Full Figured 12 Read online

  “I hope you know we take these allegations very seriously, and we will investigate and let you know our findings.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded at Priscilla Osborne, the tall, blond woman who worked in Human Resources.

  My original plan was to confront Lloyd about what had happened and tell him that if it happened again, I was going to HR. I had an entire speech planned in my head and had even practiced in the mirror while putting on my makeup. Bailey gave me a strong pep talk before we both left for work, and I blasted Kirk Franklin in the car during my morning commute. I was ready to face the day, until I heard my name being called across the parking lot as I walked toward the building.

  “Welcome back.” Lloyd smiled. “We missed you.”

  I tried to walk as fast as I could to avoid him, but he somehow caught up with me.

  “Thanks,” I said, making sure I didn’t make eye contact as I scanned the parking lot in hopes that someone else would be nearby that I could approach in an effort to avoid him. I could feel my anxiety growing. When I didn’t see anyone, I stopped abruptly and said, “I . . . uh, I left something in my car.”

  I turned around and rushed back to my car, where I sat and cried from sheer frustration. I was about to leave when Lila tapped on my passenger’s side window.

  “Good morning!” She grinned.

  “Morning.” I smiled weakly.

  “Are you okay?” Her smile faded, and a look of concern came across her face.

  “I’m fine,” I said, using the back of my hand to wipe my tears. I opened the door and headed toward the building, this time with Lila by my side, cheerfully babbling about her weekend and the office happenings while I was out.

  By the time I made it to my desk, I felt a little better. There was plenty of work for me to catch up on, and I focused on responding to emails and important voicemails. Once my clients realized I was back in the office, my phone began ringing nonstop.

  “Zenobia Brooks,” I answered.

  “Hey, Zen.”

  I sat up and stared at my computer screen.

  “What do you want, Var? I’m working.”

  “I wanna talk to you.”

  I lowered my voice and spoke directly into the microphone of my headpiece. “I don’t give a damn about what you want, Var. I’m hanging this phone up, and don’t—”

  “Zen, I get it; you’re mad. You have every right to be upset with me. I was dead-ass wrong. But we need to talk.”

  “Well, right now is not the time or place to have this discussion.”

  “Can you come by the house later so we can talk?” he pleaded.

  “I don’t know. I’ll call you when I get off. I have to go,” I told him.

  “Zen, I love you. You know that, right?”

  “Bye, Var.” I ended the call. Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the computer. Before his call, I was so engrossed in work that for the first time in days, I hadn’t thought about him or his paternity situation. Now I stared at my computer screen and couldn’t even recall what I had been doing. It was time for a break. I pushed back from my desk and turned around in my chair to see Lloyd standing in the doorway of my cubicle.

  “You know, Zenobia, I’m sure you already know this, but there is something about you that just mesmerizes me. I finally realized what it is when I watched you step out of your car this morning.”

  I didn’t say anything as I stared at him, smiling at me.

  “You are like the Michael Jordan of the office. It’s your shoes. They’re so damn sexy.” His eyes went to my feet. I wore a pair of grey Ferragamo pumps that also happened to be one of Var’s favorites too.

  “Lloyd . . .”

  “Oh, hey, Lloyd, I was just looking for you in your office.” Gayle, who happened to be walking by, stopped when she saw him. “We have that call in ten minutes.”

  “I’m headed to the conference room right now. You can lead the way,” he said, walking behind her.

  I sat for a few more minutes before I was able to stand and compose myself. Then I went straight to Human Resources. Priscilla, who had been checking up on me just as much as Gayle while I was out sick, welcomed me into her office and listened carefully as I explained what had just happened in my cube, and the other incidents as well.

  “So, what happens now?” I asked. I thought that reporting what Lloyd had done would bring me relief. Now I wasn’t so sure. For some reason, I felt like a kindergarten student who had gone to the teacher and tattled on someone for teasing me. Priscilla didn’t seem to have a reaction one way or the other to what I had told her. Then again, I didn’t know what I was expecting her to do.

  “Well, we’re going to need you to give a written account of what you just told me. And like I said, we will do a full investigation. One thing this company does not tolerate is violation of any kind against employees.” Priscilla gave me a nod. “We will bring Lloyd in and discuss what happened with him.”

  I gasped. “What? Right now?”

  “No. Like I said, we need a formal written statement. I will speak with management, and we’ll conduct the investigation. Right now, focus on the statement, and if he approaches you again, let me know immediately. Do you feel comfortable going back to your desk, or do I need to move you temporarily?” she asked.

  “I think I’ll be okay. I’ll just try and avoid him as much as possible.” I stood up. “But I’m gonna get that statement over to you as soon as possible.”

  “I’m sorry this is happening to you, Zen, especially in light of everything else you’ve had going on.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “Please let me know if you need anything.”

  I walked out of her office and turned the corner to the elevator. I saw Gayle and Lloyd talking outside the conference room and immediately turned around. I walked back into Priscilla’s office and said, “I’m gonna go ahead and leave for today. Can you let Gayle know?”

  “No problem,” she said.

  At the rate things were going, I was spending more time away from my office than I spent actually working. When would things get easier for me?

  Chapter Eight

  “I’m proud of you.” Bailey smiled.

  “Why? I didn’t do anything.” I shrugged. I had called her when I left work, and we met at Olive Garden for lunch. I was sitting across from her, staring at the menu, trying to decide if I was going to be sensible and order soup and salad, or order the Tour of Italy, which was what I really wanted.

  “Wrong. You stood up for yourself. You took a stand and let the powers that be know what that asshole did. You did a lot.”

  “If you say so. We’ll see what happens. I just really want them to tell him to leave me the hell alone, and I’ll be fine. I was gonna just tell him myself, but Gayle walked up, and I thought about what you said, so I went to Priscilla,” I explained.

  “And that was the right way to handle it,” Bailey assured me.

  “Oh, and get this: Var called my desk phone right before it happened.”

  “Shit, you had a rough morning from the jump, girl. And here I thought my motivational speech and healthy breakfast was gonna be the start of a great day.”

  “Tomorrow we’re listening to trap music and eating waffles,” I said with a laugh.

  “So, what did Var say?”

  “He wanted to meet and talk. Says he wants to come by. I told him now isn’t the time. I need time to think this thing through, and I don’t need him in my ear while I’m figuring out what I want to do,” I said.

  “I get that.”

  “He keeps saying that this chick is lying.”

  “She might be. You know how chicks are. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was. And for real, I don’t wanna see you walk away from Var over a lie that some chick told.”

  “It’s not even about her, though. Var never mentioned this chick to me.”

  “And he probably never would have if this hadn’t happened, either. But then again, y’all were on a break. I told you you shoulda been out g
etting yours because he was out getting his.” Bailey gave me an I-told-you-so look, and I rolled my eyes.

  “Well, I was getting mine. The difference is I was still getting it from him when I got it.”

  “I knew you were still screwing him.”

  “Not as much as you think, but Var was acting like he wasn’t even entertaining anybody else. And then, even after he found out that she said he was the father, he still didn’t mention it. How long was he going to keep this from me? Was he ever going to tell me? And what if it does turn out to be his baby? Then what? I already deal with enough baby mama drama with Karli. Now I gotta deal with another chick?”

  “Oh God, I don’t think anyone could be as psycho as that bitch. She is the absolute worst.”

  Karli, the mother of Var’s seven-year-old daughter Venus, was crazy, and she had a low-key personal vendetta against me. When we first started dating, she was nice, but when Var and I moved in together, the pleasant demeanor suddenly changed. She became distant and cold. Then, although he had always been supportive financially, physically, emotionally, and had a great relationship with Venus, Karli took him to child support court once she found out I was pregnant. Ironically, the eight hundred dollars that Var had been paying monthly was lowered to five hundred. Karli was livid. She packed Venus up and moved six hours away. She said it was to be closer to her sister, but I knew better. Karli was like a lot of other people who thought that Var would never settle down with a big girl, especially when all of his exes, including his baby mama, were built like video vixens who captured the attention of every man in every room they entered. His decision to be with me was insulting to her, and she wasn’t pleased. As bad as I felt about Var not being able to spend every other weekend with his daughter as he always had done, I was glad that I no longer had to deal with the games Karli would play to disrupt our lives.

  The waitress came over, and before I could say anything, Bailey quickly told her, “Two waters, please. And we’ll both have the zuppa Toscano and the salad, please.”

  “I’ll be right out with your drinks and bread,” the young girl said as she took our menus.

  “Nope, we’re good on bread,” Bailey answered. Both the waitress and I gave her a confused look.

  “Heffa, it’s Olive Garden,” I said.

  “Fine, two breadsticks,” she relented. “That’s it.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Lifestyle changes, remember?” Bailey said.

  “Small steps, remember?” I reminded her. “Who comes to Olive Garden and doesn’t get breadsticks? That’s not a lifestyle change; that’s just disrespectful.”

  Bailey laughed. “You’re so dramatic.”

  I pulled out my phone and checked my Facebook account, scrolling to a photo Var had been tagged in. There was Karli, smiling alongside Venus, and another woman holding a baby with the caption “Big Sis and Lil Sis finally meet. #siblings #twins.” I was shocked. It was obvious Karli had posted it to be hurtful, and it worked. My heart broke into a million pieces for what felt like the hundredth time as I zoomed in on the picture and stared at the baby that looked just like Var. No blood test was needed. I knew he was the father, and our relationship was over.

  Chapter Nine

  I sat at my desk and stared at my computer. I had been attempting to complete the formal statement Priscilla told me to submit, but I was too distracted. I wasn’t the only one who had seen the picture posted on Facebook, and I had gotten so many calls and messages that I turned my phone off. Any glimmer of hope that I had for Var and me to somehow move past this was gone. Not only had he betrayed my trust by keeping his paternity situation from me, but he had placed me in an embarrassing situation in front of everyone.

  Bailey and I had gone straight into SCI mode (Sistas Collecting Info) on both of our phones and began finding out everything we could about April Hughes. We discovered that she was the daughter of Var’s former boss. I wondered if his being with her had anything to do with him getting promoted twice within a year.

  There was a light tapping on my cubicle wall, and Molly, one of the security guards, stuck her head in. “Hey, Zen.”

  “What’s up?” I looked up from the computer.

  “You have a visitor downstairs.”

  “Huh?”

  “That handsome fiancé of yours is in the lobby. I tried calling your desk, but it kept going straight to voicemail,” she said.

  I looked at my work phone and saw that I hadn’t logged back in after my lunch break, which I spent at my desk because I didn’t want to chance running into Lloyd. There was no telling how many calls I’d missed.

  Var was the last person in the world I wanted to see. I thought about having Molly tell him I wasn’t in, but I was sure he had seen the car in the parking lot. The one good thing about staying with Bailey was that she lived in a gated community, and he since he didn’t know the code to enter, he couldn’t get to me. Here, I didn’t have that luxury, especially since he was familiar to some people.

  “Thanks,” I told her. “Tell him I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “I gotcha.” Molly turned and left.

  I turned back to the computer and inhaled as I stared at the half-written statement. Priscilla had asked me to have it to her before two o’clock, and it was already after one. I had to get it done. I locked my computer screen then headed downstairs to face Var for the first time since I’d left the house.

  When I got to the lobby, Var was standing near the front door. He smiled when he saw me walking toward him; I didn’t smile back. Normally, I would have been filled with anticipation of the strong embrace he always greeted me with, along with a kiss on my neck. Instead, I was emotionless and didn’t even get close enough for him to touch me.

  “Hey, baby.” His voice was low.

  I glanced around the lobby, checking to see who was watching us. Molly was showing the receptionist something on her cell phone. Two other co-workers were engaged in a conversation near the elevator.

  “What do you want?” I folded my arms across my body.

  “Zenobia, we gotta talk about this.”

  “I told you I would talk to you when I’m ready, Var. I’m not ready yet.” I tried to remain calm so I wouldn’t make a scene.

  “Well, when will you be ready? It’s almost been a week.”

  My neck snapped, but I caught myself before raising my voice an octave and giving Var the cussing out he truly deserved. Instead, I quickly walked out the front door and headed over to the wooden gazebo on the side of the building. It had originally been placed there as a nice place for people who wanted to have lunch outside, but it had somehow become the unofficial smokers’ lounge. I could smell the lingering scent of cigarette smoke as I stepped inside.

  I quickly turned around and faced Var, who was right behind me. Until then, I hadn’t even noticed his fresh haircut, which made the waves of his hair even more visible. The navy blue suit he wore was custom made and one of my favorites, and the tie was one I had given him on Valentine’s Day. Based on his attire and the smell of his Tom Ford cologne that I loved, it was clear that he had planned to see me at some point today.

  “Let me explain something to you, LaVar Thompson. You don’t have to tell me how long it’s been, because believe me, I know. I know that damn letter arrived in my mailbox seven fucking days ago. I know you’ve been lying to me this entire time. I also know who April Hughes’ daddy is, and I know that you already know I saw that fucking picture that Karli’s bitch ass tagged you in. Everyone knows, Var.” I spat the words at him. “You’re an opportunistic bastard, Var. And one of the reasons I didn’t wanna have this conversation with you is because I am so disappointed in you.”

  “Zenobia, that’s not my—”

  “If she ain’t your baby, then neither is Venus, because they look just alike, like their daddy. So, please spare me, and don’t disrespect me with some explanation that I really don’t even need.”

  “You’re not even gonna let me—”


  “There’s no explanation needed, Var. You slept with her, got her pregnant, and now you have two baby daughters to raise. At least your two baby mamas seem to get along.” I gave him a fake smile.

  “I know I fucked up, Zen, and I’m sorry about all of this. I swear I just found out when I did, though. I couldn’t tell you. There was no way I was gonna hurt you like that—”

  “Couldn’t have hurt any worse than how I feel right now.”

  “Zen, you know we’ve always said we could get through anything together and we’ll always have each other’s back. We can get through this.” He stepped closer to me. “You know neither one of those chicks mean anything to me. We’ve gotten through other shit, Zen. We can make it through this. Come home.”

  I shook my head. “First of all, they’re the mothers of your children, so they should mean something to you. Second, why are you acting like I’m overreacting, like this is no big deal?”

  “Because in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t. It’s not as if I cheated on you. We weren’t together when it went down between me and that chick. Second, I’ve stuck by you when you had shit going on yourself, don’t forget.”

  I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead and between my breasts. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “Zenobia, I took care of you financially for a whole year after you graduated. I stood by you when you didn’t have a job,” he stated. “I made sure you were good because I believed in you and believed in us.”

  “Are you really standing there saying this?” I said, shocked by what he was saying.

  “What?”

  “Var, I had a job. I was in the process of starting my own business when you decided you needed a break from us because you were stressed . . .”

  “And I pushed you to go back to school and get your MBA and become the success that you are. Hell, look at where you’re working now.”

  “Is everything okay?” Molly asked, standing in the middle of the walkway.

  I was embarrassed because I had no idea how much she’d heard. “We’re fine.”