Alibi (20 page)

T
he next morning Daisy walked through the front doors of the law firm, introduced herself to the receptionist, and was taken
into a side office. Daisy Mae sat in front of a desk, an empty chair beside her.

“Ms. Murtaugh will be with you in one moment,” the small-framed white girl said before closing the door, bobbing her ponytail
behind her as she made her way down the hallway.

Daisy Mae looked around the tiny office. Plaques graced the wall, pictures graced a desk, and a border of file folders sat
on the floor next to all open wall space.
I want a desk so I can decorate it too,
she thought to herself, picturing her own workspace.

“Hi, Ms. Fothergill,” said a tall woman with blue eyes and long blond hair, wearing a business skirt suit, high heels, cleavage,
and no pantyhose.
Look at her,
Daisy thought to herself.

“Yes, thank you for letting me interview with you today,” said Daisy, standing up, holding out her hand.

“Oh, please, sit down, relax,” said Debbie Murtaugh, shaking the young black girl’s hand. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Um, no, I’m fine.”

“You sure? No water, soda, nothing?” said Debbie, before closing the offer.

“No, I’m okay.”

“So, let’s take a look at what we have here,” said Debbie as she moved some folders around, stacked them neatly on her desk,
opened another folder, and looked at Daisy Mae’s résumé.

“And what is the Honey Pot?” she asked.

“It’s a restaurant; I was a host. I would greet the guests and sit them at their table and if they needed something I would
get it for them.” She admonished herself to pretend to be her cousin Kimmie Sue. Every word she spoke was just as Kimmie Sue
had taught her to speak after countless hours and days of rehearsals. She was ready for her first job interview, on the outside.
But on the inside, she had a real bad case of the jitters.

“Did you ever do any sort of phone work?”

“Well, I would have to answer the phones from time to time and make dinner reservations. I’m very comfortable with talking
on the phone, I do it almost every day,” said Daisy, smiling at Ms. Murtaugh.

“Yes, dear, don’t we all,” said Debbie trying to figure if the young black girl in front of her was sharp enough to answer
the phones and take messages. It sounded easy, but it could be overwhelming.

“Where did you go to school?” asked Debbie.

“I graduated from Overbrook High in Philadelphia. That’s where I’m from.”

“I see that. So you recently moved to Tennessee.”

“Yes, ma’am, I have family down here and my mother recently died. So I came down here to be with family.”

“Oh, I see,” said Debbie. “Well, let me tell you about the firm and what we do here.”

Daisy sat and listened as Debbie Murtaugh explained the firm, the partners, and the exact job description for what Daisy would
be expected to do. At minimum wage, it was a no-brainer. Answer the phones, direct the calls, take messages.
She looks like she can handle that. She is very pretty. The partners might not like the fact that she’s black. They’ll get
over it. Damn, look at the time, I have to meet Chuck Daly at Cristo’s. Shit, I won’t have time to get my nails done. Dan
wants to go to dinner tonight. What will I wear, my little black dress… that always works. Let me wrap her up and get her
out of here, I got less than twenty minutes to get to Cristo’s. What the hell is she over there talking about? I haven’t heard
one word the poor girl’s said.
Debbie sat across the desk, shaking and nodding her head, a smile, but no teeth, and a slight frown on her brow.

“I know that if I get the chance, I would be a good receptionist for your law firm.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” asked Debbie Murtaugh.

“I said I just need a chance, but if you hire me, I’ll be the best receptionist you ever had. I really want this job,” Daisy
said, her green eyes piercing Debbie’s baby blues.

“Can you start tomorrow?” asked Debbie.

Daisy couldn’t believe the words she had just heard.
Can I start tomorrow? Is she nuts, does she have to ask? Of course I can start tomorrow.
She could start right now if Ms. Murtaugh needed her to.

“Yes, ma’am, I sure could. I could start right now, if you want me to,” said Daisy jokingly.

“No, I have lunch right now, but tomorrow will be fine. Be here at 8:30
A.M
. and be ready,” said Debbie Murtaugh, eyeing the young black girl as she slipped into a pair of tan leather Manolo Blahniks
under her desk and stood up to lead Daisy to the door.

“Thank you so much, thank you, really. I’ll see you tomorrow… eight-thirty… sharp.”

“Yes, thank you, see you tomorrow,” said Debbie, extending a soft and gentle hand. She took Daisy’s hand into hers and looked
at Daisy as she closed her office door. She walked over to her maple desk, picked up a note pad and crossed off one of the
several tasks on her “to do” list.
Now, the offices have a receptionist, the partners can stop complaining, and I have lunch with Chuck.

Daisy Mae was so happy she didn’t know who she would tell her simply marvelous news to first, but she couldn’t wait to tell
somebody. She just wanted to scream out to the world how great she felt.
Can you believe it? Can you actually believe it? I got a real job. Wait till I tell Aunt Tildie and Kimmie Sue this.

She was more confident than ever that Tennessee was the place for her. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had
a vision, a plan, a path for her life. Somewhere out there was her destiny, she just had to take care of herself long enough
to find it. Sometimes, Daisy would go out to Beaver Dam Pond down the road from where her aunt Tildie lived and look out at
the water, thinking of the past and all the demons she had escaped. At the right time of the day, the pond would glisten like
a shadow of gold as the sun quietly nestled itself between the vast forest of trees, its rays of light shining from above,
just a blink away from sundown. And Daisy would sit on the same large rock where she always sat, looking out at the calm,
tranquil pond, and she’d talk to God. It was her way of asking God to forgive her for all she had done, all she had been a
part of, and all she wished she could change. And it was there she drew strength. It was there, in what some would call “the
middle of nowhere,” that Daisy found the most majestic spot on earth, and it was there that she found faith and knew that
God was beside her.
I won’t never do nothing against you, father God. Please just let me have a good life, enriched and full of happiness, and
a life full of love.
That was always what she would ask God for, and honestly, she was changed. Daisy would starve on the street before she would
sell her body away. No, not her, not no more. She’d never be sacrificed that way ever again, a naked, lost soul on display
for men to lust after, pay, have their way with, then walk away from, still a man. She had always felt this was less than
she deserved. But it was a combination of things that had Daisy twisted out in the streets of Philadelphia. Her momma had
tried to talk to her when she was alive. The last person who wanted to see Daisy stripping and living that kind of life was
Abigail. She never judged her baby, just tried to ask her questions and say things to her, so that maybe one day she’d change.
Little did Daisy know, the spirit of her mother was right there with her, sitting next to her, like a whisper in the wind.

I got so much to do with myself, so much to do.
And she did. She had her new job and was making the commitment to be the best receptionist ever. God knows, stripping ain’t
easy. But it was easier than working for crazy white folks all day. Daisy realized that being a simple receptionist wouldn’t
be as easy as she had thought it would be. The corporate world was complex, and so were the people in it, especially the white
people, and the truth was she hadn’t really captured the art of functioning in both worlds. Now the hood, she had that down
to a science, but working in the law firm, that was a whole new ballgame. And somehow, some way, Daisy had managed to get
herself on first base.
I’ll be okay, I can do this. I can take care of myself now.
That’s what she told herself the next morning as she rode into town for her first day at work.

“Good morning, Daisy, let me take you around, show you the offices and everyone here.”

“Good morning, Ms. Murtaugh.”

“Call me Debbie, please. Ms. Murtaugh would be my mother. So, where are you from? Your accent isn’t quite country,” said Debbie,
tossing her blond curly hair as she walked Daisy down a hall and pointed at offices, introducing her to the various partners
and associates who worked at the firm. No one looked for more than a split second and those on the phone didn’t even do that,
just stayed focused on the task at hand as Debbie and Daisy peeked into offices and around doors.

“That’s Victor Hatland, he’s the senior partner of the firm. Lose his calls, lose your job. Always take messages, always get
phone numbers, and a good receptionist must know the three threes,” she said as if the fate of the universe depended solely
on her ability to take a message.

“What’s the three threes?” asked Daisy, completely and totally clueless.

“The three threes are who, where, and what. Who are you? Where are you calling from? And what is your call regarding?”

“Ohhh,” said Daisy.

“Exactly. Don’t forget it either. And whatever you do, never patch a telemarketer or a sales call through to the partners
or their secretaries. All those calls come to me, you understand, so make sure you screen everyone until you’re more familiar.
Jack Delany takes all his personal calls personally. Do not send them to his secretary; if he’s not in, voicemail. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“If there’s ever a call and you’re not sure what to do, just take a message. Eventually, you’ll get the knack of it, after
you’re more familiar with the partners and everyone here. All the partners have one secretary, and they share paralegals.
There’s what we call the ‘team chart’ in your employee hand guide. You need to study that team chart. It will really help
you become familiar with names and people.”

“I will, I’ll memorize every name by heart.”

After making a walk-through of the offices, with brief introductions to partners, secretaries, paralegals, and law clerks,
they were back at the front desk.

“Just remember you are the intro to the firm. Be professional, sound professional, speak clearly, and be courteous to our
clients. Other than that, it’s really a no-brainer.”

Honestly it wasn’t. Daisy just knew she could do the job. However, her first day, she almost flunked out. The phone lines
were ringing off the hook. David Sternberger’s secretary had to help Daisy answer the calls.

Debbie’s solution was that each secretary would take an hour out of the day to help cover phones and assist until Daisy got
caught up.

If she doesn’t get the hang of it after a week, she’s outta here.
There would be no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Debbie would never sacrifice her job as office manager for any of the employees
she hired for the firm. But, after a week’s time, Daisy did get the hang of things: All calls were answered by the third ring
and the calls were promptly handled and precisely directed through the small switchboard, which Daisy had lied and said she
was familiar with, but honestly didn’t have a clue about until the other secretaries helped her master it. No, Daisy was doing
really well at her new job. She was always on time, getting up a half hour early just so she wouldn’t be late. She always
dressed professionally, wearing pumps, skirts, and suit jackets. Her style sense was noted by the other secretaries and paralegals.
She even made a friend, Jack Delany’s secretary, Mary Martin. She was a white girl with blue eyes and long blond hair, but
she had grown up in a predominantly black neighborhood.

“Oh, we got a litte bit of this and a little bit of that in my neighborhood, we just all live together like one big happy
family,” she said, looking like Dolly Parton, just not as heavy up top, but then again, no one is that heavy up top. But it
was her smile that invited you in. Friendly, pretty, and just happy, with the biggest smile, outlined by red Cover Girl lipstick
and shined up with a layer of lip gloss on top. Mary Martin’s smile would light up a room like a Christmas tree.

“Hey, Daisy Mae, you want to come with us? We’re going to Jerry’s Pool Hall a little later on tonight, get a few drinks, mingle
with the menfolk, and just have a good ol’ time. Me and some of the girls here always get together on Friday nights and do
a little partying. You wanna come along?”

“Aww, wow, thanks, Mary, but Billy’s picking me up after work. He wants to take me home to have dinner with his parents.”

“Well, ain’t that something. Are you excited?”

“Am I? I met them before at the church, but just said hi and bye. Oh, my God, now I have to sit at a table with them. I’ve
been sitting here all day just as nervous as nervous can be. Look, look at what I’ve done to my nails, I’m just sitting here
biting ’em off. I’m so scared. What if they don’t like me, what if his momma don’t like me?” said Daisy, fearful of the possibilities.

“How is she not, look at you. Stop worrying, it’ll be fine.” Mary Martin bent and gave Daisy Mae a quick hug. “Have fun,”
she said, waving bye-bye.

Dizzy opened the wooden door with one hand, holding his towel around his potbellied waist with the other. The heat from the
sauna hit him as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The lights were off and the room was silent, still. With
his towel wrapped around his waist, he sat next to Simon.

“What’s going on, slim?” Simon Shuller joked as they both laughed.

“They found the girl. She’s working in a law firm down in Nashville, Tennessee.”

“Nashville, Tennessee? What the fuck is she doing down there?”

“They say she got family down there. This kid Sticks, he got another body, Lester Giles, the girl’s landlord. He beat the
man to death. That’s how we found out where the girl is.”