“Thank you, sir.” I choked when baby girl broke away from her mother to hug me. She held her little bag of snacks in her hand as if it were her most prized possession.
I wasn’t trying to follow them, but we ended up separated by a few cars. There was a tug on my heart that told me that she needed help, but she wasn’t going to say anything. I wasn’t in the business of forcing people to accept my help, but her little girl motivated me to at least try. Once I got my bags in the car, I jogged over to where she was parked. I stood off to the side while she buckled baby girl into her car seat. Her attention was so focused on her daughter that it took her a while to notice me.
“Umm, look. I appreciate what you did back there, but I don’t have a way to pay you back right now.” She blurted out. Her energy told me that she was both nervous and embarrassed. two things she didn’t need to be with me.
“Naw, it’s all good. I’m glad I was able to help.” We stood there awkwardly before I finally spoke up again.
“Where do you work?” Her face twisted into a frown as if I had offended her by asking.
“What does that have to do with you?”
I chuckled at the defensiveness in her tone. While it was unnecessary, I respected her hesitation. The world was filled with weirdos and dangerous individuals.
“I don’t mean to be intrusive. It’s just that I’ve been looking for a secretary for one of my buildings, and I haven’t had much luck. The job pays well, and it comes with benefits. There are also childcare options should you need them.” I told a small lie about having a hard time finding someone when the truth was I hadn’t even tried. It had been on my to-do list, but my schedule was busy.
“Are you offering me a job? You don’t know anything about me. How do you even know I’m qualified to do the job you’re hiring for?” Lil’ mama tilted her head with her arms folded as she waited for me to answer her questions.
“Do you know how to answer a phone?” I shot back.
“Of course I do.”
“Can you read? Are you able to use a computer? Can you scan a document?”
She scoffed as if I had offended her, which hadn’t been my intention.
“I’m not an idiot. I haven’t done them in a while, but I’m a fast learner.” Her tone grew softer, and I couldn’t help but smile. Lil’ mama had a lot of layers, but there was no judgment on my end.
“My complex is fairly new, but we’ve recently started accepting applications for tenants. I can give you a full rundown on the job requirements and expectations if you have time to stop by the office this week. Here’s one of my business cards. It includes my address and phone number for contact. I won’t be there until Wednesday, but if you’re interested, stop by, and we can talk.” I held the card out to her, but she hesitated for a moment.
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
“Why are you doing this? I already told you that I can’t pay you back. What exactly are you expecting from this?” My brows raised as I stared at her with a confused look on my face. What the fuck was she trying to insinuate?
“Aye, shorty. I can tell you aren’t used to people doing nice things for you, so I don’t mind you being guarded. Please understand one thing about me, though. I don’t need to play games or operate with ulterior motives. The only thing I’m expecting from you is to do your job to the best of your abilities, if I decide to hire you. This isn’t some ploy to fuck you. I have plenty of other bitches for that. All I’m trying to do is give you an opportunity to make some good money, so you and baby girl don’t have a repeat of what happened tonight.”
“Wow. I should have known better. People will judge you without knowing the hell you’ve gone through. I’m trying the best I can, and right now, things aren’t going in my favor. That doesn’t make me some sad charity case for you to pity. I might be down, but I’m far from desperate. You can take that job offer and shove it up?—”
“Whoa. Wait a minute. I think you may have taken my words the wrong way. I promise my intentions weren’t to insult you. All I want to do is help, and I know you wouldn’t allow me to give you any money, so I figured the job was the best option. You obviously need money, and I need the help. My propertymanager has been on my ass about getting someone to answer the phones because we’ve been getting so many inquiries. I’m not the best with my words, but please know that I’m coming from a good place.”
In my line of work, I rarely had to explain myself or prove my word was solid. The interaction with her was new for me, and I couldn’t determine how I felt about it.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t take too long, Ms.—” I lingered, hoping she would fill in the blank.
“Peace.”
“That’s your real name?”
“Why? Do you have a problem with my name?” Her tone elevated. Clearly, I put my foot in my mouth once again.
“Naw, it’s not a problem. It reminds me of someone.”
She scoffed, and I laughed because I couldn’t seem to stop making an ass of myself.
“I don’t mean another woman. My best friend and his family have unique names like yours, that’s all. I promise,” I explained, raising my hands in mock surrender.
“Yeah, right. I’ve got to get going. Thank you again, sir,” she mimicked her daughter when she addressed me.
