Full Figured 12 Page 5

“Okay.” Fortunately, she took my word for it and turned to walk back inside.

  “Shit.” I looked down at my watch and realized we had been standing outside talking longer than I anticipated, and I had less than twenty minutes to send Priscilla the formal complaint. The conversation with Var had gone on long enough, and there was nothing more I had to say. “I have to get back inside.”

  “I’m not done,” he said.

  “I am.” I left him standing in the gazebo. Walking back to the building, I noticed the same coworkers that had been gawking over Lloyd in the staff meeting were staring at Var as they passed him.

  I went back to my desk and unlocked my computer. I was exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. He was the one who had been deceitful, and yet, he tried to make me feel as if he was supposed to get a pass of some sort and I was to just accept what he had done. The situation at home with Var and the situation at work with Lloyd seemed to mirror one another, and I was not going to be the victim to either one. Suddenly, my fingers began to fly across the keyboard, and I detailed what Lloyd had done and how it made me feel. When I was done, I secured the email and sent it to Priscilla, making sure to send a copy to myself. For the first time in a week, I felt like I wasn’t going to cry at any moment.

  Chapter Ten

  The remainder of the week went by quickly, and by the time Friday arrived, I was beyond ready for the weekend. Even though it was casual Friday, I still wore a dress and heels, because when I ran by the house to grab a few more of my things, I was so afraid that Var was going to come home while I was there that I forgot to grab a pair of jeans and sneakers. I walked into the building still wearing my Chanel shades that I had put on because the sun was so bright on the ride to work.

  I spoke to the receptionist as I passed her desk. Normally, she was bright and perky, but something about the way she said good morning seemed a bit off. As I waited for the elevator, a few other coworkers walked up. When the doors opened, I stepped on and pushed the button to hold the door open for them, but they told me to go ahead. When I got to my floor, I could feel the stares and heard the whispers as I walked down the corridor.

  “Okay, what the hell is going on?” I asked Lila, who was already sitting at her desk eating oatmeal and listening to the morning radio show that Bailey produced. I knew if something was going on, she would be the one to know.

  “Good morning to you too.” She turned around and smiled. I was relieved when her reaction was normal, and I wondered if I was being paranoid. “Aren’t you dressed kind of fancy for it to be a Friday? That dress is everything, and so are the shoes.”

  I relaxed, figuring that was the reason people were looking at me strangely, because the black-and-white wrap dress, along with my favorite red heels, was a bit dressy. I had also gotten my hair done the night before.

  “Thank you.”

  “And the hair is fabulous too. You and Var got a hot date after work?” She laughed.

  “No, definitely not. People were looking at me like I was a foreigner, so I thought something was wrong.” I sighed.

  “Nope.” She scraped the bottom of her bowl and stood up. “I gotta go rinse this out. You need anything from the break room?”

  I went into my cubicle and grabbed my coffee mug and handed it to her. “Breakfast blend, please. Sugar and cream. You’re the best.”

  “That’s what I’ve heard.”

  I laughed, and as Lila walked off, I looked up and saw Gayle and another coworker looking in my direction. When they saw me looking, they both turned and went the other way. In the pit of my stomach, I knew there was something going on, and this was about more than just my dress.

  “Well, you were right,” Lila said when she came back and handed me my coffee.

  “I told you,” I said, taking it from her and setting it on my desk. “Are they gonna announce another manager that they hired instead of me?”

  I was expecting Lila to laugh, but she didn’t. The look on her face let me know that whatever it was, it was serious.

  “Did someone die? Is someone sick?” I frowned.

  “No, but people are talking about you,” she whispered. “Did you report that Lloyd touched you?”

  My heart began pounding. Priscilla had assured me that although an investigation would take place, what I reported would be in strict confidence. If people were talking, then clearly they knew, but I hadn’t told anyone, not even Gayle or Lila.

  I nodded. “Yes, he did.”

  “What? When? Why didn’t you say something to me? Oh my God, Zen,” she hissed.

  “It happened right here in my cube. He also made some inappropriate comments to me, so I reported it.”

  “Good morning, Zen. Lila, can I see you in my office?” Gayle’s voice interrupted our conversation.

  “Huh? Oh, sure.” Lila nodded and followed her out, throwing a quick glance back at me.

  I tried to concentrate but couldn’t. I wondered if Gayle needing to speak to Lila had anything to do with what people were saying. I tried to reach Bailey on her cell phone, but she didn’t answer, so I sent her a text. She didn’t respond, so I sat and waited nervously for Lila to come back.

  It seemed as if it took forever for Lila to return to her desk. When she did, I didn’t waste any time going to speak to her.

  “What the hell did she wanna talk to you about?” I whispered.

  Lila shook her head and whispered, “Not here. We can’t talk in here.”

  “What? Fuck that. I need to know what the hell is going on, Lila. Tell me.”

  She gave me a helpless look, then peeked out of her cubicle to make sure the coast was clear before she said, “They asked me questions about you and Lloyd: if I’d seen him in your cube or heard him speaking to you.”

  “What did you say?” I frowned.

  “I told them that I’d seen him in there a couple of times, but I couldn’t hear you guys talking.” She said, “Then they asked if you’d ever complained or said anything to me about anything he’d said or done. I told them no, because you hadn’t.”

  “I told you this morning what he did.” I leaned against her desk.

  “I know, and I started to say something, but I knew their next question would probably be what did you say, and I didn’t wanna make things worse than they already are,” Lila explained.

  “What do you mean?” I was taken aback by her statement.

  “Zen, I know this is gonna sound bad, but I don’t think they believe you. People are saying that you’re lying.”

  Instead of taking the elevator up two floors to Priscilla’s office, I rushed into the stairwell and climbed the stairs. I could barely catch my breath and had to pause for several minutes before I opened the door and entered the corridor that led to her end of the building. I knocked on her door, but no one answered. I had just turned around to leave when I heard her call my name.

  “Zenobia, here I am.”

  “I need to talk to you,” I told her.

  “Well, I was actually going to have you come in later this afternoon.”

  “This can’t wait until then. I need to talk now.”

  She unlocked her door, and we went inside. I sat in the same chair that I had been in earlier in the week. After she placed the manila folder she was carrying on her desk, she settled into her chair.

  “How are you doing?” she asked.

  “You told me that what I told you would remain confidential, and now there’s this chit-chat all over the office that I lied about what Lloyd did. How do you think I’m doing?” I asked.

  “I know you’re upset, and I can understand your frustration. Your complaint was kept confidential; however, we are in the middle of investigating the allegations, and I explained that to you. We brought Lloyd in to address what you said happened—”

  “We? Who is we?” I asked.

  “Well, myself, of course, and another member of management,” Priscilla replied.

  “Please don’t tell me the other member of management
is Gayle,” I begged.

  “Actually, it is.”

  “No wonder everyone knows and they think I’m lying. She has the biggest mouth in this building, and she runs behind Lloyd like she has a schoolgirl crush on him,” I said, my voice full of frustration.

  Priscilla remained emotionless and said, “Well, we did speak to Lloyd, and he denied that he did anything inappropriate, verbally or physically. He said he did pick up your cell phone from the break room where you had a brief conversation about the kind of coffee you like. Then he brought the phone back to you. He denies having any physical contact with you.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. And what about what he said to me in the parking lot?”

  “He said he simply complimented you on your shoes, that’s all.” Priscilla shrugged.

  “This is some bull. So, basically, it’s my word against his?” I shook my head and looked past Priscilla to the plaques and framed photos on her shelf.

  “Unfortunately, that’s how these things turn out sometimes. But it’s not over yet, and we haven’t come to any conclusion at this time, which is why I was waiting until this afternoon to talk to you.”

  “Don’t even worry about it. There’s no point in even investigating him at this point.”

  “Zenobia, he’s not the only one we’re investigating now.”

  Her words took me by surprise. In all the time I’d worked at the property management company, I had never seen or heard anything out of the ordinary until my own experience with Lloyd.

  “There are other men in the office doing this?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, confused.

  “Zenobia, Lloyd has made allegations against you. He was told that you made comments of a sexual nature to others during a staff meeting last week.”

  At that moment, I wished the floor would open up and swallow me. Was he really trying to flip this back on me? I was starting to wish I had never gone to report him in the first place.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Are you sure this is everything?” Bailey asked.

  “Yeah, this is it.” I looked around the bedroom to make sure I had gotten all my belongings. It had only taken a couple of hours for us to pack everything up, mainly because Var had most of it boxed up before we got there. We hadn’t seen one another since the day he showed up at my office, and the only conversation we had was via text messaging, when he let me know that we had until the last day of the month to be out of the townhouse. When we arrived to get my things, he was polite and cordial, and then instead of staying at the house while we picked up my things, he said he had a couple of errands to run and left.

  “I hope all of this fits into the back of the truck.” Bailey picked up one of the boxes marked “shoes” and grunted, “Damn Zen, you and your damn shoe addiction.”

  “Mine isn’t nearly as bad as yours. Hell, you have an entire bedroom dedicated as a shoe closet.” I picked up another box, and we headed out the door and loaded them onto the U-Haul that I had rented. It was the first load, and I was already tired and sweating. I leaned against the truck and said, “I know I said I was glad Var left, but now I’m wishing he was here to help us carry these boxes.”

  Bailey laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing. But come on, we gotta keep the momentum going. Besides, this is great exercise.”

  “I never thought I would say this, but I’d rather be at the gym,” I joked.

  Since I moved in with her, Bailey had insisted that I tag along with her to the gym three times a week. She said it was to keep her company. I usually ended up walking alongside her on the treadmill while she ran and chatted about her day at the station, and surprisingly, it didn’t even feel like exercise, just girl talk, which we did daily.

  “Hey, Zen!”

  Bailey and I were bringing out another load of boxes when Jose Caldwell, the handyman our landlord used, rushed over and took the box from me. He was a nice-looking Hispanic guy who was always available when we needed something done.

  “Thanks, Caldwell. I appreciate it.”

  Once he loaded it onto the truck, he took the box that Bailey was carrying as well, then asked, “I know you pretty ladies ain’t moving by yourselves. That’s too much stuff. Where’s Var?”

  “He’s not here. And we’re just moving my things,” I told him.

  He blinked for a second, then said, “Well, I can’t let you do this by yourself. I’ll be more than happy to help.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Caldwell. I’m sure you have work you need to do,” I told him.

  “I am working. The property owner sent me over to do a quick inspection to see if any repairs need to be made—which I already know there aren’t. Heck, you actually made improvements to the place that he should’ve deducted from the rent.” He laughed. “You know I always said that whenever I was here.”

  “You got that right,” Bailey agreed. “This place is way nicer now than when they moved in. Did you see what she did with that fireplace?”

  “Man, I walked in to fix the dishwasher and saw that fireplace and thought I was in the wrong place. Not just that, but the way she has, well, had it decorated was straight out of a magazine. I told my boss about your talent and told her she needs to hire you,” he said.

  “Zen is one of the most gifted and talented designers I know. I can’t wait to see what she does with my place now that she’s my new roomie.” Bailey gave me a quick hug.

  I appreciated their votes of confidence, especially since I wasn’t feeling gifted or talented these days. I really hadn’t felt anything. In a matter of a few weeks, I had lost a baby, my relationship, my job, and my home.

  “Well, I have plenty of time to spruce it up for you, that’s for sure,” I told her, thinking about my current unemployment status.

  It hadn’t taken long for Priscilla to investigate the sexual harassment claims that Lloyd had made against me. Both women who had been sitting behind me during the last staff meeting confirmed that they’d overheard my statement about numbers increasing if he would be conducting the monthly sales meetings. The tables had somehow turned, and I now looked like I was pursuing him instead. Priscilla and Gayle both suggested that I resign before the findings were submitted to the board of directors. I sat across from them at the table in the conference room, too shocked to say anything. I could hear Lila’s words echoing in my head: They don’t believe you.

  “So, he gets away with this and I have to quit? Is that what you’re telling me?” I had said, finally breaking the silence that filled the room.

  “Like I explained, Zenobia, it was pretty much your word versus his,” Priscilla answered.

  “But that’s not the case, because clearly, you’re taking his word over mine.” I frowned.

  “There were witnesses to what you said,” Gayle explained.

  “That’s crazy, because what I said wasn’t even of a sexual nature, and what the two so-called witnesses said about him was way worse than my simple-ass comment. Not to mention that one of them—” I was about to spill the beans about how one of the chicks was plotting to seduce Lloyd, but I stopped. It was pointless.

  I glared at the two women, who stared back at me like I was some kind of alien who had just arrived and asked them the formula for rocket fuel so I could return home. To them, not only did I look strange, but this entire situation was unbelievable. Here I was a damn near three-hundred-pound black woman accusing the most attractive man in the office of being sexually inappropriate toward me when there were plenty of other skinnier, prettier women who were ready, willing, and able to do whatever, whenever he wanted. To them, it made no sense at all.

  Since being hired, I’d been dedicated, hard-working, and an all-around team player who came to work early and stayed late. I was the model employee. Lloyd had only been in our office for a month, yet I was being asked to leave. I couldn’t believe it. I was just as disappointed in the company I worked for as I was in my ex-fiancé.

/>   “I was out of work for a month because I lost my baby. I came back before I was even released by my doctor because you told me you needed me back here. Gayle, you’ve been my supervisor from the day I started, and I’ve never given you any trouble. You’ve told me time and time again that I’ve been considered for management positions, none of which I’ve ever gotten, by the way, because they’ve gone to less qualified people with less seniority and less education, including that perverted asshole Lloyd, and I’ve never complained. But this is just . . . sad.” I shook my head.

  “Zen, you are a great employee—” Gayle started, but I didn’t let her finish.

  I stood up and announced, “I quit.”

  “You don’t have to leave today. We were thinking you would stay for the rest of the month.” Priscilla placed her hand on the table.

  “You’re crazy,” I said, frowning at her.

  Gayle tried speaking again. “I’m so sorry, Zenobia. I truly am. You know if you need letters of recommend—”

  “Fuck you and your fake sympathy—and you can keep your recommendation,” I told her.

  “Zenobia, that’s really uncalled for.” Priscilla gave me a disappointed look. “I know you’re upset, but there’s no need—”

  “Oh, I’m sorry if you expected my reaction to this bullshit to be a little more professional, but it’s not. I’m over all of this, and I’m over all of you.” I opened the door to walk out.

  “Wait. I have to call and have security escort you to your desk to get your personal belongings,” Priscilla said.

  “You want to embarrass me even more?” I asked.

  “No, that’s not what we want to do. You know that’s our policy, Zenobia.” Gayle was now turning red in the face.

  “That’s the policy when people are fired. I quit, remember.” I turned around, and this time I was out the door before they could stop me.

  I ignored the looks and whispers as I walked back to my cube. I snatched the pictures and motivational sayings off my walls and put them on my desk, then realized I didn’t have a box to carry anything in. I reached in my desk drawer and took out my purse and keys.