my plan and of course shared it with Terrell.”
“I still can’t get over the fact that a White man is named Terrell but go on.” Goldie chuckled.
“So, Terrell thought it was an excellent way to proceed. Well, apparently, this morning, behind closed doors, this piece of shit went and showed Terrell his so-called credentials, how he was made for a case like this and he won several ones that were similar to the issues. Since I lost the Bachman case seven months ago, I guess he felt he could bring that up and hold it against me. I don’t know what hand he played, but something definitely tells me he used that card! Do you know how hard I have worked on this, Goldie?! Long days and nights, with little to no sleep…”
Okay, so some of that loss of sleep was because I was being fucked all hours of the night by a motherfucker named Nixon, but that was neither here nor there. “This case is important to the firm and it could generate a lot more business, and he knows it. He’s been an attorney for longer than me. He’s a big pompous show-off and he was probably salivating when I was sitting there reading off the details in our morning meeting. This is like a nightmare, Goldie. He is really taking over the whole damn thing—using my ideas, mind you—and putting his own spin on it. And then he will probably claim every bit of the successful outcome as his own. And—”
“Okay, slow down. Did you talk to Terrell about this yet? Give your side of it?”
“He didn’t even give me a chance! Before I could even dial him up or go to his office, he shot me an email acting like Camden and I would be working together on this case, trying to make it seem like something it’s not. I wrote back and said that it was my case, and if Camden wants to see the notes after the case is over, that’s fine, but I added this was unfair. Instead of Terrell calling me back, his assistant, that maggot, Cassey, called me on the phone after seeing the email, and had the audacity to berate me, lecturing me about integrity, and how I need to be focused on protecting the client, and not my ego.”
“Let me take off my earrings… You want me to come over there and fuck him and her up?” Goldie said, indignation in her tone.
“Goldie, I wish. If I were not in the position I’m in, I would drop down low to my primitive instincts and do just that, but I’ve worked too hard to get here.” She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting angry tears. “I should’ve known something was going to happen. My life was going too well, girl.” She rocked back in her chair. “My relationship with Nixon is thriving, my parents are happy and healthy, the entire family is good, and my brother’s move to Trinidad to start his computer business went off without a hitch. I mean, everything was going smoothly! Now, the other shoe has dropped and I had no idea the first one was loose! I am even getting paranoid, thinking that this dude is planning to push me out completely. I am next up for promotion… Do you see what he did? If he wins this case, he can slide right in.”
“Watch him closely, Yasmine. You need to keep a record of everything he says to you, when and where.”
“It won’t matter. He is benefitting from the good ol’ boy system, I am sure. I feel like I have had to work twice as hard as my White counterparts to get where I am at, Goldie. We’ve discussed this for years.”
“I know… I know…”
“I’m not going to just sit back and take this…”
Glaring up at the ceiling, she kept trying in vain to settle her raw nerves. “I am so pissed I am in here shaking, Goldie! He stole my case right out from under me! I have been working like a dog on this… Damn it!” She slammed her fist on her desk. “I think I no longer have an appetite. I can’t meet you for lunch like we planned… I will just bring everyone down because I can’t even pretend to be okay right now.”
“I want you and me to sit down and meet up for drinks either tomorrow or next weekend, Yas, and talk about this further, face to