Rude Boy USA Page 5

  John told Jerome the truth: that he had not informed her yet. “No, I haven’t. I was going to get around to it.”

  “When?” Jerome looked at him with a doubtful face. “I know you, man,” he said matter-of-factly. Jerome then suggested that John inform her that he was indeed a married man and said he should break things off with Celia, out of respect for her. John did not want to do this, as he was now fully aware that he would lose Bunny if he did so. He reluctantly agreed out of respect for Jerome and her feelings, as he now cared for her.

  This development ruined John’s evening. He went home right after the conversation, much to Bunny’s confusion. She wondered why he did not stick around with his coworkers at the club. She sensed that something was wrong and called him as soon as she made it back home for the evening.

  Bunny had the next day off, as one of two floating days she had off during the week. She reserved one of those days for visiting her mother in Harlem, and the other she took off to get errands done, relax, soak her feet in Epsom salt, and elevate them. Working in heels for many hours took a toll on her feet. Bunny and John agreed to meet each other and have a talk, which he initiated. He took her out for a meal, drove her around in his drop-top Chevelle Twin Turbo 540, bought her flowers, and took her to Central Park for a stroll. Today was a good day for them because he enjoyed her company and she loved that a good-looking man was courting her. Their encounters had entered the double digits by now. They sat down on a park bench and started to talk. He reluctantly and slowly began to explain his situation.

  “I have something to tell you,” John told her. It made him sick to his stomach, as he knew what would happen next. He was not looking forward to her reaction or the fact that she would walk away from him.

  “What is it? Are you OK?” Bunny asked as she grabbed his hand to comfort him.

  “I’m all right,” he replied. “I left out some things that I should have informed you about me. I didn’t want to tell you because I did not want you to go.”

  “OK…” she said worriedly.

  “Bunny, I am married,” he told her. She let go of his hand. She looked at his left hand, the one she had been holding.

  “You don’t have a ring; I don’t see an imprint anywhere. Are you separated? Are you divorcing?” she asked him.

  “Not officially,” he replied.

  Instantly crushed about this news, she asked him, “What am I supposed to do with this information now?”

  “I don’t want you to go, but I’m stuck,” he replied. Bunny had heard enough at this point.

  “John, I am not that woman,” she told him. She could not help but think back to her childhood, during which her mother had been the wife whose unfaithful husband cheated on her. She did not want to inflict that kind of pain on someone else. “John, I don’t wanna share,” she said, as tears welled in her eyes. “I want my own, and I thought you were that person. I can’t see you anymore.” She stood and walked away from him. He tried to keep her there a bit longer, but she walked to the street and hailed a cab back home. John stood and watched as she got in the cab.

  After she had ridden off, he went to sit back down on the bench and rested his head in his hands. Today was the first time that John felt real heartbreak. He found it a strange and ominous feeling. He only knew that he did not like the feeling. Bunny did not contact him for the next week despite his many calls. That was their longest period of separation since being reintroduced to each other. The situation put John in a somber mood for the time being and crushed Celia’s hopes of finding a real husband. John became somewhat depressed.

  Back at Chimera, things were a bit awkward between Jerome and John. They were not fighting or angry at each other, but Bunny had made things between the two even more personal than before. Jerome was perplexed and bothered by the fact that “Ce Ce,” as he called her, had decided to take a job at such a risqué club. Not knowing about her dire financial situation, he had assumed that she was already on her way off to college for music, as she had told many of her relatives. He wanted to help her in the same way that he had been helped out of his dire situation before he landed the job at Chimera. He knew that the company needed help with paperwork and the books. Although no women were working there, he thought that she had the skills necessary to handle the job since she once worked in an office environment. Jerome also trusted her. He put a lot of thought into this scenario because of the situation with John. He knew that bringing her into the equation would be risky. Jerome, however, was sure he had made his expectations clear to John when it came to Celia. Jerome knew that the level of respect between them was still intact, and he decided to bring up the idea to John.

  Although John was in an emotional slump, he continued to thrive otherwise at work, and Chimera was having a great month in gains. Jerome decided to pull John aside to talk to him about the possibility of bringing Celia in to work for them as their secretary and bookkeeper. “Hear me out. I know talking about Celia—uh, Bunny—upsets you, but what would you think if I brought up the idea of her working here as our bookkeeper?” he said to John.

  Stunned, John said, “Are you fucking serious? I don’t get it. So first you tell me to let her go, and then you are going to just dangle her in front of me.” He added, “No.”

  Jerome replied, “Like I said, hear me out, bro.”

  “Go on,” John responded while sitting back in his chair.

  “Bunny works at that club, and to be honest, I do not like it one bit. The family if they found out about it wouldn’t like it either. It would be a mess. I am going to present her an opportunity to get out of that environment. That is if she considers it. I’m going to need you both to make up, as friends,” he said.

  “How the hell am I supposed to make that happen, captain? She won’t pick up my calls,” John responded.

  “We will talk to her together. OK, wait, maybe not a good idea. I’ll speak to her,” Jerome answered.

  “So she doesn’t know,” John said.

  “No, she does not,” Jerome answered.

  “Great, so not only will she be pissed at me, but now you are going to have her torturing me on a daily basis,” John said.

  “If we get her in agreement, we both present this to Bernie to see what he says about it. We have a good argument. We need the help, and we know who she is. If you want to repay her and if you care about her as you say, you will help get her into a better position,” Jerome ended.

  John later on gave this some more thought, and he concluded that it might be a good idea after all. It would give him an opportunity to get back into good graces with Bunny and to keep an eye on her on an everyday basis while he got the rest of his life situated.

  Celia continued her job at the club. She thought that no one knew the extent of her relationship with John except Rose, who kept their secret. Rose was trustworthy, as she was not a saint herself. Bunny had covered for her numerous times when she broke the rules. When Rose first found out the identity of the bloody man in the street, after Celia told her, she thought it was romantic and felt happy for her friend. To her, it sounded like a storybook with a happy ending. Celia used to go on forever about how sweet and romantic John was to her, but Rose would just tell her that the romantic feeling was nothing new; it was more like common sense leaving her body. When Celia told Rose about John’s actual marital status, Rose replied that she’d always thought that John was a derelict and that any guy you pick up in the middle of the street at night cannot be right for you. Rose suggested that Celia find a man who is well adjusted and she did not think that John fit that criteria. Celia finally listened to Rose on that matter and realized that her friend was looking out for her. Perhaps she should have just kept walking that night. It would have saved her some heartache.

  The usual things happened at the club; Bunny served, smiled, and fought off advances from keyholders. John decided to pay a visit to the club. This time, he brought his camera, the one he’d used to take photos of her before—the same came
ra his wife Edina gave him as a trap gift. It was a good-quality Polaroid, and he grew quite fond of it because he got great photographs, and it was easy to carry. He spoke with management about getting some photographs of bunnies in the club, and they granted him permission to do so. The club had a resident photographer, but since John and the rest of Chimera were good friends with management, he was able to do so. They gave him strict notice, however, not to resell the photos, and he agreed. Although he told management that he wanted the photographs of different bunnies, he went there for Celia. He wanted to take pictures of her wearing her uniform. He was borderline obsessed with how she looked in it, and he spent the time they were separated looking at the photos he had already taken and developed of her.

  Celia spotted him in the club and tried her best to avoid contact with him, as she was still morose about their situation. Another worker went over to Celia to tell her about John’s requests. She could not say no to them, as she did not want to seem suspicious. She went over to him, looked at him blankly, and said, “Hi.” He greeted her but noted the blank expression on her face. She acted as if he were a total stranger to her. That was Celia’s way of coping. She put on her best smile; she knew that photographs of bunnies were necessary, and she did not want any bad ones of her floating around. She did her best poses until she thought that he was satisfied with what he had.

  At John’s request, she posed for one last photo with him, having another bunny take the photograph. John’s and Bunny’s backs were to a wall. He briefly brushed his hand across her behind right under her tail. She gently pushed it off. She wished John a good evening and walked away. The entire evening seemed tense and maladroit to her. She was still mastering the shift in her emotions, and the visit from John did not help matters.

  “Wow, that guy likes you,” one bunny mentioned to Celia. “He took all those photos of you and no one else.”

  The meeting with John was not her only awkward encounter of the evening. She was used to the regulars and their occasional awkward exchanges, especially Dr. Smith. When Dr. Smith spoke to her throughout the week, he was his usual self. However, that day he used a different tone with her. It was no longer the polite, flirty, toothy resonance but more direct. He seemed irritated at times, and Celia took note. She did not know what changed with him or why he seemed mad at her, but she did not care. Dr. Smith made a comment to her as she was walking away from him. “I should have brought a camera with me. That would’ve gotten your undivided attention.”

  This was a bad night for her, and she was not in the mood to deal with Dr. Smith or anyone else who gave her a hard time. When she got home, she took the time to clean out her pocketbook. During this moment, she ran across the napkin that John had given her with his number and note on it. She’d held on to it as a good-luck charm before, but now she considered tossing it in the wastebasket. She sat and looked at it for a bit and instead folded it up and put it in her wallet. She put it in one of the hidden compartments that is less frequently used so she would not have to see the paper while casually browsing through the wallet.

  Celia was ready for the night. She looked forward to her comfortable bed. It was a small bed, but she felt that she had it broken in. It was the same bed she’d had when growing up. She felt that keeping this piece of furniture made her humble. It was big enough for her, as she was a petite woman. The bed also fit the rest of the charming decor of her bedroom, which was modern for the time. She was nearly asleep when her phone rang. She was reluctant to answer it, but she picked up the receiver. It was Jerome. He wanted to talk to her about an offer. Celia was too tired to talk, but she decided to give Jerome a few minutes of her time since he was family. Jerome wanted to discuss possibly getting Celia into Chimera.

  The discussion lasted for about an hour and a half, with Celia expectedly blowing her top at the initial suggestion of working with John, the man who had just broken her heart. Jerome put out some good points for her to consider, which included more money that would eventually allow her to go back to school. She would not have to rely on the hopes of scholarship money, which was Celia’s main obstacle. The job would also help her get out of that club. The scholarship letter would be arriving any day now, and she and Rose were anticipating receiving acceptance and some financial assistance. Jerome assured her that John would remain professional, that he trusted her, and that the both of them would behave. That offended Celia but Jerome assured her that he was just joking. He made sure to let her know that he had confidence in her and her abilities. He said that she was better than the Playboy Club. She told Jerome that she would think about it but had no immediate plans to leave the club. He told her that he would run it by the boss and see what he said, but he would need an answer soon, as they would be adding another person to the higher-up team.

  Jerome informed John that the conversation went OK. He said that she did not agree, but she did not say no, either. John considered that enough, and they both went into Bernie’s office the following Tuesday to ask him to open a bookkeeping position for her. Bernie was apprehensive about this. He did not know Celia; he did not know her skills, and his only introduction to her had been at the Playboy Club. He also noted her age and realized she was about a dozen years younger than the youngest person in their group. He thought John and Jerome were out of their goddamn minds at first. Jerome then argued that having someone else keep a watchful eye over the paperwork and numbers would prevent another incident like what happened to John and ensure that funds were in their proper place.

  Bernie and Ben did all of the work themselves, and Bernie felt that the load was starting to overload him. He thought Ben needed a second set of eyes. Bernie was getting up there in age, and he wanted to relax more. This would help everyone, and if they were going to have finally a woman on the team, it might as well be someone they knew and trusted, according to Jerome and John. To them, she had already been vetted. They knew that Bernie was considering hiring another person, and this would save a lot of time. Bernie caved in, but not before he expressed more concerns about the change in environment. He told the two he would consider it and asked them to let him know if she wanted it in a couple of weeks.

  Finally, the day arrived when the letters from Juilliard would come for Celia and Rose. Both of them had their attention on the mailbox as they awaited the mail carrier. They were excited because those envelopes contained their futures. Both women opened the envelopes together, and the news was great for one and not so great for the other. Rose got a scholarship and acceptance letter. Celia got an acceptance letter but no financial aid. Celia was happy about the opportunity to get in, and she was also happy for Rose. However, she was crushed internally, as she would have to foot the entire bill for tuition. Rose felt awful because that would mean they would have to separate. Rose would move on from the club to concentrate on studies, and Celia would have to find money, get a new roommate in a short time, or move back home with her ailing mother. Celia kept it together as she congratulated Rose and went into decision mode. She had to make some choices in a hurry.

  Celia returned to work at the club with the goal of putting in overtime to bring in more money. That now meant six-day work weeks and sometimes twelve hours a day if they let her, to make up the rent money she would lack once Rose left. This would be a challenge for her, but she was determined not to fail. She did not want to live as the stereotype of an unmarried woman. She knew how to take care of herself and survive, but it was expensive. She was confident in her abilities because she learned these skills from her mother, who’d had to learn to fend for herself with a small child. Trends were changing for women, and she considered herself part of that revolution. Celia put up a flyer in the bunnies’ dressing room in hopes of finding a roommate replacement. She walked over to one of her shift managers and requested overtime. Celia had never had issues with bringing in more money from the club, as she was always favored by private parties and extra bunny activities. She went to her immediate shift manager and asked if there
were any private events on the horizon. The shift manager looked at her in a way that she never had before and told her that there was nothing for her. Celia interpreted that to mean it was just a slow week and went on to get ready for her night on the floor.

  The bunnies were changing and turning in their uniforms for cleaning at the end of the evening while discussing their daily lives in the dressing rooms. One bunny mentioned details about a private party for a celebrity that she was working. She and a few more bunnies were scheduled to be there, and the compensation for that event was more than the regular pay scale. Celia did not say anything, although she knew she was a favorite and thought it was strange that she had not been informed of the event, despite asking her shift manager. She thought that maybe the person running the private event had a specific requirement for the type of bunnies who were to work the event. That was not uncommon, as some clients had their personal favorites and even at times racial preferences. That did not bother her because she knew of the climate in which she worked; not everyone was open to accepting all types of beauty. The other black bunny, whom Celia rarely worked with, was working the club that evening as a fill-in. Phyllis, an attractive darker-toned bunny, had a different build than Celia. She could be a clone of Claudia Lennear. Celia had recruited Phyllis into the club. Celia was always looking out for other bunnies, as the club offered incentives for bringing in quality recruits. She had earned nearly three hundred dollars from the new people she brought into the club. Phyllis worked part-time, and club employees went on a seniority system. She mentioned that she was working the event.

  Celia was not a jealous woman by nature, and she always looked at the entire picture before she judged situations. However, she could not help but feel a bit bothered that a spot that would usually be given to her went to a part-time bunny with less seniority and experience without explanation. She did not feel entitled, but she felt as if she had been brushed off. Celia went to Phyllis and asked her for the details. Phyllis told her that their shift manager had pulled her aside and offered her the job. She spoke of how excited she was about working the event. Phyllis noted that she did not know what to do in that environment since it was different from the club setting. Celia looked over at the wall and noticed that someone had removed her roommate flyer while she had been on her shift.