THE JUNIOR BRIDESMAID (24 page)

Then I heard a
separate conversation that was being shared between Steven and…and…was that
Logan?

“Dad!”

Dad? Did he just
call Steven, Dad? Holy crap!

“I’m telling you,
you don’t have the full story,” Logan whined. “Stacey Horner orchestrated the
entire thing!” Of course this was followed by an exasperated ‘over’ which was
voiced with the frustration of a child who was complaining to his father.

I had never put
two and two together. Yes, of course I had known that Logan’s last name was
Smith. But who’s wasn’t? I mean, of course, lots of people’s names weren’t but
it was such a common name I just assumed it was a coincidence. It certainly
explained a lot. No wonder he would never stay fired. His father was an
executive in the company.

“Steven?” I
questioned even though I already knew the answer. “Is that Logan?” And out of
complete habit from hanging around Logan too much I actually said the word
‘over.’

“Holy Cow. He’s
got you doing it now?” The sheer aggravation in Steven’s voice was unnerving.
“Would you be quiet for a second please?” he continued. “No more ‘overs’!”

I shut myself
right up fearing I would further upset my boss, even though he was no longer
actually my boss. I always respected Steven, so when he told me to hold my
tongue I did what he asked without question. “Now,” he continued after a deep
sigh, “explain to me what the hell happened.”

Since I was still
following his gag order I didn’t respond.

“Delilah?” Steven
asked petulantly. “Are you there?”

“Oh! Yes, I’m
here. I thought you were talking to me,” I qualified my silence.

“I
was
talking to you,” he affirmed
haughtily.

“So you want me to
be quiet? Or you want me to explain why I got fired,” I questioned with
confusion.

I quickly realized
that Steven was losing all of his patience. And that was because I could hear
the rumble that emanated from his chest before he even began to audibly share
is discontent. “I want you to explain to me how you ended up fired from a job
that you didn’t want in the first place!” he yelled.

The muscles in my
lower jaw flexed pulling my lower lip down to reveal my bottom row of teeth. Oh
jeeze. Oh no. Not only had he lost his patience but he was also pissed. At me.

It should be said
that Steven was one of those people who didn’t need to raise his voice, like,
ever. His mere presence conjured up fear and compliance in any life form that
was equipped with a set of lungs. Children, employees, alpacas…you name it, we
all cowered. He was tall and he had perfect posture at all times. That in and
of itself could scare a person shitless. He always looked crisp and put
together and at any given moment his jaw would tense like he was trying to
contain an inner beast that was just itching to be released. He could make a
person acquiescent without uttering a single word. It was an enviable quality
but terrifying at the same time.

It was so
impressive that I deliberately studied him one day…quietly observing his
actions, his movements, his posturing and reaction time. When a person asked
him a question, he would pause while staring into their eyes before answering.
You could actually see the person shrink in response. Unbelievable. How Logan survived
his upbringing was a sheer miracle. It must also be noted that he was the best
boss I had ever had. He was honest, complimentary and fair.

“Well,” I began,
“I don’t, um, know where to start…” I paused and pursed my lips inhaling a
long, faint breath while I tried to calm my nerves and concoct a satisfactory
excuse at the same time. But I couldn’t come up with a reasonable defense to
save my life. And if that just didn’t say it all. “I, uh, I don’t have a good
excuse, Steven. Stacey set things in motion and I was unable to stop the ball
from picking up speed down hill. I guess, the truth is, I was afraid what
people would think once they found out…you know…found out…that I was duped,” I
paused to expel whatever air was left in my lungs. “So I went along with it.
Like it was my plan from the start.”

Suddenly it felt
like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders and my
impersonation of Atlas, metaphorically speaking, was finally over. Since the
entire charade began, I hadn’t admitted to myself, or anyone else for that
matter, how or why my circumstance had come to pass. So, admitting to Steven
that my paralyzing fear, which attributed to my inability to defend myself, was
the primary cause was somehow cathartic. Because, the truth was, I let Stacey
get away with what she set out to. I could have stood up for myself, put up a
fight, laid down the law. But I chose instead to accept my fate. And that was
no one’s fault but my own.

My admission was
met with silence. I expected a few seconds of silence. Steven being Steven and
all. It wasn’t unusual for him to digest information before he responded. But
the silence was carrying on a little longer than I would have thought
customary. I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at the screen to check
if the call was still connected. The timer was still going, two minutes thirty
eight seconds and counting, so I was assuming Steven was still there. I
swallowed loudly and put the phone back to my ear. I pressed my lips together
and continued to wait for Steven’s response. The silence was becoming
uncomfortable so I cleared my throat preparing to speak.

            “Delilah,”
Steven scolded. “Get your ass on a plane. I want you back in my office on
Monday morning.”

            I
opened my mouth to speak but before I could respond, our call was disconnected.
My hand went over my mouth in horror. What the hell was I going to do? I
couldn’t afford a flight back to New York. But there was no way that I would
not be in that office come Monday. “Shit,” I murmured.

            Once
again, my phone began to ring and vibrate in my hand. I jumped at the sensation
and quickly swiped at the screen to make it stop. “H,h,hello?” I stuttered.

            “Flight
2142. Sunday. 10:40AM.”

            It
was Logan. “Logan. What the hell is going on?” I questioned.

            “You’re
back. Bitch doesn’t know it yet but her time is up. Monday is Dee-Day. Well,
you know what I mean,” he answered.

            He
made it sound so simple. I could practically see his shoulders shrugging as if
it was a no brainer. “How…” I began.

            “Last
year when the job opened up in your office for an assistant, my father made me
take the job. He got tired of me hanging out at the skate park all day long. I
didn’t really want to work. Especially in an office,” I heard a long sigh. “But
after a little while I didn’t mind so much. And that was because of you,
Delilah. You were always cool. So if I couldn’t hang at the skate park then you
were a nice alternative.”

A small smile
appeared on my face knowing that I ranked just as high as the skate park in
Logan’s eyes. That was saying something.

Then Logan went
on. “Stacey was always a wicked bitch. She doesn’t deserve to get away with
what she did to you. So,” he made a noise that gave me the impression that he
was pausing for a stretch, “I had to get
involved
.”

            I
didn’t respond immediately. I guess out of sheer habit I was waiting for it.
But after a few beats I figured he needed some prodding. “You forgot to say
‘over’,” I shared.

            I
heard a faint chuckle before he responded. “See you Monday, Delilah.”

            “Wait.
What? No over?” I questioned.

            “No
over,” he confirmed. “You heard the big man. No more ‘overs.’”

            A
sense of disappointment took hold in my heart. It was then that I realized that
I liked Logan just the way he was. “Logan!” I called before he hung up.

            “Yeah?”

            “Thanks.”

            “Your
welcome, Delilah. Oh! And I’m sorry about the drug and alcohol story. But it
was the only sure fire way to make sure you were, you know, fired.”

“Wait. What? That
was you?” I couldn’t conceal the confusion that I was experiencing.

And then I heard
it. It was quiet. Almost inaudible but I knew that he said it. The faint
whisper hinting that the Logan I had come to love was still there. “Over,” he
softly breathed.

            A
giggle erupted in my throat and a smile commandeered my face. Yes, half of my
professional contacts thought I had a drug and alcohol problem. But the half
that mattered to me was fighting to get me back. A small slice of satisfaction
sunk in at the realization of the lengths that Logan had gone to get me back.
And that was when I let my hopes wander. Maybe Stacey and Will would get what
their manipulative asses deserved in the end. Only time would tell for certain.
“Over,” I whispered back in lieu of goodbye.

            I
disconnected the call to momentarily stare at the wall. Things were changing so
quickly without any coaxing or influence on my part. My head was officially
spinning.

Less than a week
ago my world was turned upside down. An hour ago I was homeless and jobless
living in Virginia with a prolonged stint in a rehab facility in my not to
distant future. Now I was heading back to New York and hopefully getting back
my old job, which I loved with all of my heart. As this news hit home I
immediately went to my call history to dial Hugh in his new office. I couldn’t
wait to share the exciting news. I was back in the game. Heading back to the
place that for the last few years I considered my home. Returning to New York
City to start a life with the love of my life. Suddenly, a demonic expression
took over my face and I stopped the progression of the call. Hugh knew nothing
of my returning to New York. What a wonderful surprise it would be if I showed
up unexpectedly. I threw my phone in my bag and started doing a happy dance. I
wasn’t sure what I was looking forward to more. Seeing Hugh’s expression when I
surprised him half naked in our new apartment or the look on Stacey’s face when
she realized that her plan backfired. That was when I decided to allow myself
the thrill of relishing in both. That was until, of course, Julia walked through
the front door and caught me celebrating. She looked betrayed. And that was
when I realized that all was not rosy in Delilah World.

            I
knew Julia would not be happy. But I wasn’t expecting full on tears. That was
definitely a little surprising.

            “You
just got here,” she whined throwing her hands on her hips to outline her
dismay.

            “I
know. I’m sorry,” I truly was sorry. The only positive aspect of returning to
Virginia had been the idea of spending time with Julia. And in the end, we
really hadn’t had much time at all.

“When is your
flight?” she asked petulantly adding a stomp of one foot.

“Sunday morning,”
a strangled smile curved my lips. “Let’s do something fun tonight,” I suggested
hastily. “It’s Friday night. We can go get a great dinner, have a few drinks,
laugh about old times. Do some much needed catching up.” I watched as Julia
licked her lips considering my suggestion. She wasn’t looking at me so I knew
she was still upset. “I have to take it, Jules. I’m pretty sure they are going
to give me my old job back.”

“I know!” she
stated heatedly. “But I don’t have to like it.” She knew I had to go. She also
knew that
I knew
she had to pour it
on thick just in order to inflict the maximum amount of guilt. “It’s just
that…I’m going to miss you,” she finally looked up at me and I could see her
eyes soften. I offered a more genuine smile because I knew exactly what she
meant.

“Me too, Jules.
But this time you are going to come up to visit,” I insisted.

“I will,” she said
assertively. “If I actually get invited this time.”

Oh jeeze. Sore
subject. “I will send you a hand engraved,” I assured.

Hearing the
undertones of sarcasm dousing my retort, Julia responded accordingly. “That was
a bullshit invitation last time, Delilah!”

And we were off.
There was no way that Julia would ever see my version of what happened and I
was dog tired of our ridiculous miscommunication. My mind shot straight to my
mother who had once told me while sharing her untimely sage advice that
sometimes it was easier to just give in. I remembered it like it was yesterday.
We were at the park waiting for the arrival of Aunt Dody and we were in the
throws of setting up the picnic table for lunch. I was setting down plates
while Mama was counting napkins. That was when she came up with one of her more
poignant pieces of advice. “Pick your battles, Delilah,” she’d said. Her eyes
never left the floral napkins that her fingers were rifling through. “Sometimes
it’s easier to just let things go.” Of course, at the time, I had no idea what
she was referring to. I couldn’t imagine the napkins were giving her that much
trouble that she was willing to forego a battle. But I filed that piece of
advice away anyhow, just like all the others, for future use just like
everything else she had shared with me.

So, having use
for it at that particular moment, I heeded the advice my mother had doled out
fifteen years prior and agreed with Julia.

“You’re right,
Jules. My bad.”

I watched Julia
nod once in victory and I realized that Mama was right. It really wasn’t all
that painful accepting what someone else thought was your wrongdoing. The topic
was dropped and Julia was moving on to greener pastures. “Where should we go
for dinner?”

“You pick.” I
walked straight to her and wrapped my arms around her. I knew Julia was upset
so I decided to address it head on. “I’m going to miss you, too,” I whispered
in her ear. “I love you, Jules.”

Julia being Julia
was not one to get all mushy and sensitive. I knew this about her. She could be
tough as nails. And I was sure that my admission wasn’t timed very well because
she was already thrown off kilter with the news of my pending departure. So
essentially I wasn’t surprised by her response. “Shut up and go get ready. And
put on something nice. Not one of those
big
New York outfits,” she instructed.