Grabbing a small knife with a small pound of butter rubbed on its blade, I run the blade nicely over the first slice toasted bread and then repeat them all with the other slices before putting them together in their two's.
By the time I was done, Rachel was done talking about how important it was for me to go to church every Sunday at least. It wasn't like I had a problem with it but it was only when I had the time for it that I'd go. Evelyn probably still went to church everyday. She had always been a good example to Cherry and I but as we grew older, each person went their separate ways, doing whatever pleased them.
It was expected anyway.
"C'mon go get ready!" she chides and I roll my eyes at her, clearly getting tired of her rants.
"Can we go another time? I've got the cold and plus I've been busy throughout yesterday so today's my free day. There's some work stuff I need to handle today too, so if you can leave that'd be great," I reply. I wasn't intending for my words to come off brutal but that was how I felt. She was at the wrong for barging into my apartment.
You guys get me, right?
Defeated and maybe, a bit hurt, Rachael grabs her purse and walks out of the apartment.
Peace at last.
•••
Dr.Whites mail had to have held the best news I'd heard of in months. I was more than ecstatic. I couldn't believe it. At first, I thought it was him giving me more work to do or something but what had initially caught my attention was the caps in bold;
"CONGRATULATIONS MISS.HART..."
My sample had made it through the testing stage and has emerged as the best and most effective product the company had ever had. In my own terms, I would be the new face of the company. That news alone had driven away the cold. I was so happy, I felt like I could go down to the streets and do my happy dance.
Finally!
After years of waiting to be listed, I'd finally made it to number one! I couldn't wait to tell Evelyn, Cherry and Colt. Especially Colt! He had been one of the few people who had been supporting and encouraging me through this journey and I couldn't be more grateful.
After a couple more minutes of going through the e-mail, I receive a call from Cameron, who also happened to be the head lab assistant in the company, meaning he worked directly under Whites.
"Hey baby girl!" he chirps and I try to stifle a laugh. Since when did he start calling me that? I wondered.
"Hey Cam, what's up," I reply, even though I knew fully well why he was calling. He must have seen the results first.
"I see someone got in," he sing-songs and I stifle another laugh.
What was it with everyone singing their words today?
"Yeah, I'm still going through the letter, I'm about rounding off," I reply, glancing at my computer screen, a smile stretched out across my face. My favourite part about the letter? My new pay. Whites was upping my pay by another twenty dollars. Maybe if I saved enough, I'd finally be able to get mum a new car and maybe get myself a house?
There were a lot of things I'd always wanted to get for myself.
"Um... April, are you still there?" Cameron's voice rings through, cutting through my thoughts.
"Oh yeah, I'm listening. What'd you say?" I ask, hoping he wouldn't get mad.
"I was wondering if we could go celebrate, Steph wants to tag along too. Is today okay? We could have lunch wherever you want," he suggests and I feel my lips curl upward.
"Uhm, sure. We can have lunch at that new Spanish restaurant near Wall Street, I've seen the reviews online, they're all four and five stars," I reply playing with the pen in my hand.
"Great! I'll inform Steph and if there's any thing else you're thinking of changing, let us know," he states before hanging up.
Cameron had always been a nice guy blessed with good looks, a combination which was able to make any girl swoon but it wasn't a surprise that he was still single, since he had always been picky with the women he dated.
He would always say he had a knack for black women. In his own words, there was just something about them that made them stand out. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to meet a lot and even if he met a black lady, either she'd be taken or not interested in dating after a very toxic relationship.
Steph had even advised him to go for other women, specifically white ladies, since he wasn't lucky in finding black single women.
After a thorough review on the mail, I move to other work mails and then my personal mails. There were a few from Evelyn and then Martha. It had been a while since I had called in to speak to Martha. The last time we'd spoken she had been a bit under the weather. I would definitely have to stop by at the library or her house just to check in on her.
Turning off my laptop, I chug down the rest of my now cold tea before emptying some of my leftovers into the waste bin and washing off the plates.
•••
Steph had taken the bus to my apartment, after stating that she didn't want to drive since she was tired of the traffic everyday and together we'd gone to Papito's Dine.
Dressed nicely, since we were celebrating my sample listing and my pay of course, I had slipped on a purple fitted dress which stopped a few inches above my knees and a pair of black boots, paired with my black leather jacket. It wasn't an extremely fancy look but I figured it would be perfect for the occasion.
Papito's Dine, was one of the new and upcoming restaurants in Brooklyn. With the restaurant being located very close to Wall Street, it drew in a lot of wealthy customers, all from different financial ranges and with quite a good number of chefs and waiters, their service was simply impeccable.
"If I had known how fancy this place was, maybe I would have dressed a little bit nicer," Steph says, staring down at her outfit, which I thought wasn't all too bad. It wasn't formal or in a way classy but who cared.
She was dressed in a cute blue blouse, matched with a pair of black ripped jeans, a pair of ankle boots and a white fancy jacket. I think she looked nice nonetheless.
On entering, a waiter ushers us in, a beam on her face. Everything about the restaurant screamed class. It was probably one of the rich and influential people who worked around Wall Street that owned the place.
"We'll have someone attend to you right away but for now, you can have a look at the menu for today, " she suggests, gesturing to the menu cards before us.
Muttering a thank you to the lady, I reach for a menu in front of me and begin to go through it. Everything here was expensive.
Stake and pasta/ red cherry martini- $200
Chicken and Tortellini - $156
White sauce and rice - $100
The list went on and to my surprise, the only thing that was cheap enough was the white sauce and rice. The rest were outrageously expensive.
At this point I couldn't blame anyone but myself for suggesting a place like this. Instead of going to see how much their food and services cost, I'd foolishly scrolled through the review section. The problem wasn't the money, since I was covered in that aspect, but it was the price. If I had known, I would have politely turned down their offer or chosen a cheaper place.
No wonder Cameron sounded even more excited at the sound of it.
Just great
~~~
Stay tuned and tap the little star!