Pulse 3 (Pulse Series) (4 page)

“
Maybe if my family leaves early, I could stop by and…”

“
There’s nothing more I enjoy than spending time with you. But it’s a Sunday. You have work tomorrow. I can’t keep you up past your bedtime, young lady.”

“
Well, then maybe you should put me to bed.”

He turned and looked at me, the devilish smirk he usually had now on my face. Our conversation had once again devolved into the physical aspects of our relationship but neither one of us could complain about it. When there was nothing but silence between
us, getting intimate was an inevitability.

“
Tempting,” he said. “You know that there’s nothing more that I would rather do than have my way with you. But just one night away from you means that I can make it up to you in more ways than one.”

“
It’s here if you want it…”

I continued to try and entice him but Rafael remained firm.

“Not right now and not tonight,” he said. “But there will
definitely
be another time when I do take you up on that offer.”

“
You’d better.”

We shared a laugh with one another before re
turning to the peace and beauty of the morning. I looked out the window as I enjoyed my breakfast, the sun making its way to the top of the sky. Rafael sipped on his cup of coffee and leisurely scanned the business section of the paper. It was just another lazy Sunday morning but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter 4

The small kitchen in my apartment wasn’t much but it did everything I needed it to do. There was never a need for me to do anything special within it. I never had parties and I never invited anybody over and treated them to dinner. The only time Rafael spent here was when he came over unannounced. There was no need for him to spend any time here when we could enjoy ourselves in the luxury he could actually afford.

As I sat off to the side and peered into my kitchen, I watched my parents as they did everything they could to get the most out of it. While my father worked the burners on the stove to grill, fry and boil everything he was cooking, my mother stood o
ff to the side and prepared even more food for dinner.

“
Mom, what are you doing?” I said to her. “You’re making too much food. Nobody is going to eat all of that.”

“
You’ll eat it,” she replied. “You don’t have to eat it all at once. There will be more than enough leftovers for you to last for awhile. And from the looks of things, you’re going to need it. Your refrigerator is completely empty.”

“
It’s not empty. It has all of the things I need. And I’m the only one living here.”

“
You’re still a young girl, Alice. You need all the food you can get.”

“
Mom…”

I sighed at my mother, knowing that there wasn
’t any way I could convince her otherwise. I was still my parents’ little girl. I had a steady job and no problem dealing with all of my bills. My life was stable. But they would never understand that. Not until I moved out of the small apartment I spent most of my time in.

My younger brother Brian sat on my couch and lost himself in his phone. His headphones in his ears completely distanced him from the outside wo
rld. He was still in high school and the end of the weekend signaled the eventual return to class. Despite his apparent disinterest in being here, he didn’t seem to be that upset.

I was happy to see my family. I loved all of them just the same as I always
did. The random weekend excursions they would take out into the city to visit me were a welcome change of pace. But they never came alone. There was always a good share of scolding about my current situation. Everything had settled down ever since I graduated but in my parents’ eyes, there was still room for improvement.

“
How much are you paying for this place?” my mother asked me.

“
What does that matter?” I said. “I can afford it.”

“
You know, if you got a real cheap place, you could get rid of that student loan you’re always complaining about. Put some of your paycheck from that job of yours into bigger payments.”

“
Mom, I work in finance. I know what I’m doing with my money.”

“
It doesn’t seem like it. Maybe you just need to clean this place up.”

“
Yeah, maybe that’s it.”

I spent most of my time and energy at work. At the end of the day, I was too exhausted to do anything else. When I actually had free time, the last thing I wanted
to do was organize my apartment. My relationship with Rafael was just as demanding of my time as anything else. It was a wonder that I could even muster up the strength to spend time with my family at this moment.

The hours passed and my family made thems
elves comfortable in my apartment. After hours of prep work and listening to how things were back home, my parents finally finished dinner. I sat at the table with my family. The home-cooked meal reminded me of what it was like back when I lived with them. For a moment, I felt like a child. But it wasn’t long before I was back in the present reality.

“
So, how are things?” my father asked me. “Are you doing all right, Alice?”

“
I’m doing fine,” I said. “I told you that already. Everything is perfect. I have a steady job. I don’t have a problem paying any of my bills. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“
How is that job, by the way?” my mother asked me. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”

“
It’s just what I expected,” I told her. “This is what I studied for in college. It’s what I signed-up for.”

“
You know, you’re always welcome back home if anything happens.”

“
I know. But nothing is going to happen. I’m settled in.”

There was no way to make it clearer to them. I knew they were just being overprotective li
ke they always were. That still didn’t stop me from trying to reiterate how much I was enjoying myself out here. But when I looked at my father, I could see something in his eyes I never saw before. It was almost as if he finally understood everything I was saying to him.

“
So, you like it out here?” he asked me.

“
Yes, I do,” I said.”

“
You can actually see yourself living out here for the rest of your life?”

“
I don’t know about the rest of my life,” I said as I shrugged my shoulders. “But I don’t see anything that could change how things are now. Everything is good. I’m happy.”

“
Good. Maybe you could actually get through to your brother for once.”

I looked over at Brian and he seemed just as lost as he always did. Even though he wasn
’t looking at his phone or listening to music, he poked at his food in boredom. I couldn’t blame him. The conversation wasn’t stimulating or interesting for a kid who was still in high school.

“
Brian will be fine,” I said. “I already told you that. Once he graduates, he’ll figure things out just like I did. Just let him be a teenager. I don’t know why you guys worry so much.”

“
We’re not worried,” my mother said. “We just—”

“
Never mind that,” my father interrupted her. “Let’s just enjoy this nice dinner together. It’s rare that we’re out here in the city. And since you never stop by to visit us at home, we don’t see you very often. Come now, Alice. Just eat.”

“
I’m eating,” I said. “I’m eating.”

The conversation wasn
’t as heavy as it was just moments ago. I tried to explain what my job entailed but it continued to be lost upon them. They told me how things were back home. There was nothing any of us could complain about and there was nothing noteworthy to discuss. I realized the most interesting aspect of my life was just my career and my relationship with Rafael. But neither one was interesting enough to discuss with my parents.

I sat there with my family and enjoyed their company for the rest of the night. When it got late, we said our goodbyes and they made their way back home. It was
the end of another long weekend. Now it was time to get ready to return to the grind of work I was so accustomed to.

Chapter 5

I had a reputation in the office. I was
that girl
. The woman Rafael Barnett was sleeping with. I knew it was being said even though nobody had ever come up to me and asked me anything about it. I didn’t mind what everybody said about me. It was true that I was dating him. And since my job didn’t involve much interaction with my coworkers, I would spend all of my days at work in front of the computer. The curiosity, suspicion and gossip was something I never had to deal with directly. Nobody in the office asked me about Rafael. Whether they didn’t want to offend me or they didn’t care, I didn’t know. In any case, my task was as mundane as one might expect.

I showed up to work early Monday morning for another day of the usual grind. I took a huge sip of coffee and began filing away the numbers and informatio
n that was stacked upon my desk. Nothing was out of the ordinary. It was all just a matter of wasting the hours away until it was time to leave.

Lunchtime arrived and I exhaled a sigh of relief after finishing the latest assignment I was given. As I packed
all of my things together, I felt someone standing just outside of my cubicle. I looked up and saw Estelle standing there and waiting for me.

“
Hello, Alice,” the redhead greeted me. “How are you doing today?”

“
I’m fine. How are you?”

“
I’m doing great. If I could have a word with you…”

“
Of course.”

“
This won’t take long.”

I tried to hide my confusion. I hadn
’t spoken to Estelle ever since I was demoted from my original position. She still worked at the top of the building. There was no need for her to come down to my cubicle to speak to me. I began to worry that something was wrong. Maybe someone realized that I was just going through the motions and my boredom was apparent in my work.

“
Martin Green would like to speak to you,” she said. “In his office. He’s scheduled a few minutes for you later in the day.”

“
Me? He wants to see me?”

“
That’s right, Alice.”

“
Um… What is this about?”

“
I can’t say. He just wanted me to inform you to stop by his office around five, just around the time your shift is over. You’ll be there?”

“
Yes. Of course.”

“
That’s all, Alice. Enjoy your lunch.”

“
Thank you…”

Martin Green was put in charge of the company ever since Rafael was asked to step down. He was on the board of directors. A nondescript man who was just as old-fas
hioned as you might expect. I never spoke to him personally but I did see him at the board meetings. I tried searching for a reason as to why he would want to speak to me but couldn’t find anything. I just knew that it had something to do with Rafael. That was the only connection I had.

After lunch, I did the best I could to focus on my work. As the clock ticked, I grew closer and closer to my meeting with the man in charge. My curiosity was getting the best of me. I felt a nervous energy inside of my stoma
ch. I was anxious. And even though I knew I would get some answers when I finally did get to meet him, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what he had to say. He was on the board of directors. The same board that asked Rafael to step down because of my relationship with him. Now that Rafael was no longer here, that wasn’t a problem.

Could our relationship still be an issue?

I finished my last assignment and filed all of the papers away. My shift finally ended and the cubicles around me emptied. It was time to find out what exactly he wanted from me.

It was the first time in more than six months since I
’d taken the elevator up this high. I stepped out onto the 88th floor where my old office used to be. Martin Green’s office resided with other board members’. As I made my way to his door, some of the familiar faces of the old men I saw glanced at me. I didn’t look back at them, instead focusing my attention on the door just in front of me.

I exhaled a deep breath through my nostrils then knocked on his door.

“Come in,” the voice from inside said to me.

I opened the door and saw him sitting at his desk, his attention drawn to whatever it was on his computer monitor. His office was spacious but I still felt cramped inside of it. It was probably because I was just fearf
ul of whatever he had to say to me.

“
Alice. Please. Have a seat.”

He extended his hand out to me and gave me a polite smile. I smiled back at him nervously as I took the place in front of his desk. I clenched my jaw and swallowed. My tongue ran along my te
eth as I tried to maintain my composure.