“Well, I’m glad one of us has a handle on things because I don’t know where all this is coming from.”
“Aldridge, you’ve been berating me for the past ten minutes. I think it would be best if Anika worked with you from now on.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re dumping me?”
“I’m not dumping you. I’m just stepping back.”
“No, you don’t get to dump me twice in a lifetime. I’m dumping you. You are officially fired.”
“You can’t fire someone after they’ve already quit.”
“I’m the client, and what the client says goes.”
“Fine, whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“I have a sleepy girl mocktail each night and rest like a baby.”
“A what?”
“You’ve never heard of a sleepy girl mocktail? A little cherry juice, some magnesium, sparkling water over ice, maybe a sprig of rosemary as garnish. Chef’s kiss.” Danessa stared at me in silence, like I’d sprouted wings. This was my MO of late, I was sour and then switched to sweet when I realized I’d fucked shit up. “Nessa?”
“No, no.” She wagged her finger at me. “I’ll transfer your file to Anika. You’ll be in good hands.”
“I think you’re blowing this out of proportion.”
“Don’t fucking try to gaslight me. If you’re so unhappy, get someone else to find your persnickety ass a house.” I knew she was pissed because she was pulling out SAT vocabulary words. She backed away, never lowering her silencing finger. Turning, she exited the shop leaving me alone.
Imploding my life was what I was good at. When things were going well, I’d find a way to ruin it. This move, a chance at a championship, and seeing Danessa again were all good things. I think it was a form of survivor’s remorse. Making it out of North Philadelphia wasn’t possible for everyone. And now I waslooking at houses in the millions of dollars. I was grateful but questioned whether I was worthy.
“Excuse me, are you Aldridge Mosley?” Correction: I was semi alone with the exception of a fellow shopper.
“Yep.”
“Can I get a picture?”
I’d just had a fight with my realtor ex-girlfriend. Who, as hard as I tried, no longer found me charming. I was in a city with zero friends. I had a new job where everyone was calling me the great shining hope while secretly wishing I failed. And my allergies still thought I was in Kansas City and had not recalibrated for the desert weather. But let’s squeeze a selfie in. With a deep exhale, I agreed, “Sure.”
“What are you doing?”Nori asked.
She had a key card to my hotel suite and carte blanche to come and go as needed. This wasn’t the case in Missouri because in Missouri I had a life and friends. But now that I was in Vegas my phone was strangely dry. And I had to live vicariously through my friends’ social media, witnessing all the fun times I was missing. It was Sunday and if I was in Kansas City, I could be taking a quick run with Rhythm and Roots, the local all Black run club. Instead, I was adding my sneakers to my gym bag so I could workout alone.
“Is that coffee for me?”
“No.”
I strolled up to her while she was still putting her bag down and stole the cup from her hand, taking a long sip. “Thanks, you’re the best assistant ever. Oh, by the way, the realtor you hired quit yesterday.”
Nori frowned. I don’t know if it was because of the theft of her coffee or the news of Danessa severing ties. “What did you do?”
“Me?” I pointed to my chest.
“She quit for a reason.”
“She quit because she’s not a good realtor.”Duh.
Nori eyed me suspiciously. “What’s the story with you two?”
“Excuse me?”
