flavor.”
Shadrach uncrossed his legs. “Well, I just think Tonya’s all right. You’re right, though. She could use a little help with the wardrobe—a little something to make her look like there is still some life in her. I’ll grant you that. But it seems like to me that what’s not working on the outside don’t cancel out the inside. That’s something funny to me about women, anyway.” Shadrach looked puzzled. “Its hard to find a woman with both things working together. So many sisters look good on the outside, but they’re full of junk on the inside. Or else, they’re good on the inside and tore down on the outside.”
He dusted invisible lint off of his pants. “I just haven’t been able, in my lifetime, to decide which is better.” Shadrach smiled. “Maybe that’s why I’m not married.”
Michelle waved a French fry at him and laughed. “Shad, you’re full of it.”
“For real. I keep thinking, if a brother could get you two together—that would be something for the mind, the body, and the soul!”
Michelle trailed the fry back and forth through the ketchup. She wet her lips and winked. “Yeah, right, Shad. Whatever.”
“Really, Michelle, maybe Tonya is just trying to be nice to you.”
“I’ve been trying not to say this, but the truth is the truth. What the problem really is is that Tonya is jealous. You just admitted yourself that she is tired and dried up looking.” Michelle wiped her hands on her napkin. “I try to keep myself up.” She straightened her jacket and touched her hair. “And she sure doesn’t have a life outside of this job. You know how it is—she hears me on the phone, or some man asks me out to lunch.” Michelle winked at Shadrach again. “It makes her mad and she tries to make my life as miserable as hers. You know how people are. There is nothing I can do about how she feels, but I’m sure not going to let her ruin my life because she has issues.”
“You think that’s what it is, huh?”
“I know it is.”
Shadrach cracked his knuckles. “So, exactly what did happen?”
“Shad, you would not believe this, but it was just like a dream I had. In the dream, I was fed up with her and I went after her—chasing her and stuff. Only Tonya didn’t run in real life, like she ran in my dream. I was surprised. I tore into her. I called her everything I could think of. I told Miss Lady all about herself. I was all up in her face. Tonya wouldn’t fight back . . . but she didn’t run.”
Shadrach cleared his throat and straightened his sleeves. “Look, Michelle, you and Tonya are gonna have to talk and work this thing out.
Together.
Because what I hear and know about Mrs. Judson is that she can and
will
fire you, Tonya, or both of you all. She doesn’t play that ‘being emotional’ stuff at work. I guess since she is the boss, she got her stuff all together—so she doesn’t want anybody else’s issues infecting her office. You are going to have to get it together, Michelle.”
She pouted. “So I guess you’re saying that everything that happened was my fault. Tonya was all goodness and light, and I’m just too hotheaded to work in an office.”
“What I’m saying, Michelle, is that you two—you and Tonya—need to have lunch, or something, and figure out how to get this together before both of you all end up going down.” He smiled. “I’m even willing to sacrifice myself and referee.”
“Shad, you’re not fooling anybody. You’re just looking to see a cat fight.”
Shad put on an innocent expression and opened his palms wide. “Baby, I’m being for real. But you can’t blame a brother, can you?” His expression changed. “Really, though, I just want to help. Maybe if you all get together . . . You could eat lunch like this and talk—you know, try to talk things over.”
Michelle smirked. “You’ve got to be kidding. Me and Tonya at lunch . . . out in public? I’m too real for her. We can’t even get it together in an
Shadrach uncrossed his legs. “Well, I just think Tonya’s all right. You’re right, though. She could use a little help with the wardrobe—a little something to make her look like there is still some life in her. I’ll grant you that. But it seems like to me that what’s not working on the outside don’t cancel out the inside. That’s something funny to me about women, anyway.” Shadrach looked puzzled. “Its hard to find a woman with both things working together. So many sisters look good on the outside, but they’re full of junk on the inside. Or else, they’re good on the inside and tore down on the outside.”
He dusted invisible lint off of his pants. “I just haven’t been able, in my lifetime, to decide which is better.” Shadrach smiled. “Maybe that’s why I’m not married.”
Michelle waved a French fry at him and laughed. “Shad, you’re full of it.”
“For real. I keep thinking, if a brother could get you two together—that would be something for the mind, the body, and the soul!”
Michelle trailed the fry back and forth through the ketchup. She wet her lips and winked. “Yeah, right, Shad. Whatever.”
“Really, Michelle, maybe Tonya is just trying to be nice to you.”
“I’ve been trying not to say this, but the truth is the truth. What the problem really is is that Tonya is jealous. You just admitted yourself that she is tired and dried up looking.” Michelle wiped her hands on her napkin. “I try to keep myself up.” She straightened her jacket and touched her hair. “And she sure doesn’t have a life outside of this job. You know how it is—she hears me on the phone, or some man asks me out to lunch.” Michelle winked at Shadrach again. “It makes her mad and she tries to make my life as miserable as hers. You know how people are. There is nothing I can do about how she feels, but I’m sure not going to let her ruin my life because she has issues.”
“You think that’s what it is, huh?”
“I know it is.”
Shadrach cracked his knuckles. “So, exactly what did happen?”
“Shad, you would not believe this, but it was just like a dream I had. In the dream, I was fed up with her and I went after her—chasing her and stuff. Only Tonya didn’t run in real life, like she ran in my dream. I was surprised. I tore into her. I called her everything I could think of. I told Miss Lady all about herself. I was all up in her face. Tonya wouldn’t fight back . . . but she didn’t run.”
Shadrach cleared his throat and straightened his sleeves. “Look, Michelle, you and Tonya are gonna have to talk and work this thing out.
Together.
Because what I hear and know about Mrs. Judson is that she can and
will
fire you, Tonya, or both of you all. She doesn’t play that ‘being emotional’ stuff at work. I guess since she is the boss, she got her stuff all together—so she doesn’t want anybody else’s issues infecting her office. You are going to have to get it together, Michelle.”
She pouted. “So I guess you’re saying that everything that happened was my fault. Tonya was all goodness and light, and I’m just too hotheaded to work in an office.”
“What I’m saying, Michelle, is that you two—you and Tonya—need to have lunch, or something, and figure out how to get this together before both of you all end up going down.” He smiled. “I’m even willing to sacrifice myself and referee.”
“Shad, you’re not fooling anybody. You’re just looking to see a cat fight.”
Shad put on an innocent expression and opened his palms wide. “Baby, I’m being for real. But you can’t blame a brother, can you?” His expression changed. “Really, though, I just want to help. Maybe if you all get together . . . You could eat lunch like this and talk—you know, try to talk things over.”
Michelle smirked. “You’ve got to be kidding. Me and Tonya at lunch . . . out in public? I’m too real for her. We can’t even get it together in an
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