04

« Is there something wrong, Mr. Daniels ? »Eliza asked in a low tone.

He shyly raised a wide shoulder, « Oh, I was just wondering if you got my email… from last night. »

With haste she began, « Oh yes, I have received the contract for–« 

However, he gently intervened, « No… I mean my other e-mail. »

Eliza pressed her lips together and folded her hands in her lap. Looking at her reddened palms, she had hoped that Troy was never going to talk about it. She thought that he would understand the point of her lack of response to the unopened message with the subject : « CONGRATULATIONS !!! »

« I presume you didn’t understand, » he muttered with disappointment.

She raised her head and smiled : « I did it. I just… I haven’t had time to open it yet. »

Troy returned the warm expression, even though he knew that this email was sent immediately after sending him the new Bluestar contracts. Still, he couldn’t be upset about it. She said she was busy and he wouldn’t doubt it.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor, « I’m really sorry if it was inappropriate to send something like that. I just didn’t have time to go from one meeting to another yesterday, and when I came out, it was already 16 o’clock and you were gone. »

« Oh uh… it’s all right, Mr. Daniels, » she reassured him with a slight uneasiness. « Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to–« 

« Were you upset ? »he slipped out before she could finish standing.

« Eh ? »she gave a confused glance.

He laughed uncomfortably and shook his head, « Never mind. Forgive me, about that. »

Eliza’s eyebrows met perplexity, and he raised his hand for a quick farewell, « Sorry, I should let you go back to work. »

« All right… Mr. Daniels. Will I see you at the 15 o’clock kick-off meeting ? »She questioned, lifting her chin.

« Oh, yes. All right, all right ! »he giggled nervously with slight pink spots on his face.

Eliza was disturbed when she saw Mr Daniels almost stumble to his own feet before he shook himself at the doorknob to let himself out.

Her concern was strange, and they almost never had a full conversation that wasn’t about finances. However, she didn’t dwell on her intentions while quickly picking up her purse for another brief trip to the bathroom.

By the time she entered the conference room, she was holding her breath again. A new handful of eyes from the Finance Department were glancing at his slimmer figure. It was strange to feel as nervous as the very first week she started working for the huge company. Working in a male-dominated field has always made her ignore the direct and indirect insults that always had something to do with having breasts, a vagina and being a woman of color.

The expectations of a black woman in power who was incompetent, or not up to her high position, were quickly silenced after she got Bluestar a twenty-five percent increase in her profits within six months of her research. The respect was apparent, the compliments for her were private and unspoken, but being the only woman under Blackwell still brought its challenges.

She told herself that having a woman as CEO would have made things a little easier, but of course she still had to work twice as hard and prove her perseverance, while her counterparts could relax in their positions.

Blackwell was always very hard on her before reaching her CIO title. For a long time Eliza assumed that this was because her position of supervising several of her colleagues on the floor had something to do with the severity directed at her. However, after her baby bump became obvious, the lack of sympathy was not something Eliza could justify.

The long conversation that Blackwell had with her, several months ago, in her office was exhausting, but she answered the few questions with simple answers. She remembers looking straight into Blackwell’s cold blue eyes as they tried to break Eliza’s already stiffened demeanor.

« How far have you come ? »Asked Blackwell, looking at the strangely casual blouse above Eliza’s frame.

« Fifteen weeks, » Eliza answered promptly.

Blackwell leaned back in his chair and exhaled in annoyance : « Who is the father ? »

Eliza’s eyes were wide because she hadn’t expected this question to come out of Blackwell’s interrogation.

« Well ? Or did you go to the sperm bank ? Are you a surrogate mother ? »Blackwell went on without Eliza having room to answer.

« No, » Eliza affirmed softly.

Blackwell squinted at the thirty-two-year-old and pointed a pen at Eliza’s round belly « Est… will this interfere with your homework ? We are already wasting precious time, right now, because of this. »

« Not at all, Ma’am, » Eliza answered timidly.

« Good. Now I’m waiting for the latest reports on my desk in the next half hour, » Blackwell finished, before going back and typing on his keyboard.

Eliza took a seat at the conference table and slid her files onto the desk. She glanced around the room and found Troy smiling at her with his eyes at the other end. Eliza pressed her lips uncomfortably against each other in a thin line, barely showing a smile.

As soon as the meeting was over, she was slowly packing up her files. Unsurprisingly, Troy was already around the table and a few feet away from her– spreading his lips to start a greeting although he couldn’t.

« Hello, Mr. Daniels ? »she began, cradling her files to her chest, but instantly regretting it with tenderness.

Troy was having a hard time coming up with something again, but he finally stuttered, « Was a… a very informative meeting. »

« Yes, » Eliza relaxed, walking awkwardly towards the ajar doors.

Vanessa was standing near the exit and Eliza immediately handed her a Manila folder that the assistant knew she would have to type for Mrs. Kelly.

As he caught up with her, Troy finally blurted out, « Do you mind if I tell you about something, Miss Kelly ? »

« Of course, » Eliza croaked, stopping in the middle of the room.

« Listen… I’m really–«  Troy had started, but it was cut short as soon as Eliza caught his eye in the hallway.

She spotted Andrew and his team walking down the corridor to the conference room, and unfortunately they exchanged glances.

« Let’s bring this to my office, » Eliza ordered, and it wasn’t long before Troy followed her.

« Afternoon, Daniels, » Andrew was quick to intervene as he passed.

Troy raised his hand and returned a sincere smile. Eliza’s temperature was rising and as soon as they approached her doors, she apologized to the toilet.

Rushing into the stall, she quickly pulled out her tucked-in blouse and untied her skirt. It was the seventh trip to the bathroom, and she was exhausted from how much it interrupted her day. After Eliza finished washing her hands with soap, she dabbed a damp paper towel on her face. Her face was still hot from just seeing Andrew for the first time all day. There was an inevitable anger due to the nerve he had to openly greet Mr. Daniels and not her. He was creating a disruptive environment and making it increasingly obvious that something could be going on between them.

She was approaching her doors again and saw Troy quietly waiting for her. The air was still a little awkward when she let him in. Strolling up to her desk, she slowly sat down and peeled off the heels of her feet underneath.

« So what did you want to discuss, Mr. Daniels ? »she sighed as if annoyed, but it was really because of the relief of her shoes.