Playing Hard To Get

For the second time in the second week in a row, Tamia had been summoned to a meeting in Mrs. Phaedra Pelst’s office. Sitting on the opposite side of the desk, listening to Phaedra as she took her second phone call, Tamia thought of how ridiculous it was that she was sitting there anyway. Phaedra wasn’t really her boss or direct supervisor. She had authority in that she’d been there longer than her and led many of the cases she’d helped with when she started, but now that Tamia was off the Lucas case, there was no reason for them to interact for the time being.

“Thanks for being so patient with me,” Phaedra said, smiling a thin and flimsy greeting.

“No problem,” Tamia replied, returning the smile. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Just wanted some words with you about the Holder case. Richard Holder. Ring a bell?”

That was either a stupid question or a clever way of insulting Tamia’s level of commitment to her case. Likely it was the latter.

“I certainly am familiar. Holder and I have met several times and the case is progressing.” Tamia could play too. “We’ll be ready for his hearing.”

“Yes,” Phaedra said. “Well, I am not wholly concerned about the case itself, but rather some things that have come up surrounding it. Some team issues…”

“Team issues?” Tamia said. “There is no team. How could there be issues?”

“Well, as you know, a favor was phoned in to someone upstairs on your behalf,” Phaedra said, beginning the lie she’d come up with to get information out of Tamia. There was no phone call made to anyone upstairs about the case. The favor was an exchange for sex between her and Charleston at a sex club. So far, she, Charleston, and Tamia were the only three people in the world who knew about the trade. But what Phaedra didn’t know was why Charleston was so interested in helping Tamia. At first she bought the whole “she’s a black woman” routine Charleston gave her one night when she was rushed out of his place because Tamia was on her way up in the elevator. But now things were out of hand. “A call to have Jones dropped from the case. Do you know about that?”

Tamia didn’t shake or nod her head. She just sat there, her heartbeat quickening.

“Do you know why it was done? Do you know anything?”

“Pelst, what do you want?” Tamia asked. While rumors among the black people at the company had connected Tamia with Charleston a long time ago, he didn’t want everyone to know yet.

“Well, it seems Jones found out you wanted her off,” Phaedra explained.

“She what?”

“And she’s pretty upset.”

“Oh, my God. I didn’t mean for this to get back to her.”

“Don’t worry about her,” Pelst said. “She’s about to float to the top of the water anyway.”

“For this?”

“Among other things.”

Tamia felt ill. Like she’d just cheated her best friend.

Phaedra knew this would be her reaction. The sensitivity among the black women in the office was so ridiculous. She didn’t see how they didn’t know that there was no space for such alliances in power.

“I know you don’t want her feelings to be hurt, and I’m trying to fix it.” Somehow Phaedra was able to make her eyes red, as if she was crying. “But I need to know who made the call upstairs.”

Tamia didn’t move. She didn’t trust Phaedra. And it didn’t matter how red her eyes got.

“Now, I heard it was Charleston,” Phaedra said, watching Tamia’s eyes as she threw in a name, her second-to-last resort before the question she was about to ask. “Is there something I should know about your relationship?”

Tamia still hadn’t moved. She couldn’t believe another person, another black woman, was losing her job because of her. Because of some advice she’d taken about how she could further her own career. She was willing to fight to get to the top, but putting people in jail, getting people fired? That wasn’t the fight she wanted to make.

“Is that all?” Tamia asked, standing up.

“Is it?” Phaedra asked, the Howard Beach girl inside of her jumping out into the room. “Look, just tell me if you’re screwing him. Are you screwing Charleston?”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Tamia said, Phaedra’s whole plot and purpose now coming together in her mind. Jones wasn’t likely anywhere near the guillotine. Phaedra was bluffing to get information. “I’ll show myself out.”

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