Authors: Cydney Michele; Rax Lutishia; Grant Lovely
Crush (22 page)
4
Unusual Pairings
The next day, Lorraine needed to take care of business at her car dealership before coming to work. She normally started her job at seven thirty, but on this day she arrived two hours late. The architectural firm of EDC was located in midtown and occupied the third and fourth floors of an eight-story office building. The Houston branch was mostly filled with wrinkled, white-haired white guys whose marriages had lasted thirty years. A few African Americans and Hispanics, both male and female, were also sprinkled here and there. The fifty-member firm consisted of principals, architects, marketing and finance folks, designers, engineers, and others.
During her first day back at work, Lorraine felt refreshed and ready to resume her professional duties. She emerged from her car dressed in a navy blue skirt suit with matching pumps and a powder blue ruffled blouse. Minutes later, after riding the elevator to the third floor, she lightly waved her magnetic smart card at the card reader in front of her office door and took an anxious breath before entering. She imagined that her in-box was filled with stacks of snail mail or spiral-bound reports, and that her electronic mail had also piled up while she was gone.
But the moment she stepped into her office, instead of seeing only mountains of work on her desk, she watched Wendell emerge from the other side of the cubicle looking relaxed as he held an armful of black binders.
“Good morning, Wendell. What are you doing in my office?”
“Morning, Lorraine. Um, there’ve been some changes around here. While you were out last week, I was temporarily relocated to your office while mine gets renovated.”
Since she’d been working at the firm, she relished having her own space. Even though she liked Wendell, she didn’t expect to find him traipsing around her office.
“Are you serious?”
“I know you’re probably wondering why I didn’t mention it last night.”
“Shhh,” she whispered and stole a look behind her. It was unlikely anyone heard Wendell, but she felt awkward. She didn’t want anyone to know they’d been together the night before. She was especially concerned because when she worked in Dallas, Posse had started popping up without warning at her job, wearing throwback jerseys and baggy jeans and talking constantly in Ebonics. This time around she wanted to present a more positive image to her corporate family and didn’t want everyone at work to know whom she was dating.
“I’m sorry, Lorraine, I know this must be taking you by surprise.”
“I’m not totally surprised. A lot of changes have been going on, not just at EDC, but at dozens of companies across the state. Blame it on the economy, right?” She laughed though nothing was funny. “There’s nothing new about that. Still, it doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with.”
“True that.”
“But it would have been nice if you could have given me a heads-up, um, before now.” She sighed heavily and plopped onto her chair. She grabbed a clump of her hair and twirled it in a circle, thinking about how they’d been together last night, yet Wendell had neglected to warn her about what was happening at work.
“How long did you say you’d be here? And don’t they know this room only has minor file cabinet capacity?”
“Hey, I’m starting to feel unwanted.”
“No, no, no, don’t feel that way. I’m just . . . um, shoot. What difference does it make how a person feels? What’s
that
? Ha! It is what it is, right? Deal with it,” she said to herself more than to him. “This company doesn’t revolve around me, I know that much.”
that
? Ha! It is what it is, right? Deal with it,” she said to herself more than to him. “This company doesn’t revolve around me, I know that much.”
“No, but you’re still an important part of EDC and no matter what decisions are made, they impact all of us.”
“You know, you really don’t have to say things like that, Wendell.” She was beginning to feel annoyed. She hated when people went out of their way to placate her.
“What I’m saying may not sound sincere and like something straight out of an HR manual, but I do sympathize with you, Lorraine, you gotta believe me.”
She nodded, gave a half shrug.
“Look, I swear on the Bible, I will not crowd you. I’ll give you your space. You don’t have to worry about me listening to your conversations. It’s already tight enough in this little tuna can,” he said. “I guess the work will be complete in a couple of weeks, according to the schedule. Think you can put up with me for that long?”
“Wendell, I apologize for how I’m behaving,” she said, feeling guilty. “I’m coming off like a self-centered kid and I don’t want to do that.”
“Speaking of age, how old are you?”
“W-what? We weren’t speaking of age, but since you asked . . . I-I can’t answer that.”
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of those sistas who refuses to disclose their age. You look way too young to be having that kind of attitude.”
She laughed, relieved that she was feeling a little more comfortable now that they had changed the subject. “If you say I look young, I can’t argue with the truth. I am, by the way; you just won’t know exactly
how
young.”
how
young.”
“Don’t count on me not knowing. I don’t have to ask you to find out things about you. I love a challenge.”
“Is that right?” Inside she was beaming. It made her feel good to know he may even want to do some outside investigating to find out info on her. Maybe it meant he was interested. Or perhaps he was making polite conversation and she shouldn’t take anything he said seriously. At that point, she wasn’t sure how he felt. When a woman isn’t positive if a man sincerely wants her, it makes her feel uneasy.
“Well, what if I wanted to know things about you? How would I go about getting that info?”
“Believe me, you’re going to find out more about me than you probably ever wanted to know now that we’re roommates.”
“Hmm, like what?”
“Like, I’m big on coffee. I gotta have something
hot
to perk me up in the morning, especially since . . .” His voice trailed off like he was lost in thought.
hot
to perk me up in the morning, especially since . . .” His voice trailed off like he was lost in thought.
“You were saying?” She couldn’t believe that so far since she’d been at work, she still hadn’t booted up her PC. Wendell had an energy that took up all her time.
“Are you stuck on any other type of caffeine besides cola?” he asked, referring to her drink of choice at the movies.
“Not really, but it’s hard for me to pass up doughnuts.”
“Hey, now we’re talking. I have a bad habit of downing a couple of those glazed ones a few times a week. And if you want to stay on my good side, supply me with some egg and potato breakfast tacos. I know an excellent place where you can pick some up for me—every Friday.”
“Hmm, should I be getting a steno pad and taking notes, Mr. Holmes?”
“Yeah, you should.” He turned around abruptly and went to his side of the cube and returned holding a large porcelain mug in his hand.
“See this? Only my lips have touched this bad boy.”
Lorraine knew Wendell’s cup anywhere. When she’d first come to the firm, he stood out and she’d observed him holding his cup many mornings as he headed down the hall toward their kitchen’s coffee machine.
“So you’re possessive over a cup?”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“Then can you say if you’re anal?”
“Not anal, but I am protective over things I consider mine. Does that make me anal?”
“It makes you intriguing, that’s for sure.”
“I could say the same for you, young lady. Um, how can I put this? Last night, you excused yourself and took a call. Unless that was a family member, which I doubt it was, it can only mean one thing. You’re in a relationship. Not my business, but I think I should know these things in case you need to take a personal call.”
At this point she felt a little insulted. Now that she was getting to know him better, he appeared cockier than she’d imagined.
“If I get any type of call whatsoever that I don’t want you to hear, I’ll either not answer, or I’ll take the call outside or in the lobby. But why are we talking about this? If I was a man whom you were forced to share an office with, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
He opened his mouth, stunned by her growing gutsiness. And for a rare moment, he didn’t have a comeback. Instead he simply nodded, smiled, and disappeared out of the office. Coffee mug in hand. Thoughts to himself.
Since their little conversational exchange, Lorraine struggled to figure Wendell out. She wondered if he was this friendly and outgoing with all the employees, or if he was actually warming up to her. What did it mean when he asked if she had a man? Did he really care? Was his competitive side emerging? Or did he simply not want to intrude upon her personal space and want to know her relationship status up front?
Frankly, she didn’t know. She sighed and sat at her desk, booted up her computer, and watched as her e-mails began to load. She waited with bated breath; in times past, as a devilish surprise, Posse used to send her sexy e-mails that made her giggle and turn all shades of red until she asked him to tone it down a little.
So he stopped sending her sexy work e-mails, but he always figured out a way to make a connection with Lorraine.
As a matter of fact, even as recently as several hours before, when she first woke up that morning, she turned on her iPhone and realized Posse had sent her three texts. The first one came in at 12:01 a.m.
U sleep?
Then at 1:10 a.m., Posse wrote:
Missin’ U
Then at 2:05AM he texted:
Miss Kissing U
(-}{-)
When she saw the symbol he drew, she knew he was thinking of sex, dreaming of kissing her, and remembering how he used to love stroking her body with his large hands and rubbing her clit till she ordered him through clenched teeth to, “Stick it in me. Now!”
Ha! If there was one thing she missed about Posse, it was the sex. She couldn’t understand how any woman who’d been used to having sex could go without, especially if the woman had been in a marital relationship where sex was a given. Lorraine knew of some ladies who’d ended their marriages, gotten divorced, and then decided to be celibate. No sex. For years. No way. She mused that if she ever got married and things didn’t work out, she might get a divorce but she’d be divorcing her
husband,
not sex.
husband,
not sex.
As she reflected on the past, her mood went from happy to gloomy. Why do people have to break up, be alone, and remain with sorrowful memories of what used to be? Maybe it’s because they never should have hooked up in the first place. Let’s face it, some couples just weren’t meant to be: Sophisticated Robin Givens and unruly Mike Tyson? Obviously a mismatch! Lil Wayne and Lauren London! The talented actress clearly summoned up the courage needed to lay down with that tatted-up reptile plus bear his child. Didn’t a pretty girl like her realize she was too good for a rapper? And Kanye West paired with any woman was an automatic mismatch. But unusual pairings were what gave the world a distinctive and compelling flavor. If Lorraine depended on finding a so-called 100 percent perfect match, she might end up being alone for the rest of her life.
She thought of her ex and how he tried hard to stay connected to her. Although it stoked her ego, her heart advised her that Posse could text her till her cell phone exploded, but she was ready for her new possibilities. If Wendell Holmes was the road to something new, she was ready to begin that journey.
5
Nobody Is That Perfect
During her first day back at work after the vacation, she and Wendell barely crossed each other’s paths. He was tied up in a couple of hour-long meetings on and off site, and she was occupied finishing up the details of a PowerPoint presentation. But the following day when Lorraine let herself into the office, she was ready to stay professional. Some of their conversation the day before had left her feeling uneasy and she thought the best approach was one that avoided conflict.
She entered their office and yelled “hello” to Wendell from behind the wall of her cube. But he didn’t reply. She dropped her briefcase to the floor with a thud and went over to his desk to greet him. The surface of his workspace held the typical mouse pad, printer, pencil cup holder, stapler, and wire mesh in-box.
He’s a neat freak
.
.
It disturbed her that not a single stack of paper sat on his desk.
Too good? Can’t be true!
Lorraine promptly abandoned all thoughts of Wendell and concentrated on her work.
Later that afternoon, she received an MS Outlook meeting invitation titled, “Sandcastle Competition.” She instantly wondered what it meant. She’d just returned from lunch with Natalie Kruse, a freckle-faced, African-American second-year architect who worked on the fourth floor. During their hour break, they visited a Thai food restaurant in midtown and were joking around and having a good time. Natalie was one of the few people she’d met in Houston with whom she could let down her guard.
Lorraine glanced at her e-mail invitation again, picked up her office phone, and dialed Natalie.
“Hi there, girl. Your suite mate there? S-w-e-e-t?” Natalie teased.
“Shhh,” Lorraine said with mild annoyance. “I called you about something entirely different.” During lunch Lorraine had felt disappointed that she hadn’t seen Wendell all morning. She felt on the verge of exploding inside, so she took a risk and casually questioned Natalie about him. Natalie read between the lines and by the end of lunch, she pegged the two as a new couple.
“Be serious, Natalie. I got a meeting invite,” she said and began to explain the description.
“Oh yeah, I worked on the team last year,” Natalie responded. “It’s a whole lot of fun. We get to brainstorm and come up with ideas about what type of sandcastle we’re going to build that best represents EDC. We’ll get to hang out at Galveston, work on our project, and interact socially instead of being concerned about work.”
“Well, I guess I’ll accept and see what this is all about.”
“Sounds good. See you later.”
An hour later, ten employees sat around a conference table. A data projector was set up and a white projection screen hung from the ceiling. Employees milled about holding bottled water or sipping from soda cans until the meeting commenced. Lorraine was seated next to Natalie. She felt a jolt of electricity when Wendell silently slid into a chair on the other side of her. He nodded and smiled and she felt her tongue get stuck to the roof of her mouth. Even though they shared an office, it wasn’t like she got to see him a lot. He’d be busy doing his thing, and she’d be doing hers.
Lorraine managed to get ahold of herself. She calmly smiled at Wendell and waved. She felt Natalie give her a slick kick, but she pretended to ignore her.
Soon the meeting facilitator began explaining that for this year, EDC was asking five employees who previously worked on the sandcastle project to rejoin the team.
“And we enlisted the help of five other staff members who’ve never participated to come onboard so you may partake in this wonderful experience. This organization has been putting on this competition for over twenty years. It’s considered one of the world’s largest sandcastle competitions. And it’s gotten so popular that every first weekend in June when the event takes place, some families bring their kids and make it into a minivacation. So we really need to work hard this year. Maybe we can take home the Golden Bucket prize.”
Everyone cheered and started clapping in an effort to show support for the annual competition.
“Can you swim?” Wendell whispered to Lorraine without taking his face off the meeting facilitator.
“Since I was five years old,” she whispered back, following his lead.
“I’ll bet you look good in . . . the water.”
Hearing him flirt with her made her feel great, like she was back on the right track. Yet she didn’t want to be a typical female and fall for the bait of a man’s sweet words.
How can I raise the standard and react differently yet affirmatively?
Her iPhone began to chime loudly. Everyone twisted in their seats and looked in her direction.
“Oops, sorry. I forgot to put it on vibrate.” She picked up her phone. Posse! She rejected the call and laid the phone on the conference table.
Two minutes later her phone rang again and started twirling in a tiny circle from the vibrations.
“Must be important.” Wendell smiled.
“He’s wearing my last nerve.”
“A male bill collector?”
“No!”
“A boyfriend who’s thinking about you in the middle of the day and won’t give up until he hears the sound of his baby’s voice?”
This is my chance to be honest and up front. But how many times has a man been 100-percent transparent with me? Why do women always feel the need to be real, but the man refuses to do the same? Should I change my standard of raw truth and try lying for a change and see where it gets me?
“Just something that can wait, that’s all. For all you know, I got two different callers within thirty seconds.”
“That could be possible but with your big, smartphone screen, I clearly saw the same name twice. Posse, is it? Is that a man or a hip-hop clothing store?”
She burned inside at Wendell’s words. Although she perceived he was only teasing, his bluntness put her on edge. This time when Natalie chuckled and kicked her again, Lorraine discreetly kicked back.
Unbelievably, Lorraine’s phone chimed again. The meeting facilitator waved to get everyone’s attention.
“Lorraine, we’re glad to have you on the team this year. Incidentally, our theme for this competition revolves around the iPhone.”
“Ahhh, okay,” she replied.
“Can we use your phone as a model?” Wendell joked.
“Look, I’m not the only employee who owns one of these things.”
“Yeah, but you’re the only one whose phone rings off the hook . . . or should I say off the table?” Wendell quipped as Lorraine’s phone twirled in a circle on the conference table from the vibrations and fell over the edge. Wendell reached out his hand and caught the phone before it hit the floor.
“Wendell!”
He smiled and tossed the phone into the air, then caught it in his hand.
“Here ya go.” He slid it across the table to her. “You may want to learn how to silence your phone.”
When the meeting concluded, Natalie strolled down the hallway and accompanied Lorraine to her office.
“I can’t believe how he was acting during the meeting,” Lorraine said.
“I can. That’s how he behaves when he’s feeling a woman.”
“Stop playing. That man isn’t feeling me.”
“He is feeling you, and believe me, he will be feeling on you, too.”
“Natalie, you know you’re wrong.”
“We’ll see how wrong I am.”
Lorraine reached their office before Wendell did and promptly began sorting through a stack of papers on her desk.
She heard Wendell enter the room but she remained focused on her search.
“How can you stand to work that way?” He pointed at four different paper piles on her desk. In addition, binders were spread across the surface, plus trade magazines, and a half-size set of drawings regarding a hospital interior renovation. Lorraine protectively placed her hand on her papers. “Excuse me, but it would do you good to not make comments about my desk. Believe it or not, I know where everything is.”
“Do you, now?”
“Of course I do,” she huffed. “A messy desk means you’re a very busy person.”
“Sure it does.” He tossed back his head and laughed. He smirked at Lorraine, then went to sit at his desk.
“Hold up a minute, Wendell. I don’t like how you’re insinuating that I’m messy. I-I mean, I am a bit untidy, but what’s it to you?”
“It’s a reflection of me, of EDC.”
“Give me a break, Wendell! That is so not true. If you’re going to talk to me, please tell me the truth because right now I’m having a hard time believing what you say. I’ve already been through this a million times—”
“Been through what?”
“Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything. Got a lot on my plate is what I should have told you.”
“Being busy isn’t a good excuse.”
She bristled at his comments and struggled to contain her emotions. “Okay, you know what? I was starting to think you’re a pretty decent guy. But lately—no, make that specifically since we’ve begun to share offices—I sense you’ve been attacking me. I haven’t done anything to deserve this. It’s wrong, and it’s confusing.”
“Is it, now?”
“Will you please stop answering me with a question? I feel like you’re not taking me seriously.”
“Why should I take you seriously?”
“There you go again. Ooooh!” She took a deep breath and vigorously rubbed the corners of her forehead until the tension lessened. “I don’t think this is going to work.”
“What? Me being here with you in this little office? An office that’s no bigger than two huge walk-in closets?”
“It’s not the space and how confining it is, Wendell. To be honest, I don’t like how you try to act like you have it all together.”
“Never that. You just don’t know.”
“No, I know that your workspace is unrealistic.” She jumped up from her chair and pointed at his desk. “Nothing is out of place. That’s weird. Nobody is
that
perfect.”
that
perfect.”
“If you judge a person just because their desk is free of papers and pens and books and sticky notes, you don’t understand human nature. If you knew that underneath my dry-cleaned three-piece suit, shined leather shoes, and neat desk is a man who struggles to figure out why he’s on the earth each and every day, you wouldn’t say what you just said to me. You would know that the outward appearance is just a poor cover-up for everything inside that I’m afraid for people to see.”
Lorraine could only watch Wendell, who wore a somber look on his face as he cupped his head in his hands and his eyes widened. “If I am so perfect, why did she treat me the way she did? Why couldn’t she get that I was feeling her and I wanted to be with her for real but she didn’t believe me . . . thought I was just feeding her some BS? But I wasn’t.”
“Does ‘she’ have a name?”
“Does it really matter at this point? Look, I don’t mean to get all deep on you, but long story short, nothing is ever as it appears.”
Instantly she felt a mixture of sadness and compassion. It was true that most people didn’t view co-workers as people with lives outside the workplace. Many days people smiled and said they’re doing fine whenever they’re greeted, but who knew what type of hell they endured just to make it to work that day?
“Look, Wendell. I’m sorry for even bringing it up. It’s a stupid comment. Point is your work area can look however you want it to look. Seriously.”
“And you, young lady, have a right to do the same. I shouldn’t have said anything about your desk. I was out of line. You shouldn’t have even apologized. One thing I neglected to tell you is I-I can get a bit out of hand at times. I think I’ve now officially spoiled the perfect image you had of me, huh?” He sighed and went to slump in his chair.
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