I Know I've Been Changed (8 page)

Chapter 12

T
he last three weeks were the best of my life. Myles had been everything I ever dreamed of, attentive, loving, affectionate, and optimistic about our future. We had even taken a spontaneous four-day vacation to the Poconos this past weekend.

I was back at work, trying to come down off my high. I had pretty much been closed up in my office all morning. I was sifting through folders full of e-mail when the assistant producer, Keria, waved at me through the window of my office door. I motioned for her to come in.

“Hey, welcome back. How was your vacation?” she asked.

“Great. Hated to come back.”

“I didn’t know if you read the e-mail about today’s meeting?” Keria said.

I shook my head. “No, I was just making my way through all my e-mails. There’s over a hundred here.”

“Well, we’re supposed to have a meeting this morning, and I hear it’s supposed to be a big announcement.”

“Oh, really?”

Keria looked nervously around before stepping farther into my office. “Yeah. You know how Richard is always blowing up at people and coming in late for work?”

“Yeah, he’s been on a leave of absence. Personal problems I heard.”

“Personal all right. Word is he got arrested for DUI.”

I was amazed that Keria was spreading office gossip, but I found myself intrigued. Since Myles’s proposal, I’d been so out of the loop at work.

“Wow. I knew things had been crazy around here, but I had no idea it was that.”

“Yeah, and I overheard two photographers talking about how this meeting was about the station cleaning house. But I need to get back to my desk. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

I thanked Keria and leaned back in my chair to process what she’d said. Truth be told, I didn’t really care if the announcement was involving layoffs. I wasn’t too worried about their getting rid of me. I was the star of the show and getting rid of me would have been ratings suicide.

“Will the staff please gather in the large auditorium?” the security guard’s voice boomed over the intercom.

I made my way out of my office and walked with the rest of the staff to the auditorium. At the front of the room I saw three men in designer suits, corporate-looking types. Stan, the general manager, stood next to them. A slender black woman in a tailored navy suit sat next to them, writing on a notepad. She had to be their secretary. This must be pretty big if they were having their secretary tag along.

The tallest of the three men stepped up to the microphone once all of the staff members had settled in. “I’m sure many of you have heard about the personal problems involving Richard. We are here to inform you that he has chosen to step down and focus on getting his life back in order. Normally, finding an adequate replacement would take months, but we had someone we had been grooming to take over as news director for the Philadelphia station. Instead, we have done some restructuring and decided she would best fit here. She is a solid news journalist, a shrewd businesswoman, and just what we need to hold on to our spot as Houston’s leader in news and entertainment. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to your new vice president of news, Dina Burns-Stanton.”

The secretary stood up and walked toward them. My mouth immediately dropped open. She smiled at Stan and the other corporate flunkies before approaching the microphone.

“Hello. Let me begin by saying how honored I am to be given the charge of leading such a dynamic team. I have studied the numbers, and while we’re a solid number one, I have some great ideas to keep us in that number one position. I look forward to meeting each one of you, talking with you, and getting your input on how we can stay Houston’s news and entertainment leader.”

She seemed together, poised, and in command. She was a beautiful woman who could well have had a prosperous career in front of the camera. I had never worked for a black woman before so I thought this would be pretty interesting. I sat back and surveyed her as the corporate types made other announcements.

Once they had dismissed the meeting, I approached her, flashing a huge smile. This sister was going to be calling the shots. I needed to put on my best face. “Hi, Dina. I’m Rae Rollins, the main anchor and host of
The Rae Rollins Show
. Richard used to call me the face of Channel 2.” I giggled.

“I’m not Richard,” she icily responded.

I bit down on my lip. This was going to be a lot harder than I’d thought. I couldn’t believe this. “Oh, I didn’t mean to insinuate that you were. It’s just—”

Then that wench straight cut me off. “Excuse me,” she said, before walking off to talk with someone else.

I stood there, dumbfounded. A couple of photographers had witnessed the exchange and were standing off to the side, snickering.

I had to save face and at least act as if I weren’t the least bit fazed. I plastered a smile on my face and sauntered over to the other three company officials. They smiled and greeted me warmly. At least they knew how to treat their moneymaker. That Dina, she was gonna have to learn.

I watched Dina out of the corner of my eye. She was talking to a group of production people. She was all smiles as she shook each of their hands. I was definitely upset now. They were just production people, and here I was, her top talent, and she treated me like crap.

I watched Simone move in with ease, and Dina talked to her as if they were old friends. I could no longer stomach the sight of that witch all chummy with everyone else, so I excused myself from the meaningless conversation the three corporate suits were having and headed back to my office.

I contemplated calling Stan, but I figured I would give Dina a chance to redeem herself. I needed to get busy cleaning out my voice-mail box. I entered the phone number to check my voice mail, then punched in my code.

“You have seventeen new messages.”

Everybody felt they had a story to tell, and I had seventeen new messages to prove it. My show was a mixture of light news, celebrity interviews, and any other entertainment I deemed newsworthy. But I was amazed at the number of people that would call about the craziest things. One man even called me last month wanting to come on the show and talk about how wrong it was that he had to pay child support because he didn’t even, and I quote, “want the damn kids.”

I sighed heavily, then pressed the button to play my messages. There were the usual ten people who had the “best, most pressing story” that demanded my immediate attention. I promptly forwarded all of those to my producer, Ian, without even completely listening to them. On the last message, however, I heard a faint “Hi,” then the caller didn’t say anything. It was a woman’s voice. After she paused, she hung up. I was so sick of people playing on my phone.

I picked up the phone to call Myles, and to my surprise he answered his cell phone. “Hey, I didn’t expect to get you.”

“I saw your number on the caller ID and wanted to make sure I answered. I wanted to tell you how much I love you,” Myles said.

I sank back into my seat, a huge smile plastered across my face.

“I love you, too. I needed to hear that. It’s been a crazy day. Richard is out.”

“Richard? Is that your news director?”

“Yep. He was arrested for DUI. He quit and corporate brought in someone new. A sister.”

“What? They gave the job to a black woman?”

“Yep. But she was real nasty to me. Somebody better tell her,” I scoffed.

Myles laughed. “They sure better, because nobody treats my baby, my soon-to-be-wife, like that. Anyway, does she not recognize that you’re the station’s bread and butter?”

I nodded my head like Myles could really see me. That was my man. He knew just what to say to make me feel better.

“Forget her, baby. She’ll figure it out soon enough. Somebody will put her in her place. Besides, you have more important things to think about, like becoming Mrs. Myles Jacobs.”

I smiled dreamily as I thought about our life together. Me and Myles, little Myles Jr. and Mari, living together in our million-dollar home. We would be the perfect little family.

“Stupid jerk!”

Myles’s yelling broke my little fantasy. “What did you say?”

“I’m sorry, baby. This fool just cut me off.” I heard Myles pressing down on his horn. “Some people don’t need to be on the road!” he screamed.

“Sweetheart, would you calm down? It’s not that serious.” I swung my chair around, almost knocking over my favorite picture of me and Myles in Bermuda. I caught the picture, smiled at it, and set it back on my desk. “Ummmm, so what time will you be home tonight?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“Well, it’s been three weeks now, and I was kinda hoping we could go look at rings.”

Myles let out deep sigh. “Just chill; there’s no rush.”

Now it was my turn to let out a huff. “Myles, when you proposed, I thought you wanted to get married right away. I didn’t know this was something you wanted to draw out. I don’t even feel like I’m engaged. I sure can’t tell anyone because I don’t even have a ring.”

“Is that what you’re worried about, telling someone? Having a ring so you can show off?” Myles snapped.

He was getting defensive and I was getting upset. “Look, did you even mean it when you proposed, or was that just your way of getting out of the Delana situation?”

“Awww, here we go with that mess.”

“I’m just saying—”

Myles cut me off. “Be ready at seven.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, be ready at seven. I’ll be by the station to pick you up so we can go get your big rock so you can show it off to your one friend.”

I ignored his sarcasm and squealed with delight. “You mean it?”

Myles’s voice softened. If it was one thing he loved, it was seeing me act like a giddy child under his control. “Yeah, baby. I mean it. I’ll see you at seven.”

“I’ll be ready and waiting!” I exclaimed. I was so excited, I wondered how I was ever going to make it through taping the newscast.

Chapter 13

I
stared at the glistening platinum-set rock on my finger. Three carats of pure precious stone. I hadn’t stopped smiling since Myles and I had returned from picking out the ring. I’d wanted something custom-made, but I was too impatient to wait. When I saw this one, I knew I wouldn’t have to. Myles scoffed at the $7,000 price tag at first, but when he saw how much I really wanted it, he gave in.

I made love to him that night, all night, wearing nothing but that diamond. I tried to make the night one he’d never forget. And by the way he had fallen into a deep slumber, my mission had been accomplished.

Now, I was at work trying hard to focus on reading over my scripts for the nightly newscast. But every time I’d read a line, my eyes would make their way back down to the ring on my finger. I hated that I didn’t have anyone to share in my joy. Shereen was still out sick and wasn’t answering her phone. I thought about going by her house, but knowing Shereen, she probably wasn’t even sick and was chilling in Jamaica or something.

“Knock, knock.”

I looked up.

Keria stuck her head in my office door. “Hey, Rae. Just letting you know I made some changes on the lead story. Can you please take a look at it and give your final approval?”

I had never talked to Keria other than about work-related stuff and the occasional office gossip, but she was better than no one. “I’ll take a look at it in a moment. But take a look at this.” I thrust my hand out.

Keria’s eyes widened as she stepped into my office and walked over to examine my hand. “Wow! Are you engaged?”

“Yes.”

“To the city councilman?”

“Yes.”

“Well, congratulations. I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you.” She threw a genuine smile at me before heading back to her desk.

I had just pulled up the lead story to review when my phone rang. I grabbed it up. “This is Rae Rollins.”

“Well, don’t we sound all chipper.”

“Mama Tee?”

“Last time I checked that was still my name.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her voice. I pictured her robust frame standing in her hallway—the only place she had a phone in the whole house—rocking back and forth on her feet, her soft gray hair parted down the middle and plaited into two long braids that hung to her shoulders.

It didn’t matter how much I tried to avoid Mama Tee, she still called me regularly with family updates, talking as if nothing were wrong. After all she’d done for me, I could never bring myself to be rude, so I always took her calls.

“Since you don’t know how to call me, I thought I’d call you. Still don’t understand why I don’t have your home phone number and always gots to call you on your job. And I’m not even gon’ mention the fact that you didn’t return my last phone call.” Mama Tee sighed.

“Well, umm…”

“Don’t even fix your lips to lie to me, gal. You doing okay?”

“I’m doing well.” It was strange that Mama Tee would call me at a time when I had happy news I wanted to share. But somehow I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about the engagement. She would want to come to the wedding and would tell everyone in Sweet Poke, and they would all want to come, too. And Lord knows, I didn’t want my wedding day ruined by my relatives.

“Okay, fine. I figure you’ll tell me when you feel like it. Just calling to tell you Justin is doing much better. The doctors let him come home and they say as long as he takes it easy, he should be fine.”

“That’s wonderful news. Give him my love.”

“I will,” Mama Tee said. “By the way, yo’ cousin Nikki almost got stabbed last night. Messing round with some other woman’s husband. Ola ’bout had a heart attack when she saw Kevin on the news. It was all on CNN. She ain’t stopped crying yet. I told her she was spoiling them badass boys and they wasn’t gon’ amount to a pillar of salt, but she ain’t never want to listen to me. Shondella still fooling round with that no-good Baxter boy. Long as she don’t come up pregnant, I guess I can’t complain.”

Why Mama Tee felt compelled to call me and give the rundown on my family was beyond me. I never asked about anyone other than Justin and Shondella’s children. I hadn’t seen the rest of my family in four years and didn’t care to know what they were doing. But that never seemed to bother Mama Tee.

“Is that so?” I nonchalantly responded. “Well, look, Mama Tee, I’m kinda busy. I guess you need some money or something.”

Mama Tee took a deep breath, then let out into me. “Raedella Dionne Rollins. Have I ever asked you for one thin dime? I don’t need your money, don’t want your money, and if I wasn’t saved, I’d tell your ass what to do with your money. I been making it just fine all these years and I’m gon’ keep on making it.”

I felt her fury through the phone. “I’m sorry, Mama Tee. I wasn’t thinking. It’s just that I recently sent Shondella some money.”

“That’s between you and your sister. I don’t want your damn money.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Umm-hmmm. I just wanted you to know Justin is doing much better. And, oh, yeah, I wanted to tell you we’re having the family reunion down there next month.”

“Here? In Houston? Why would you all have it six hours away from Sweet Poke?” I nearly dropped the phone.

“Had you been coming around, you’d a known that we decided to move it to a different city each year. You know your uncle Clyde is down there. So we gon’ have it there.”

I dropped my head and closed my eyes as I inhaled deeply. I had forgotten that Uncle Clyde lived here. He had called me when I’d first moved here, but I’d never got around to calling him back.

“So, we gon’ see you there, right?”

“I don’t know—”

“Good. ’Cause I’m telling you now, you don’t show up, each and every last one of us is gonna come up to that fancy station and show out till you come out. And you know we’ll do it.”

I was silent. They would do it. And take great pride in doing it.

“Okay, Mama Tee. I’ll think about it.”

“Ain’t nothing to think about. We’ll see you in three weeks. I’m a send you the flyer on where the family picnic is. Least I do have your address.” She paused. “I’m sho’ looking forward to seeing you. And bring that handsome young man you seeing.”

I was glad she couldn’t see the flustered look on my face. “How do you know about Myles?”

“Chile, I know a whole lot more than you think I know.” Mama Tee laughed. “A whole lot more. We’ll see you in three weeks.” With that she hung up the phone.