Page 4 of Aquarius Awakening
Ten minutes later, Leon sashayed into my office. His over-the-top personality was always on ten regardless of the situation.
“Darling, it’s so good to see you. I’m sure you saw the emails from yesterday,” he mused.
“Now you know I saw the emails. I thought we were on the same page about the final approvals. However, based on the emails from yesterday, I guess I was wrong,” I responded.
Leon let out a heavy sigh. “The approvals simply couldn’t wait for your return. We needed the fabric to bring the designs to life. The seamstresses needed to start working on the designs as soon as possible. If we don’t have any designs approved, how would I confidently know if they worked or not?” he asked.
“The same way you always do. I think you keep forgetting that I’m a designer as well. You were brought on board to make things simpler for me. I need to know I can trust you so I can focus on the business. Still, that doesn’t mean you take me out of the equation whenever you feel like it. To make matters worse, I don’t like the design. Yesterday was a complete waste of time and resources for multiple departments,” I declared.
“Look, I understand your frustration. I made an executive decision in your absence. I’m sorry to hear you don’t like the designs. You are completely right. We have had thisconversation before, and we won’t need to have it again. Why don’t I get back to work on some designs you may actually like?” he offered.
“I appreciate that, and I appreciate you. I think we work well together. The keyword beingtogether. Please remember that we’re all one team. I look forward to seeing the revised designs.”
He nodded in agreement and then walked out of my office. Once he was gone, I let out a deep breath. Leon was brilliant and frustrating all in one. I hoped that this time around, he would truly understand my perspective on this. One thing I despised was wasting time and money. I didn’t love the designs that Leon gave approval for. They weren’t bad per se, but they needed adjusting. I understood the time restraints we were under, but that didn’t mean the protocols I had in place were discarded.
Milani walked back into my office and shut the door behind her. “Leon didn’t look upset, so I assume the conversation went well,” she surmised.
“I guess. There was something off about the conversation, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Leon didn’t give me his usual back and forth. You know, we can agree to disagree at times, but he made me feel like he just wanted to pacify me. You know the Aquarian in me despises drama, so I’m not interested in any back and forth,” I stated as I stared out the window in deep thought.
“Let’s not read too much into it. You guys have this conversation once a year. We can only hope that he truly understood why he needs to go through you for final approval,” she affirmed.
“I guess time will tell. What else do we have on the agenda today?” I asked.
I listened intently as Milani ran through the number of meetings and phone calls that filled my calendar. Since I was unexpectedly out yesterday, my calendar would be packed allday. I braced myself for the different vendors and potential client calls. While I loved my job, when my personal life was in shambles, it was hard to focus on work. After Milani finished going through the list, it was time for my first call.
Sister Time
A knockon my office door came as I wrapped up my last call for the day. I was in the midst of confirming my schedule to ensure all tasks were completed. It felt as if I hadn’t looked up from the computer all day. Without looking up, I said, “Come in.”
“I’m used to you burying yourself in your work, but this seems a bit much. You can’t even look up from your computer to greet your big sister,” my older sister, Imani, playfully stated.
A smile crept onto my face that matched hers. I quickly got up from my desk to embrace her.
“God, I’m so glad you’re here,” I voiced as she hugged her tightly.
She rocked me back and forth and gently rubbed my back. Calm swept over me. A calm that I couldn’t recall having in a long time. After a few minutes, we finally separated.
“I hadn’t heard from you after your appointment the other day, so I figured you needed a visit. How did things go?” Imani sincerely asked.
I didn’t have the heart to utter the words, so I simply shook my head.
“Aww, sis, I’m so sorry. How about we head out to dinner to talk about it? I don’t want you to do your typical Aquarius behavior and drown yourself in your work. At a time like this, you need to let out your feelings,” she advised.
My eyes lowered to avoid eye contact because she was right. The packed schedule wouldn’t be enough to get me over this ache in my heart. If there was anyone in this world who understood me, it was my sister. She was absolutely correct in assuming I would be busy with work. It had been my thing since we were kids. When things troubled me, I would find something to occupy my mind.
“Don’t come in here acting like you know me. Let’s get out of here before Milani finds me something else to do,” I jokingly said as I locked my computer and grabbed my purse.
Imani intertwined her arm with mine. I looked at her because we had discussed this before. No matter how many times I told her not to baby me, she never listened.
“Girl, how many times do I have to tell you that I’m the older sister and you can’t tell me what to do? If I want to lock arms while we walk, we will lock arms,” Imani reminded me as she pulled me closer.
We walked out of my office. As we passed Milani’s office, I noticed it was empty. I sent Milani a text to let her know I hadleft for the day. The call I wrapped up before Imani walked into my office was my last, so I hoped Milani didn’t have anything else that needed my attention today. Either way, I knew she would text me if she needed me. As we continued to the elevator bank, several members of my team stopped to speak with Imani. She was a regular around the office, and everyone loved her.
“Come on, superstar,” I joked as I pressed the button for the elevator.
“Don’t be a hater now,” Imani responded as she playfully nudged my arm.
We exited the elevator and walked through the lobby. It was a humid spring night, so the stench of the city hit me like a ton of bricks. As a native New Yorker, the smell of the city was something I was used to.
