Chapter Eleven
GAVIN
“Um, Dad?”
I squinted my eyes as soon as I heard Vinny’s voice. He stood on the side of my bed, fully dressed, with his bookbag on his shoulders. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was 7:24 am, and he had to be out at his bus stop in five minutes. “Sheesh, I didn’t even hear my alarm.” I ripped the covers off and sat upright in the bed.
“It’s okay, Dad. I can walk myself out. I’ve already fixed myself some cereal and toast. I figured you were tired, so I didn’t to wake you up.”
I rubbed my hand over my face and waited a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the lights. His actions didn’t catch me by surprise. If I didn’t show up around here for a week, I’m sure he wouldn’t miss a beat at school. He would get himself up and ready for school, then fix breakfast. Nobody in the neighborhood, or even at his school, would be able to tell that he had been taking care of himself. I loved his independence, but at the same time, I didn’t want to miss teaching him the things that a father was supposed to. “No, son, it’s fine. I need to get up and walk you to the bus stop. I don’t want you walking there alone.”
“Okay.” He looked at his watch. “I’ll wait by the door.”
“Okay. I’ll be right out.”
I got out of the bed and grabbed a shirt and my jogging pants out of the closet. After I got dressed, I reached into my drawer and grabbed the note I had written for Vinny to give to Bethany. I thought it was a good way to deliver the message because she wouldn’t expect it. I wanted to catch her off guard. I grabbed the note, then walked to the front door where Vinny was patiently waiting for me. “Alright, kid, let’s go.”
We walked outside into the gentle, morning sunshine. It hadn’t gotten the opportunity to heat up yet, and right now, the warmth was at a perfect temperature. I put my arm around his shoulder as we walked to the bus stop. “Son, can you do me a small favor?”
“Sure, Dad.”
I pulled the note out of my pocket. “Would you mind giving this to Miss Bethany for me?”
He took it out of my hand, “Sure, Dad. You didn’t want to call her?”
“No. I think this way will be better. At least, for now.”
“Okay.”
He took out a pen and wrote a reminder on his hand, then shoved the note into his pocket. A few moments later, the bus slowly turned the block and headed in our direction. “Alright, here we go. You have a good day, alright?”
“I will, Dad.”
He smiled as he kept his eyes on the bus. I took a step back when it stopped near the curb and watched him climb up the steps and find his seat on the bus. I waved at him, and in moments, the bus took off down the street. After I went back into the house, I flipped on the television and made myself a cup of coffee. Today, the replacement secretary was set to begin working. For the first time, I wasn’t anxious to find out who she was. Usually, I looked forward to the next person to sit in that seat because, more times than not, it was usually a young woman who just happened to be my type. But, ever since Bethany stepped into the picture, I thought less about who was going to replace Amber.
Once finished, I grabbed my cup of coffee, then walked back into the front room, leaving a trail of steam behind me. As soon as I took my seat, a commercial for The Right Click came on. I smiled to myself, thinking about what had transpired since the first day I signed up for the service. I didn’t think I would be able to find someone like Bethany as quickly as I did, but I was happy that I did. So far, she was a dream come true.
Afterward, I went to my room to get ready for work and then made my way to the office.
“Hello, Mr. Wallace,” she said with a smile as soon as I stepped off the elevator. I kept a smile on my face, but she was far from what I was used to seeing as soon as I walked in. She was an older woman. Her gold frames sat peacefully on the bridge of her nose. She had tight, curly hair and crow’s feet on the edge of her eyes. Patches of wrinkles were scattered throughout her countenance as she stood near her desk. “My name is Shirley Smith. I am your new secretary.”
“Awesome.” I extended my hand to her. Her fragile grasp seemed that if I squeezed too hard, her bones would break. “It is nice to meet you, Shirley. Glad to have you on board.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of printing out your schedule for the day just to clear up any confusion.”
“Thank you, Shirley.” She handed me the paper as I looked over the schedule. I had forgotten that I had another business meeting with a few men from LA. I smiled at her, “Thank you, Shirley. I needed this. You are off to a great start!”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome. Now, if you need me, I am right down this hallway. Feel free to visit me anytime that you need to.”
“I will. Thank you, Mr. Wallace.”
“Oh, and please, call me Gavin.”
“Will do, Gavin. Will do.”
I entered my office and hung my suit coat on the coat rack. It was a bit different seeing an older woman in the place of Amber, but if anything was going to keep me in check, it would be the fact that my secretary was an older woman who was far beyond my taste. I leaned back in my chair and glanced outside. Bethany’s face flashed in and out of my mind as I faced the glass window. I couldn’t wait to see her again. The fact that she already had a relationship with Vinny made things that much better for us. Just then, there was a knock at my door. “Um, Gavin? May I come in?”
I spun around in my chair and faced the door. “Come on in.”
Shirley smiled as she walked closer to me, “Um, I am having a bit of a struggle with the spreadsheet. I am trying to print it out, but I cannot seem to get it to work. It wasn’t as easy as the Word document. I am sorry, but if you don’t mind, can you show me how?”
I was taken back by the fact that she asked me to show her how to do her job. I didn’t expect that at all. “Sure,” I said, humbly, “I will come in and show you. That spreadsheet can be a little tricky at times.”
“Yes, indeed. I’ve been trying ever since you stepped into your office, but I just can’t seem to get the thingamajig to work.”
“Not a problem, Shirley.”
We walked to the computer so I could show her how to print off the spreadsheet. I wished that would have been the last time that I had to show her how to work something on her computer, but I would spend the majority of my morning out there with her, showing her how to work different programs. I could feel the annoyance beginning to erupt inside of me, but I kept my peace, even though I knew that she should’ve known all of this before she got the job. It was about 11 am by the time I was finally able to get to my office and focus on my own work, but by then, I had no desire to do anything.
I thought about calling my HR department to demand another secretary, but I figured I’d give her another day or two to figure things out and then go from there. She seemed like a nice woman, and I didn’t want to give her the boot right away. Once four o’clock came around, I gathered my things so I could head home. Shirley sat at the front desk with her head buried in her computer. “Shirley, I will see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir. And I am sure that tomorrow will run more smoothly than it did today. I apologize for any inconvenience.”
“No, Shirley, it is fine. I am sure that tomorrow will be better than today. Have a good evening.”
“You as well, Gavin.”
When I got home, Vinny sat in the kitchen eating a sandwich. He always made it back home about thirty minutes before I did. He was involved in a number of after school programs that would keep him busy so he wouldn’t spend as much time at home by himself in the afternoons. “Hey, kid. How was school?”
I took a seat next to him as he chewed his afterschool snack. “It was good.”
“Did you give Miss Bethany that note?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Good.” I resisted the urge to text her all day. I figured that a small break in our communication would be a good thing. In the words of Shakespeare, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I wanted to use that to my advantage. “So, how was your day?”
He looked at me with one raised eyebrow.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked with a crescent smile.
“You never really ask me that.”
“Yeah, I know. But, a lot of things have to change between us. I realize that I haven’t been in your life the way I need to be, so now I am conscientiously going to make that change. If that is alright with you.”
“Oh. Um, yeah, Dad. That is fine with me. I don’t mind at all.”
I tapped my fingers across the surface of the table, “So, how was your day?”
“It was good. I got another A on my science test. Ms. Chambers said that I am sure to keep my A in the class if I get at least a B on my next test.”
“Awesome, Vinny! That is awesome. You are a much better student than I ever was. The only time I saw an A on my report card was in gym or art class. I was good at those subjects, but not so much at the others.”
He smiled. “I wonder how you got to become a successful businessman with bad grades in school.”
“Well, son, I didn’t take advantage of my opportunities at a young age like you are doing right now. I didn’t really get myself in gear until I finished high school and made my way to college. I skated by all the way up until then. I can’t imagine where I would be if I applied myself when I was your age. That is why the sky is the limit for you, Vinny. You can be anything you want to be and even eclipse me in the process. I want that for you, and I know you can do it.”
He smiled wide. I knew that I had to spend more quality time with him. He deserved it, and not only that, but I felt like I was missing out on his life because I was too busy living mine. From now on, Vinny was going to be a top priority in my life, no matter what. As we continued our conversation, I got a text message from Bethany. A rush of excitement flooded my heart as I read her message.