When Love’s In Fashion

“No, let him wait. We gotta find a place to live, and you gotta make him squirm on the hook girl, there might be more money available. Gotta figure he’s holding out. Can’t look lame taking the first offer that comes your way.”

“I don’t know…”

“Girl, have I ever steered you wrong?”

“There was that civil war history class you convinced me to take.”

“That was sophomore year and I didn’t know it was like a hotbed of confederate douche bags. I’m Spanish Taino; I grew up in Puerto Rico. It was all new for me too.”

“Okay, we’ll both take the hit on that one.”

“Yeah, but girl, you can’t, you know…”

“What fu*k this up? I wasn’t really planning on that but thanks for the reminder bi*ch. Just what I needed right now.”

“I was gonna say you can’t let that voice in your head bring you down. You’ve gotta just… I don’t know… be you.”

“You think two million people would read my sh*t if they knew I’m not anywhere near as awesome as Beyonce? I’m not trying to be a poster child for the fat-shamed, dark skinned, insecure masses.”

“Your life girl. So we lock up the house on Friday and spend the weekend in Colombia. Get our letters of intent in, and find housing, right?”

“That’s the plan, oh, and take the multimedia job that pays enough that we may never have to eat ramen again.”

“I’m all over it.” Sascha’s smile was almost genuine.

*****

Cliff was feeling dejected and kinda like a total loser when he got back. Sven was in make up for some pundit battle show he was booked on. Cliff talked to him while making eye contact in the mirror.

“So you didn’t get the wunderkind, so what? I’ve read her sh*t. It’s good, but you’ll find someone. You’re just whiny because you haven’t gotten laid in like, forever.”

“That’s so not the issue.”

“It is, but you’ve forgotten what anything other than your right hand feels like. Why don’t you call Debbie for some, you know,” he shimmied his shoulders in a disconcerting way.

“S*x with the ex.”

Cliff shook his head. “If I wanted to have s*x with her, I wouldn’t have designated her an ex. Besides, it’s been three months since we broke up.”

“Five.”

“Five?”

“Five.”

“I need to get laid.”

“Yeah, you do. So…” and he never got to hear what Sven was going to say because a PA interrupted him to say that a young African American woman was asking for him.

Cliff pushed the hope down to a reasonable level and walked out to the lobby. “Elmira.”

“Charlie, right?”

“Cliff.”

“Right, right, Cliff. It’s a weird name.”

“So I’ve heard. What can I do for you?”

Elmira held out the contract.

“I didn’t need it back. I have copies.”

“Signed ones?”

“You’re taking the gig.”

“Well, do you have an office or anything, because…”

“Right, right, do you want something, water, coffee?”

“Water would be great.” They walked down a long hallway and Elmira sat down in what was presumably Cliff’s office, frosted glass, and mahogany colored wood trim.

“So you’re accepting our offer?”

“I’m making a counter offer.”

“Really?”

“I want more walking around money; twenty percent more to be exact. I want to keep the rights to my personal entries. Those that are designated so. I’ll guarantee at least two non-designated entries per show.”

Cliff stared at her. He was relieved that she was here; no matter his friendship with the company CEO, his job was still in jeopardy. There had been too many losses and not enough wins lately. Getting Elmira Olivette on board definitely went in the win column though. Sven would be very pleased.

“Ten percent bump in offered stipend, you can keep the rights to designated personal entries, but I need at least fifteen total non-designated for the weeks.”

Elmira smiled. “Deal.” She held out her hand. Cliff took it, and felt how soft and warm it felt in his. He could see why Sven had insisted on this one. Her charisma was palpable.

“I’ll have the papers drawn up. Can you be in Monday to sign them?”

“Yeah. I’ll be here.”

“Good, then I guess we’ll see you next week for fittings. “

Elmira walked out of Cliff’s office, and the building, shoulder’s square, head held high and as soon as she sat in the rental car next to Sascha she deflated. “Fu*k.”

“What? Mami don’t tell me you caved.”

“No, I got what you said we wanted.”

“Excellent.” Sascha pulled into traffic. “We have an appointment to see a place in a half hour, so woman up sister.”

“I just… Sascha, what the fu*k are we doing. We both got into grad school at Colombia and NYU. We could have drifted through two more years, hell five more for a doctorate, without even having to think about it.”

Sascha nodded. “Drifting rocks. But you know this is too good to pass up. This is your dream; sitting on the front row at fu*king New York Fashion Week? Girl, you can’t pass this up. You’re like a fu*kin’ genius and you’re…”

“What? Wasting it at one of the best schools on the east coast?”

Sascha rolled her eyes. “It’s time for you, for us to move on.”

“When I crash and burn and am writing obituaries for the local suburban free paper, I’m gonna remind you this is all your fault.”

“Deal.”

Sascha focused on driving and smoking and cursing at people. Elmira tried not to think about the risks. Not thinking about things had gotten her through most of high school and all of college. The only thing that had really changed was that they were paying her instead of vice-versa.

The place was nice, open, bright, two bedrooms, large living room, and kitchen. The previous residents were Grad students at NYU, thus the availability. They signed the lease. Neither Elmira nor Sascha gave a sh*t about what it looked like. The part they appreciated were the bedrooms, larger than the ones at the Zeta Tau Alpha Zeta Tau Alpha house and on opposite sides of the space. Privacy for the first time in years.

They were back in their hotel room. “You realize we have sh*t to buy, right? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I don’t own a bed.”

“Yeah.” Elmira finished her beer and opened another. “We’ll get that done. Rent a truck to get our sh*t down here, and maybe I gotta buy a car.”

“It’s New York. There’s a subway…and taxis.”

“This fu*king job better be worth it because this is a lot of hassle.”

“Life after college is a lot of hassle. Didn’t anyone tell you that?”

“They might have. I think I just ignored it since I wasn’t gonna get tested on it and sh*t. Gimme my laptop.”

“Girl you’re gonna go pouring your heart out for free when you just got hired to do it for actual money?”