Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela by Felicia Watson Page B

for his office,
    currently occupied by Irene Taylor, the volunteer who coached clients
    in resume writing, interviews skills, and the like.
    Before he got within six feet of the door, Irene‘s megaphone
    voice let Nick know she wasn‘t quite finished with Tish. Her bellow of
    ―Fine, don‘t listen to me! You can work at Applebee‘s forever‖ also let
    him know that things had hit a snag. Irene, a sharp, successful
    marketing executive, provided invaluable expertise to women who had
    been unemployed or underemployed for most of their lives.
    Unfortunately, she was also tactless, abrasive, and insensitive.
    Nick lounged against the corridor wall, munching away at his
    doughnut while he tried to ascertain if his intervention was required.
    When Tish‘s response contained several paint-peeling expletives and
    the phrase ―Stone Age crone,‖ he decided to step in. After cautiously
    swinging the door open, Nick surveyed the tense combatants and, in his
    most calming tone, inquired, ―Okay, what‘s the problem?‖
    Tish spread her hands out, exclaiming, ―Tell her! Tell her there
    ain‘t nothin‘ wrong with this outfit.‖ While Nick inspected her attire,
    which consisted of an orange satin polyester blouse and a red pleated
    skirt, Tish added, ―She said I looked like a hooker on my way to clown
    college.‖
    Nick stifled an inappropriate laugh as he turned to Irene, asking,
    ―Wouldn‘t it be fine if she just buttoned up the shirt a little more?‖
    ―Were you suddenly struck blind on your way in here?‖ Irene
    snapped. ―She has an interview at The Carlton .‖ She enunciated the
    name of one of Pittsburgh‘s finest restaurants with the slightest trace of
    condescension before adding, ―Not Chuckie Cheese.‖ Irene swiveled
    her chair towards Tish, saying, ―I can get you a nice white blouse and a
    suit from The Closet.‖ The Closet was the term ACC used for the on-
    site collection of clothing and shoes that Irene maintained for her
    protégés to wear to interviews. All were donations from her wide circle
    of contacts.
    Though he couldn‘t really see what was wrong with Tish‘s
    choice—other than it being a bit bright—Nick stepped in and soothed
    ruffled feathers on both sides, eventually convincing Tish to take
    Irene‘s advice.

    Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela
    43

    After Tish had flounced out, Irene collected her Furla handbag
    and file folders while shooting Nick a sardonic look. ―For a gay man,
    you know dick-all about clothes, you know that?‖
    ―How about just ‗for a man‘? How does my sartorial knowledge
    stack up then?‖ Nick retorted. ―Despite what you may have heard, the
    ‗gay‘ part does not negate the ‗man‘ part.‖
    Fortunately, Irene, along with all of her other bruising traits, was
    almost impossible to insult. ―Okay. Point taken.‖ She leaned her tall,
    athletic frame briefly against the doorjamb, saying, ―I promise I‘ll
    never again accuse you of being fabulous .‖
    Despite her imperious nature, Nick couldn‘t help liking this
    difficult woman—and it wasn‘t simply because she devoted countless
    unpaid hours to ACC, though he would have been hard put to give
    another concrete reason. ―Thank you,‖ he laughed. ―You get Tish that
    job, and I‘ll forget it ever happened.‖
    Nick expected his session with Norah to be less demanding than
    Tish and Irene‘s had been, though there was quite a bit of ground to
    cover. In May, Trudy had ―strongly suggested‖ that Nick move his
    appointments with Norah from every other week to once a month. He
    had acceded to his boss‘s wishes, reluctantly acknowledging that most
    of his misgivings probably sprang from his sheer personal fondness for
    Norah.
    It was Nick who had picked up the battered and shaken girl from
    the Uni-Mart all those months ago, Nick who had supported her
    throughout her progress to independence, and now Nick who faced
    ―cutting the cord.‖ But not yet. He knew with the