Episode 3 The Call
1103 Words
Joanne's phone rang loudly in the silence of her office. She, who was half asleep on her desk, murmured before reaching for it. One thing being a fashion boss did was that it afforded her less sleep and so she had to make do with the short naps she took in the office. Hence her murmurings at the caller at such an hour.
Even though she had steady hands to run her business in her absence, her workaholic and managerial spirit never let her take rests or even step away from the business for a while. She fussed over it like it was her baby. And indeed it was. But perhaps it was time for Jo to step away so that she could see other things. Men inclusive. And maybe they would see her too.
She looked at her screen, it was an unknown caller. She hesitated, wondering who could be calling her with a strange number? It seemed the person was out of the country. She didn't recognize the number, but something about the international prefix caught her attention. She picked up, her voice cautious.
"Hello?" A lady's voice came from the other end. It was sweet and Harper would have recognized that voice anywhere in the world even if it came from a space ship stuck in Mars.
"Elizabeth!" Jo's eyes widened in surprise. She squeezed in delight. It had been years since they'd last spoken.
"Where the hell are you, girl?"
"California," Lizzy replied, her voice warm and familiar.
"I've got a proposition for you, Jo. Are you sitting down?"
She scoffed.
"Damn right you got a proposition for me. It had better be you appearing in my office, kneeling down and begging for forgiveness. Baby girl, you could get hit by a trailer that has my anger as its loads..."
Elizabeth interrupts her with a cough. But it wasn't one that came with sicknesses and colds. It was the one that suggested that she shut up so Lizzy could pass her message across. But Joanne was having none of it.
"Girl… Did you just shut me up? Thank your star you aren't close by! Where is my plank at? I would whip your ass so bad for..."
"Joanne."
This time around, Elizabeth interrupts by speaking instead of coughing when she realizes that her friend would continue to go on and on and on if she wasn't stopped. And Elizabeth didn't blame her. She blamed herself. Afterall, she had been the one to ghost her friend in the last three years. In fact, since her divorce.
Jo's mind raced as she settled into the couch. Since Elizabeth wasn't interested in her scolding, it had to be something more important than an apology for hibernating for three years without the slightest idea of her whereabouts. She would scold later.
"I'm listening."
Elizabeth launched into an enthusiastic explanation of a long-term investment that had finally started paying off. Her eyes widened as she listened, the possibilities spinning in her head. Yet she wasn't going to let Elizabeth off the hook so easily.
"Money! You're talking about money! Did you eat the same apple that your ex husband did? Did you bump your head? Did you..."
"Sorry! I'm sorry Harper, okay? A lot happened and I didn't want to bother you anymore?"
"Bother me? Girlllll.... You must be out of your damn mind! Nobody's talking about you bothering. You just fell off the face of the Earth and that's your excuse? Lame!"
Elizabeth giggled when she heard Jo's voice go high pitched like those middle school girls when they were trying to set things straight with their clique. Especially with the last expression 'lame'
"I'm sorry, did you just laugh?"
"But I already said I'm sorry now? Let's go back to the business talk. It's money Joanne. I know you love money."
She sucked her teeth. Her friend did know her well. Only too well. And it was damn annoying. But who didn't love good cash anyway? Good God almighty, she would put her anger aside and listen.
When Elizabeth was sure that she had secured her friend's attention from the ensuing silence, she continued her speech.
"Remember the investment I made in our third year of college? I can't really remember the details but one was a food company and the other was oil..."
"Yes, I remember. Continue."
It was Joanne's turn to get impatient as the details were getting too much, too long and boring. She needed to get to the part where there was work and the reward for labour was money.
"It began to pay this year and ..."
So Elizabeth explained the details of how the cash flow was so far and what she had done with the money. Jo was very impressed but as a manager, she began to think of different ways to triple the money.
"That's good Lizzy. So?"
She was waiting to hear the part that included her in her friend's money.
"And I thought, why not start a company together?" Lizzy said, her voice full of excitement. "We could use this investment as seed money and build something amazing."
Jo's heart raced at the prospect. She had always admired Elizabeth's business acumen, and the idea of working together was tantalizing. "That sounds incredible," she said.
"But are you sure you want to do this with me?"
Elizabeth's laughter was warm and reassuring. "I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else, Jo .We've got a good chance here. Let's make the most of it."
She could already see the growth of the business in her mind's eye. And from what she could see, it was going to be massive. She already had enough going on for her at the moment but it would be a shame to let such opportunity slip by.
"But I have the fashion business to handle."
"And you have capable hands to handle it already. Girl... Step out of that office and into the corporate world. Your business lets you hide yourself well. That time is over. Maybe a man will find you this time already."
Joanne sneered. Her friend's teasing was getting to her. Elizabeth knew she had done well with convincing her friend. She just needed a final blow.
"Xander wants you on board too. Don't you baby?"
Joanne chuckled. Xander was Lizzy's nephew that Joanne used to love so much. So she called him Thor."Thor's only a baby. He can't speak Elizabeth."
"Try again sister. He's four now. He can write a damn letter if he wants to."
And so Joanne came to work with Elizabeth.
- Writer
