I freeze half over my seat, my hands bracing the arms of the chair, and my mind goes blank.
“Okay,” I say and lower myself back down.
I glance at Kathy, my eyes wide with alarm.
She grimaces, gives her shoulders a tiny shrug, and she mouths “sorry” before she hurries out of the room.
I take a deep breath and remind myself that Sofia is one of the reasons I wanted to work at this paper.
This is an opportunity to fix the terrible first impression I’ve made.
She’s sitting in her chair, arms crossed, watching me. I plaster a contrite, warm smile on my face and when she doesn’t say anything decide to show some initiative and break the ice.
“I’m so sorry about my outburst, Sofia. I’ve been so eager to meet you—”
“Oh, I’m sure you have. I can smell your ambition.” She speaks in a neutral voice, but there’s no mistaking her comment for a compliment.
I clear my throat, desperate to break the ice. “Umm. Well, it’s because my family is from Ghana, too.”
She sharpens her gaze and gives me an assessing once-over. “I was sure you’d married into that last name.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes and nod. “I know I don’t really look it, and my name is Egyptian, and my last name is European. But yes, both of my parents are from Kumasi.”
She scoffs and tilts her head, a frown creating brackets around her mouth. “And? Do you think that means somethinghere? The news doesn’t care if we’re friends. It cares if we write stories that make people want to pay us to read them. I don’t know how Kathy runs this team, but inmyorganization, a cute and clever routine doesn’t mean shit.”
I can’t stop my incredulous laugh before it escapes me.
Her eyes narrow. “Something funny?”
I sober instantly. “Not, not at all.”
“You want to make a name for yourself, try walking humbly before you try to run.”
I wish the floor would swallow me whole, and I can’t find a single word to say that wouldn’t get me fired on the spot. I keep my simmering anger below the surface and force myself to look diminished. That is clearly her goal, and I’m fine to let her think she’s accomplished it. “Understood.”
“You came in here loud and overly confident because you wanted my attention. Well, you got it, and I am not impressed.”
Me neither, bitch. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She nods and the animosity on her face morphs to indifference. “Leave.” She waves her fingers in the direction of the door. Dismissed as suddenly as she summoned me, I’m dazed and disillusioned. What the hell just happened?
Kathy is waiting in the small reception area outside of her office and hops out of her chair as soon as I step into the hallway. She falls into step with me, brimming with barely bridled curiosity.
As soon as we’re out of earshot of her secretary, she pounces. “What did she say?” She grabs my arm and forces me to stop and face her. Her eyes are wide with anticipation.
“She hates me.” The words come out before I realize the thought has formed and I shake my head, disbelieving at how badly things spiraled just now.
She gasps. “No. She’s a hard-ass, that’s all.” She pats my arm. “You’ll win her over.”
“Maybe,” I hedge. “I’m not sure that’s possible. We got off to a bad start. First impressions are hard to overcome.”
“Oh, it was the same for me. I spilled my Hibiscus cooler all over her desk. Ruined her beautiful journal.”
I gasp. “Wow.”
“Yeah, well, I apologized, replaced the journal and got a gift certificate to the spa at the Four Seasons.”
I give her a bombastic side-eye. “That’s a lot.”
