Tommy Gabrini was in a good place.  His own corporation, the Gabrini Corporation, was pretty much running itself.  His children were happy and healthy.  And his wife, he thought, as he looked over at Grace and squeezed her hand, was on top of the world.  They were settled in the backseat of their limousine, on their way to the mayor’s mansion where Grace was to be honored, and life was looking grand.

“How do you feel?” Tommy asked her.  He was slouched down, and slightly leaned toward her.

“I feel good,” Grace said with a smile.  “Nervous.  But good.”

 “You promised Destiny that you’ll have a good time.  I want you to keep that promise.”

Grace nodded.  “And I shall,” she said.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to enjoy ourselves,” Tommy said.  “We both work too hard.  We need this night out.  I want us to make the most of it.”

“I agree,” Grace said.  Then she shook her head.  “The Hall of Fame.  I’m still pinching myself.  I still can’t believe I’m going to be in the Hall of Fame.”

“Believe it!” Tommy said.  “You deserve it!  You’re being inducted into the Seattle Business Hall of Fame because you’re a pioneer.  You’re the first woman and the first African-American to run one of the top trucking companies, not just in the Pacific Northwest, but in this entire country.  You deserve this honor, babe.  Don’t you ever think you don’t.”

Grace looked at Tommy and smiled.  Tommy was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame a decade ago, and he had always been so supportive of her.  They’d had hard times in the past, and she was responsible for a lot of them, but he still stood by her.

She looked at him.  “You’re always worrying about how I’m doing, and how the kids are doing.  How are you feeling, Thomas?”

Tommy used to have to think about his response.  Not any longer.  “I feel great,” he said.  “I want to stand back and let you shine tonight.”

Grace grinned.  “Nobody outshines you, Tommy Gabrini,” she said as she moved a strand of his thick hair; hair that was top-heavy and tossed around his forehead, giving him a boyish look.  “Let’s be real.”

Tommy laughed too.  He never wanted to be the center of anybody’s attention, although people were always attempting to make him the center.  “Just enjoy yourself tonight,” he said, and then looked at her.  “Okay?”

Grace nodded as the limo stopped under the portico of the mayor’s house, and the waiting usher opened the back door.  “I will,” she said, as they prepared to get out.

And she did enjoy herself.  As Tommy hung out with his various groups of business associates, she made her rounds with various groups of her own business associates.  Until one group, a ladies group, asked if they could have a word.

Grace knew it was going to be bullshit.  These females had been some of her worse critics in the press for what they called her anemic hiring practices, and she knew she was going to get an earful.  But this was her night.  Tommy and even little Destiny told her to have some fun.  She was going to make this little meeting short and sweet.  She was only going to take so much.

Grace walked with the ladies into a side room adjacent to the mayor’s ballroom, and the ringleader, business owner Daphne Daniels, closed the door behind them.  Grace knew she had one ally in the group: her old friend Shameika Bradshaw, who was also a business owner now.  But she didn’t care about being outnumbered.  She could hold her own.

And as soon as that door closed, Daphne didn’t waste time.  “We have an issue with you, Mrs. Gabrini,” she said.

“Do you?” Grace asked.

“Yes, we do,” said a second business owner.

“And what is your issue?”

“Your hiring strategy,” said Daphne.  “Here you are, the wife of millionaire Tommy Gabrini, and the owner of Trammel Trucking, but yet in still, you hire less women than anybody else in the region!”

“That’s not true.  The region average is thirty percent.  My female workforce exceeds forty-four percent.”

“But don’t you see the problem with that?” Daphne asked.  “You’re a female business owner.  Your workforce should be eighty, ninety percent female.  Not forty-four percent!”

“What is your percentage, Daph?” Grace asked.  “You’re a female business owner in this town too.  How many ladies have you hired?  Because last I looked, your number was something like eighteen ladies, or twelve percent of your workforce, wasn’t it?”

Shameika smiled.  “Eighteen?  That’s all?  Shit, I’ve hired more ladies than that, Daph, and my business isn’t even a third the size of yours!”

“My situation is different,” Daphne said.  “You nor Grace can compare yourselves to me.”

Grace frowned.  “Why can’t we?  We’re all female business owners!”

“But you’re black, too!” Daphne proclaimed.  “You have an added responsibility!”

Grace couldn’t believe this line of questioning.  “That’s some ass-backward bullshit,” Grace said.

“But that bullshit is the truth!” said another business owner.  “We expect black women to lead the way.  You aren’t!”

“And neither are you!”

“But I’m not black!”

Grace was done.  This was getting into the ridiculous territory, and she wasn’t going to participate.  “Ladies, have a nice evening,” she said with a polite smile, and walked out of the room.

The ladies looked at each other with disgust.  “What a bitch,” said Daphne.

But Shameika smiled.  “Because she didn’t let you run all over her, she’s a bitch?”

“Oh, please, Shameika.  You’re her friend!”

“But she’s telling the truth.  Her record on hiring women, and minorities by the way, far exceed every one of ours.   The fact that she’s black doesn’t put an added burden on her, and you know it.  You just have an ax to grind with her because of her husband.  Because she got Tommy Gabrini and he didn’t give you the time of day.  If we’re going to get real, let’s get real.”

“Yes, I think Tommy could have done far better than her,” Daphne admitted.  “I’ve said that before.  But if you think I’m jealous of that, please!  I have better things to do with my time.”

“Sure you do,” Shameika said.  “Like criticizing Grace every chance you get.  Like even going on local TV criticizing her.  But you’re not jealous.  Oh, no!  You’re just concerned about all those poor females you won’t hire, but demand that she hire!  Give me a fucking break!” 

“She could have listened to us,” Daphne said.  “That’s all I’m going to say about it.  She wouldn’t even listen!”  Then Daphne frowned.  “Who does she think she is?”

“Let’s see,” Shameika said.  “Oh, that’s right!  She’s an inductee into the Seattle Business Hall of Fame; an honor none of us are anywhere close to earning.  That’s who she thinks she is!”

Then Shameika, grinning, left too.

When she caught back up to Grace, and tried to tell her what those ladies said, Grace smiled and shook her head.  “Don’t even bother,” she said.  “I don’t even wanna know.”

Shameika nodded happily.  There was a time Grace would have been offended by those critics, and hurt by their comments.  Not anymore.