Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Episode 56




“Here are the notes from Dr. Jiu’s class.” Sierra said, passing the stack of papers to her friend, Roxy.

“Thanks.”

“Do you know when you’ll return to classes?” Nailah asked twirling with her curls, then fidgeting with the silver ring on her thumb. It was a gift from Stephan and she found herself mindlessly touching it.

Roxy shrugged. “Soon, maybe next week. I’m still a little shaken.”

“You should be!” Missy blurted. “That sim could have killed you!”

“Thank goodness Richard was there, otherwise…”

“Yes,” Roxy said with a faint smile. “He saved my life.”

“Where is he?”

“In the corner by the door.”

The women turned and gave the bodyguard a wave before continuing their conversation.

“How long is he going to be protecting you?”

“Until they are completely sure that all threats have been eliminated.”

“When will that be?”

“Who knows.” Roxy shrugged. “I like what you’re doing with your hair, Nailah.”

“Thanks. I enjoy the short cut right now, it’s so hot. I notice that you’re growing your hair out.”

“Yea, it’s been a while since I’ve had it longer. How’s the business plan going, Sierra?”

“It’s going fine.” The woman said picking at her shirt. “Donna and I went to get the coin appraised and it’s worth a lot of simoleans, about fifteen thousand. With the no interest loan that Nailah is giving me and the money that I have, not to mention the money that Donna was able to find to invest in business, I hope I have enough for the down payment on the load. I have another meeting with the loan officer, which I need to leave for now, so wish me luck.”

“I need to go as well, I have an interview with a law school admission panel and then Stephen’s taking me out for dinner.”

“Stay safe, Roxy.”

“I will, I have Richard.” She said smiling at the approaching man.

--------------------------------------------






Kimora silently watched as her coworker drooled over the client. Jamal had been to them before for work and she was used to the singer, but it was still funny to see others fall over themselves trying to please him.

“I really like how you packaged this.” Jamal said going through the proofs for the new ad campaign.

Kimora smiled, that’s one thing she liked about the singer, he went through his own campaigns, not some agent of his.

“Yes,” Kimora’s boss spoke up. “Simon has been hard at work on the campaign.”

“Simon?” Kimora and Jamal asked.

“Uh…”

“Simon didn’t-“ Kimora started.

“Yes, Simon and Kimora worked nights on the campaign. I’m glad it’s to your approval.”

Kimora could feel her blood boiling. Simon did absolutely nothing. She worked on that campaign. She spent hours working until the sun went down, forgoing happy hours and dinners to get the campaign done. She narrowed her eyes, but saw Jamal slightly shake his head.

He knew the truth as they spent hours on the phone discussing the campaign and making changes to it.


“So, Simon, tell me, why didn’t you use lyrics from my hit single for the campaign?” Jamal asked.
“Well…uh, Kimora and I thought, well, Kimora, perhaps you should explain.”

No way, no deal. “Go ahead Simon, you explain it much better than I do.”

Kimora could see her boss get annoyed, but she was over it. If he wanted to give the credit for this campaign at the most to this bumbling idiot and at the least make it appear that she shared duties with him, then let his beloved Simon talk about the campaign.

“Kimora, perhaps you should explain.” Her boss tensely said.

Kimora pursed her lips in defiance, how dare he want her to help that idiot make his way out of the hole that he dug. Take that back, that her boss had dug for him.

Before she could speak up, Jamal’s phone beeped. “Excuse me,” he said leaving the room to check the message.

“Kimora,” her boss turned to her. “Why are you sabotaging this campaign?”

“What?”

“Our client asked a question and you better answer it.”

“Our client asked Simon a question. A very simple question that if Simon had done any work on the campaign he could answer, but since he didn’t he can’t!”

“Kimora, this isn’t about little u’s and big i’s , this is about the health of the company.”

“Why is it healthy to lie and say that we worked together on the campaign when we didn’t?”

“Kimora-“

“Sorry folks,” Jamal said sticking his head into the room. “I have to run. I’ll keep looking over the campaign and we can meet about it later, ok?”

“Of, course.”

Kimora narrowed her eyes at her boss. She thought that he always looked out for her, but now it seemed like things were different and he was only interested in promoting his little Simon. “I’m taking lunch now.” She said, leaving the room.



---------------






Sierra sat in front of the loan officer again. She had did everything he asked, found a partner and garnered a sizable down payment.

“Hmmm…”

Sierra gritted her teeth, she hated that sound. Why couldn’t he just give her a straight answer. To distract herself she thought about teaching her first class in her studio. Watching the students morph their bodies into the various yoga positions, discussing the importance of mind-body connections and how to successfully lead a healthy life.

“Well, there’s been some changes since I last saw you.”

“Yes,” Sierra nodded. “I found a business partner and got the down payment like you asked.”

“Yes, well, very well done on those issues.”

Sierra bit her lip, she hated being talked down to as if she were a child. “So, when can I sign the papers on the loan?”

“That’s one of the things that changed. “

“Excuse me?”

“With the various issues coming up in the loan industry, the banks are forced to change a lot of their practices. These changes have been difficult for our customers to accept and sometimes make favorable loans appear unfavorable.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Your loan application has been denied.”

“How? I got the down payment! I have the business partner! What is it? Do they want more money? A bigger down payment?”

“I’m afraid not. Your application was deemed too high risk for the loan.”

“What in the world does that mean?!?”

“It means they won’t loan you the money.”

“I know that, but why? Why was my application deemed high risk?”

“Your history. You have very little credit history and that spells danger.”

“So because I like to spend cash and not use credit cards, I can’t get a loan?”

“That’s about right.”

“That makes so little sense! It’s idiotic!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yea, well, thanks anyway.” She said leaving the bank.




------




Donna walked slowly along the boardwalk enjoying the warm breeze and smell of the ocean and…dog fur?

“Would you consider donating to the Society for Pets?” a friendly face asked.

Donna smiled. “What does the society do?”

“We minimize the number of stray pets by maximizing the number of happy pet owners. Right now we’re trying to find homes for a few of our cute little puppies, such as the ones you see here.”

Donna glanced down at the tiny pups, one in particular caught her eye and she bent down for a closer look. She regarded the animal with open eyes and it did likewise, cocking it’s head to the side before placing its paws on the glass. Donna placed her fingers on the glass as well and they shared a friendly glass to glass moment.

“He’s a cutie, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

“He’s available for adoption today. He’s just waiting for the perfect pet owner to come along and adopt him.”

“What’s his name?”

“What do you think his name is?”

“Huh?”

“If you can guess his name, I’ll give you a lollipop.”

“A lollipop, huh?”

“No sim has been able to guess his name.”

Donna regarded the pup. “Can I take him out of the glass cage?”

“Of course.”

She squatted down to meet the puppy face-to-face and he licked her hand before circling her and sniffing her clothing.

“Lucky.”

“What?”

“His name is Lucky.”

“Whoa! Did he tell you that?”

“No, why?”

“That’s his name. Congratulations, let me get your lollipop.”

“Forget about the lollipop, how can I take Lucky home?”



-----










“Hey, beautiful.”

“Hi, Stephan.” Nailah said smiling.

“How was the interview?”

“I think it went well.”

“Here, Sierra said this was waiting for you.” He said handing her a thin envelope.

Nailah’s heart went in her throat, it was from the University of Supreme Law, her first choice school. She nervously opened the envelope.

We regret to inform you that your application has been denied. We would-

Nailah wiped away a tear.

“You ok?”

“Yea, my first rejection letter.” She said waving the letter at him.

He took the letter and read it, his face hardened and he slowly folded the paper and replaced it in the envelope.

“It’s not that bad, Stephan. I appreciate you trying to sympathize with me.” Nailah joked.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were applying to schools outside of Pahala?”

“What? Why should that matter?”

“How are we going to have a relationship if you’re eighteen hours away!”

“What relationship! We’re supposed to be friends!”

“Nailah, how can you continue to deny this?” He painfully asked, his voice cracking. “We’re good together.” He continued taking her hand.

“I know, but…it’s still too much.”

“Don’t push me away…please…” He said grabbing her other hand.

“I can’t promise anything.”

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Episode 55

Missy stuffed another cookie in her mouth and stared grimly at the screen. The research for the article was going well, she needed to contact her source and arrange for an interview with some of the soldiers. She peeked out the glass windows in front of her office and hurriedly stuffed the last four cookies in her mouth.

“Missy?”



The woman quickly swallowed and stood up before her boss. “Yes?”

“Do you have a minute?”

“Of course.” She said, trying to brush the crumbs off her sweater.

“You know that’s your fifth bag of cookies in the last hour.”

Missy shamefully bit her lip, then anger swelled. “What are you doing monitoring my diet?”

“I’m not monitoring your diet, but when you sneak food and binge out on snacks, then that’s my clue that something is wrong. You’re exhibiting the classic signs of a binge eater, I should know, I was one.”

“Really?”



Laleh nodded. “For three years. Finally I found help with a counselor and learned some other outlets for my emotions besides chewing.”

“Did it help?”

“You want the truth?”

“Yes.”

“No, it didn’t. What finally clicked was that this is the body God gave me, I would never ever be a size 2, no matter what I did. Instead I started eating as healthy as possible, exercising and building confidence in the figure I was blessed with.”



“That’s it?”

“That’s it. To be honest, it provided a great excuse to go shopping for new figure flattering clothing.”

“Well, thanks for the advice. You should consider having your own talk show or something-that was a very uplifting speech.”



Laleh laughed. “Well, I didn’t mean to preach. Honestly, I know what you’re going through, I’ve been there. If you want to stop, I’m here to help.”

“Thanks.”

****

Roxy tossed her purse on her drafting table and angrily picked up her pencils. She watched as her bodyguard took a seat in the lobby. He had been to the office before and knew that there were only two exits, both of them within his eyesight.



“What’s your problem?” Erika asked coming over.

Roxy nodded towards Richard sitting patiently, pretending to read a magazine.

“I’m tired of being followed everywhere.” She whispered. “It’s getting on my nerves.”



“It’s for your safety, right?” Erika whispered back.

“Yes, but…ugh, I want some freedom. I would love to go to one class without Rambo here over my shoulder.”

“You could ditch him, you know.”

“How?”



“On the way to class, you could easily lose him in the crowd of students.”

“That’s too easy, he would still find me. He memorizes everything about me, from the hairstyle to the details in my jacket, everything.”

“Then you need a double,” Erika whispered. “You could go to the restroom and switch clothes and hairstyles with your double. Then have them run out the bathroom. He would give chase, leaving you enough time to dash to class.”



Roxy smiled. “I like it.”

****

Erika watched as Roxy left the office. She still had a few changes to make on one of her designs, so tonight would be a late night…but not too late, she had Meka waiting with a promised bubble bath.

“Erika?!”

She lifted her head to see her mother come into the office. “Hello, mom, how are you?”

“I’m doing great! Marriage is a wonderful thing, you should try it.”

“I did and the results were not that great.”

“Ah, speaking of, I saw Alan today.”

Erika’s ears perked up at the news. Why would Alan be near her mother.



“He said that you two are getting back together.”

“We’re not getting back together, we’re-”

“I think it’s wonderful! I knew that you still loved him. Chasing after all those men when your heart really belonged to Alan.”



“Mom, we’re not getting back together.”

“Oh, but he said-”

“It doesn’t matter what he said. We’re just dating.”



“You’re dating…but you’re not getting back together with him? Hmm…sounds like you’re getting back together, why would you date otherwise?”

Erika sighed. Her mother wouldn’t understand her need to have various men at her beck and call. One man couldn’t satisfy her, besides look what happened when she tried that whole traditional love voodoo. She lost Alan and she lost Kevin…though technically, Alan was back in her life.

“There are lots of reasons to date, you don’t have to marry every guy you date.”

“But you should look at marrying again, if not Alan, what about that nice young man, Meka. He’s a sweetie.”



“Mom,” Erika sighed and grabbed her mother’s hands. “I have work to do, can we discuss this later?”

“Fine, your father said hello, we’re going to the mainland this weekend. I’m so excited!”

“That’s great, but I need to finish this.”

“Alright, dear. Don’t work too hard.”

“I won’t.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

****



Emily plucked a few keys from the piano, allowing her mind to float away. Thoughts of research, difficult cases and aching feet left her mind as the melody filled it. She tried not to think about the credit card bill laying on the table, the one with the strange transactions. The transactions for the hotel she didn’t stay at, the dinner at Miko’s that she didn’t have and the jewelry from Goldstin’s that she never received.

The ringing phone broke into her thoughts. “Hello?”

“Emily, love.”

“Keith, where are you?”

“I’m at work, love. Edison and I have to finish this report. I don’t know what time I’ll be home. I hope to be home, but thankfully the office has plenty of recliners and I have a change of clothes.”



“I want you home.”

“I know, love. Why don’t you have a cuppa or maybe a toddy. You’ll feel better.”

Emily sighed. “Don’t work too hard.”

“I’ll try not to, love.”

“Goodbye.”

“Good night.”



Emily angrily took out her diary and started jotting her thoughts, but abruptly stopped. She picked up the cellphone and dialed her good friend and work associate.




“Hi…I need a favor…well, I can pay you…no, it’s not for a client. It’s for me…I need you to follow Keith, I think he’s cheating.”

****

Roxy smiled as she arrived to the empty classroom. Thanks to Erika’s idea, she had successfully lost him. Her smile quickly faded when she felt the cold metal on her back.

“Turn around and put your hands on your head.” The cold voice said.




She slowly turned around, fear gripping her heart and placed her hands on her head.

“We’re going for a nice ride.” The voice commanded.

She thought of her friend, who barely made it out alive of a kidnapping attempt. She knew that she couldn’t go with the masked man. The statistics of being alive when, if they found her were null to none. Before she could do much more thinking she heard his voice.

“Roxy, drop!”




Roxy dived to the floor. She heard the gun hit the wall and a grunt. She looked up to see Richard delivering a swift kick to the man’s groin and then a few more punches to his face. It was over as quickly as it started. Richard was on top of the man, tying his hands behind his back and speaking urgently into his earpiece.




Roxy sat trembling in the corner, watching as a team of men in black suits came and not so gently escorted the masked man away.



Once the room was clear, Richard held his arms open and Roxy flew into them. Once she was surrounded by his protective embrace did Roxy allow the frightened tears to fall.