Login with:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Google

Yahoo

Aol.

Mibba

Your info will not be visible on the site. After logging in for the first time you'll be able to choose your display name.

I Let You In, Now What?

The Harlot

The break up had gone as well as was to be expected. Claire had burst into the apartment crying about unfair treatment and how badly this could affect her school credits. The tears dried up real quick when Dougie suggested that next time she shouldn’t sleep with her boss. She actually tried to deny it, but he explained how I saw her at the restaurant with Berkley and the exchange of saliva on video. I guess Claire hadn’t thought to ask HR who had given them the evidence because she was completely shocked by that revelation. Her tactics quickly changed to calling me every insult in the book. There was no point in denying what happened if Dougie saw the video. Once Claire ran out of things to call me, Dougie was able to ask her why. This bitch had had us all fooled. All she ever wanted was to be in the public eye. Dating Dougie wasn’t getting her anywhere so she had hoped getting an internship at the foundation would until they placed her in boring old management. Then she met her boss, Michael Berkley, and saw a prime opportunity. If she worked him the right way, then maybe, just maybe, she could get everything she wanted. Right before his eyes, the girl Dougie thought he knew transformed into a cold, conniving stranger who was only out for herself. It’s definitely made the healing process easier for him.

As much as it hurts to know you’ve been fooled by someone you love, it helps to know you are better off without them. I’ve dealt with her kind before, though it’s been a long time since I’ve been fooled so thoroughly. I decided some retail therapy would help so I’m out on Newbury Street with Katrina.

“When do you think it’s a good time to start dress shopping for the benefit in December,” I ask as we stroll past shops.

“Now,” Katrina suggests.

I laugh, “I should have figured that would be your answer.”

“Well we are already out and I am never one to say no to dress shopping,” she teases.

“I can’t believe this thing is three months away,” I say in disbelief.

Katrina smiles, “How is it all going?”

“Really well actually,” I reply, “We’re basically down to the wire making sure everything is in order and running smoothly. There are still a few more sponsors I’m waiting to hear back from, but at least all the catering and smaller details are done with.”

“That’s amazing Naomi.I’m so happy for you,” she says.

I sigh, “I haven’t even been with the company a year, and I’m already about to make a difference in people’s lives. I still can’t believe this is my job sometimes. I really hope this works out and the program is a success.”

Katrina gives my arm a reassuring squeeze, “They saw something in you hun. It will work out. We all believe in you.”

“Thanks Kat, I appreciate the vote of confidence,” I respond as we head into a store.

We browse, but don’t stay long. Nothing seems to scream “BUY ME,” so we head out in search of a decent dress boutique.

“Ah, shit,” I mutter as I notice a familiar face heading towards us.

“Did you say something,” Kat asks.

I nod my head in the direction we’re heading, “I said ‘ah shit’ because Claire is coming straight for us.”

My friend opens her mouth to respond, but Claire is already coming in hot.

“You think you’re better than me, don’t you,” she spits getting right in my face.

“No, I think I’m smarter than you,” I reply calmly.

Excuse me,” she says outraged by my reply.

I smile sweetly, “You heard me.If you’re going to have an affair with your boss, then you probably shouldn’t bring him to places your friends and co-workers frequent on a weekly basis. I’d also suggest remembering the lies you tell people.”

Claire takes a step back from my personal space clearly taken aback with my response. Did she think she’d be able to intimidate me? I think she forgot what I had to deal with growing up.

“And you would know a lot about having affairs, wouldn’t you,” she finally replies with an air of triumph.

Nope, she didn’t forget.

I square my shoulders and narrow my gaze, “At least my poor excuse for a mother got rich off her loose morals and selfish nature. You put your degree in jeopardy and lost both men. Good job sweetheart.”

“Oh poor Dougie,” she chuckles, “I bet if I play my cards just right I could get him back. The dumb lug is probably still in love with me.”

“One, you burned that bridge as soon as you showed your true colors. Two, if you still try to go near him I will make your life a living hell,” I warn stepping into her personal space.

She takes a step back, “You wouldn’t jeopardize your career.”

“I wouldn’t have to,” I reply confidently but take a step back shaking my head, “Fuck Claire, what happened to you? You talk about my mom, but you’re exactly like yours. You don’t have to be.”

Claire snorts, “I do if I want to survive in this world. Sure I didn’t believe her at first, but then I watched all the male students get great internships at prestigious companies, and I knew. I knew what I had to do to get to the top.”

“That is not the only way for women to succeed.I didn’t have to,” I exclaim.

“Oh please, you’re more like your mom than you think,” she states.

“I haven’t destroyed other people’s lives,” I counter firmly, “I don’t manipulate people in order to make ends meet.”

Claire smirks, “Maybe not yet, but one day your luck will run out, and you’ll realize our moms were right. The only way for women to succeed in a world full of men is to use them and anyone else in the way.”

I stand silent and still as she walks away with the last word.I have no response to that because I can hear a little voice in the back of my head wonder if Claire is right. Will there come a time when I need to become more like my mother?

“Naomi,” Katrina calls putting a gentle hand on my shoulder and pulls me from my thoughts.

“Well that was fun,” I say with a smile in an attempt to play off the exchange.

Katrina frowns, “Are you okay? Is that true about your mom? Is that why you don’t talk about your family?”

I pat her hand, “I’ll be fine, and yeah my family was not fun growing up. It’s a long story I don’t really have time for right now.”

“Alright,” she concedes though I know she wants more, “Do you want to still go dress shopping?”

I shake my head, “No, I think I might call it a day.Rain check?”

“Sure,” she replies and we go our separate ways.

The last thing Claire said really gets to me. When I had told her about my mother, she also told me about hers, and I thought we had forged a bond over these horrible women. It really hurt to see that Claire had given in to all the lies her mother told her growing up. I’ve accepted the fact that I can be cold and calculating like my mother when absolutely necessary. I’m in charge of a fund so I have to make sure people don’t walk over me, but I never walked over anyone to get here. I don’t use my ‘feminine wiles’ to destroy relationships and climb the social ladder. I’ll thank my mother for my tenacity, but my Aunt Sophia get’s all the gratitude for keeping my morals sound and secure.

My mother divorced my father when I was 13 and his business was starting to go downhill. She had never been an affectionate person, but who she was as a person didn’t really hit me until the divorce. That woman took off with as much as my dad’s money as she could, including the house. She graciously left him with a failing business and me. My mother more than willingly gave full custody over to my father. Of course, I would stay with her once a month for a week because she had to hold up some semblance of a motherly image. It still hurt that she basically only wanted me to keep up an image. I couldn’t understand why my mother didn’t want anything to do with me unless it somehow benefited her. My aunt had explained a few years later that my mother hadn’t wanted any kids. I was a happy surprise for my dad, but my mother saw it as an inconvenience and cramp in her social calendar.

Within two years of the divorce being final, my dad’s company completely tanked and we had to move in with my Aunt Sophia. He got a job as a tax accountant to keep paying bills, and my aunt became the mother I had always needed. The weeks I would spend with my mother were pure torture. They were filled with endless parties, endless parade of men, and countless lessons on how to manipulate the world into doing my bidding. I swear if this was a Disney movie, then my mother would be the evil queen. She didn’t manage to brainwash me, though. I stayed sane enough and stopped visiting her as soon as I turned 18. Unfortunately, my father also passed away when I was 18. His bad eating habits, stress, and family history of heart problems caught up to him; he had a heart attack in his sleep.

My aunt and I got through the grief together, and although money became tight without the help of his income, I was able to go to college with a full scholarship. When it rains it pours, though because six months after my dad died Aunt Sophia was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was alright until the chemo and radiation effects forced her to go on medical leave. The shortened pay and my minimum wage jobs had us going without cable and internet. We had to get cheap prepaid phones instead of having phone plans. Our only saving grace was that the mortgage on the house had been paid off years ago. The government wasn’t much help when it came to finding fuel assistance and what not. We had to fight for a lot. My aunt is the inspiration behind my fund.

Cancer patients need more help then what they are given. Aunt Sophia lost her battle with cancer seven months after I graduated from college. The fundraising banquet will be on the two year anniversary of her death. I may not be in Connecticut fixing the problem, but the cancer foundation in Boston has given me the chance to honor the person that helped get me to where I am today.

Notes

Here is another installment for you guys. I just want to thank every who has been reading this so far. You are awesome. I've never really been able to put the stories in my head into words so it's great to finally be able to do it. Thanks again and please keep letting me know what you think!

Comments

@caleb617

I think he'll be able to find another girl. He's Dougie and adorable! Lol thanks for reading!

Poor Dougie :( I hope he finds a nice girl! Love the update, hope to see more soon!

caleb617 caleb617
4/27/14