The room cleared quickly, and Tom stared out the sixtieth floor window, looking out at the city. He may have liked to keep his feet on the ground, but it was obvious that he loved surveying his domain.
“Did I make a change today?” he asked suddenly.
It took me a moment to piece together an answer. “You are improving the lives of those in a community in which I used to live. Of course you made a change today.”
I cleaned the space a bit, replacing water glasses and readying papers to be filed or shredded.
“Really, Nia, I made a promise to improve lives and create jobs for as many as I could. I feel like it takes so long to make things happen that I won’t have really done a thing by the end.”
“Nonsense, sir. You are young and bold. Rocks are only hard to drag when going up a hill, not down one. I think you’ve carried this rock to the top of the mountain, and all it needs to do now is roll down into place.”
He laughed and sighed.
“Thank you, Nia. I’ll be sure to add your provision to the document when legal is done going over the final particulars.”
The way he stood seemed so introspective and lonely. I wanted to give him a hug and assure him it would be all right. I wanted to give him the strength to continue the fight I knew he would win. Then I stymied the thought, knowing I shouldn’t be thinking of my boss that way.
He handed me his now empty glass and walked out. The rest of the day continued as usual, but it was be shorter than normal, as he had to leave for his game today.
****
I took the opportunity to have some time for myself, which I hadn’t had in quite a while. I invited my friend Denise out to drinks and to catch up, and she was more than willing. It wasn’t long until we were more than a couple drinks into our evening and chatting like we were schoolgirls again.
“Okay, okay, tell me. Is he cute?” she said through slurs.
“I don’t want to think like that. He’s my boss!” I replied.
“Yeah, but he’s gotta be cute. Otherwise you wouldn’t still be working there, right?”
“I cannot confirm nor deny his cuteness.”
“Spoken like a businessman. I want details, details!” she replied.
She wouldn’t let me go until I said something.
“He’s cute for a white guy; I can’t say I haven’t thought about it. But he’s my boss!” I said for what felt like the millionth time.
“Nia, you are barely out of college and this gorgeous rich boy picks you up and makes you his assistant? Sure, you might be some smarty businesswoman, but deep down he’s gotta be thinkin’ about that sweet backside you know you like showin’ off.”
She was half right. It did seem odd now that I thought about it. He’d hired me, from thousands of candidates, to handle his personal affairs.
“Where are you living these days, hun?” she continued.
“Well…I’m a live-in personal assistant. He requires near constant help with his affairs, so, per my contract, I live in his mansion.”
Her eyes lit up. “You live with him? Girl, you might as well be married already.” She continued to sip at her drink while making eyes at nearly every man in the room.
I laughed at her offbeat comment; she always had a way of making me laugh at myself. “I doubt he’d want to marry someone who wasn’t white. You should see the models I have to throw out almost daily. He wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.”
“Hun, he might sleep with a bunch of white chicks, but that boy is all over you, trust me.”
I laughed again. “Girl, don’t preach like that. I’m doing this job until I figure out what I want out of life. And I hope I can figure it out soon, because it has been exhausting.”
The night continued on, and soon my friend left my company for a man. She knew what she wanted out of life, and it made me a little envious. Her cavalier attitude toward meeting men was a sight to behold; not ten minutes later she was dancing with a completely different man.
I finished my drink and called Brent, who readily drove by and picked me up. It had started raining, and I had a feeling the evening was only getting started.
A few minutes passed and then we were back at the estate. I sheltered my hair from the rain with a file from earlier in the day, but it did little to prevent me from getting drenched on the short walk to the front doors. Brent didn’t seem to be having much of a time of it either as he trudged into the house.
“All right, miss, I’ll be in the servants’ quarters till you need me. Have a good evening,” he said before retiring to the back rooms.
I made my way upstairs, stumbling and a little weak. The bannister was my best friend as I made my way, which was slow going.
I slammed open the doors to my room, which happily shut behind me as I entered. I kicked my heels off and plopped onto the bed, trying to avoid moving as much as possible. It didn’t last long, as my clothes were sopping wet and irritating to wear.