Authors: Frederick Germaine
Eye Candy (6 page)
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I said taking off my jacket and positioning myself at the workstation away from my desk. “He could have easily reported the mishap but instead we kept it our little secret. Eventually, he got me tickets to all the sold out home football games even when our rivals, the Miami Hurricanes, came to town.
“It seems like Sebastian is popular with the ladies, here in the office, as I imagined he was on campus.”
“I see you’ve taken notice during your short time here”
“I have but I’m not interested in his type.”
“Well, Tiffany, I have a lot of work to do and it starts with the initial sketch designs that are due shortly to Mr. Bradshaw,” I said while rolling up my sleeves at my workstation and taking a seat. “I’m sure you’ll excuse me now.”
“I understand, Aaron,” she said looking at me in an untruthful way. “But be careful about working too hard.”
“Why is that?”
“Because all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy.”
Tiffany turned around and walked to my office door and let herself out. I sat there with a perplexed look on my face not knowing whether to laugh or comment before she departed. For that moment, I realized the revitalization project was big but maybe dealing with Tiffany was going to be my biggest project ever.
The weekend had arrived and it was well worth the long wait. I had managed to deliver the initial prints to Mr. Bradshaw and had received his seal of approval. Even Tiffany complimented me on the futuristic outlays and how realistic the approach seemed to be. I shouldn’t have taken all the credit because the designer software system I used helped out tremendously. Now, I just had the presentation to deal with next week. However, right now that seemed too far away to think about.
On this particular Saturday, we decided to take the twins to the Atlanta Zoo. They had never seen real animals up close and personal but today they would be in for a real treat. We contemplated about going to Six Flags but the weather in Atlanta was still a little breezy on this late April Saturday. And going to White Water was definitely out of the question.
“Daddy, are we going to see Barney at the zoo today?” asked Brandon.
“No, Brandon,” I said answering his funny question. “Barney is only a cartoon character on television. We are going to see real-live animals today.”
I had my hands full again getting the twins dressed while attempting to answer their eager questions. I managed to coordinate their matching outfits to include blue jeans, Atlanta Braves tee shirts, and a pair of grey Nike sneakers. Besides them looking like identical twins, they would be comfortably dressed also. While I conquered the challenge of dressing the two, Monica was busy downstairs preparing breakfast.
“Yeah, Brandon like the ones we watch on the Animal Planet channel at grandma’s house,” blurted out Braylon as I tugged his tee shirt over his head.
“That’s right Braylon,” I said. “So, I see grandma is making you learn about animals.”
“Yes,” Brandon announced as he looked confused trying to tie the shoestrings on his sneakers. “She said we needed to learn all the animals in the world before we go to school.”
“Yeah, your grandma has a great point there. So what animals do you boys know now?”
“We know about elephants, lions, and bears,” yelled out Braylon.
“And rhinoceros, zebras, and giraffes,” followed up Brandon as he didn’t want to let his younger brother outsmart him.
After our brief lesson in zoology, the twins were finally fully dressed. As they stood side by side, I could only tell them apart because I was their father. Anybody else would have the ultimate challenge on their hands today.
“So are you two ready for the zoo today?” I asked in an exuberant tone.
“Yes!” they both responded jumping up and down while clapping their hands.
“Okay, let’s go downstairs and see what mommy has in store for us,” I shouted back while they still cheered.
Traveling downstairs the scent of ham and cheese omelets, hash browns, and grits suffocated our noses. Brandon was so excited he pulled away from me to get closer to the smell of food. When we all arrived at the table, Monica had our plates full of food. By the twins’ plates were the mandatory glasses of milk and orange juice. There was a full glass of apple juice on ice next to my plate.
“It’s about time,” she said standing as we took our seats at the table. “What took you all so long?’
“I guess I’m not use to dressing two energetic boys,” I replied back. “It took me longer than I thought.”
“Well, now you know what I go through every morning with them.”
“Yes, I know now.”
We all dug into our plates except the twins who barely touched their food. Apparently, all the excitement caused them to lose their appetite. After breakfast was over, I took the honor of making sure the twins brushed their teeth and finished packing a light back pack for our excursion. The back pack was filled with bottled water, hand sanitizer, and a few towels. Monica prepped the kitchen until it was crystal clean. Finally, I loaded up the Tahoe, secured the twins in their car seats, and we made our way to the zoo.
As expected, there was a traffic delay as we maneuvered south on I-85 closer to the Georgia Tech campus. Whether it was new construction, rain, or some fender bender you could always count on slow moving traffic even on the weekend. Suddenly, our vehicle came to a complete stop as I attempted to peek through the barrage of cars in front of us.
“Looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a while,” I said still looking forward. “You guys all right back there?”
“Yes,” responded the twins simultaneously from the back of the Tahoe.
Their eyes and attention were placed fully on their favorite movie,
Happy Feet Two,
which was playing from the DVD console. Whoever came up with the bright idea of a mini monitor in a vehicle for viewing by back seat passengers must have had kids. It was a fool-proof system that kept them quiet and occupied. We could have been stuck in traffic for two minutes or two hours they wouldn’t know the difference. As long as they had a movie to watch, the boys would be fine.
“I wonder what’s going on now with this Atlanta traffic?” asked Monica turning her attention from a book she was reading to the view in front of us. “Do you think there’s an accident, Aaron?”
“No, I didn’t see any warnings on the visual traffic display board we passed a few minutes ago.”
“All this backed-up traffic is giving me a headache. It’s the weekend and I wasn’t expecting this.”
“So, I hope all the traffic we’re going to have at our house for the twins’ birthday is not going to give you a headache too.”
“No way, I’ll be all smiles regardless of how many people show up.”
“So, who else did you invite besides the whole neighborhood?” I asked jokingly.
“Well, for starters, Shanna.”
“Shanna,” I shouted out. “She doesn’t even have any kids.”
“I know that, Aaron, but she would be a great help at the party anyway.”
“Okay, who else?”
“I’ve invited a few teachers and administrators from the school. They all can’t wait to come over with their kids.”
“Come on, Monica, I know that’s the tip of the iceberg. Who else is on the list?”
“There are also my parents and people they know with grandkids, a few of my girlfriends outside of work, and of course all our close neighbors.”
“So, we are going to have a traffic jam at our house.”
“Oh, Aaron, it’s not going to be that bad. Besides, it’s for the kids to enjoy themselves.”
“Okay, sweetheart, it’s your project and you’re calling the shots.”
“So, who are you inviting from your firm?” she asked.
“Just the normal crew to invite when we have an event involving kids,” I replied back. “There is Jane with her grandkids, a few of my colleagues, and of course I couldn’t omit Sebastian even though he doesn’t have any kids either.”
“Sebastian?”
“Yeah, Sebastian is coming, Monica.”
“I hope you remember how he and Shanna almost killed each other by their looks alone at our wedding. We definitely don’t want their lack of love for each other to disrupt our party.”
“Don’t worry I’ll have a talk with him before then.”
“What about inviting the new consultant at your firm over?”
“You mean, Tiffany.”
“Yeah.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t think she’s quite qualified to handle a house full of kids. And I never heard her talk about children so that may be out of her element.”
“Okay, suit yourself. It was just a thought.”
I never told Monica about my odd experience with Tiffany a few days ago in my office. In my opinion, some things were better left untold.
“Hey, look the traffic is finally moving again,” I gladly said as we had something else to talk about.
“It’s about time.”
We were only a few minutes away once we passed downtown Atlanta and merged onto I-20 headed eastbound. Once I saw the Boulevard exit, I made a quick right and shortly we arrived at the zoo. As I pulled into the parking lot, the twins were still pre-occupied in the back seat. Finally, they noticed the vehicle had stopped again, but this time the engine was turned off.
Once inside the zoo, Brandon and Braylon were overly excited all together. The pair couldn’t decide on where or what type of animals they wanted to see first. I held Brandon’s hand while Monica held onto Braylon and we charted up the path to the zoo.
“Daddy, I want to see the zebras first,” shouted out Brandon pulling on my hand.
“No, Brandon, let’s see the elephants,” said his brother trying to convince his sibling.
“I tell you what guys, let’s make a compromise.”
“What’s a compromise, daddy?” asked Brandon.
“It’s when we all agree on something. So let’s say we all go see the giant panda named, Lun Lun, first.”
“Okay,” the both of them said in a not-so-energetic tone.
Lun Lun was the world-famous panda that came all the way from China. Rarely, do pandas survive in captivity but Lun Lun was the exception having lived in the Atlanta Zoo now for thirteen years. People from all over the world took pride in getting a glimpse of her day-to-day activities.
Throughout the day, we managed to see all the animals that peaked the curiosity of the twins. So when it was a quarter past seven, I decided we had enough fun for the day. The drive back to Sandy Springs was smooth as the twilight was almost upon us.
“I’m so glad we had fun today at the zoo,” Monica said looking over at me.
“Yeah, I think the twins really enjoyed it,” I said while noticing the twins were fast asleep from the rear-view mirror.
“So, what’s in store for us tonight?”
“Once we get home, I’ll put the twins in the bed. Then you and I can enjoy a glass of wine and call it a Netflix night.”
“Aaron, that sounds good to me.”
While I maintained the vehicle on the interstate, my wife surprised me. She smoothly eased over without distracting me and gave me a kiss.
“What was that for?” I asked looking at her for a brief second.
“Because I just wanted to give you a kiss,” she explained. “And to tell you I love you.”
“Monica, I love you too.”
I refocused my attention back to the road and smiled. Steadily, I continued to drive anxious to make it to the confines of our home.
The day had finally arrived which I had been waiting for. It was presentation Friday. Like all the previous mornings leading up to the big day this morning started off the same. Monica cooked a scrumptious breakfast, I kissed the twins good-bye, and oddly enough Mr. Newman was dressed in his normal attire walking Jewels.
When I arrived in my building’s lobby, it was a normal morning as usual. Harold had a customer seated in one of the chairs giving him an excellent shine. Plus, there were two gentlemen, who were seated, waiting and another man standing up.
“Morning to you, Mr. Malone,” Harold said in his normal friendly tone as he turned briefly from his customer.
“Good morning to you, Harold.”
“I see those new shoes you’re wearing with your suit are looking good.”
“I owe it all to you.”
A few days earlier I brought in a pair of shoes to Harold still new in the box. He touched up the shoes with a light coat of polish making them shine a bit. He constantly told me new shoes should always have a shine put on them before wearing. That way, they would last longer and look even better.
“You enjoy your day, sir. Oh, and by the way, good luck!”
“Thanks Harold.”
When I reached the elevators, I paused and looked at my watch. It was precisely seven thirty and I was doing well on time. As many mornings before, a group boarded the elevator and it rushed upwards.
By the time I made it to my corner office, Jane was busy working at her desk. She looked up briefly as I approached her.
“Good morning, Mr. Malone,” she said looking all bright-eyed for a Friday morning. “There’s been a slight change with your presentation.”
“Really,” I said nervously as I stopped in front of her desk. “What has been changed?”
“The presentation has been moved up from eleven to ten. Additionally, Mr. Bradshaw would like for you to arrive at his office by nine-fifteen. His driver will take you, him, and his CFO to the site.”
“Swell. Thanks Jane.”
“Oh, Mr. Malone, thanks so much for inviting me and my grandchildren to your twins’ birthday party next month. I just received the invitation from your wife in the mail yesterday.”
“We look forward to having you and the grandkids there, Jane.”
After my short dialogue with Jane, I walked into my office and closed the door behind me. I had a little more than two hours before the biggest presentation I’d ever made with Donaldson and Bradshaw was to occur. Gathering my thoughts and standing in the middle of my office, I began to recite my presentation as if a crowd was in front of me. I even unscrolled the designs and lay them on my workstation to make sure I wasn’t leaving anything out.
When it was five minutes after nine, I grabbed the drafts and my briefcase and headed towards Mr. Bradshaw’s office. Jane even gave me a final good luck farewell and bright smile. As I reached the entry to Mr. Bradshaw’s office, his secretary gave me the approval to enter. Once inside, I saw Mr. Bradshaw was already joined by Mr. Black.
