A Meeting In The Ladies' Room by Anita Doreen Diggs Page A

Victor had to say. “I only had two minutes to make my pitch. I told him that I had Steve Harvey’s biography coming up. The guy looks at me and says, “Who is that?” I said, ‘Come on, man, you gotta know who Steve Harvey is.’ The man has his own TV show and he sold out Madison Square Garden for his standup comedy act without even advertising. The guy listens and then says, ‘oh that guy! I’m glad to hear he is workin’ again because he was real sick and in a wheelchair, last I heard.’ Well, at first I didn’t know what he was talking about. But after a while, I realized he was talkin’ ’bout Richard Pryor.”
    We all laughed to keep from crying.

18
    PURE BLISS
    S o, Paul and I joked over the awkwardness between us, and the office hummed along in its usual pattern. Pam Silberstein and I started having lunch together again.
    Mama and Elvira went on a bus ride to Atlantic City around Valentine’s Day and Mama won $200. They also decided to join a church, even though Mama hadn’t set foot in one since her best friend betrayed her.
    In short, for three weeks my life drifted back into some semblance of normalcy.
    One evening, I had my coat on and a shopping bag of manuscripts in hand when Asha buzzed me on the intercom. I hesitated—the last thing I needed was to get stuck in a lengthy conversation. She buzzed again and I answered.
    â€œYes, Asha?”
    â€œVictor Bell is on line one. Will you take it?”
    Will rain stay wet?
    â€œSure.”
    â€œHello, Victor . . . how are you?”
    â€œI’m fine, dear, and you?”
    Dear? He had come to his senses and was ready to snuggle me securely close to his massive chest. Surely heaven couldn’t be any better than this. I’d have to go on a diet, get my hair rebraided, get some black silk sheets for my queen-sized bed. Actually, maybe I’d better invest in a king-sized bed since Victor was so tall. My apartment needed a fresh paint job and new window coverings. Maybe Levelor vertical blinds . . . gold for the living room and a nice blush for the bedroom . . .
    â€œJackie, are you there?”
    Good Lord, the man had been talking while my mind wandered. “Yes, I’m here. What were you saying?”
    â€œI asked if you were free to have dinner with me tonight.”
    â€œWhat about your girlfriend?” It just popped out of my mouth. He probably had some business problem he wanted to talk with me about and now I had shown my desperation yet again. I immediately wished that a rope would magically appear on my desk so I could coil one end of it around my throat and the other over something heavy enough to help me end my stupid-ass life.
    â€œWe’re not together anymore. Forget about it.”
    â€œThat was a very nasty message, Victor. It really hurt my feelings.”
    â€œI’m sorry. Something pretty bad happened to me that day and I took it out on you. Will you let me treat you to some food and drink?”
    I was so happy, it was hard not to pump my fist in the air and cheer. I really wanted to go out with him but not in the outfit I was wearing—a starched white blouse with ruffles at the neck and wrists, which made me look like Prince, and a plain, ankle-length black skirt. “Can I take a raincheck?”
    â€œSure. What about tomorrow?” He sounded desperate.
    What the hell was going on?
    â€œYes.”
    â€œGood. I’ll pick you up at your office around five-thirty. Is that all right?”
    â€œIt is.”
    All the way home, I wished there was someone I could talk to about Victor’s strange and sudden change of heart. Mama would be so angry to know that I’d been chasing a man who didn’t want me for the past year that asking her advice was absolutely unthinkable.
    Paul was out of the question. Victor was the one sore subject between us. He was also spending less time at my house since he started seeing Rosa with