Smartystan

Wesley Winnington pulled the chair out for his date, Naomi. She possessed blue-black skin and ebony eyes that contrasted with his whiteness and baby blues, respectively. They sat at the Fish Doctor restaurant.

“So, you’re going to start on Monday?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m psyched.”

“I just hope you’re ready for all of this, Wes’.”

He looked at her incredulously. “What do you mean?”

“You’re going to be taking on the role of founder.”

“Yes, a proxy founder.”

“Yes. So, that’s going to be a lot for the both of us. We’ve already gotten a taste of what the press has for us.”

“And––”

“And I don’t want you to be hurt. I don’t want you bogged down in some scandal that someone might sabotage you with in this day and age. Who knows what could happen?”

Winnington cleared his throat. “Naomi, there’s nothing to worry about. The founders all have a specific role that they play. All of the c-suite is formed besides me.”

“And what are you, again?”

“I’m CIO. Chief information officer.”

“That’s right. You’re going to take your political science degree and use it as the fifth voice whenever they hold a vote.”

“Why do you say that?”

Naomi scoffed. “It’s because it’s true. You’re there only to be the token white boy. You’re going to be a CIO. What you’ll do is just raise your hand or voice your opposition or support for a given idea.”

Winnington darkened. “I’m at the highest point that someone my age could possibly hope for and you’re throwing all of this in my face.”

“It’s worth it to point out the reality to you. I have to be the one.”

“Well, don’t be.”

“Ooh, are we getting snippy?”

“I just thought…I wanted you to champion my position. I know you’ve got your life all sorted out and everything––”

“Oh, we’re going there. I have my clothing and supplement line launching in a few months, as you know. I’ve been valued at over a hundred million dollars from investors. You can be CIO. I’ll be CEO.”

“That’s great, but we must remember I’m on the board of Henlike Wellness Products. I’m still a member.”

“That you may be…for now. I really want you to be with me, Wesley. I know you can handle both roles, but I wanted you to be COO and not just someone at the table.”

“But I’m not just someone at the table. I’m with you.”

Naomi rolled her eyes. “I hear you talking. I just wanted you to be second in command just in case….”

“In case?”

“I want to be able to explore my options in the business field. I want you to be there as a second gun.”

“I’m not going to give up this opportunity. I’m going to go ahead and live my life without any kind of barriers or roadblocks. I will be with you, supporting you as much as I can.”

Naomi looked behind her and brushed away a tear.

“How long have we been dating?” she asked. It took him no time.

“Three years.”

“And in those three years, how many times have we encouraged each other to be alway be together when it came to business and pleasure?”

“Jesus, you sound like a litigator.”

“That was my previous choice as a major or do you not remember that?”

“I know exactly what you were going to do until you switched your focus.”

“What was my position at the nutrition store?”

“You were a regional manager.”

“Yes! So you do remember something.”

“ I know how long we’ve been a couple.”

“Do they have trophies for that?”

Winnington shifted in his seat. He looked a bit disturbed but kept his temper tamped down in his soul.

“What we have to do,” he said, “is find a happy medium between our professional and personal lives. We’re both going to be making a lot of money one day. More than what we have right now in the place where achievement is not only acknowledged but celebrated.”

“That’s why you should be able to be a serious part of my business instead of a placard and a chair in a boardroom.”

“I can’t. I won’t,” Winnington managed to say.

“How can we be a couple? How can we understand each other’s work? I’m not a proxy founder. There’s no place for me at Delaseer. I’ll have to be a lobbygirl in order to have some sense of authority over there.”

“Stop it.”

“I’m serious. We were supposed to be a team.”

We are a team.”

“Are we, though?” Do you not realize that we’re poised to be a power couple? They write magazine articles about people like that.”

Winnington sighed. He looked at his watch. Their food had gotten cold with their speech.

“We can box this up and go home,” Winnington mentioned. He signaled for a synth to come by and get take home containers for their food. The synth was ahead of him, however. The glowing being laid out the clam shells and Naomi hastily put away her food. Winnington moved just as quickly.

They found themselves standing in the autumn evening clutching their meals. Winnington hailed a rideshare.

“What’s it look like?” Naomi asked.

“It looks like we can still be an item and a powerful one as you have mentioned. I’m not all that concerned about the magazines, though. If we get featured, that’s fine. But I’m not thirsty to have my face plastered all over the cover.”

“Okay. Then we’ll be together,” Naomi spoke softly.

They kissed. Winnington grinned.

Naomi commented, “If we do get to the levels we’re destined to find, we’ll do this together. We’ll be the ones to make it work. We’re going to be together. What we’ll experience will be all connected to merit. Everything we will do will be on our own terms and be made possible by our brains. That’s the beauty of this place. We can argue and cajole and fight and make up and let that be the beauty of our union.”

“I agree,” Winnington said.