Rise of the Wadjet Witch - By Juliet C. Obodo Page 0,18
titled it “Referral Discussion.” Yeah, she was sure her application would not be the subject of the discussion. The bastard scheduled it for nine that morning, and it was already a quarter past eight.
She rushed through her morning routine, including a few extra steps such as applying makeup and perfume. She didn’t want Jonathan to see her looking downtrodden, especially since she didn’t feel that way; she’d never felt better. She twirled and skipped out the door as if to prove it.
Jonathan arrived at the restaurant shortly after her. “I can always count on you to arrive early—to be where you’re supposed to be.”
She just nodded in acknowledgement. She had ordered a coffee while she waited. The waitress placed it in front of her and then took Jonathan’s order. He didn’t order a meal, either—just coffee. They both knew this would be a short meeting.
“Well, Memphis, thank you for meeting me.”
She simply nodded again. He was calling her Memphis instead of “Memy” like he usually did, to emphasize that this was a professional meal. Of course she was going to meet him; her future was literally in his hands. She spied an envelope resting under his wrist and hoped it contained her reference.
“I wanted to discuss what happened the other night when you found Troy and me working together.”
Working together? Is that what they call it these days?
“You see, Troy is here in the States all alone, and he reminds me of when I was young and studying in the UK. We have become very close recently.”
Yes, his head was very close to your privates. Memphis allowed him to continue with a long-winded explanation for why he didn’t tell her about them. Since they had ended their relationship, he didn’t see the point. And it wasn’t as if he and Troy were involved; it was really a one-off kind of thing—not a part of his usual routine. He was going off into a tangent about Kinsley’s sexuality meter when Memphis interrupted him.
“Jonathan, do you have the referral letter that I asked you to write for me?”
“Oh, no, I don’t, but I have even better news for you. You received the fellowship! Here is your acceptance letter.” He handed the envelope to her.
She stared at the envelope as if she’d never seen one before. “I don’t understand. I didn’t complete my application.”
“Oh, I handed it in for you. The board agreed that the work you’ve done with me has been exceptional and they would love to offer you a position. Isn’t that brilliant? We will continue working together. We can even go out after hours and have a laugh, like old times.”
He reached across the table to hold her hand, but Memphis pulled away. She had forgotten that the reason she wanted the fellowship wasn’t for just the money. She also wanted to continue to work with Jonathan. She fantasized that they would make a major discovery together and he would fall as madly in love with her as she had with him. He would marvel at her brilliance and propose to her right before they went to the major conference in Phoenix, Arizona to present their findings. They would get married and raise little baby astronomers. They would co-author a book titled, Love and the Stars: How to Find Your Mate in the Sky. It would be a national bestseller. She would cut her hair into a cute little bob—
“Memphis?”
Jonathan’s voice brought her back to the present—and to the reality that she did not want to work with him or see him ever again.
“Aren’t you happy?” He attempted to grab her hand again.
This time, Memphis flicked away his grubby fingers. “Look, I don’t know how you managed this, but I wanted to get the fellowship on my own merit. I no longer want it to be in your department.” She rose out of her seat.
Jonathan just looked up at her, obviously shocked that she wouldn’t just follow along with his plan.
“No, you’re just upset and not thinking clearly,” he said through gritted teeth. Now he seemed angry at her noncompliance. “Don’t be a silly girl.”
“Jonathan, I am not, nor will I ever be, a silly girl.”
With that, she turned and left the building. She couldn’t help but feel a little like Elvis.
When she arrived on campus, she found that she had been locked out of her office. She checked her e-mail on her phone. Jonathan had fired her and was holding her research hostage. She sank to the ground in