As I Wait...

“You scared of me?”

Langston popped his head back up and smirked.

“Excuse me?”

“If you are, I can understand that. It’s not that you don’t like me, you just fear me.”

“You must have lost your—

“As long as you at least respect me, I could care less if you fear me. I rather you feared me than—

“So because I choose not to kiss your ass and buy you coffee in the morning or a martini at night, I must fear you. You think that as a black man, I must feel some sort of intimidation from you because of what…you’re a white woman with some authority.”

“Oh, you finally did it! You pulled out the race card. I’ve been waiting for you to bring out that gun.”

“Look, I have a lot of work to do…”

“No, no, no. I want to get to the bottom of this. So, because you’re black and I’m white, there needs to be tension. Have times progressed that slowly.”

“There isn’t tension…”

“Please, Langston! Spare me the bull. Be a man. Be a strong black man and be real with me. If I weren’t white, if I were a black man that corporate hired to put in charge of your operation, you’d be fine. But since I somehow represent the systematic approach of the man trying to bring down the brothas you feel it necessary to try to prove your worth.”

Langston stood up and walked around his desk to face her. He didn’t appreciate the way this woman looked down on him trying to show him up.

“I don’t have to prove anything to you or anybody else. I’m a damn good employee. This place would crumble without me…”

“And I know that Langston! I see that. I’ve seen first hand the type of work you do for this company. I’ve seen it before I even got here. I never had any intention of letting you go. But for some damn reason since this is a black dominated business, as soon as someone white comes in with a little authority, everybody runs away scared.”

“Nobody ran away scared…”

“Then what the hell happened to Jody? He couldn’t even hack it one damn week.”

“I think it’s about time for you to go.”

“Everyone around here thinks that they have something to fear just because I’m here. Your employees will bring ruin on themselves if they continue to let their insecure little fears overpower what really needs to be done around here, and that does include you.”

Langston tensed his jaw and balled up his fist. He stepped back from her and walked towards his office door. There was a rage building inside of him and he wasn’t trying to act on it. Simply for the reason that it wasn’t a rage lit by anger but from an emotion he hadn’t felt in a while. He wasn’t comfortable with the fact that another woman could incite a rage like that. Lorelei could even feel it. She stood up and followed him to the door.

“Let’s go out for drinks, on me. You don’t have to kiss up to me, and get this; I’m not even a martini type of girl. We can just grab a couple of beers from my fridge and watch ESPN on my TV in my office when the day’s over.” Lorelei placed her hand gently on Langston’s elbow, “I just want us to get past whatever we just can’t seem to get past.”

Langston shook his head and opened his door.

“Like I said, I have to get home to my wife. I’ll see you later Lorelei.”

Lorelei sighed as she allowed her disappointment to read across her face.

“Don’t forget what I said, there’s nothing to fear.”

Langston nodded his head and stepped away from his door. Lorelei smiled slightly and walked off. Langston stood for a brief moment as she walked away. Then a vision of his wife came into mind and he sighed.

He said, “Lorelei.”

She turned around.

“Maybe just one beer.”

She smiled.