim,” I sort of joked, giggling, and Kasia followed suit.
“Okay, I like to hear that. So no drama?” She lifted a brow just as the waitress set down my blue mimosa.
I put Kasia onto the shit with Morgin and how much gall and balls the bitch had to show up and ask for my assistance since she was possibly pregnant by my ex.
People like Morgin were akin to those people who asked folks they barely knew or only recently met for large amounts of money.
Just crazy. I kept the shit with LaMia popping up to myself because I for some reason felt bad for her ass.
By the time I was done speaking, the waitress returned again, and we put in our brunch orders.
“Okay, now you. You still talk to the Darron guy?” I sipped from my flute.
Rolling her eyes, Kasia replied, “I do, and he’s great, but do you know Josias showed up while he was over and literally beat that man bloody. He was so ashamed that he didn’t even want me to call the ambulance for him when he regained consciousness.”
“What the fuck? Where was Divine?”
“No fucking idea! It was his time to have her, so I just knew I was safe to have company, and it’s not like Josias tracks me, but I was so wrong.
“Darron didn’t even do anything to ignite the issue; it was all Josias.
Nigga used a key he clearly had copied and everything, which I know he did on purpose because he usually always respects me by ringing the doorbell and notifying me before he pops up.
This was prior to me changing the locks of course.
Anyway, then he starts picking with Darron before telling the man he was still fucking me a week before. ”
“Oh my gosh.” I shielded my mouth, quelling my laughter. It wasn’t funny—the situation—but Josias’s jealousy was the comical part. The man had been hanging around Tarin like he loved her but couldn’t handle Kasia kicking it with another man. “Was he lying?”
“No.” she closed her eyes, clearly filled with regret. “He was having a moment about losing Zaire and one thing leg to another.”
“Sympathy pussy.”
“Exactly.” She giggled.
“I’m shocked but I’m not. I think he loves you, but he is not mature enough to deal with those emotions properly.”
“Exactly. I never got the feeling that he intentionally wanted to deceive me; he’s just an immature fuck-boy and can’t help it. And that may be fine for Tarin or whomever, but not for me.” She shook her head, drinking some of her original mimosa.
“True.”
“So has he been with her?”
“Who?” I stalled for time. I knew she wanted to know if Josias had still been messing around with Tarin, and I didn’t know how to answer that.
I was new to the group, but I had a sense of loyalty to Kasia because we were growing closer and she was a woman. I would want her to tell me if she saw Rakim up to no good, even if she only knew me for an hour.
“Tarin, Daylin. You know what I’m asking you.”
“He has,” I revealed begrudgingly. I felt terrible for being truthful for a multitude of reasons.
For starters, I could see how my words hurt Kasia, and I also knew they’d hurt trifling ass Josias, too, because though he was trash to Kasia, he loved her, and my revelation only put him further steps behind.
“I knew it.” She shook her head, visibly aggravated as she sat back some so the waitress could set our plates and condiments down.
“But I need to hear shit like to be steadfast in what I’m doing.
Some days it’s easy for me to move on, and others, it’s hard, but the more I witness his shenanigans, the easier it becomes. ”