Chapter 21
With raging curiosity, Tatiana went to work on Monday morning. An extremely excited Nydia had called her the night before and told her she had something very, very important to tell her. It was something about her parents, but Nydia would only tell her in person. As soon as Tatiana stepped into the agency, she was accosted by Nydia and Beatrice. As they entered Tatiana's office, Nydia quickly shut the door behind them. Beatrice was sobbing. Tatiana realized that she’d have to wait to quench her curiosity about the pending conversation with Nydia about her parents.
“What's wrong?” Tatiana asked Beatrice. “Are you okay?”
“Tell her what you told me,” Nydia growled.
“It's about Augusta,” Beatrice barely got out.
“Has she hurt you?” Tatiana asked.
“Not me. I got here early and to my surprise, Augusta was already at her desk. She told me that today all the demonizing in the office would be fixed.”
“Demonizing? Fixed?” Tatiana asked, puzzled.
“Wait till you hear this,” Nydia retorted.
“She said Suzanne was going to fire Judith?”
Did I hear right? “What?” Tatiana asked.
“Judith is in Suzanne's office as we speak getting fired!” Nydia exclaimed.
“Suzanne blames Judith for Augusta's misfortunes,” explained Beatrice.
“How is that possible?” Tatiana questioned furiously.
“Augusta told Suzanne that it was Judith's loose morals that set the pace in the office,” explained Beatrice, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “That Lorna got her cues from Judith.”
“That's ridiculous!” Tatiana exclaimed.
“Tell her the rest of it,” Nydia growled with the edge in her voice about to break.
“Augusta also told Suzanne that Judith had turned everybody in the office against her, including the both of you.”
“What?! You've got to be kidding,” Tatiana snarled.
“She actually told Suzanne that you were friends before Judith got here.”
“It would be funny if it wasn't so stupid,” Nydia retorted.
Beatrice shook her head. “Augusta claims that when Judith confronted her in front of everybody in the office, she lost total credibility with her coworkers.”
“What is that woman smoking?” Tatiana questioned, disgusted.
“She's got to be on an acid trip of some kind to have dreamed that up,” snapped Nydia.
“I told her about how much I disagreed with Judith getting fired,” stated Beatrice.
“You did?” Tatiana asked.
“Judith might've made a mistake with that affair she had with Jack, but she admits she did wrong, and she was the one who broke up with him. She repented and if we’re Christians, we should get past that since God already forgave her for it.”
“What did Augusta say?” Tatiana asked.
Beatrice took a deep breath. “She said she knew for a fact that Judith didn’t repent. So I asked her how she could possibly know something like that. She said that she can see through people's dark hearts. She knows evil.”
“Then why doesn't she see it in herself?” Nydia snarled.
“According to Augusta, it’s her job as a child of God to uproot evil and destroy it,” Beatrice explained. “I told her that Judith is one of the most considerate people I've ever met, and there is nothing evil about her. She said of course there is. That that was why her father had chosen to sin inside of her.”
“If you don't chain me down, I'm going to pop her one,” Nydia blurted furiously.
“I'm afraid I lost my temper a bit. I couldn't help chastising her,” Beatrice declared.
“What did you tell her?” Tatiana asked.
“I told her she didn't understand God. That nothing she was saying was making any sense in terms of caring and forgiveness. That instead of following Jesus' example of love she was using her faith to spew blind hostility and then putting on righteous airs as a shield . That she was using God to justify acts of hatred disguised as virtue. That since she was trying to take God's place, she should build her own religion dedicated to her own glory so that the rest of us followers of God didn't have to stand helplessly by watching her give Christ a bad name.”
“You really told her,” Tatiana blurted.
Beatrice dabbed her eyes. “Do you think I was too hard on her?”
“No!” both Nydia and Tatiana exclaimed in unison.
“Anyway, I'm sure I'm now on her poopoo list. It's only a matter of time before she gets me fired too,” Beatrice asserted.
They heard shuffling outside the door, and they immediately exited Tatiana’s office. Judith was packing her belongings but looked calm.
“I'm sorry, Judith,” said Beatrice, hugging her.
“You know?” asked Judith.
“Augusta told me this morning.”
“This is complete bullshit!” exclaimed Nydia.
Tatiana angrily shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
“It's for the best. I hate it here,” declared Judith.
“You're not upset?” asked Beatrice, surprised.
“Have I ever told you that my favorite uncle is one of the best lawyers in the state?” Judith asked. “I moved to El Paso to be close to him. I believe the term for this is wrongful termination.”
“I believe you're right,” Nydia stated, smiling wryly.
Suzanne appeared with Bill close behind her. “Can I speak to you, Tatiana and Nydia?”
As they walked past Augusta's desk, she was on her computer and looking ultra-smug.
You human crab. Devil! Tatiana’s mind did abrupt backflips.
As soon as Bill closed the door to Suzanne’s office, Nydia retorted, “Are you firing us too?”
Suzanne was taken aback. “Good heavens, of course not. We're going to give you raises.”
“What?” Tatiana asked.
“You have handled every account I've thrown at you beautifully,” Bill announced. “Suzanne and I feel you deserve more money.”
“How is it that Judith gets fired, and we get raises?” questioned Nydia, sharpness in her voice.
“Let's not make more of this than what it is,” Suzanne uttered. “I had to make a tough business decision in order to insure the peace in my office.”
“You two are smart enough to understand the predicament Suzanne is in with a hostile office,” Bill explained. “Without Judith, we'll be able to get back to normal.”
Tatiana crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Why are you letting Augusta call the shots around here?”
“She's got nothing to do with this decision,” Suzanne stated defensively.
“You're lying,” Nydia blurted.
“Are you calling Suzanne a liar?” snapped Bill, his eyebrows raised.
“Yes.”
“Nydia, why would you insult me like that?” asked Suzanne, hurt.
“Augusta has been bragging about getting Judith fired. She came in here and twisted you around her finger as always. This office isn't a hostile place because of Judith. It's because of Augusta that this place has gotten impossible to work in!” retorted Nydia.
“Now, let’s not exaggerate things,” Bill declared.
Nydia let out a frustrated and exasperated breath. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet. “I’ve had enough of this and thanks to my parents I don’t have to put up with it anymore. I quit.”
Tatiana had no idea what Nydia meant about her parents. Maybe it was what their pending conversation was going to be about. Anyway, after the shock of what her friend had done wore off within a few seconds, she decided had had enough too. She also sprang up from her chair. “I quit too.”
“What?” asked Suzanne, alarmed.
“We told you that if you fired Judith, we were out of here,” Nydia declared, steel in her voice.
Tatiana and Nydia abruptly stepped out of the office with Suzanne and Bill in a startled stupor. After a few seconds, they woke up
from it and rushed after Tatiana and Nydia. When the four reached as far as Augusta’s desk, Augusta stared at the scene with a big question on her face.
“Ladies, ladies. Let's talk about this,” Bill begged.
“We can work this out!” Suzanne exclaimed.
“You've got what you wanted, Augusta. This office is all yours,” Tatiana burst. “Let's see how much money she can make for you, Suzanne.”
“Augusta, you can finish running this place into the ground,” Nydia retorted.
Tatiana and Nydia packed their belongings in their respective offices while Suzanne tearfully pleaded with them going from one office to the other. It was too much commotion for Bill, so he left the agency to go to his favorite bar. Augusta tried to tear Suzanne away from Tatiana and Nydia, but she wouldn't leave. Suzanne even volunteered to take back Judith's firing, but Judith told her she'd rather work in a dangerous nuclear plant than work with the likes of Augusta.
“Leave them, Suzanne. We don't need them,” asserted Augusta.
“You have to stay. Your clients love you,” Suzanne begged. “What will we do without you?”
“Suzanne, we warned you many times,” explained Tatiana. “You chose how you wanted your agency to work, which is you are right, of course, since the agency is yours, but this is Nydia’s and my life and we have a right to choose what environment we want to be in.”
“Environment?—but I’ve always had the utmost respect for you and Nydia. I’ve always gone out of my way for you. I don’t know why you’re doing this to me now,” Suzanne cried.
“If you had really valued us,” snapped Nydia, “you would’ve considered how difficult it was for Tatiana and me and, come to think of it, most everyone in the office to do our jobs with your sucketary and other tyrants like Jack Brewster constantly undermining us.”
“Ladies, we can work out our problems,” Suzanne pleaded. “We’re reasonable human beings—we can talk it out without taking drastic measures.”
Tatiana sighed deeply. “We’ve already tried that like a zillion times. Nothing comes of it. The time for talking it out is over.”
“You just don’t get it, Suzanne,” blurted Nydia. “I think you never will.”
“Suzanne, we'll be fine,” Augusta assured.
“Do you think so?” asked Suzanne, teary and forlornly.
“I've got great ideas for some campaigns. We don't need them. The office will be better without their negativity,” Augusta espoused.
“But—”
“We can handle whatever happens in this office.”
“But—”
“Stop worrying, Suzanne. I'm with you, and unlike other ungrateful people, I for one will never abandon you,” declared Augusta.
Immediately after leaving the office, Nydia, Judith, and Tatiana met at El Rancho restaurant. It was time for lunch and all three of them, far from being discombobulated, felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off of them.
“What a scene,” Tatiana remarked.
“You can say that again,” Judith expressed.
“I feel bad about one thing, though,” Nydia commented.
“What is that?” Tatiana questioned with curiosity.
Nydia shook her head. “I think I gave Beatrice away. I can't believe I told Suzanne that Augusta was gossiping about Judith's firing. She'll figure out it was Beatrice who told us.”
“I'm sure Beatrice won't hold it against you,” said Tatiana.
“Actually, I've got an idea that could make up for it,” Nydia declared slyly. “It has something to do with the surprise I told you about last night.”
Tatiana smiled. Finally she would know about the mystery with Nydia’s parents. “What’s the surprise?”
“Yes, what is it?” asked Judith.
“My parents told me last night that they'd loan us the money to open our own advertising agency. We could hire Beatrice. How about it, ladies? Can we do it?”
“Are you serious?” Tatiana asked.
“As serious as can be,” Nydia stated.
“Can we make a go of our own agency?” questioned Tatiana.
“Why are we questioning ourselves?” Nydia said. “We should be jumping at my parents’ offer.”
Tatiana nodded. “I've already gotten out of the hole. It's time to see the light. Count me in.”
“You two should be the owners. Not me,” Judith murmured.
“But—” Nydia started to say.
“Now listen, I’m not a businesswomen but tell you what, I’d love to work for you.”
Nydia smiled. “Okay, I understand.”
They toasted to their bright futures, and Tatiana inwardly thanked her mother. She had taught her so much. Tatiana and her friends may have sometimes been broken watermelons, but they could take care of each other. They could be supportive and believe in one another. Their hearts might've been exposed, but it was better than them being covered in concrete.
They might have to deal with the Augustas of the world, but they also had the Beatrices to soothe them. They had their own selves for empowerment. They had their loved ones for their growth as human beings.
Celebrate life. Share life.
It was all they had.
It was everything.
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