She Used to Be the Sweetest Girl(16)
“I’m proud of you, Brix. I know you’ve been through a lot these last few years, but you are strong honey. Stick in there and know that God is going to bless you,” the manager said, rubbing Brix’s arm.
With tears filling the brim of her eyelids, Brix replied, “Thank you so much, Mrs. Turner. I really appreciate your understanding.”
“Of course. You have a good day now and drive safely,” Mrs. Turner replied before walking away.
Brix smiled as she walked to her car. There had been so many genuine people placed in her life and Mrs. Turner was definitely one of them. Working at the bank had become her favorite outlet for channeling her inner accountant, and she couldn’t have been more thankful for the job. Pulling her phone out, she dialed Carissa and waited for her to come over the car’s Bluetooth system.
“Hey best friend,” Carissa said, answering the phone.
“Hey boo. What you doing?” Brix replied as she pulled out the parking lot.
“Girl, getting ready to take a nap before work.” Carissa worked as a residential specialist, who cared for teens with emotional and behavioral issues. She enjoyed working the late shift from 10 pm to 8 am. Plus, only working four days a week was quite alright with her. The weekends were for her to relax and kick back.
“I forgot you work today. At least it’s your Friday!” Brix said excitedly.
“Thank goodness and I already have plans for the weekend.”
“Plans with whom?” Brix asked, looking at the radio like Carissa could see her.
“You’ll see. You have plans too,” Carissa said, laughing. “And before you start, yes you’re going and no there will not be any midgets there.”
The last time Brix went to an event Carissa had drug her to, it was a bachelorette party for a friend of hers, and the short male strippers were not her thing at all. They were mainly attracted to her because she was the shortest and it creeped her out. One had even tried to get her to rock him like a baby.
Scrunching her face up at the memory, Brix responded, “Ugh, thank God. I don’t know if I can deal with another toddler swinging his penis in my face.” Carissa burst out laughing.
“Girl, somebody needs to swing some penis your way,” she said, yawning into the phone.
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Get you some sleep and call me when you get off.”
“Okay boo. Talk to you later.”
Riding slow through rush hour traffic, Brix smiled at the thought of being married. The love she saw between her parents was something she always cherished. Of course, it wouldn’t happen overnight, but sure enough it had to happen. Brix is what you would call a hopeless romantic. The idea of love or being in love excited her. She wanted to feel the connection and the protection of knowing he is hers and no one can change that.
As in love with the idea as she is, it scared her just as much. She knew love wasn’t a fairy tale, and prince charming would not be rescuing her from some tower she’s locked away in. In her case, her tower was her room. On one hand, she wanted the lovey-dovey relationship, and on the other, she was petrified of giving her all to someone else again.
Sighing, Brix pulled into the library parking lot where she was set to meet her client. She had been coming to this library for years, and the staff here was so nice. She had done her fair share of reading over the years, but today she had to make sure she didn’t get caught up talking to Nate, one of the librarians who worked here. He would go on and on about the newest books released or how he wished they would have made it a movie instead, and quite frankly, Brix didn’t have time for that conversation.
Getting out of her car and hitting the locks, she walked through the doors. Looking around to see if she could somewhat pinpoint her client, she gave up. Not wanting to look like she was staring, she just went to the front desk to give her name.
“Hello Brix! How are you?” Nate asked in his normal cheerful manner.
Smiling she replied, “I’m doing just fine Nate. Has my client arrived for the day?”
“Umm, let’s see here,” he said, scrolling the mouse. Back in the day, there used to be a sign in sheet, but with technology evolving; all you had to do was swipe a card and you were good to go.
“Yes! She’s sitting in the private room all the way in the back. Have you had—” putting her hand up, Brix stopped him.
“Thank you! See you later,” she replied, walking away, laughing to herself. It never fails.
Walking by the numerous people studying, browsing the web and those who were actually reading, Brix went into accountant mode in seconds. She did not play about professionalism, and if this was a client she planned on adding to the roster, she was sure to be on her A game.