to go. Most of the friends she had he chased away a long time ago and the few who were left ran away when she started thumping the Bible at them.
Shortly after they got married, Cynthia attempted to make new friends, but Marvin found fault with each and every one of them. If they were single, he complained they might influence Cynthia to cheat. If they didnât have a job, he complained they were just trying to sponge off Cynthia. Marvin was a middle-of-the-road kind of guy. He never gave more than what was asked of him, and he didnât want anyone around whose opinion might bear any weight on their relationship.
Marvin looked at his watch. It was already 8:30. Surely he would be late for work as he had to be there at nine. He whipped his cell phone out of his back pocket to call dispatch and let them know he would be coming in late because of a family emergency. His pace was slow and steady as the January wind grazed his skin. He pulled his hood over his head and zipped up his North Face as the rest of Harlem zoomed past him. One thought after another flooded his mind as he walked to the subway. What if she didnât come back? Of course sheâll be back, he thought as he hopped down the steps past a man helping his girlfriend with one of those oversized metal European strollers. Of course sheâll be back. Whatâs a woman without her man?
Chapter 8
The garageâs banner flew proudly in the air announcing N EED A T OW, M ILTONâS W ILL G ET W HERE Y OU N EED TO G O. Marvin cringed at the sight of the sign or anything related to the garage. The only thing that would make him happy was seeing his own name on the banner. This morning he had another cause for cringing.
As Marvin approached Miltonâs garage, he saw Jade, the evening dispatch operator, sitting outside on a milk crate with her slender legs crossed. He could see her luminous smile from the corner. He was shocked to see her there but relieved. He hadnât seen her since he switched to the day shift, which was nearly three months ago. When Marvin used to work the late shift, heâd spend most of it on the radio talking to Jade. Sheâd call out a location and then sheâd page his truck. They went back and forth all night. Before he could reach the entrance, Jade was already standing up waving at him.
âHow you doing, buddy?â She grinned.
âHey, Jade. What are you doing here?â As soon as he looked into her honey-colored eyes, some of the anxiety he was experiencing over Cynthiaâs disappearance melted away.
âAntoinette came in late this morning, so I stayed a couple of extra hours to cover for her. When I checked the roster and saw your name, I decided to stick around and wait for you,â she said, punctuating her sentence with a wink.
Jadeâs warm greeting relieved Marvin, but in between each word she uttered, his thoughts darted back to Cynthia. As excited as he was to see Jade, as much as he would have enjoyed engaging in some risqué conversation with her that morning, especially after a night of fighting with his wife, he wanted to run inside and check the desk for any messages from Cynthia. Surely, sheâd gone to Dr. Changâs office and had forgotten to tell him she was going to work for a meeting or to settle a claim. Heâd looked for her laptop before leaving the house and couldnât find it. After all these years of working from home, every now and then she went into Dr. Changâs office to check the paperwork, organize the office, order supplies, or do anything else Dr. Chang asked her to do. She had become an informal office manager. Marvin thought she was crazy at first for doing all of that extra work, but Cynthia reminded him Dr. Chang had been good to them.
Months had passed since Cynthia had been summoned to the office for an emergency audit or to handle a rejected claim that required her attention. However, right now he needed for her to be at Dr.
Shortly after they got married, Cynthia attempted to make new friends, but Marvin found fault with each and every one of them. If they were single, he complained they might influence Cynthia to cheat. If they didnât have a job, he complained they were just trying to sponge off Cynthia. Marvin was a middle-of-the-road kind of guy. He never gave more than what was asked of him, and he didnât want anyone around whose opinion might bear any weight on their relationship.
Marvin looked at his watch. It was already 8:30. Surely he would be late for work as he had to be there at nine. He whipped his cell phone out of his back pocket to call dispatch and let them know he would be coming in late because of a family emergency. His pace was slow and steady as the January wind grazed his skin. He pulled his hood over his head and zipped up his North Face as the rest of Harlem zoomed past him. One thought after another flooded his mind as he walked to the subway. What if she didnât come back? Of course sheâll be back, he thought as he hopped down the steps past a man helping his girlfriend with one of those oversized metal European strollers. Of course sheâll be back. Whatâs a woman without her man?
Chapter 8
The garageâs banner flew proudly in the air announcing N EED A T OW, M ILTONâS W ILL G ET W HERE Y OU N EED TO G O. Marvin cringed at the sight of the sign or anything related to the garage. The only thing that would make him happy was seeing his own name on the banner. This morning he had another cause for cringing.
As Marvin approached Miltonâs garage, he saw Jade, the evening dispatch operator, sitting outside on a milk crate with her slender legs crossed. He could see her luminous smile from the corner. He was shocked to see her there but relieved. He hadnât seen her since he switched to the day shift, which was nearly three months ago. When Marvin used to work the late shift, heâd spend most of it on the radio talking to Jade. Sheâd call out a location and then sheâd page his truck. They went back and forth all night. Before he could reach the entrance, Jade was already standing up waving at him.
âHow you doing, buddy?â She grinned.
âHey, Jade. What are you doing here?â As soon as he looked into her honey-colored eyes, some of the anxiety he was experiencing over Cynthiaâs disappearance melted away.
âAntoinette came in late this morning, so I stayed a couple of extra hours to cover for her. When I checked the roster and saw your name, I decided to stick around and wait for you,â she said, punctuating her sentence with a wink.
Jadeâs warm greeting relieved Marvin, but in between each word she uttered, his thoughts darted back to Cynthia. As excited as he was to see Jade, as much as he would have enjoyed engaging in some risqué conversation with her that morning, especially after a night of fighting with his wife, he wanted to run inside and check the desk for any messages from Cynthia. Surely, sheâd gone to Dr. Changâs office and had forgotten to tell him she was going to work for a meeting or to settle a claim. Heâd looked for her laptop before leaving the house and couldnât find it. After all these years of working from home, every now and then she went into Dr. Changâs office to check the paperwork, organize the office, order supplies, or do anything else Dr. Chang asked her to do. She had become an informal office manager. Marvin thought she was crazy at first for doing all of that extra work, but Cynthia reminded him Dr. Chang had been good to them.
Months had passed since Cynthia had been summoned to the office for an emergency audit or to handle a rejected claim that required her attention. However, right now he needed for her to be at Dr.
Similar Books
