Right?
Pulling the shade over the window, I sighed and positioned myself comfortably on her shoulder. “Thinking about that is only going to piss me off. Wake me when we land.”
Three hours later we were walking into Red Light District office square. A young lady by the name of London Carter reached out to me. She needed an accountant that wasn’t connected to her brother's company, and I needed a new client. Brooke ran a full report on her and to be quite honest I had several reservations about signing her as a client. At first glance of her profile, I knew she’d become a thorn in my behind. Those perky baby doll eyes said so. A glance at her social media accounts confirmed my suspicions also. Beautiful from head to toe with the bougie and sadity attitude to go right along with it. The only reason I even considered meeting with her had everything to do with the woman in several of her pictures…Andrea Carter.
Through my journey of becoming more spiritually inclined, I became a follower of female leaders in the religious sector. Heather Lindsey, Priscilla Shirer, Sarah Jakes-Roberts, and recent, Andrea Carter.
“Welcome to Red Light District. How can I help you?” A bubbly woman with a fro larger than mine greeted.
“First, you can take a photo with me. Never thought I’d cross paths with a woman who’s fro made mine look like I just had the big chop.” She blinked at me before bursting into laughter.
“Aww, thank you.” I handed Jalonie my camera while she and I poised. “Now that we’ve had our photoshoot, how can I help you?”
“Ms. London Carter. She and I have a meeting at twelve.” I caught the beam of admiration before she phoned London alerting her of my arrival.
“Here you go.” She handed us guest passes. “Take the elevator up to the seventh floor. Can't-miss it. Her name is written in big bold letters.” She pointed out.
“Thanks, queen.”
“Why do I feel like we’re in the middle of a scene from the Devil Wears Prada?” Jalonie tapped her nail on the glass mirror of the elevator.
“Check yourself before we go in here, Lonie. I brought you along to spend time with you, not have you cat fighting with a potential client.” My eyes bore into hers.
She held up her hands “Chill. If Ms. London keeps her claws tucked in so will I. The minute she gets a tad snappy with you I’m checking chins and telling sis to cash me outside.” She rolled her neck as we walked down the corridor.
I silently prayed London nor Jalonie acted out of character. Lonie read over the same profile sheet I did and made up her own assumption just as I did. No matter how fancy Lonie polished herself she had an attitude that made me question if we were raised by the same parents.
“Wow. Who does she think she is?” Jalonie grunted as we stood in front of the glass doors with the words LONDON CARTER INC. in large gold letters above the door.
“Do I need to take you to the bathroom and give you a pop-pop?” I threatened.
“Look, here comes the princess.” She smirked.
I turned and pinched Lonie to hush her mouth. London Carter, dressed as if she was walking on the runway, swayed her slim, slender hips our way. I give it to the girl. She had a reason to be confident. She was a beautiful woman.
“Ladies, how are you?” She held her hand out.
“Great, how are you?” We shook hands. “Excuse my rudeness. This is my sister, Jalonie Jefferson.”
“Hello.” Lonie plastered on the fakest smile.
“Nice to meet you. I absolutely love your pants.” She complimented my sister whose fake smile turned into a real one. “Please, follow me.”
“Behave, Lonie. One last warning.” I gritted lowly as we followed London.
The moment we stepped into her office a force rocked me on my heels. My insides stirred as I became lightheaded. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Exhaling, I opened them to find Andrea standing right in front of me.
She tilted her head and squinted her eyes. “Why are you afraid?” Why did I feel like I was going to burst into tears?
“After the meeting, Drea. You promised.” London playfully rolled her eyes.
“It’s okay. Come, have a seat.” Drea grabbed my hand and sat me down next to her, never letting go of my hand. For some odd reason, I didn’t want her to.
“Forgive the hounding of my sister-in-love. She’s very…friendly.” London smiled lovingly at Drea. Ah, she had a weak spot.
For an hour and a half London and I engaged in the most comfortable conversation of my life. The energy and spiritual awareness created a glove of calmness and peace that I never wanted to go without. I can say that we were catfished. The London I read about and the London sitting before me were two different women. This London wasn’t at all snobby or sadity. She’s been nothing but kind and warm since we stepped inside her office. The only thing surprising about her was the sadness that would peek ever so often when her eyes drifted. When those moments happened Andrea would gently squeeze her hand and her focus would regain again.
Hmm.