Chapter 7: Cappucinos and Beauties

GIOVANNI.

"You know that you'll have to put your foot down sooner or later, right? You can't let them keep doing whatever they like to you just because they're family. It's not right." Matteo, my bestfriend since forever repeated promoting me to roll my eyes yet again.

"You talk way too much, man. There's really nothing that bad with what happened, this branch just needs more attention simve it's falling apart and I'm the man for the job,  because of my good reputation. That's all." I said, even though I knew I was deceiving myself.

"Okay, whatever makes you sleep at night, Giovanni. Just know that Gaston and your mother decided to throw a party for no reason today. If you don't know, let me spell it out for you, they're celebrating over their new success which is sending you faraway from them. You know what their next aim would be?"

"Well, you're the one who knows it all, aren't you?" I replied with sarcasm as he continued, ignoring my remark.

"Getting you to fall repeatedly, they'll do everything within their means to make sure that this branch falls through by making deals with competitions in the country so they can mock you afterwards and then after they succeed in that, the next step would probably be to make sure you rot here and never go back to Italy and guess what, they might go to extreme means to achieve that. They might even try eliminate you, let's just hope they don't suceed." Matteo concluded as I shook my head in disbelief.

"No more thriller and mystery movies for you, Matteo. You've gone way too deep, I'm afraid that you might even be loosing it at this point. And I still don't see any reason why you should decide to move here with me, you know?"

Matteo has been my trusted buddy and best friend since high school days. He was the kind of friend I didn't know that I needed, he was kind, helpful and very understanding. There's literally nothing Matteo didn't know about my family and I. He was always ready to stand by me no matter what. He started to work in the Italy callisto group as a chief operating officer alongside with me.

"You know I can't live without you, dear friend." He responded, as the car came to a stop.

"Oh, that's not cringy and cheesy at all. I just want a cappuccino, since you won't let my assistant just do her job." I said to him as he proceeded to get off the car.

"We shouldn't stress beauties, Giovanni.  That's what gentlemen do." He replied as he winked at Judy in the front mirror, that which she caught.

"Ugh." I grunted, rolling my eyes and then my eyes caught a familiar figure rushing towards my side of the car, limping. It turns out to be one of the girls Matteo tried to hit on during the weekend. The one who asked for five thousand dollars for a bracelet that didn't look like it even worth hundred.

Matteo had called both her and her friend golddiggers even before the incident and they proved him right. Although, both Matteo and I would be lying if we said we weren't instantly attracted to her, she was a beauty afterall. There was a deep richness to her black skin; a homely vibe that brought to mind fireside reading and the great philosophers.

She also had a way of making the ordinary extraordinary. Dressed as she was in casual clothing - the blue jeans and t-shirt - it was her hairstyle that spoke to who she was, natural yet confident. There is a boldness in being so natural, in greeting the world just as you are, and I saw that in her hairstyle. She let it be: pure, natural and loose. Coily, short, and shiny in all its puffy glory. Might I also add that she was voluptuous. Average height and fit yet amazingly curvy, I wonder if she knew how beautiful she was, or how much attention she attracts when she moves.

Her mouth started to move and then I had to tell my driver to lower the window glass of the other side so I could hear her voice.

"...at a rush hour? Breaking for that matter? Gosh, to hell with Callisto! Did they not say these things are durable for years? Just three years of wearing the damn thing and it's already tired! What then did I spend a whole seven thousand on it for!" She snapped in frustration as I noticed tears swell at the corner of her eyes.

"How do I show up to work barefooted on a damn Monday morning? Especially with that unreasonable boss of mine who doesn't even give room for explanations. I'm fucking tired of this bullshit of a life. So tired. Ugh!" She continued, as she let out her pent up frustration and then bent down such that I couldn't see her anymore.

After a few seconds, a voice that sounded much like hers but recorded started to speak. It was a voice that was like music under a summer breeze, almost lost against the noise of the Monday morning hullabaloo yet somehow it took hold of me, making me want to listen to more. It was some sort of motivational talk, there was silence for up to two minutes before the voice continued and then stopped.

And then she suddenly jumped on her feet, with the biggest smile on her face.

"Well, what's the worst that could happen, maybe he'd fire me, maybe not. I just got to put on my sarcasm and confidence. I might win." She said before moving even closer to the side I was sitting and stared at her reflection in the glass while wiping her tears.

"I should tell her to get away from the car..." Judy started to say as she attempted to get out of the passenger seat she was seated on.

"No, why would you do that? Just leave her alone." I snapped, more harshly than intended.

"You are beautiful! You are smart! You are the author of your life, You are confident and you are you! And, it's just a stupid Callisto heel anyway! We used to walk barefooted in the olden days!" She concluded as she walked away dramatically, barefooted. I couldn't stop the snicker that made its way to my mouth.

Matteo entered the car after a few seconds, stared at me and then looked around the car in confusion. "Is it just me or is the atmosphere in this space different from what I left? What's that smile on your face for, Giovanni?"

"Huh? Smile? What smile?" I questioned trying to look serious but only succeeding in smiling even wider.

"Smile. A pleased, kind, or amused facial expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed. That smile, it's plastered on your face right now and it's getting even bigger.

"Oh! Stop exaggerating and give me my damn cappuccino." I snapped as he handed thw cup over to me reluctantly.

The car started, driving towards the Callisto building. "That reminds me, we need to upgrade our whole heel collection." I said as we drove into the parking lot.

Time to refurbish the whole branch.