Page 6

Chapter six

M uch to his chagrin, Vic could not fall back to sleep and was pulled out of his bleary-eyed gaze at the ceiling by the sound of loud knocking. Rolling over, he noted it was now seven in the morning. Throwing back the covers, he dragged himself out of bed. His head was pounding. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he pulled on the clothes he had arrived in the day before and headed for the door. The knocking continued.

“Hold on,” he barked. “I’ll be right there.” Throwing open the door, he saw Chase standing outside looking fresh as ever, holding a tray of coffee and grinning. He noticed Mya was next door waiting for Paris to answer. She held a paper bag in one hand. He hoped the paper bag would join the coffee shortly.

“Morning, boss. How’d you sleep?” asked Chase.

It was obvious from his disheveled appearance that it had not been well. “What sleep?” he replied. “Paris had an unexpected visitor last night, which jolted me awake, and then this damned drilling and pounding began at six this morning, which gave me a total of three hours of shut-eye.”

Forcing a frown, Chase said, “Here, enjoy some coffee on me. I should have warned you. You’re the only two people on this floor. It's the last level of the building to be remodeled.”

“That's just swell,” replied Vic in defeat. He bet Chase was laughing on the inside as he divulged this tasty bit of information. The little pissant was enjoying his misery. Swallowing his pride, he said, “Thanks for the coffee. I need it.” Turning away from the door, he motioned for Chase to come inside and have a seat. He was probably getting what he deserved, considering how he’d treated Chase in the past. Kharma had caught up.

“I told Mya we’d come over to Paris’s apartment,” said Chase. “I figured you’d be ready to go before she would.”

“Yes. Indubitably,” replied Vic as he succumbed to following Chase next door. “What are you wearing?” he asked. “Is that pink and purple?”

“Oh, this? Yeah. You like it?” asked Chase, as he did a spin so Vic could see his button-down shirt better. It was purple with pink flamingos.

“I’m really not sure,” Vic replied, feeling perplexed. He felt just the sight of the shirt might be threatening his manhood, but he kept it to himself.

“Oh, well, it’s all good,” he said with a smile. “It’ll grow on you.”

“Doubtful,” replied Vic. “Are all of your clothes that vibrant?” Chase had been his assistant for months, but Vic had not bothered to pay attention to his appearance.

“Yes, they are,” commented Mya. “He’s the most colorful person at ADG.”

Beaming from the compliment, Chase tossed back his dark hair and replied, “Thanks, dear, I try.”

“Have a seat, Vic,” said Mya. “Enjoy a muffin. I have chocolate chip, blueberry, strawberry cream cheese, and pumpkin. Which would you prefer?”

Pulling out one of the chairs at the tiny kitchen table, Vic obliged. “I’ll go with strawberry cream cheese.”

“Great choice,” she replied as she handed him the muffin.

“So glad you didn’t take pumpkin, ‘cause it’s my fav,” said Chase. If Vic had taken the pumpkin muffin, he would have secretly disliked him even more.

“Okay, that leaves chocolate chip for me since Paris always goes with blueberry. I would have chosen that or the strawberry anyway.”

Having a seat, the threesome munched on their breakfast while waiting for Paris. Thirty minutes later, she finally joined them at the table.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to look presentable in the same clothes I wore yesterday. I took a shower, but I don’t have a curling iron or actual hairspray. Luckily, there was a blow-dryer and some trial-size toiletries. This is maddening,” she complained. “I don’t even have my full makeup kit anymore. Thankfully, I keep an extra eye shadow, lipstick, and mascara in my purse. The rest of my face looks ghostly, though.”

“Girl, you look radiant with or without makeup,” complimented Chase.

“Thanks,” she replied with a small smile.

Chase flashed his pearly teeth at Paris and Vic. “Anyway,” he said, “don’t you worry your pretty little head. We’re going out shopping just as soon as you finish your breakfast. Mikel was happy to allow you to come to work in the same clothes as yesterday, but your mother, bless her lovely little soul, said absolutely not and allotted time for shopping this morning.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” said Paris. Grabbing the last muffin, she set to work polishing it off. “Where are we going shopping?” she asked between bites.

“Andretti’s,” said Mya. Before Paris protested, Mya stopped her. “You have limited funds, and Andretti’s has everything you could need at an affordable price. You’ll be fine.” Paris looked as if she was about to choke on her muffin, so Mya again cut in. “Please, trust me. This is temporary. I know you’re miserable right now, and you feel out of your element, but you’ll make it through to the other side. I’ll help you find things that are inexpensive but still make you look good. Once you have more money coming in, you can then decide to upgrade your belongings. Focus on one hour at a time. You’ve got this.”

“She’s right, Paris,” interjected Vic. “You don’t need all that fancy stuff. You’ll look great no matter what. And remember, no stealing,” he added with a mischievous grin.

“Really, Vic? You just need to rub salt in my wounds, don’t you?” griped Paris. “Why are you so mean to me? In retrospect, I should be the one who’s picking on you, since our issues began in college when you caused us to miss our spring break flight to Cozumel.”

“Let’s not dig up old wounds,” said Chase. “It won’t help the current situation.”

“I agree with Chase,” said Mya. “It doesn’t matter who did what back when. We need to focus on the here and now.”

Paris didn’t have any further strength to argue with Mya. She hadn’t slept at all since arriving at her new place. She’d be thankful if she made it through the humiliation of her first day in the mailroom, as she was certain several people would be laughing at her situation. Finishing her last bite of muffin, she pushed away from the table and said, “Let’s get this horror show started.”

“Yes,” replied Vic. “What a suitable statement.” He joined Paris at the door, and they all shuffled outside. Looking at Chase and Mya, he asked, “Whose car are we taking?”

“We, my friend, are taking the bus,” replied Chase. “Them’s be the rules your mom provided. She wants you to try it out.”

“I’ve never taken the bus before,” mewled Paris.

Vic, rolling his eyes at her, said, “Well then, this’ll be a treat.”

Marching up the block, they headed for the nearest bus stop. The bus appeared on time and arrived in less than fifteen minutes. The ride, however, seemed to take forever. People were packing themselves in to every seat. The bus smelled like tuna fish, and it made Paris feel ill. She wasn’t a fan of tuna under regular circumstances.

The second the bus stopped, Paris hopped up and led the group off. She wasn’t excited about shopping at Andretti’s, but she enjoyed buying new things. It was a struggle for her to accept that she’d lost everything. She didn’t think she could feel any lower, which made her want to spend money. It was how she comforted herself.

“Paris,” said Mya, “let’s go. You can’t stand here and stare at the store all day. We have to go inside, get what you need, and get home so we can unpack and get you to the office.”

Cringing, Paris said, “I don’t even want to think about work.” Mya reached out and grabbed her hand. Paris tried to pull it away, but Mya didn’t let go. She yanked Paris along as she moved toward the entrance to the store.

The inside of the big box store was nothing like the stores Paris was accustomed to. The lights were garish, and there were people everywhere. The store was half-grocery, which was convenient, to say the least. Luckily, it included a liquor section.

“Here we are,” said Mya.

“Vic and I will pick up the food for both of you since it’ll most likely take you longer to find toiletries and clothing,” said Chase.

“Okay. Make sure you get an assortment of fruit, some yogurt, granola, almond milk, salad, and veggies,” requested Paris

“Yes, Mya gave me a list of items already,” replied Chase. “We’ve got you covered.” Turning to Vic, he said, “I gave Mya your toiletry list. If you think of anything else, shoot her a text.”

Paris watched Vic nod his understanding. He didn’t look too happy either. It had been a long time since Mya had shopped with her, but she had always known what Paris liked. Apparently, their babysitters knew what they were doing. She cringed at the thought. They were adults who had been assigned babysitters.

“Okay,” said Mya, “you two hit grocery and clothing, and we’ll hit clothing and toiletries. See you in an hour.” Grabbing two carts, she headed them toward the women’s clothing department. “Paris, I’m leaving you to find clothing while I pick up your makeup and other toiletries. Be sure to get all the essentials, plus business attire and leisure. Oh, and for heaven’s sake, be sure to buy practical shoes. You’ll be walking a lot.”

“Wait, I don’t know how I feel about you picking up my hair and makeup items without me,” she protested. “I want to know what I’m getting.”

“If you come with me to makeup, you won’t get the rest of the items you need in time. We have one hour. Besides, I used to do your hair and makeup all the time, or have you forgotten? I know this store, and I know what you need. Trust me.”

“I don’t trust you. I don’t even like you,” Paris replied.

Mya shook her head. “For the life of me, I don’t know how you can be so cold.” Walking away, she left Paris to fend for herself.

As Mya disappeared, Paris felt a slight panic coming on. She didn’t even know where the women’s clothing was located within the massive store. Reaching out, she fingered the cart handle, leery about the germs.

“It won’t bite you, princess,” said Vic. Snickering, as he wandered off with his own cart.

Paris sighed. She thought he’d already left. Reaching out, she rested her open hands on the edge of the handle and pushed ahead. Noticing the jewelry counter, she headed in that direction first.

As she perused the jewelry cases, the price tags provided her with a nagging reminder she was on a very strict budget. She had been wearing her diamond stud earrings and diamond heart necklace yesterday when everything changed. They would have to make up most of her jewelry collection for the time being, but perhaps a couple of inexpensive costume pieces wouldn’t be so bad.

As Paris looked, she saw something she felt she needed. A string of white pearls. She didn’t own pearls. Looking at the different options, she found a small set for sixty-five dollars. It even came with a pair of stud earrings. “I’ll take those,” she said to the clerk. The woman wrapped the items up for her and put a tag on the package so that the checkout clerk would know what to ring up.

Moving on, she put her emotions aside and grabbed each item on her list as if it were normal for her to be shopping in such a generic store. She knew the situation was temporary, so she went for comfort and versatility rather than a statement. She looked at the items as if they were her favorite brands, which sent a thrill of adrenaline through her body as she shopped.

Finishing in the clothing department, Paris wandered over to liquor. She chose a bottle of tequila and two bottles of wine. She had barely placed the bottles in her cart when Mya reappeared.

“Looks like you’ve found everything.”

“I did okay,” she replied. It was a tad difficult working within the allotted monetary guidelines.”

“I’m sure,” said Mya. “How much are you spending?”

“Four-hundred-and-five,” she replied.

“Okay, just so you know, I went bare minimum with your makeup and bathroom items. I found an inexpensive curling iron and the razor you prefer. I spent eighty dollars, but I think you’ll find I’ve covered most of the bases. Hopefully, the items will be sufficient for now. If you find you’re missing anything, I’d be happy to lend what you need.”

“Thanks,” said Paris. Mya gave her a small smile.

“We should head for the checkout; we’re cutting it close on time. The boys will be waiting.”

Paris followed her to the checkout, where the clerk totaled everything up. Chase added one-hundred-and-ten dollars to her total with food items, which put Paris at five-hundred-and-ninety-five dollars, leaving her with fifty-five until she got paid the following Friday.

“Looks like great minds think alike,” said Vic. He, too, had visited the liquor department. “I’ll share if you will,” Paris replied, looking over the six bottles of wine, case of beer,

and cheap bottle of Scotch in his cart.

Vic’s shopping experience had been easier than Paris’s, taking him half the time she had taken. His clothing purchases came to three-hundred-and-two dollars. With groceries, liquor, and clothing added in, he spent a grand total of four-hundred-and-seventy-two dollars.

Upon checking out and bagging all the items, the group realized they had to carry a lot of bags onto the bus. Chase decided that, to make things a little easier on them, he would call a taxi. Paris and Vic were both grateful to avoid the bus with their parcels.

Back at the apartments, they hurried to unpack their groceries and choose outfits to wear to work. Paris opted for a white ruffle dress with a brown belt and brown ruffle mule sandals. She kept her diamonds in place. She then applied her new cosmetics and was ready to go.

Vic chose to wear grey pants with a blue button-down shirt, brown belt, and brown loafers. He haphazardly adjusted his hair and added some gel, shaved, and headed for the door. He stopped momentarily and tossed a condom in his pocket for good measure. One never knew when they might come in handy, and for Vic, they frequently did.

Forty minutes later, the group found themselves walking toward the ADG building. A nauseating feeling rose up inside Vic’s stomach. He hadn’t been below a managerial position in years. The mailroom seemed beneath him, considering the responsibilities he had previously held as an event planner. Two weeks ago, he’d commanded his team as if they were in a relay race to the finish with planning a last-minute wedding. Two of his charges transferred groups because they couldn’t handle his volatile personality. In one year’s time, he had developed a reputation as the fiercest manager at ADG, though ADG was generally known for employee empathy and kindness. If his style got the job done, what did it matter?

Paris looked over at Vic, a scowl creasing his brow. She couldn’t blame him. She felt their parents had lost their minds. None of her business friend’s families would have ever done such a thing. She wondered what the media would say if they found out about their situation. It wouldn’t look good for anyone, including their parents. She figured it would only be a matter of time before they came to their senses and dropped the silly game they were playing.

“Okay, guys, we’ve arrived. This shouldn’t be too difficult. You’ve both been here before, right?” asked Chase.

“I’ve been here, but never worked here,” replied Vic. “I worked in the restaurants and then interned at Sense of Adventure. I moved up from there.”

“I’ve never done this,” replied Paris. “I haven’t even stepped a foot inside this part of the building. I was a model when I started out, and then I moved on to work as a sommelier and writer.”

Raising a brow and shaking his head, Chase said, “Super. This will be fun. Check-in with us anytime if you need advice or moral support.”

“If you need to find us, we’re helping to cover your positions while you’re in the mailroom,” added Mya.

Paris’s face reddened. “No! How’s that possible?” It was bad enough she had to put up with Mya as a babysitter, but a superior? No way.

“Relax. It’s not that big of a deal. I’m returning calls to your clients and letting them know they’ll be meeting with either Tom or Angela temporarily.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” replied Paris. “We’ll lose our regular clients.” Tom and Angela occupied the other two spots as senior adventure planners, and they were both cut-throats in snagging new clients.

“Need I remind you that you’ve basically been fired,” replied Mya. “The job should be of no concern to you at this time. You have to focus on the task at hand and prove to your parents and the rest of the board that you’re of value to ADG and Sense of Adventure. Anyway, we need to go.”

Pointing, Chase said, “Walk through that door, and Tonya will meet you on the other side to give you your duties.”

“Later, kids,” called Mya as she and Chase walked away.

“I don’t want to go in there,” said Vic. “Everyone will know who we are. We’re without a doubt the laughing stocks of the company.”

“My thoughts exactly. If we don’t go in, things will undoubtedly get worse, right? I don’t think we have a choice, do we? I mean, honestly, do we have any choices in this situation other than to do what we’ve been told?”

“I mean, technically, we could walk away from it all, but that would require money, which neither of us has. You’re not exactly a typical working woman. You were raised as an heiress. To make it on your own, you’d probably need a financial advisor and help with your future goals.”

She considered his statement. “Maybe you’re right? It’s not like I’ve been making goals or living up to my potential as of late.” Could she make it on her own?

“Do you really want to walk away? I mean, think about it for a minute. Money has never been a problem for you. What would you do if you had none? You have a decent resume, but you’re kidding yourself if you think you can leave and easily climb to a position such as the one you held at Sense of Adventure. The media headlines alone might stop you. Not to mention, you make what? A cool mil each year, plus your trust fund? No. Leaving the company is career suicide.”

Paris stared at the ground. “Sometimes it’s worth the risk of finding happiness. I'm not feeling at all fulfilled. It's a struggle to get out of bed each day. I'm not even certain I want to live this life anymore. That’s why I took the pills.”

Vic reached out and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. There’s help if you need it. You can go to rehab or counseling. Whatever you need. You can feel better. No matter where you are, though, you’ll have to deal with your pain. I can’t see you walking away. To be fair, I can’t see it for myself either.” He watched as her eyes welled up. “Just hang in there. You can turn all of this around. I’ll be right here beside you,” he added with an empathetic smile.

“It feels like I'm at the bottom of a pit, and it's slowly caving in.”

“I know, but please don't give up yet. You heard our parents. We have to do this together.”

“Fine,” she sniffed. “I'll give it a shot, but I'm not making any promises.”

“Hello?” interjected a voice from behind them. A woman had popped her head out the door to see what they were doing.

“Um, hi,” replied Paris. “Can we help you?”

“Well, if you plan on coming to work today, you sure can. My name is Tonya. You were supposed to meet me five minutes ago. You’re not off to a proper start,” she stated disapprovingly.

“Oh, Tonya, so sorry,” replied Vic. “We were having a bit of an emotional moment, but I think we’re all good now.”

“Well, come on in. We best get you started, unless you plan on quitting before you begin?” Tonya asked, eyeing Paris.

“I’m coming,” replied Paris. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

Paris and Vic followed Tonya inside, and she showed them the ropes. It took a couple of hours to relay all the information to do the job, but they were already taking on delivery assignments by that afternoon. Paris was a natural, but Vic was less than enthused to be delivering the company mail.

The day progressed rapidly. Before they realized it, it was four-thirty, and Tonya had sent them on their way. Mya and Chase came to meet them at the door to the mailroom.

“How’d your first day go?” asked Chase. “Did you learn a lot?” He couldn’t stop grinning.

“Why are you always so chipper?” asked Paris. “I feel like my feet might fall off. All I did was walk from point A to point B the whole day long.”

“Great exercise,” said Mya. “You won’t have to work out tonight.”

Paris shook her head in disagreement. “I’d rather workout. As a matter-of-fact, I think that’s what I’ll do when we get back to the apartment.” Bending over, she pried off her shoes and resolved to walk barefoot the rest of the way home. Home, thought Paris. “I can’t believe I live in a shitty apartment at the employee end of campus.” Mya ignored her comment.

“It’s not great, but it could be worse,” replied Vic. “We could be off-campus completely.”

Chase nodded. “That’s very true. The board discussed sending you to live off-campus. Your mother, Vic, said no. You’re lucky she has so much empathy for you. She’s helped your situation more than you realize.”

“No car and off-campus. That would have sucked big time,” said Paris, then changing the subject, “I think I’ll go for a swim. We do have access to a pool still, don’t we?”

“Yeah, you do, as well as the hot tubs,” answered Chase.

Mya looked at Paris. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“I can’t exactly say no. You live here too,” replied Paris.

“Why don’t we all go down to the pool for a bit? We can relax in the hot tub and discuss the day,” suggested Chase. “If you have anything you need to work through, we can discuss that as well.”

“What are you, our counselors?” asked Vic.

“Kind of,” replied Mya. “We have strict instructions to help you in any way we can, as long as it coincides with the rules the board gave you.”

“Fine,” said Paris. “We’ll eat dinner and then meet at the pool. Maybe it’ll be a relaxing end to the day.”

After dinner, the foursome met at the pool. The group conversed very little. They swam some laps and then soaked quietly in the hot tub. Paris could not bring herself to talk about the workday. Vic didn’t seem to have much desire to discuss it either. Mya and Chase chattered with each other and paused now and then to include Paris and Vic, with little luck. After Paris finished in the hot tub, she pulled a bottle of tequila out of her beach bag and took a big swig. She noted Vic was watching her every move. “Want some?” she asked.

“Please,” he replied as he approached her. Sitting down, he grabbed the bottle. They sat together quietly, watching Mya and Chase. They each thought about the things they’d done to end up where they were at that moment, slogging down tequila and feeling numb to the world.

The next morning, they met at the office at 7:30. Paris planned to do the job and keep her mouth shut. If she could do that, perhaps the board would promote her the following week. She had high hopes of returning to her previous lifestyle. She made it through her second day, as well as the rest of the week, without so much as a hiccup. Tonya told her she was doing great. She felt pleased with herself.

Vic was another story. Day two went well, but by day three, he was bored. He began slacking and pawning his duties off on other mailroom clerks. He disappeared during the day, and no one knew where he was. His lunch breaks lasted more than an hour. Paris ignored Vic’s actions, or rather inaction, and went about her job like it was the best job in the world. By the end of the week, Tonya was none too happy with Vic. Paris was certain that he would be in trouble come Monday.

Friday night Paris left work with a sense of accomplishment. She knew she had performed her job to the utmost of her ability. She had been praised by several of her coworkers, which made her feel good. It had been a long time since she’d been praised by anyone. She felt oddly successful.

“What are you doing the rest of the evening?” Paris asked Vic as they, along with Mya and Chase, trudged back to their apartments.

“I have a date,” he beamed. “I’m seeing Janel Maren.”

“Your ex?” asked Mya. “Why? I thought you two were through months ago?” The look on her face was pure disgust. Mya had never cared for Janel, which was saying something.

“Well, I guess she couldn’t stay away.” And then, with a grin, he added, “She likes what I'm giving her.”

“Ew, gross,” ejected Paris. “I don't want to think about that.”

“Be careful,” cautioned Mya. “I don’t trust her.”

Vic glared back at Mya. “What could she do?” he asked.

“Trust me, she’s a woman. She’ll find something to do,” said Paris.

“Um, Vic, doesn’t she work for the Flores Press?” asked Chase.

“Oh, yeah, I think she started there last month, if I recall correctly?” he replied.

“There's your something,” Chase said with concern. “You don’t want her writing about your current situation, do you?”

Brushing him aside, Vic said, “She would never do that. I know her well. We dated for a year and a half. She’d never try to hurt me on purpose.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” said Mya. “Still, be careful.”

“Didn’t you cheat on her?” asked Paris.

“That was a misunderstanding,” replied Vic, “and none of your business.”

“Does she know you cheated on her?” asked Chase.

“I didn’t cheat on her. We unknowingly had different views about our relationship status,” said Vic. “Anyway, enough of this. I’m changing clothes and heading out.” He exited the elevator and headed for his place.

“Paris,” asked Mya, “what are you doing this evening?”

“I think I’ll curl up with the book I’ve been carrying around in my purse,” she replied.

“That sounds nice. Call me if you want to hang out,” said Mya with sincerity.

“I doubt it. My current situation changes nothing,” she commented.

“Okay, then,” said Chase with a look of disgust, “I guess we’ll see you Monday.”

Paris went into her apartment and closed the door behind her. She was tired of the people surrounding her. She would eat a salad, grab a glass of wine, and curl up on the couch with her book. The perfect Friday night. Well, almost perfect. She no longer had her own personal whirlpool, so she couldn’t properly soak the week's stressors away unless she wanted to sit down by the pool with the other residents staring at her and wondering what went wrong. No, thank you very much, she thought.